Clyborg,

You have some great ideas. Your term 'evolution' is on target. And perhaps could even be taken further, and reduced to it's basic terms for a good game idea.

Evolution... maybe not exactly like we learned it (as that's all up for grabs anyway), but borrowing some of the basic stereotypes we've all imagined. Mankind (ehem... Humankind ) evolving from basic hunter/gatherers and cave dwellers... "discovering" fire... then basic tools... the wheel... communities tending crops, etc.

Could throw in some dinosaurs for fun. Yeah yeah, I know, they didn't exist along side of man, but that never stopped the production of some great old movies.