Windows

Incubation: Time is Running Out

Permita-se a brincadeira com o nome do outro jogo da Bluebyte, porque a máquina gráfica é a mesma. E porque Incubation é um exemplo extremo de quanto de bom vem aí.

Jugar a Incubation es una delicia en todos los sentidos, porque es uno de esos raros desarrollos que de vez en cuando aparecen en el mundo del software, en los que la acertada combinación de sus elementos dan como resultado final un juego de tanta calidad y adición que sigues pensando en él aún después de haber apagado el ordenador.

Yes, it is turn-based, but believe me, it just doesn't matter. It's so fast-paced you'll find yourself hitting the control key and reaching for the mouse so many times it's almost embarrassing. If I could think of a more superlative word than brilliant, I'd stick it right here...

As a whole, I found Incubation to be a lot of fun. The 3-D graphics make it unusually exciting for a turn based game, and the levels and Intricate strategy kept me coming back for more. On the downside, Incubation does have a fairly limited equipment selection, and, as a little peeve of mine, refused to run unless I did the maximum installation, which gobbled upwards of 110 megabytes. If you're looking for the most engaging turn-based strategy game to come along in a long time, Incubation is it.

Jest to trzecia z rzędu gra Blue Byte, która świetnie wygląda z zewnątrz, jest równie smakowita od środka i wnosi coś nowego. Stratedzy! Czas ucieka. Przygotujcie się. Nadchodzi Incubation.

Bluebyte, het softwarebedrijf dat verantwoordelijk is voor deze titel, bezorgt ons een ideale dosis spelplezier voor de donkere uren op koude winteravonden.

Die Texturen sind nicht immer die allerschönsten, und einige kleinere Grafikfehler machen sich auch bemerkbar. Das ändert aber nichts an dem fantastischen Gefühl, dabei zu sein. Für ein rundenbasiertes Taktikspiel ist die Grafik sogar außergewöhnlich gut. Besonders die großen Alien-Viecher sorgen für wahre Schockeffekte. Keine Frage: Incubation hat das Zeug dazu, den gleichen Kultstatus wie Battle Isle zu erlangen. Die erste Missions-CD ist auch schon in Vorbereitung…

Once you manage to get over the game's extreme ugliness and user-unfriendly presentation, Incubation turns out to be a small gem, though. With more appropriate looks for a tactical game, it would have become an instant classic. The way it is, the contamination with unwanted substances shows.

Is it turn-based? Yes. Is it tactical? Yes. Is it terrifying? No. But it is a fun breath of difference in a 3D shooter and real-time world. Interested parties should try the demo for themselves. The bad news is that it isn't quite the complex arch-masterpiece to one-up the original X-Com. The good news is that this is Blue Byte, a company with a proven track record for doing sequels and producing successively better versions of their popular games. This is very promising indeed.

Alt i alt må Incubation siges at være et temmeligt vellykket spil. Men er du endnu ikke overbevist om, at Incubation vil give dig mange gode timer foran skærmen, kan du prøve den spilbare demo på denne måneds cd-rom.

Anfangs war ich nicht sonderlich beeindruckt von Incubation. Das zunächst simpel anmutende Katz-und-Maus-Spiel erinnerte mich allzu sehr an die strategische Sequenz des Microprose-Titels UFO-Enemy Unknown. Auch mit der merkwürdigen Steuerung mußte ich mich erst mal anfreunden: Je mehr ich die Karte umherdrehte, desto ferner rückte das Gefühl, endlich den idealen Blickwinkel gefunden zu haben. Nach einiger Eingewöhnungszeit fiel mir das dann gar nicht mehr auf, denn das vor Spannung vibrierende Geschehen zog mich total in seinen Bann und ließ mich bislang auch nicht mehr los.

Incubation is rather like that dear friend who has one single personality trait that drives you absolutely crazy; it does almost everything very well, even brilliantly, but one aspect of gameplay - namely, the reliance on puzzle-missions over real strategy settings in single player mode - will be loathed by some. On the other hand, if you don't mind puzzles in your strategy games, or if you'll be primarily playing multiplayer, the game can't be recommended highly enough - your estimation will hinge on the kind of gamer you are.

Incubation looks and sounds outstanding, and it controls well. The small-scale, tactical-level combat demands that every soldier play an important role. But in spite of its many skin-deep strengths, Incubation nonetheless stumbles in those same areas that bog down so many other strategy games: The computer opponent is a pushover, gameplay lacks depth, and the campaign is not satisfying. What could well have been an entirely successful departure from the droves of underdeveloped strategy games saturating the market instead feels all too familiar despite its striking aesthetic differences.