Windows

MindRover: The Europa Project

CongiToy gets kudos for inventing an entire new genre of game, and for doing so successfully. And here's a little secret: the game is fun for adults as well. Egghead warriors without a cause will love this fine title. It teaches programming skills, cause and effect patterns and the knowledge that sometimes, you just have to let go and watch your work come to fruition. To an extent this is a parenting skill. MindRover picks up a perfect 5 GiN Gem score for its innovation, and a fine and fun learning experience.

What if you don't know squat about programming? No worries - the interface and the generous tutorials will de-mystify the subject and turn it into addictive fun. It's more fun than you might imagine. The manual is one of the best I've ever seen. MindRover is such a distinctive game that it creates a new hybrid genre: "strategy/ programming." Kudos goes out to Cognitoy for a fascinating concept, handsomely realized. MindRover may well be the "sleeper" of the year.

MindRover: The Europa Project is certainly an original game. Focusing on successful programming rather than control of your robots, MindRover treads new ground, and delivers with a resounding missile to the track sensor. If you are interested in programming, robots, or just looking for something fresh and different, MindRover is for you.

The game's complexity is a good thing, but it is also the only thing I can imagine as a downside. Casual puzzle-solvers might be easily overwhelmed by the amount of options to take into account when designing the AI. Some of the wiring program options are somewhat cryptic and even sound like they'll do the opposite of what you are expecting. These obstacles may be overcome with familiarity with the game, but that takes time and can be frustrating. If you stick with it, this is actually a quite rewarding game where succeeding in a mission gives you a real sense of accomplishment. You might even learn something while you're at it. Bottom Line: Puzzle solving, but not in the traditional sense. You're given a mission, then you design, equip, and program the AI of a vehicle to accomplish the goal. The interface is laid out nicely, but it's possible to be overwhelmed with options. The learning curve is high, but if you like problem solving, this game can be very rewarding.

Rating this sort of game is difficult. For people who love puzzles and have previously bought copies of Incredible Machine, MindRover will provide hours of satisfying brain straining. For those who like to dabble in Windows programming and logic solving, it'll also be more than adequate. The trouble is, it's hard to recommend the game to the crowds of ADD adolescents who prefer attaining triple-figure heart rates playing stuff like Quake. Make of that what you will.

All in all, this game is a rare modern example of why you don't need carefully rendered blood splashes or real-time adrenaline to have fun. And when one of your own creations finally manages to whup up on last month's hottest contender, you won't just feel victorious, you'll feel smart.

MindRover: The Europa Project is the first release from CogniToy. Refusing to allow itself to be pigeonholed, MindRover craftily qualifies for the genres of strategy, action and racing while defying them all as well. Perhaps you can say that it creates its own genre - programming.

Nach kurzer Eingewöhnungsphase hatte ich dann auch kapiert, wie man die Dinger in Bewegung setzt. Und so fieberte ich dann mit, wie sich der kleine Racker so schlägt. Leider ist kein Multiplayer-Modus vorhanden, so dass Sie Ihre Rover nicht gegeneinander antreten lassen können. Auch hätte ich mir ein paar mehr Ausrüstungsgegenstände wie Waffen oder Sensoren gewünscht. Die nicht allzu hübsche Grafik lässt sich dagegen leicht verschmerzen. denn Sie achten ja doch nur auf das Verhalten der Fahrzeuge. Ein netter Spaß, dessen Motivation aber nicht ewig anhalten wird.

И тем не менее, MindRover: The Europa Project слишком сложен для рядового обывателя. Будь в нашем рейтинге графа «сложность», я не задумываясь поставил бы высший балл. Да, можно сказать, что в CM (аудитория которого несравнимо больше) тот же принцип: что-то делаешь, потом наблюдаешь за результатом. Но там интерес есть, а здесь — нет. Ну не вижу я смысла убивать время, чтобы посмотреть, как мой робот за десяток секунд куда-нибудь доедет. Возможно, именно поэтому создатели так и не нашли паблишера. И порекомендовать... гм... игру можно только, пожалуй, заядлым технарям в качестве домашнего задания либо людям настырным, которые костьми лягут, но дойдут своим умом, как и что. И без всяких читов.