Windows

Return of the Incredible Machine: Contraptions

The game industry has changed considerably during the previous years. Majority of new games rely on high-end hardware and 3D acceleration. Puzzle games are impeded by this and hence rare. What a relaxing vacation it was to forget about the system requirements (or the lack of thereof) and just use your gray matter to reach a goal for a change...

The legacy of the Incredible Machine continues with The Return of the Incredible Machine: Contraptions. This is easily the best puzzle game to come along in years and fans of the genre will not want to miss it. The multiplayer options could use a little tuning, but the improvement on the Contraption Builder as well as the 250 pre-set puzzles is sure to provide hours of fun for gamers of all ages.

Другими словами, если вам больше нравится разрабатывать мозги, нежели мышцы фаланг указательного пальца правой руки — попробуйте TIM4. Вам понравится, уверяю.

Those who have tried their hand at past Incredible Machine installations will instantly find themselves at home with Contraptions -- not because the gameplay is basically similar, but because it's exactly the same. This is by no means a bad thing; in fact, the continuation of the series after this past five-year hiatus is a welcome return, and proves to be as challenging and entertaining as it ever was. There are a few things to pull veterans in, however: new gadgets and items will keep them guessing all over again, while the new two-player hotseat mode offers more than enough family-friendly excitement for everyone. Essentially, you'll enjoy it if you're the slightest bit a puzzle fan, and if you're looking to give the genre a try, well, now's the time. The Incredible Machine is a truly classic series, and its latest Contraptions won't disappoint.

So I was delighted to load up this new Contraptions and give it a whirl. It has a streamlined new look, a hints system, a two-player mode (although I didn't try it), and an obnoxious voice-over that does all the reading for you text-challenged types. The puzzles are not much different, although there are more of them and they are slicker-looking, and there are many more types of items that can be used in building the devices.

Unlängst beklagte ich mich bei anderer Gelegenheit darüber, dass manche Spiele besonders schnell dem Zahn der Zeit erliegen. Natürlich gibt es auch Beispiele für das Gegenteil - diese Titel überdauern Jahr um Jahr, Nachfolger und Neuauflagen, ohne wesentlich an Reiz einzubüßen. Incredible Machine/Professor Tim gehört zweifellos in diese Kategorie. Man lässt sich einmal darauf ein, ein paar Maschinen zu bauen und ist dem Charme der Nonsens-Konstruktionen sofort verfallen. Und speziell gefällt mir daran, dass vor allem für die komplizierteren Aufgaben viele Lösungen existieren. Dass die Grafik inzwischen wortwörtlich aus dem vorherigen Jahrhundert stammt, nehme ich da gelassen in Kauf.

Those of you already familiar with the Incredible Machine games will be pleased to note that the winning formula has not been tampered with and this game sees the return of many of our old favourites including the cat, the mouse and of course Mel Schlemming. The graphics have been improved and the interface is still the easy to use point and click. A greater choice of background music is provided and the good news is that Pictures from an Exhibition is still there.