Posted March 10, 2012
Recently i was browsing GOG.com a site setup to sell us old games weve played before . when i stumbled upon a classic must buy. That title is Incubation the 4th part in the battle isles series and available as a full set for the small price of $9.99.
Incubation was the 4th part in the battle isles series, released in 1997 and is a turn based tactical strategy game by blue byte software. Battle isles was the first strategy game to introduce hexagonal movement as opposed to the typical square movement found in previous turn based strategy titles.
Incubation was a great departure from previous games of the series for being based around a squad of soldiers or marines. You essentially take control of up to 9 marines guiding them through a series of levels which paly out in 3d turn based tension agaisnt an alien menance. The game is reminicent of other classics such as xcom and jagged alliance and gamers aware of incubation regard it jsut as highly.
The games story involves an alien race known as Scay'Ger and to be quite honest the actual details of the story elude me, althoguh its safe to say it borrows heavily from aliens/starship troopers and warhammer. But the truth is the story really isn't important. What's important is the level of strategy and tension found within this forgotten classic.
Before and after each mission the player is presented with a sort of tactical map, a representation of a city with little circles the player can click on which his squad then visit. You can visit a sort of trader, were you can promote your marines, recruit new marines, buy weapons or buy equipment. Often the player is also faced with multiple missions he can choose between, some paly out one after the other whilst others are a choice which you forefit one mission upon completion of the other.
Incubation is played out in turns, each of your marines has a set of time units that let you move them, fire with them, use a medkit, stim pills, open doors, use explosives use a jetpack or go into a knid of overwatch mode that allows you to fire on the aliens turn. What makes incubation special is its level of strategy, its quite a simplified interface and yet the constant inclusion of objectives often restricted by turns and the relenting and rather challenging ai will have you on the edge of your seat quite often when the next wrong move might cost you the permenant life of one of your marines. The game takes strategy even further in my opinion than both xcom and jagged alliance and the mechanics are done very well.
Coming back to the game and revisiting it after all this time im pleased to say my fond memories were not just nostalgia, the game itself is just as tense and great as it was in 1997. the grpahics are dated but hold a certain charm to them still and really dont come into it once you start playing. looking at incubation now its an often overlooked gem, a turn based strategy game that was done right and one that made it exciting and tense.
The game also comes with the wilderness missions which is an expansion to the original game and a level editor. The widlerness missions up the difficulty considerably but it results in more tedium than strategy, with every single shot counting and often reloading ans saving after each shot to guarantee the mazimum g damage is a flaw of the expansion. Mutliplayer is also a hell of alot of fun with players fighting it out against each other in a series of turns.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2yfVeFEjJ8
^^someone elses review..
My review of this revist is a 5/5 you really cant go wrong with this game, if you enjoy turn based games or strategy gamesi n general then why not buy it and give it a go, its on gog.com just make sure you launch the game as administrator. I plan to keep these reviews coming so expect more of them
Incubation was the 4th part in the battle isles series, released in 1997 and is a turn based tactical strategy game by blue byte software. Battle isles was the first strategy game to introduce hexagonal movement as opposed to the typical square movement found in previous turn based strategy titles.
Incubation was a great departure from previous games of the series for being based around a squad of soldiers or marines. You essentially take control of up to 9 marines guiding them through a series of levels which paly out in 3d turn based tension agaisnt an alien menance. The game is reminicent of other classics such as xcom and jagged alliance and gamers aware of incubation regard it jsut as highly.
The games story involves an alien race known as Scay'Ger and to be quite honest the actual details of the story elude me, althoguh its safe to say it borrows heavily from aliens/starship troopers and warhammer. But the truth is the story really isn't important. What's important is the level of strategy and tension found within this forgotten classic.
Before and after each mission the player is presented with a sort of tactical map, a representation of a city with little circles the player can click on which his squad then visit. You can visit a sort of trader, were you can promote your marines, recruit new marines, buy weapons or buy equipment. Often the player is also faced with multiple missions he can choose between, some paly out one after the other whilst others are a choice which you forefit one mission upon completion of the other.
Incubation is played out in turns, each of your marines has a set of time units that let you move them, fire with them, use a medkit, stim pills, open doors, use explosives use a jetpack or go into a knid of overwatch mode that allows you to fire on the aliens turn. What makes incubation special is its level of strategy, its quite a simplified interface and yet the constant inclusion of objectives often restricted by turns and the relenting and rather challenging ai will have you on the edge of your seat quite often when the next wrong move might cost you the permenant life of one of your marines. The game takes strategy even further in my opinion than both xcom and jagged alliance and the mechanics are done very well.
Coming back to the game and revisiting it after all this time im pleased to say my fond memories were not just nostalgia, the game itself is just as tense and great as it was in 1997. the grpahics are dated but hold a certain charm to them still and really dont come into it once you start playing. looking at incubation now its an often overlooked gem, a turn based strategy game that was done right and one that made it exciting and tense.
The game also comes with the wilderness missions which is an expansion to the original game and a level editor. The widlerness missions up the difficulty considerably but it results in more tedium than strategy, with every single shot counting and often reloading ans saving after each shot to guarantee the mazimum g damage is a flaw of the expansion. Mutliplayer is also a hell of alot of fun with players fighting it out against each other in a series of turns.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2yfVeFEjJ8
^^someone elses review..
My review of this revist is a 5/5 you really cant go wrong with this game, if you enjoy turn based games or strategy gamesi n general then why not buy it and give it a go, its on gog.com just make sure you launch the game as administrator. I plan to keep these reviews coming so expect more of them