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| | Publisher: MacPlay  Genre: Arcade | | Mac OS X: 10.1 Mac OS Classic: Not Supported
CPU: G3 @ 400 MHz RAM: 128 MB |
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When MacPlay announced back in June plans for their Value Series, Mac gamers all over oozed with excitement. The lineup was impressive, the price was right (at $20 a pop), and almost every genre out there was covered. Old school Adventurists could enjoy such titles as The Feeble Files and Zork: The Grand Inquisitor, while puzzle fans took a crack at The Bejeweled & Alchemy Bundle. Those looking for a solid modern-day action-adventure game could turn their attention towards Giants: Citizen Kabuto or Heretic II, and those in dire need of a less costly first person shooter would find Sin Gold and Hexen II suitable choices for their needs. Incoming is MacPlay's answer to the Mac gamers' need for a good, solid, old school arcade shooter and they have succeeded splendidly, if I do say so myself.Story Incoming, like most arcade shooters, boasts your classic, although rather dry storyline. Alien invaders have come to your planet, seeking total control. Your mission is to stop the invasion by any means necessary.Gameplay Now, don't get me wrong here folks. I love your modern roleplaying/action/adventure game as much as the next person, but back in the day, the genre that dominated all video games, whether it be for computer or arcade, was the arcade shooter. From the very primitive Space Invaders to the more modern Aero Fighters series. Why did people play these games? To put it bluntly, because in many ways they were, and still are, some of the greatest games out there. The sheer rush of adrenaline that would come over you as you frantically tapped the fire button and jiggled the joystick, trying to keep yourself alive, the feeling you got when you finally beat level 5, and the glory of getting your name on the High Score list. Arcade shooters are the games where you don't have to necessarily think. You don't have to plan out your next move. All you need are your wits and instincts, and maybe just a little bit of luck.With that said, Incoming is a blast to play. It can be described as a modern rendition of the classics, that still, for the most part, keeps the classic formula that made the classics so fun to play. At the same time, it also offers some of the more modern aspects gamers look for, bridging the gaps between old school and new.When you first fire up Incoming, you'll undoubtedly notice that there are three game modes to choose from: Arcade, Scenario Action, and Scenario Tactics. Before I go on in depth into these modes, I'll explain some basic gameplay elements that all three share. Incoming, keeping its old school shooter roots, is a game that requires less thinking and more blasting. No matter what vehicle you play, no matter what level you choose your primary objective is to annihilate any and all alien craft you get your sights on. You're armed with an infinite supply of primary weapons, a limited supply of secondary, more powerful weapons, such as rockets or missiles, and a very limited amount of shields. The goal, from there on out, is fairly simple: shoot until you die. Any questions? Upon starting a mission, you'll notice that there are several instruments to help you. Besides your usual HUD that monitors your ammo and armor, Incoming also boasts a radar, and a compass. The radar is pretty self explanatory; it can detect both friendly and enemy craft, as well as key items and objectives. The compass is an extremely useful device that shows you two very important things: where your objective is, and where your target enemy is located. It is represented by a 3D arrow that constantly changes directions according to your location, and you'll know that you're going the right way if the arrow is pointing directly forward. All in all, I found both the compass and the radar extremely useful, especially considering that Incoming is entirely in 3D. Arcade Mode is the closest you can get to those old shooter classics. Unlike Scenario Action or Scenario Tactics, Arcade Mode features no story whatsoever, and no real objective, other than, of course, destroying enemy craft. Levels are divided by score limit. If you can survive for a level's given score limit, then you go on. As expected, each level features stronger, more powerful enemies, and a bigger score required for passage; by the time you reach the fifth or sixth level, things can get quite difficult. However, there is one thing that can help you: powerups. Scattered around the area, powerups that appear can be the deciding factor in a life or death situation. You can tell a powerup has been generated when your onboard computer says, "Powerup generated". From there, you can follow the green arrow on your compass to pick up the powerup, or simply continue on your way. At any rate, powerups are a terrific help, doing anything from repairing your shields, to upgrading your weapons, and even giving you temporary invulnerability. As with all shooters, powerups appear for a limited amount of time. If you don't snag a powerup quick enough, it will eventually explode, and thus disappear. Not to worry though; powerups are quite frequent in appearance, and sometimes its best not to get out of that ferocious firefight, at the risk of getting shot in the back.
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