Impossible Creatures

published by Microsoft Game Studios in 2002-12-29, developed by Relic Entertainment, running on Windows
type: strategy
genre: Science Fiction, Real-Time Strategy
perspective: bird's-eye
player options: LAN, Internet, single player
languages: eng
3.2/5
STEAM Powered

Official description

It's 1937. The world has been through a devastating depression and sits on the brink of the greatest war humanity has ever known. Meanwhile, on a small chain of islands in the South Pacific a great scientist toils over his discovery: a technology 30 years in the making known only as the Sigma Technology. Dr. Erik Chanikov has discovered a method to combine two normal animals you'd find in nature into new creatures that have the strengths of both, and the weaknesses of neither. This is only the first and simplest step towards Dr. Chanikov's final goal: combining genetic material at the molecular level to overcome the flaws that make us vulnerable to age, suffering, and disease in order to improve the quality and length of life for all humanity. Little does he know that the very people who claim to be his allies will be the ones to circumvent his work.

Upton Julius, a wealthy American industrialist, has been the sole backer of Dr. Chanikov's work, as well as his friend through the long years it has taken to develop the Sigma Technology. Being a great believer in philanthropy, Upton has always been a source of support and friendship to Dr. Chanikov. But in recent years his goals have changed, and his once kind manner has begun to fade. For reasons only known to his most trusted allies he's begun to look at Sigma not as an opportunity for knowledge and the betterment of humanity, but as a source of power. Unnoticed by the obsessed Dr. Chanikov, Upton has begun to collect a motley crew around him to enforce his will: The brutish whaler, Whitey Hooten, the sinister ornithologist, Velika La Pette, and the deranged veterinarian, Dr. Otis Ganglion. Together they are formulating a plan to use Sigma to take over the world, but they're still missing one key element.

Upton's misdealing has not gone unnoticed, though. Dr. Lucy Willing, Chanikov's assistant and a brilliant scientist in her own right has heard the whispers in the wind. She suspects that Upton is up to something; she's just not sure what, and why. Never one to be caught off guard she has jury-rigged a mobile laboratory capable of hiding out almost anywhere within the vast island chain, but she only intends to use it as a last resort. If the worst happens it wil keep both her and Dr. Chanikov safe, but until then she plans on covertly monitoring Upton's operation, and learning everything she can about his plans.

Every bomb has a fuse, which in this case is one Rex Chance, freelance war correspondent and adventurer down on his luck. A desperate letter and a call from the past will drop him smack into the middle of the struggle over the Sigma Technology, setting in motion events that could lead to the end of the world as we know it. Will Upton Julius find the key to unlocking the power of the Sigma technology? Not if Rex Chance has anything to say about it!

FEATURES

Thousands of Units
Impossible Creatures has more than 50 animals that can be combined to create a vast number of mutant creatures, the results of which are limited only by players' creativity.

Strategies as Boundless as your Imagination
By building these creatures into powerful and effective armies, players can define their strategy and how they want to tackle their opponents.

Explore Rich 3D Worlds
The highly detailed, fully 3-D dynamic world allows players to battle in four richly detailed environments, each with special flora and fauna.

Compelling Single-player Campaigns
Players command dozens of creatures and henchmen in 15 missions across 14 distinct islands.

Unprecedented Replayability
Impossible Creatures offers boundless creature combinations, armies, and strategies as well as online play and an easy-to-use mission editor that provides limitless play options.

Unique Multiplayer Options
Multiple players can engage in unprecedented, intense gameplay. Fast and ferocious multiplayer games bring a fresh RTS experience by focusing on furious, combat-driven action.

Relic - # 2007-10-21 00:25:10 - official description - source

Description

Minimum requirements:
* Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP
* 500 MHz CPU
* 128 MB RAM
* 1.5 GB free HD space
* 4X CD-ROM drive
* 16 MB VRAM

Sanguine # 2007-10-21 00:22:24

Comments (2)

creature designing - quite limited

Sanguine # 2010-05-02 12:55:32
There was a free downloadable extension by the name of Insect Invasion, which can be obtained at least from Microsoft's website.

Working title: Sigma (May 2000)
Working title: Sigma: The Adventures of Rex Chance (May 2001)

Notes:
* The thing they use for creating those hybrid animals is called Sigma technology.
* Rex Chance is the protagonist.

Sanguine # 2007-10-20 23:48:03

Technical specs

display: textured polygons

External reviews (2) - average: 77.5%

review sourceissuedatescore
IGN2003*8.3/1083%
Metacritic2002*72/10072%
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Contributors (3)

Sanguine
uvlbot-1
Cebion

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