Microsoft does the Impossible
After the launch of Microsoft Windows Vista in 2007, users were disappointed to find that the operating system they had so eagerly waited for failed to satisfy their expectations. The idea in itself is a definite step forward from XP, as the representatives pointed out during the presentation of Project Longhorn’s Beta 1 version, yet some basic questions about the product remained unanswered even then, when it was already too late for them to be work-in-progress.
To be honest, it seems like the whole project was rushed to completion, in stead of taking the time to finish all of its aspects. However, the disappointment made me look back into a time when Microsoft published what is possibly one of their most successful projects in my opinion. Back in 2002, in collaboration with Relic Entertainment, the Microsoft Game Studio managed to concoct an innovatory - and even a bit bizarre - real-time strategy game, which they dubbed Impossible Creatures.
I admit, the actual battles aren’t as glamorous as can be seen in other games, but the way in which you build your army is truly revolutionary. Instead of having an array of units to choose from, the game designers decided to create an interface that allows the user to build his own units by combining two separate species of animals. In fact, this was the only reason I had decided to try out the game, as I’d heard it would be very amusing to combine creatures from different extremes. When I finally did get the game, I realized I had used the correct keyword in my expectations: if anything, the game is very amusing.
The characters, the dialog and even the creatures themselves manage to lighten up the RTS genre by adding a certain humor to the game, one which seems to be lacking in modern-day games. Also, the ability to combine any two of around 50 creatures makes the game one of the most flexible ones I’ve encountered so far. Adapting your army to your style of play is as simple as taking one body part from one animal and adding it to another. Thusly, you get creatures that are either: light and fast/slow and bulky, good melee attackers/good ranged attackers, very effective in packs/stealthy and solitary etc.
The limit of the game’s design is rather the player’s imagination than the number of animals available and the game can therefor offer quite a few hours of serious fun. However, once you’ve finished the campaign, try battling your friends in multiplayer mode to see who came up with the best combinations possible! If nothing else, try the game just to see what goofy combinations you can come up with. You might just end up having a showcase army in no time flat.







