Game Description

The United States has been devastated by a mysterious plague. Within 72 hours of its appearance on the East Coast, nearly every citizen in the entire country lay dead in its wake.

Among the shell-shocked survivors that roam the land are The Faithful, a bizarre cult that sprang up even as the plague was decimating the population. Its demented ranks worship a mysterious entity called the BROOD and they believe they hold the key to immunity from the plague.

Meanwhile, deep inside a military bunker, Project Nemesis is called to action. Its handful of soldiers don't know why they've been spared from the plague's wrath but neither do they question their fates. Their orders are simple: using weapons and their own special abilities, they are to take back their city from The Faithful, find out where the plague came from and discover the secrets of the BROOD.

You're in charge of the Nemesis team in this real-time, tactical combat game. Heavily influenced by the X-COM series, it requires both strategic and tactical expertise to win. The player maintains several bases of operations and send Nemesis team members to dynamically generated battles in an effort to retake the city from the slimy aliens and their human slaves.

The tactical battlefields are an isometric, top-down view. The real-time action can be sped up, slowed down and paused to allow the player to keep up with hectic situations. Throughout the game, the player will collect weapons and supplies, expand the Nemesis inventory of technological goodies and uncover the secrets of The Faithful and the BROOD. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

Squad level tactical combat simulations date as far back as the early days of 8-bit home computers. Games like Combat Leader and Computer Ambush simulated engagements for the single soldier or vehicle. X-COM: UFO Defense, which depicts tactical combat between humans and aliens, brought the genre into mainstream territory, while its second sequel, X-COM Apocalypse, brought real-time fighting to the fray. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

It is impossible to be passionate about this title, either for or against it. It is a pleasant diversion, but hardly ground breaking. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Production Credits

Game Design: Steve Goss

Programming: John Wakeham, Adrian Brown, Adam Dobson

Artwork: Stuart Griffen, David Moore, Jonathan Sandford, Justin Manning

Mapping: Thomas Rawlings

Project Assistant: Stuart Poole

Hothouse Producer: Steve Goss

Thanks to: Pete Morland, Rob Davies, Martin Carr, Gina Schofield, Jason Stapleton, Simon Vass, Sarah McKenna

Music: Richard Wells

Voice Talents: Lynda Hayes, Kerri Murphy, Colin McFarlane, Dominic Frisby, Dan Russell, Sharon Holm

Voice Production: Phillip Morris, Allinthegame Ltd.

Sound Effects and Audio Post Production: Allister Brimble

Manual Written by: The Write Stuff

Manual Design: A Creative Experience, London

EIDOS US

Product Manager: Michael McHale

US QA Managers: Jim Curry, Karina Kogan, Susan Boshkoff

Lead Tester: Mike Orenich

Assistant Lead Tester: Franklin Vasquez

Testers: Ralph Ortiz, Carlo Delallana, Ron Lauron

EIDOS UK

UK Testers: Esmond Ferns, Daryl Bibby, Phil Robotham, Will McIntosh, Carl Lovett, Suneil Saraf

Special Thanks: James Poole, Nick Earl, Caroline Simon, Jemell Sparks, Eric Adams, Mike Kawhara, Mike Souto ~ Rich Hernandez, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Something about Abomination feels as if the game was built in a lab. It is serviceable but unremarkable in every way, with nice, crisp graphics, solid audio and mildly engaging gameplay. On the other hand, it is a visual masterpiece, the sound could have been more inspired and the gameplay is not what most folks would call addictive. It is sort of like a manufactured Hollywood summer blockbuster (ala Armageddon or Men in Black): it is enjoyable in a pop-corny sort of way but not the least bit memorable.

Abomination borrows heavily from the popular X-COM games. In fact, it seems to be modeled step by step after the Microprose series since elements of X-COM appear in the premise, the overall strategic struggle, and the tactical combat that lies at the heart of the game.

At the start of the game, the United States has been devastated by a mysterious plague. Few survivors roam the land, most of whom are shocked and frightened, but some have banded together to form a bizarre cult known as the Faithful. Strong, united and slightly insane, the Faithful worship an alien force known as the BROOD, and will kill anyone who does not join them.

You take the helm of a top-secret squad of elite soldiers called Project Nemesis and it is your job to retake your city from the Faithful, find out exactly what the BROOD is and generally dig some sort of order out of the rubble of chaos.

The strategic element serves as the basic infrastructure of the title, connecting the tactical engagements and providing a sort of backbone for the game. A map of the city dominates the interface and, at the start, the entire area is shaded red indicating that it is under Faithful control. You can see bases, laboratories, and enemy strongholds after you have discovered them. Hotspots show incidents that call for your team's intervention.

You can equip your soldiers from a well-stocked armory at the start. Several real-world weapons are available including M16s, M4s, AK-47s, various grenades, side arms and other gear. This is a near-future setting, so some sci-fi stuff is also at your disposal. The most notable device in the beginning of the game is a handheld motion detector right out of Aliens.

The real game is when you are in the thick of a mission. Goals are standard issue, from recovering objects (plans, weapons, gadgets, or whatever) or people (dignitaries, scientists, etc.), to killing every enemy creature in the vicinity.

You control your team of up to four operatives from a top-down isometric viewpoint. The soldiers and human enemies are well animated but their models are a bit awkward; too lanky to be believable. The backgrounds, however, are crisp, convincing, and full of interactive details. Demolish cars, signs and other objects. Use mailboxes, walls and various structures as cover, and so on.

The height of the artwork is the aliens. Though slightly cartoon-like, they have a slimy, organic look that often sends chills up the spine. The very nature of the creatures is interesting, too. Without revealing too much, they tend to be passive in the beginning of the game, their tendrils growing up from beneath the streets like fleshy vines, often shown enveloping cars, parts of buildings, and even people. You can tell which ones are alive by the way they pulsate! Shoot them in this passive state and they die in a gooey burst of slime.

The gameplay itself is serviceable but unremarkable. The action takes place in real-time, but you can hit the space bar at any time to pause the game and issue orders. The mouse-based combat interface is intuitive, allowing you to change weapons, target enemies, lob grenades and perform other tasks with a minimal learning curve.

While everything about Abomination is satisfactory, it is also flat. There is no real thrill. I was never startled in combat or shocked by a narrative twist, but neither was I bored. If asked to sum up my opinion of the game in a word, I would say it is "Okay." ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

The combat areas are well drawn and aliens have a satisfyingly wiggly look, but characters look awkward. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

The adequate, but convincing sound effects lack punch, while the music is standard fare. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

Generated, rather than scripted, missions are unique, but still eerily similar. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

Amateur writing is balanced by the illusion that it is a top-secret document written for the Nemesis team by a general. ~ Joel Durham, All Game Guide

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