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Incredible Crisis
Score: 99%
ESRB: Teen
Publisher: Titus Software
Developer: Polygon Magic
Media: CD/1
Players: 1
Genre: Action

Graphics & Sound:
Incredible Crisis brings you a story that has to be seen to be (dis)believed - in cartoonish 3D. Fans of Japanese animation will enjoy this nice little treat. While the graphics are somewhat simple, the FMVs are very entertaining. I DO have to warn you about the sound that Taneo makes when he's injured... it sounds roughly like 'YOU-WiiiiNN!!!'... but it obviously has a different meaning in Japanese. At any rate, it gets annoying rather quickly. I suggest you simply learn to keep him from getting hurt. It will be better on your ears. But, you don't want to turn the sound down. Some of the mini-games depend on sound. (Oh, and you wouldn't want to miss any of the Tokyo-pop-ska music!)

Gameplay:
Most gamers are probably familiar with the 'mini-game.' This is a short, simple game that can be played inside of another game. Sometimes mini-games are included as bonuses or as hidden features, and occasionally they are used to continue the storyline of another type of game. Incredible Crisis is actually entirely composed of mini-games. As you progress along the misadventures of our unlikely heroes, you go from one (zany) mini-game to another - each one more outlandish and unique than the last. This is a novel use of the mini-game concept, but it works exceedingly well for Incredible Crisis. As you play a mini-game, there is usually some sort of indicator which shows your progress, and another indicator which shows how much you've messed up. If you make too many mistakes, you lose the game, so watch out! It's sometimes a challenge, but it's always fun. (For the hard-core gamers out there, this game is both 'crack-headed' and 'crack' at the same time. For those of you who don't understand... just know that it's fun and addictive. 'Nuff said.)

Difficulty:
The entire game of Incredible Crisis is composed of subset mini-games. After completing a mini-game, you can save your progress. Also, once you've saved your game, you can choose the Mini-game option and practice any of the mini-games you've completed. This allows you to either play you favorites over again, or get some extra practice in on that one you just slipped by in. Inevitably, you'll probably want to start a new game and try to get as far as you have progressed with more lives, and the ability to practice these earlier levels will be incredibly useful for that.

Game Mechanics:
Incredible Crisis seems to be in a genre by itself. I can't think of another game I've ever seen that is entirely composed of mini-games. If there is another, I'm sure the mini-games can't be any more widely diversified than in Incredible Crisis. In any given mini-game, you could be trying to stop a boat from sinking, trying to avoid being seen by terrorists, or playing a high-speed trivia game where a delay or a wrong answer gets you shocked. This type of game lends itself to rapid changes in direction and styles of gameplay. In most games, this would be incredibly distracting, but Incredible Crisis makes excellent use of it, allowing a game to be built around a storyline that would make even the most ludicrous action film writer blush. The controls are (necessarily) very simple, but very responsive. Incredible Crisis is a most interesting and entertaining game worthy of being in any true gamer's collection.

-Geck0, GameVortex Communications
AKA Robert Perkins

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