Flawed but enjoyable apocalyptic thrills
This has to be one of the best videogame titles ever and really evokes a strong sense of what is about to come when you fire the game up. While it doesn't quite live up to its fantastic name, it remains an enjoyable enough piece of real-time strategy gaming that adds in some exciting action elements to create a strong whole. Abomination is set in a horrific, post-apocalyptic world that has been ravaged by a deadly virus but which is facing an even greater threat in the form of an alien menace, known as 'The Brood'. It's up to you to take control of a squad of genetically enhanced warriors, and some more ordinary troops, and take the fight to the aliens in order to reclaim your world. A map screen details which parts of the globe are currently under attack and by clicking on the most threatened parts, you are taken into the missions, where you get to choose four squad members and their gear and then engage in real-time combat. One of the game's major draws is that missions are randomly generated, even down to objectives, with everything from defusing bombs, to rescuing hostages and of course wiping out all your enemies popping up at some point. It's all quite similar to X-Com, only in real-time, or Ground Control, and while the game is far from perfect, there are some good ideas on display here which help overcome the flaws. Problems include the lack of any real requirement for tactics, while the various powers available are unspectacular and largely pointless, and with weapons also proving disappointing. The game is certainly fast and furious though, so as long as you don't want something that requires too much thought or strategy, it remains a reasonably enjoyable and quite challenging experience that is worth checking out.
