The Salt Lake-based Incog Entertainment team was "big into action arcade games," the pick-up-and-play kind that draws you in and captivates you. So it was no big surprise that Sony Computer Entertainment America liked the products they were turning out for PlayStation gaming systems.
Colorful, action-packed games like Twisted Metal: Black, Small Brawl, the playful War of the Monsters.
This week, SCEA's releasing the latest Incog effort, Downhill Domination, the first downhill mountain bike racing game made for a "next-generation console." Solely for play on PlayStation 2, it comes complete with tricky courses, colorful characters — including five well-known pro-riders — and some urban settings familiar to Wasatch Front folk. Not to mention the ability to do more than a little damage, all accomplished from the player's choice of first- or third-person perspective.
But there's a very big difference with this game as well. This time, SCEA doesn't just like them. It owns them.
The company bought out Incognito Entertainment, kept the Incognito team intact (in fact, they've grown from a team of about 16 to two such teams) and shortened the name to Incog Inc. Entertainment.
Scott Campbell originally formed the Incognito Entertainment Studio in April 1999 with a core group of developers, about 10 strong, that he'd worked with elsewhere. They landed their first contract with SCEA to do a Twisted Metal game, part of the franchise of games SCEA started in 1995. In all, they did three of the five Twisted Metal games.
As racing games go, Campbell said, Downhill Domination is a "super-high-action racing game that takes place on insane vertical environments." The outdoor environments are "vast and rich in features," including short-cut options that let the rider pick his line through rough canyon terrain,
forests, city streets and more.
There's also an upgradeable combat system so that the racers can get rowdy, including kicking and throwing water bottles. Then there's what Campbell calls a "deep" trick system so they can strut their expertise, with more than 30 different tricks available, just waiting to be mastered.
Racing points earned can be turned into virtual cash to buy things to upgrade the equipment for the races, which take place in real-world locations, including across the University of Utah campus and up by the Capitol in Salt Lake City to courses in foreign countries.
Everything's changeable or upgradeable: the riders, their clothing, the environments, even the bikes, which are from real racing bike manufacturers. Campbell offers the lengthy list of manufacturers whose products are featured and, sure enough, if the name's synonymous with mountain bikes, it's on the list.
Players can choose from three types of riding: free riding, technical downhill and mountain cross.
There are also 20 licensed music tracks and 50 minutes of original music, Campbell said, ranging from hip-hop and punk to classic rock.
Incog prides itself on staying true to real-world differences, so the bike dynamics are different on grass than in dirt, for instance. It takes some getting used to, but it's all done to keep the energy level of the game up. And yes, if it's raining, it get slippery.
The game has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $39.99 and a T (for teens) rating.
E-MAIL: lois@desnews.com