PC Gamer Makes Nostalgic Discovery While Cleaning Out Their Storage

Game ZXC

PC Gaming

By Charming Holiday

Published Dec 30, 2023

Highlights

Retro game collectors rejoice as a lucky gamer finds an original in-case CD of the cult-classic strategy game Impossible Creatures during a storage clean-out.
Impossible Creatures, developed by Relic Entertainment, offers impressive 3D graphics and a unique genetic modification gameplay, making it a beloved title among fans.
While physical game disc sales decline, the discovery of this rare PC game highlights the potential for lucrative trading in old-school CD-ROMs and physical game copies.

While PC gaming has mostly moved away from physical game discs, one lucky gamer found an original in-case CD for the RTS game Impossible Creatures during a storage clean-out. As retro video game collecting continues to grow in popularity, rare finds like this nostalgic PC game frequently prompt excitement among gaming audiences and collector circles.

The cult-classic strategy game Impossible Creatures was released in 2003 by Candian developer Relic Entertainment. Relic is the studio behind titles like Company of Heroes, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, Homeworld, and many more real-time strategy games. The studio was acquired by THQ Nordic in 2004, before being sold to Sega in 2013.

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PC gamer TheJunkyVirus shared a photo of an original in-case PC CD-ROM copy of Relic Entertainment's Impossible Creatures, which they found while cleaning out their storage space. Offering 3D graphics that were impressive for its time, Impossible Creatures is beloved by fans for its genetic modification gameplay that allows players to create the titular "impossible creatures." Players are tasked with combining different animals to produce mutant monsters and form an army to battle against an evil villain. Similar to other popular RTS video games, Impossible Creatures features a richly explorable world, single-player and multiplayer options, and a high degree of replayability. While sealed copies of the original in-case PC discs can sell for upwards of $100, a ported version of Impossible Creatures is available on Steam for an incredibly low price.

Like many retro PC games, the Impossible Creatures case found by TheJunkyVirus includes the game disc along with downloadable software to run the game. The cover art features several examples of the genetically modified mutants that players can make in the game, such as tiger-scorpion, giraffe-gorilla, and zebra-dog hybrids. Fellow fans chimed in on the post, sharing their fond memories with Impossible Creatures. Several comments noted that the game launched prior to improved online matchmaking, though highlighted how this did not stop the title from becoming a fan-favorite. Some were hopeful that the resurgence in classic game remakes might lead to a newer version of Impossible Creatures, though it remains unknown if such a wish will come true.

With game collectors frequently on the lookout for nostalgic finds, the uncovering of an original PC version of Impossible Creatures is a surprising discovery. As physical game disc sales are on the decline, the collecting of old-school CD-ROMs and physical game copies has the potential to become an even more lucrative trade.