Incoming is a 3D shooter developed by Rage Software and published by Interplay. The game was first released for the PC in late 1998, and was followed by a Sega Dreamcast version, which was released in Japan on December 17, 1998, in Europe on October 14, 1999, and in North America on November 30, 1999. Set in the near-future of 2009, the game primarily revolves around controlling vehicles and turrets to fight alien invaders of Earth in one of the Campaign modes, the Arcade mode, and with or against another player. Some levels include brief real-time strategy segments.

Praised for its then-advanced graphics and sound, the game was generally well-received on the PC, though the critical response was less positive for the Dreamcast version. A sequel entitled Incoming Forces was released in 2002 exclusively for the PC. An arcade version of the game, utilising a unique hardware interface, was released in 2003.

Primarily a vehicle simulation game, the player controls one of a number of possible vehicles in order to complete objectives. The vehicle used could be an aerial craft, defence emplacement, or surface craft, and is usually armed with a primary weapon (with infinite ammunition) and sometimes secondary weapons (with either a limited or infinite supply).Incoming was also noted for its arcade style; in particular, the logging of high scores and a "life" system.

The Books were an American duo, formed in New York City in 1999, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Nick Zammuto and cellist Paul de Jong. Their releases typically incorporate samples of obscure sounds and speech. They have released three critically acclaimed albums on the German label Tomlab, and released their fourth studio album, The Way Out, on Temporary Residence Limited in July 2010.

Zammuto and de Jong first met in New York City in 1999 as they shared the same apartment building. De Jong invited Zammuto to dinner at his apartment, where he played him some of his collection of audio and video samples, including a Shooby Taylor record. Zammuto said of their meeting that "we both kind of knew at that moment that we listened (to music) in interesting ways and had similar approaches to music." Soon after, they began playing what they considered to be pop music, in comparison to their own works, under the name The Books.

In 2000, The Books started work on what would become their début album Thought for Food. Zammuto and de Jong moved locations constantly during this time, recording in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and finally in the basement of a hostel in North Carolina where Zammuto worked for a while after hiking the Appalachian Trail.