Ode to X-Com UFO Defense

[Dagobahn Eagle]

 

I just thought I'd post a thread about this fantastic title, surely the best strategy game ever. Who else than me has played it?

 

 

In X-Com, the Earth is at war with alien invaders. While the armies of the globe fights, you will lead a special forces units with only a few hundred individuals. You will employ teams of scientists, engineers, and troops. You will manage base-building, air combat, and ground combat. If you do a good job, the countries of the world will increase your funding. Do poorly to protect them, and they lose faith in you. Keep the poor job up, and they abandon their funding altogether.

 

The game is extremely detailed. You don't only train troops, name them, equip them with weapons, armour, and equipment RPG-style (OK, let's put a Rocket Launcher in his hand, two grenades, a flare, and a Pistol in his belt, and three Rockets in his backpack), and watch them evolve from mission to mission, each one developing strenghts in some areas and weaknesses in other. In X-Com, you build or buy everything, down to the last pistol clip. Initially, you only have poor Human weapons, vehicles and equipment, but as the game goes on, interrogated alien prisoners and artefacts recovered from the battlefields give you knowledge of alien technology, and you start to catch up with the alien menace and take slightly fewer casualties. You have a level of control greater than in most other strategy games out there, save from X-Com's sequels, re-makes, and imitations.

 

The tactical aspect also has one great feature not found too often elsewhere: Destructible terrain. You can blow up trees, hills, house walls, staircases, lamp posts, everything. And the setting of it all is so spooky.

 

Furthermore, there's not just one alien race: There are many. The gray Sectoids, slithery Snakemen, cloaked, flying Ethereals, and the hovering robotic Cyberdisks are just some of many, and each one of them has some spooky aspects and abilities that add to the atmosphere (illustrated autopsy reports have to be the greatest just after a meal:D!).

 

X-Com has its faults (overpowered Heavy Plasmas, no hot-keys, squad armament having to be carried out manually every time a mission starts, and so on), but it's truly an awesome title.

 

Have anyone else played this game? There are tonnes of videos from it on Youtube for those who're interested in it.

[Darth_Terros]

Oh man i love this game! although i much prefered Terror from the deep, i recently installed UFO:Aftermath which is ok but really buggy but still worth a look if you liked Xcom i wish they'd release a decent updated version soon.

 

I used to love capturing the aliens and bringing them home for a good old fashioned alien autopsy.

[Dagobahn Eagle]

Have you tried playing UFO Defence or Terror from the Deep without saving during missions? Be prepared for some serious casualties:eek:!

 

UFO Aftermath is OK, but to be honest it disappointed me. You can't blow nearly as many things up as in the original X-Com series, and you can't enter buildings. Also, I think it'd be a far better idea to leave it turn-based.

 

The music is downright awesome, though:cool:.

 

Terror from the Deep is great, too, and even harder than UFO Defence. Rescuing tankers and liners being boarded by aliens is a pain, though, as they take a freaking eternity!

[Darth_Terros]

Yeah i tried not saving during the missions it was super tough! i sent a lot of letters to a lot of families telling them there loved ones werent coming home that day.

 

I dont know what you mean by not being able to enter building in aftermath *Edit: i ment aftershock lol*? there building to enter all over the place, but like you said it is a shame you cant blow too much stuff up that was my favourite parts decimating a area with a rocket was always great fun *except when you balls up and accidently blow your entire squad up*.

 

It always irratated me when there was one last alien left and you couldnt find him and had to search the entire level that took bloody ages!!

 

I always felt really bad when you've had a guy on your squad for a fair few missions and you've given him this whole backstory in your head and then he dies the guilt was unbearable lol.

 

They really need to bring back this sort of turn based game they were awesome and intense! wish there was a Star wars one that would be brilliant recruiting Stormtroopers then going on missions to stop rebels hmm i wonder how easy aftershock is too mod?.

[Dagobahn Eagle]

Yeah i tried not saving during the missions it was super-tough!

Especially since the game's not exactly to fair to the player. You can have a soldier get shot as he steps out of the landing craft without you being able to do anything to avoid it, or you can lose your whole squad if a Sectoid puts a squaddie with a Rocket Launcher under mind control.

 

Not that that's a bad thing, I like the realism and toughness of it, but it makes things a whole lot harder. Nothing beats buying an Rocket-launcher HWP, fit it with rockets, and then have it get blown to shreds upon disembarking because an alien sniper had your ramp covered:D.

 

it is a shame you cant blow too much stuff up that was my favourite parts decimating a area with a rocket was always great fun.

Keep playing without saving and you'll do that more and more:). Nothing gets you to play tough like trying to storm a barn and losing four squad-members. "OK, that's it, I'm grenade-spamming that place to Holy Hell:mad:!":).

[Darth_Terros]

Lol the amount of times i havn't even unloaded everyone from the landing craft and a rockets gone sailing in exploding everyone just isnt funny.

 

You ever tried the super human setting? god thats impossible to beat! its hard enough on beginner! wish they'd add a decent multiplayer version of the game that'd be pretty damn fun!