OT - XCOM Enemy Unknown

[Bullethead 12]

Somehow this was below my radar until I saw a banner ad for it in this forum.

 

I LOVED the original XCOM game, and also the 2nd underwater one. Everything since hasn't lived up to the standards set by those. Now I see Firaxis is remaking the original and from what I've seen of it, it looks pretty good. It's coming out 9 October.

 

If you've never had the opportuntity to enjoy the old XCOM games, you can find them on Steam for ridiculously low prices. These games are BRUTAL. If you think Bloody April is bad, you ain't seen nothing. When the game starts, your guys are hopelessly outclassed and die like flies. But their sacrifice lets you learn a little, so your next wave does a bit better, but still they die like flies. And so on, until hopefully the tide turns at some point and you can start kicking alien ass. That is, assuming you haven't lost the war by then.

 

Anyway, great fun. When the original games were in vogue, I used to name my troops after folks in my flightsim forum of the time, as well as myself, and post up reports of their heroic deaths ;). I'm looking forward to doing that again.

[SFP1Ace 33]

Somehow this was below my radar until I saw a banner ad for it in this forum.

 

I LOVED the original XCOM game, and also the 2nd underwater one.

 

Then you should also check the Xenonauts. :)

[Dej 17]

I'm with you there BH, One of the greatest games of all time. I've been eagerly awaiting this new one and have it on pre-order. Meantime I've had some fun with Aliens vs. Humans on the iPhone which is just the combat bit but faithfully implemented nonetheless.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I can't see why anyone liked them TBH...I bought the whole lot on Steam (offer package)... and I failed to get into them at all.

 

Different strokes I guess :)

[+76.IAP-Blackbird 3,557]

Played it trough some nights .. damn that was a great time .... had all of them but Xcom and Terror from the deep were the best!

[Flyby PC 23]

If you like XCom Enemy Unknown, you might like Fallout Tactics. It's 'kind of' in the Fallout series, but it plays a lot more like XCom than the other Fallout titles. Not brilliant by todays standards perhaps, but it passes the time...

It's a bit less correction MORE predictable than Xcom however, and you can't plot the path of your excellent pan drop missiles, nor Psionic control a baddie and have him turn collaborator.....

Edited September 17, 2012 by Flyby PC

[Von Paulus 8]

Then you should also check the Xenonauts. :)

Yes. It's an indie production, but probably will end up being the true spiritual successor to XCom: Enemy Unknown.

The Kickstart campaign run well and they were funded with extra cash.

Edited September 17, 2012 by Von Paulus

[Bullethead 12]

Then you should also check the Xenonauts. :)

 

Yup, I've done that and also the "UFO" series of games from some Euro indies. They were OK but I didn't enjoy them as much as the 1st 2 XCOM games.

 

I can't see why anyone liked them TBH...I bought the whole lot on Steam (offer package)... and I failed to get into them at all. Different strokes I guess :)

 

Definitely. You are the 1st person I've ever met who didn't like the old XCOM games. Now, I my self didn't really like any after the 1st 2, but I thought everybody liked those :).

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Yeah..I don't know why!...I remember the amazing reviews they got in the Gaming Media all those years ago...but, for some reason...I dunno...bit like 'Not getting into a book'....doesnt mean the book aint no good...just doesn't 'float ya boat'

[Olham 164]

Now, if a total newbie would like to get into the "XCOM" series - where must I start?

Can anyone point out, how many titles there were, and ca. from which years they are?

[Dej 17]

Wikipaedia will give you all the gen, Olham. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-COM

[Von Paulus 8]

Now, if a total newbie would like to get into the "XCOM" series - where must I start?

Can anyone point out, how many titles there were, and ca. from which years they are?

Olham, basically, only two are really a classic masterpiece, IMO.

UFO: Enemy Unknown (alias XCOM:UFO Defense) and Terror from the Deep.

 

Xenonauts and the new XCOM:Enemy Unknown from Fireaxis are the two new games inspired on those. Both will be release this year.

Also there's a less unknown XCOM type of game that will be also release this year: UFO2: Extraterrestrials

Edited September 17, 2012 by Von Paulus

[Olham 164]

Damn, are you guys kiddin' me? Those games are from 1995!

So I understand, you are all waiting for the new versions coming out this year?

[Von Paulus 8]

Damn, are you guys kiddin' me? Those games are from 1995!

So I understand, you are all waiting for the new versions coming out this year?

Yes we are expecting new versions. But a good game is always a good game. And XCom is better than 99.9% of today games.

It has one of the best turn base combat ever done in any game. Great ambiance.

I'll excuse you because you've never played it. :)

It's like chess. You don't turn it down because it's old and the graphics are basically the same for more than a thousand years.

[Olham 164]

Ah, I see. Thanks for your forgiveness. I guess I know what you mean.

I have an old game which I still like a lot.

It was quite hard for a long time to beat the computer, before you slowly

but surely gained the upper hand. It was called "Grandest Fleet".

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grandest_Fleet

 

http://www.myabandonware.com/game/the-grandest-fleet-30z

 

It is impossible to say how anyone would like it, if he saw it now.

But back in the 90s, I happily wasted hours trying to reconquer my islands and gain the upper hand.

I always selected the parameters for my random maps so, that I had many rather small islands.

So I had a lot to conquer. And you only saw from the map, what you had already reconoitred.

The driving and firing ranges for all boats and ship were different.

Oh, I better stop before I get into it - it was big fun.

[Olham 164]

Found a free download for XCOM UFO Alien Invasion - downloading right now.

[Von Paulus 8]

I had it download a couple years ago, but I've never ended up testing it.

They are still implementing things.

But probably it will be enough for you to get some of the feeling. :)

[Bullethead 12]

Found a free download for XCOM UFO Alien Invasion - downloading right now.

 

But that's not a real XCOM game. It's a fanboy project that IFAIK isn't even complete.

 

The real XCOM games are:

 

1. UFO: Enemy Unknown aka X-COM: UFO Defense aka X-COM: Enemy Unknown

The original game, set on land.

 

2. X-COM: Terror from the Deep

The sequel, essentially the same game but now you're based underwater and can fight on both land and water.

 

Both of these games had the classic gameplay model with a real-time strategic view of the world. Here you did research, made new gadgets, recruited and trained new troops and scientists, intercepted flying UFOs, and decided what missions to send your troops on. Once your troops got somewhere, you had a turn-based squad-level tactical firefight where you shot it out with the aliens. You'd also pick up alien gadgets to take home and reverse-engineer.

 

3. X-COM Apocalypse

The beginning of the end of the franchise. Everything was real-time, even the combat, which made pretty much killed everything. In addition, instead of the whole world, all you had was 1 huge city.

 

4. X-COM Interceptor

A spaceship shooter. No troops. More like a Battle of Britain thing than a space thing.

 

5. X-COM First Alien Invasion

A PBEM head-to-head tactical-only thing.

 

6. X-COM: Enforcer

A mindless 3rd person shooter with no real strategy side.

[Olham 164]

It's the first from your list.

But researching a bit deeper, I found several people saying that "Jagged Alliance 2"

was better; that it was "like XCOM with real characters".

 

"Jagged Alliance", anyone?

[Bullethead 12]

It's the first from your list.

 

Nope, totally different. Check the names again ;).

 

You said you got this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO:_Alien_Invasion

 

The real 1st XCOM game is this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO:_Enemy_Unknown

 

But researching a bit deeper, I found several people saying that "Jagged Alliance 2"

was better; that it was "like XCOM with real characters".

"Jagged Alliance", anyone?

 

Jagged Alliance is also a good series but it's totally different. The only thing JA games have in common with XCOM games is that they both have a turn-based, squad-level tactical combat system.

 

In JA, you're a merceny hired to help 1 side in yet another civil war in some 3rd World country. You use the money from your employer to hire other mercs and buy gear, then do a series of commando raids that ultimately lead to your employer's side winning the war. It's all real-world stuff so there aren't any real surprises, and there's no strategy to speak of. It's just buy the troops and gear, fight the mission, refit your squad, fight the next mission, repeat. Fun but lacking in depth and not particularly replayable.

 

In XCOM games, OTOH, you run a vast military-industrial complex, so there's a huge strategic side. You have to play politics with world leaders so they keep giving you money. Then you have to use that money to build your facilities, hire scientists and technicians, and recruit and train your soldiers. You're fighting aliens and begin horribly outclassed, and you're only hope is to capture and research alien technology, then build human-adapted versions of it for your troops to use in the field. But you never have enough money, people, or resources to do everything, so you're always making hard decisions. And then besides all this, you have very intense tactical battles to fight, to aquire the stuff to research. And because you're fighting aliens, you're running into nasty surprises.

 

So IMHO, XCOM has everything Jagged Alliance has, plus a lot more.

[Olham 164]

Okay, thank you for the detailed answer.

That's strange - I wanted "Enemy Unknown", but must have got mislaid somewhere.

I'll try again tomorrow.

[+Polovski 460]

Actually there are a few very good fan made XCom clones, better graphics than the original 320x200 etc of course. In it's time Jagged Alliance was exceptional too still individual squad turn based, and lots of details and upgrade weaponry etc.

 

I liked them both very much, XCom of course the longer lasting re-playability but each worth owning. Also very good and I think better than JA is Silent Storm and SS2. Only thing that spoils it is the panzerklein things whatever they were called, (armoured suits-) but you can mod it out. SS2 had great bullet penetration rules, which allowed you to have fire fights inside wooden or thin walled rooms and buildings firing through walls and even floors etc, super fun. when all hell breaks loose and you can hear enemies rushing to you.

[Von Paulus 8]

JA is also a classical.

Silent Storm, unfortunately, I've never played, but it's quite good from what I've heard.

[Olham 164]

Thank you guys for memories. I'll search for some of these as free downloads.