X-com: any new good games?

[rory_20_uk]

Dear all, are there any remakes of X-com that don't screw if up in some perverse way? I thought that the original was great and basically a new one with some better graphics and a few other areas polished up isn't asking too mcuh, surely?

I've been looking online to no avail, os has anyone got wind of any decent ones?

[Csargo]

I have no idea what X-com is.

[The_Mark]

[link removed] It's one of the best computer games in the history of gaming. 14 years old and still going strong.


No links to abandonware sites please. It's a legal grey area and might get the org into trouble! Froggy.

[econ21]

Short answer: no. X-Com was superb both because it had wonderful gameplay (combining both an interesting strategic layer and good battles - not unlike TW) and because it had a stunning atmosphere: the music, the scarey aliens, the screams as my rookie turns into a zombie (and that's just me screaming - the computer makes sounds too).

There are fans of an X-Com PBM thing, but I want an AI.

I tried a demo of the 3D X-com remake that came out a few years back and was appalled at how clunky it was. By contrast, I still play the original UFO: Enemy Unknown with no problems. If you still want to play the original with a modern computer, there is a nice loader (I think by Scott Jones) that allows you to do so.

In terms of related games, some people rave about Silent Storm (2?) - it's WW2 themed, but has X-Com style tactical combat in 3D. However, I thought it was only so-so: it lacks a compelling atmosphere and never really immerses you.

Personally, for X-Com type fixes, I have to stick to older games. Jagged Alliance 2 was the ultimate evolution of the isometric squad based tactical game genre, IMO. It has pretty much all the X-Com gameplay, with its own wonderful atmosphere, and has graphics that are more acceptable to the modern eye. It is mercs vs soldiers, however - although the main protaganist, Deidranna, would give Darth Vader a run for his money as a characterful villain. And the sci-fi quest is fantastic - like the first half of Aliens.

Perversely, I sometimes feel that the original Ghost Recon - a tactical shooter - was sort of like a real time first person X-com type game; it's all about maneouvring your squad into position and has a fun varied long campaign. Heart stoppingly realistic too.

If you really want a sci-fi themed game, keep your eye on Bioshock. Not a squad based tactical game, but looks like it will have a scarey futuristic atmosphere down to a tee.

[Fragony]

You want Silent Storm, turn-based strategy at it's finest.

[professorspatula]

Well there are certainly many X-Com inspired games in the works, although respecting the rights of the original developers/publishers they're not 1:1 copies just with better graphics et al.


There's UFO 2000 - Multiplayer UFO/X-Com basically.

UFO: Extraterrestrials - A commercial UFO/X-Com inspired game due out next month. Although it's been delayed about 300 times already.

UFO: Alien Invasion - Quake 2 engine powered game I believe, has some promise but far from complete.

Project Xenocide: Shows much promise but not a great deal of progress at the moment.


In the meantime, classic X-Com games are still worth playing, although I still find X-Com no matter what version is buggy as hell. (And bloomin' hard - step off squad craft... bang, explosive round fired into ship killing entire team!) Terror from the Deep is less buggy but a bit less atmospheric.


By the way what's everyone's shortest X-Com game? Mine was within about 20 days. I just happened to place my base about 6 pixels from a UFO base. After one interception, the Aliens sent a ship to attack my base. Most of my men already dead, not enough guns, and bang, game over! Wasn't even on a stupidly hard difficulty level either.

[rory_20_uk]

The thing that makes me cry is that there is no need to plagiarise to make a good game:

Music was amazingly good. Surely someone else can make atmospheric music?
Simple base building. Again not revolutionary or copyrighted.
A simple tech tree.
Simple construction.
Soldiers that can get better
Some nasties to kill

But every game has managed to get this wrong. How is this possible? You're competing with a game that sometimes required you to sell goods if you thought that the base would be attacked as else you'd get lumbered with 100 guns to defend it with!

Yes, the AI wasn't amazing, graphics were oh so 1992 and it was essentially made for DOS.

It should have been that the old game was almost a given, and the differences were in the increased options in every sphere - men that could perform many functions, different resources with different properties, interaction with governments with all having an agenda of their own, an enemy that increases in ability and who'se empire develops too... custom weapons / vehicles and of course the option to mod the thing to boot. 15 years, and nothing...

The quake 2 engine game you can't even destroy walls. Better graphics, then take out a core feature... bravo I'd rather have a 16k bit palette of sprites and an increase in resolution.

[Bob the Insane]

Revisiting this topic...

Ufo: Extraterrestrials is now out as of 1st May (so the web site states)...

Anyone got it...

It's looking properly XCOM in style...

[professorspatula]

I've been put off by some of the so called features of the game and lack of polish.

[Bob the Insane]

I picked it up from www.gamersgate.com in a digital download, only $29.99...

I do see there is a little polish missing and if I had not play XCOM quiet so much I would not have any idea what to do in the game...

It lacks in the sounds department a little to. But one nice plus is that it works just fine on my Vista machine (so far)...

It really is very XCOM, as in UFO:Enemy Unknown in style and game play with a few little differences... I did not play much so will write more later...

[econ21]

I did not play much so will write more later...

Yes please do write more, because if the following is true:

It really is very XCOM, as in UFO:Enemy Unknown in style and game play with a few little differences...

then it would be a must buy. As rory said, the UFO style and gameplay was superb but has not been successfully cloned.

[Crandaeolon]

I've heard that the interface in Extraterrestrials loses to the original X-Com, and there's no way to control movement speed or shot speed (which makes the battles last much longer than in X-Com.) Any comments about this?

[Sir Moody]

I bought it and i am so far very happy with it - as XCOM clones go the gameplay is almost identical to the first XCOM with a few minor differences

the flaws as mentioned are mostly interface ones - you cannot speed movement and shooting up so it does tend to drag somewhat and your starting men seem to be useless most of them cant hit the broad side of a barn at 2 paces but as they gain ranks that does tend to improve

ill come up with more later as im still not far into it but the nostalgia im feeling tells me its close enough to the classic XCom to score highly with my first impressions

[Bob the Insane]

I've heard that the interface in Extraterrestrials loses to the original X-Com, and there's no way to control movement speed or shot speed (which makes the battles last much longer than in X-Com.) Any comments about this?

You do not control movement speed, if you spend a guy a long way he runs (well, jogs), a short way he walks...

Is it as good as UFO:Enemy Unknown, maybe not 100%.. But so far 95% as good...

It really is pretty much the same thing, including the lovely destructable walls...

Plus is runs in lovely colours and decent resolutions and while it does not officially support it, I have had no issues on Vista...

I am neither happy nor upset by the manual updating of people's skills... That your guys go to hospital rather than die on the battlefield is useful as it keeps them around longer to improve...

But it has the base building, research, manufacturing, UFO-pedia...

I suppose the only let down is that they have stayed so ridgidly in the comfines of the orginial that there and no new gaming innovations included.

This is UFO:Enemy Unknown revisited... We are still waiting for XCOM 2.0..

[econ21]

Looking at the screenshots, Extraterrestrials just does not grab me. It looks amateur, generic and characterless. One thing about the original X-Com was that, although it looks poor by today's graphical standards, it had an amazing atmosphere. From the screenshots, I'm more tempted to load up X-Com1 than buy this "remake".

[professorspatula]

Yea when I first heard of UFO:ET I thought it was just another fan-made game .... then it turns out it's commercial and I was slightly disheartened. However, it still had a few good things going for it - not least the fact it was very much X-Com like. However, some things about it are annoying: soldiers not dying, no manual recruitment of troops (they come and you have no control over when they arrive), can only have 1 mega base - rest must be radar/interceptor stations, and although I'm not quite certain - you can't rename your troops? Actually I'm not sure about the last one although I know it was debated a lot on the official forums. That was part of what made the old games so great. You could personalise your squads and get a good feel for them. I personally feel UFO:ET is cashing in far too much on the old games without really providing enough new ideas or general shine to make it a necessary purchase. Perhaps when it's a bit cheaper.

[Sir Moody]

Yea when I first heard of UFO:ET I thought it was just another fan-made game .... then it turns out it's commercial and I was slightly disheartened. However, it still had a few good things going for it - not least the fact it was very much X-Com like. However, some things about it are annoying: soldiers not dying, no manual recruitment of troops (they come and you have no control over when they arrive), can only have 1 mega base - rest must be radar/interceptor stations, and although I'm not quite certain - you can't rename your troops? Actually I'm not sure about the last one although I know it was debated a lot on the official forums. That was part of what made the old games so great. You could personalise your squads and get a good feel for them. I personally feel UFO:ET is cashing in far too much on the old games without really providing enough new ideas or general shine to make it a necessary purchase. Perhaps when it's a bit cheaper.

yeah the one mega base thing is a let down i have to agree but the rest of those problems can be fixed with user made mods (one tries to bring the game as close to xcom as it can be)

it isnt xcom but its as close as any game has made it so far

[professorspatula]

I've just been having a brief look around and it does indeed seem there are loads of mods for the game already. Many of the poorer features of ET have already been fixed or altered and it really does seem this game can be a good'un.

[hrvojej]

Has anybody checked out UFO: Afterlight? It looks good, and it's getting positive reviews so far.

[Zenicetus]

Has anybody checked out UFO: Afterlight? It looks good, and it's getting positive reviews so far.

Fooey... that looks interesting, and the reviews seem pretty good. I'd buy it, but I can't find a U.S. distributor. Gogamer.com shows it as "out of stock" and EB doesn't carry it. All the pre-order links on the official site are in Europe or Australia. Anyone know how to get this in the U.S.A.?

[professorspatula]

Apparently it will be out in the USA on June 1st. However, it's the 3rd in the recent UFO series (Aftermath, Aftershock the others) and to be honest, I'm not very impressed by it. I hate the cartoony look as well. I think the appeal of the UFO/X-Com games was the dark and gloomy atmosphere. This is more like something from Nickelodeon.

[Lorenzo_H]

Civ 4: Beyond the Sword is released on 23th July for Americans. It is supposed to have a part of the game like X-com.

[Slyspy]

All the latest attempts to rehash X-Com have been pants. They just can't seem to get it right, usually in a "so close yet so far" kind of way.

Try Jagged Allianced 2 as suggested above.

Silent Storm is ok, but a bit short, unbalanced and IIRC carrying Starforce copy protection.

[a_ver_est]

Civ 4: Beyond the Sword is released on 23th July for Americans. It is supposed to have a part of the game like X-com.

I have tried to find info about this expansion and there isn't a lot, just IGN mention the Xcom feature, it seems that it gonna be a a new space based scenario, it would be great have more details.

[Lorenzo_H]

I have tried to find info about this expansion and there isn't a lot, just IGN mention the Xcom feature, it seems that it gonna be a a new space based scenario, it would be great have more details.

Here is all the info we know so far: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=222075