X-com: any new good games?

[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...