Why X-COM Is the Greatest Game Ever
- Thread starter Steve Butts
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http://www.ufopaedia.org/SupahGamuh said:I own both UFO Defense and Terror From The Deep in Steam, but I just can't get into them!, I need a freaking tutorial or something, I don't know what the heck am I supposed to do
Found this pretty helpful when I started out, but a lot of people play the game different ways. Terror is still insanely hard for me, but the best tactics I can state for the original are these:
1. Never let a soldier go off on his own. Groups of two or three. Always.
2. Set movement to allow time units for a snapshot. Always. Means that if an alien shoots at your units during their turn you always have a chance to return fire.
3. Aliens are a ***** to fight in buildings. If they're not on the bottom floor with an easy way to shoot them just blow the building up (even in terror missions if there's civilians inside, because the civilians are likely screwed anyway in that scenario). I always bring a rocket or blaster launcher just in case. But keep the launcher unit back or have them just carrying it rather then having it equipped. Most X-Com soldiers seem to have no problem with nuclear friendly fire if an alien is a foot from another group of soldiers.
4. Just because only one soldier actually sees an alien doesn't mean the troops behind him can't shoot at it as well. Of course, there's the possibility of friendly fire, but sometimes its safer for the unit behind to take the shot so you can save your time units on your forward unit.
5. For terror missions, have your soldiers slowly spread out from the ship. Deploying smoke grenades at your landing zone is also a good way to avoid an instant massacre. The best tactic I've found is that you should try to secure the nearest corner of the map, and then expand slowly with a good distance between units.
6. Abuse save and load as much as possible haha.
I had read alot about it and awhile ago got it on steam only to be disapointed by the info for the controls etc. especially as it seems like a game i'd love. Because of this I have'nt really touched it since. Wondering if the original boxed version had a manual or something? If so, why wasnt it included as a pdf in the steam version.
Actually, X-COM has been the best game ever numerous times -GaltarDude1138 said:
"As of 2010, the game holds an average magazine review score of 93.60% for the PC version[24] and 92.90% for the PSX version,[25] according to GameRankings. According to Amiga HOL database, the various Amiga ports hold the average ratings of 79% on ECS/OCS Amigas,[26] 82% on AGA Amigas[27] and 73% for the Amiga CD32 version.[28]
Since its release, the game was named the #1 PC game of all time by IGN in 2000, 2007 and 2009; the #8, #12 and #21 best video game of all time by IGN in 2003, 2005 and 2007; the #7, #15 (by readers), #3, #8, #10, #10 and #11 best computer game of all time by PC Gamer in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2010; the #22, #3 and #10 (by readers) best computer game of all time by Computer Gaming World in 1996, 2001 and 2001; the #2 best video game since 1992 by Pelit in 2007; the #35 best video game of all time by GameSpy in 2001; and the #78 best video game "to play today" by Edge in 2009. The game was also inducted into Computer Gaming World, IGN and GameSpot's Hall of Fame or equivalent in 2005, 2007 and 2003 respectively. In addition, the notorious Chryssalid alien race was ranked fourth on the GameSpot's 1999 list of the best monsters in gaming, in which X-COM was called "one of the scariest computer games ever""
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO:_Enemy_Unknown
And remember, it got that rating of better than 90% long before the days of giving everything 90% or better.
Anyway, I love X-COM (not as much as some here as the game that got me into the genre was Jagged Alliance 2, which still holds a truly special place for me) but I'm fairly well convinced that the remake isn't going to live up to what I loved about the original, with its extreme lethality, lack of story/personality for the troopers and game as a whole. That ment you could project your own on there, which is loads of fun and isn't restricted by having characters that "have" to live, anyone can die and they frequently do!
And of course, there is the problem that X-COM games are "hard" (They're not, save game body armour is just as effective as its always been if one can't handle it) which I think isn't going to carry over into this new game. Can't really see many younger gamers tolerating a squad wipe on thier first mission. I think there will be way more who'll go "this game is crap" and never play it again than there are gamers who'll plough through and take the time to learn the tricks of victory.
X-Com is one of the few games that are perennially installed in my computers, along with Deus Ex (original), Master of Magic and Fallout 1. It is that good, although I admit I like more the sequel, Terror from the Deep and its Cthulhesque theme.
I am, like the writer, slightly flabbergasted at why this game has not received any decent adaptation or game inspired on it (worthy ones, I mean).
I can only groan in guilty pleasure in thinking what could be done with this kind of game with today's tech.
I am, like the writer, slightly flabbergasted at why this game has not received any decent adaptation or game inspired on it (worthy ones, I mean).
I can only groan in guilty pleasure in thinking what could be done with this kind of game with today's tech.
My only problem with xcom is it's hard to recapture the magic of your first few attempts when you've played the game for years. Remember when given the choice for research between fancy new weapons, armor or alien autopsies you'd actually sometimes go for the 3rd option just to have some idea of any weaknesses the monsters you face have? When you knew genuine terror at the hands of an unfamiliar foe? Or when you saw the chrysillad running around and figured it's a low priority target as it wasn't shooting at you....
Then you know the game intimitely and know ufopedia entries almost by heart so focus only on the important techs (the 3rd xcom did a better job of forcing you to investigate the aliens you killed and what they were, heck it was the only way to advance the plot) and are left with a 3 tier technology system (personal armor+laser>power amor+plasma> flying armor+blaster launchers) so in the long term this edges out Xcom as personal best game ever in favor of jagged alliance 2 (any chance you can do an article on that one?), but hey, the fact that my only complaint is after years of playing I know the game too well should be all that needs to be said about xcoms awesomness.
I guess all I wish was that the game was more mod friendly to keep it fresh for vet gamers, I do have a bunch of utility programs that randomize ufo layouts or add tileset from terror from the deep, but wish there was a way of spicing up the tech tree or adding in user made aliens (lore wise could just be another slave/conquered race of the aliens).
Then you know the game intimitely and know ufopedia entries almost by heart so focus only on the important techs (the 3rd xcom did a better job of forcing you to investigate the aliens you killed and what they were, heck it was the only way to advance the plot) and are left with a 3 tier technology system (personal armor+laser>power amor+plasma> flying armor+blaster launchers) so in the long term this edges out Xcom as personal best game ever in favor of jagged alliance 2 (any chance you can do an article on that one?
), but hey, the fact that my only complaint is after years of playing I know the game too well should be all that needs to be said about xcoms awesomness.I guess all I wish was that the game was more mod friendly to keep it fresh for vet gamers, I do have a bunch of utility programs that randomize ufo layouts or add tileset from terror from the deep, but wish there was a way of spicing up the tech tree or adding in user made aliens (lore wise could just be another slave/conquered race of the aliens).
X-COM was a great game, but nothing beats Jagged Alliance 2.
13 years after its release, this game still has a dedicated fanbase that has created the awesomeness that is the V1.13 mod, which not only adds new gameplay concepts (suppression fire, fully automatic fire, a new inventory system based on the type of combat vest you're wearing, repeating firearms...) but also hundreds(!) of new weapons, ammo types, attachments and other neat stuff.
If you make it through this mod (and you probably will, seeing as how it is even more addictive than the basic game) you've successfully earned the right to diagnose yourself with Asperger's.
13 years after its release, this game still has a dedicated fanbase that has created the awesomeness that is the V1.13 mod, which not only adds new gameplay concepts (suppression fire, fully automatic fire, a new inventory system based on the type of combat vest you're wearing, repeating firearms...) but also hundreds(!) of new weapons, ammo types, attachments and other neat stuff.
If you make it through this mod (and you probably will, seeing as how it is even more addictive than the basic game) you've successfully earned the right to diagnose yourself with Asperger's.
Oh no, I didn't mean to make a comment that it wasn't statistically, in fact, "the best game ever". I was trying to make a comment (which was pretty vague, I have to admit) that the "best game ever" is the one everyone reminisces and talks about all year. For instance, in 2010, the Shadow of the Colossus remake was announced, and everyone started reminiscing about how good that game was. 2011 saw the release of the Deus Ex prequel, and everyone started reminiscing about how good the original was. Now, 2012, Firaxis, the guys behind Civilization, are working on a sequel to another game everyone is now reminiscing about. And I wish those guys the best of luck, I've enjoyed their products before and I hope to again.Bob_Marley42 said:
In short, I was trying to convey the notion that there's one beloved game every year that, thanks to some gaming news buzz, is again brought up for discussion. That's all.
Actually, I think Terror from The Deep improved on UFO Defense. I found the graphical style of UFO Defense to be too cheesy for my taste with your stereotypical, stock alien types and weapons. Terror From the Deep and it's dark, cuthulesque style made X-Com what it was meant to be and the perhaps second best game ever.Steve Butts said:
The best is Ultima 7.
how do you know when someone writes a good article? When you somehow went from surfing an article on the escapist to buying a game via steam...>.>
I missed this game on its initial release but it sounds amazing, I'm gunna be playing through it tonight.
I missed this game on its initial release but it sounds amazing, I'm gunna be playing through it tonight.
One does not simply play through X-Com in "one night".Sandytimeman said:
That being said, yes, yes it is. That's why I'm afraid the new version will screw everything up. Seriously, how can you do something better than the perfect game? (in this genre)
I hope it either turns out extremely good or extremely awful. Just not mediocre.
I always played the DOS version, and it has a bug so that after saving the game, it reverts to low difficultyThe3rdEye said:
I found the game unforgiving enough to continue to be fun despite this bug.I would say the best option is A, but arguments can be made for B.
First off, the player is stupid and executed an improper breach-- there should be a second crewman kneeling by the door to shoot emerging aliens and to cover his buddy, but thats neither here nor there.
Most likely, given the improper breach, he didn't save any time units anyway, so hes probably
hosed..
A single movement spent, even rotating, will cause the forward-facing alien to shoot you dead, and a single shot will most likely not kill the alien, so all you can hope for is to get two shots off before he responds.
A second strategy would be to shoot the distant alien, hoping either to kill the alien in front and then hitting the second alien, or, to get the second alien to return fire, killing the alien in front of you by mistake.
Unarmored troops with normal rifles though-- he probably doesn't have enough time units to prime a grenade after opening a door. Poor sap.
it came out at the right time to , x-files on TV , area 52, crop circles cattle mutilations on the news and x-com on the Amiga , taking a bunch of pistol/grenade spamming wishing you could open a door without walking through it and living in fear of those night time terror sites
best game? i dont know but its got to up there it was without a doubt the one that taught me how to space and later save games
best game? i dont know but its got to up there it was without a doubt the one that taught me how to space and later save games
