Why X-COM Is the Greatest Game Ever

[The3rdEye]

I always played the DOS version, and it has a bug so that after saving the game, it reverts to low difficulty 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.

Wow, I am saddened that this is the first time I've ever heard of that bug (and for the record I've always played the DOS version myself).

The lead agent does have 40 TU's left in the screenshot, and his squadmate has LoS to him and only 4 spaces to the door so that if #1 doesn't get cut down the crossfire is still completely doable. Intact ship assaults were always hair raising, one errant shot and *boom* there goes 250k. Having to fight Psi equipped aliens just made it that much worse, and playing the waiting game that much more likely to backfire.

I will say this though, TFTD had one design feature that actually made things easier in terms of tactics: more HWP friendly UFO's.

 

[greatman32]

I have recently started playing Xcom for the first time, having been one when the game came out, I have not heard about it until recently. From somebody who has no nostalgia glasses I really have to say this is most likely the best strategy game I have ever played. My favorite moment so far has to be an alien using a buster bomb missing and blowing up 5 aliens wining me the mission.

 

[bbad89]

This is why I'm so excited about Xenonauts, a new indie game. It's almost exactly like XCOM except with a decent UI, and a very modern looking geoscape with many hand-drawn art assets. It's also still in that lovely 2D nostalgia-gasm mode except you can view it at whatever resolution you want.

 

[bbad89]

This is why I'm so excited about Xenonauts, a new indie game. It's almost exactly like XCOM except with a decent UI, and a very modern looking geoscape with many hand-drawn art assets. It's also still in that lovely 2D nostalgia-gasm mode except you can view it at whatever resolution you want.

 

[ydkwidrmw]

I like to think of Frozen Synapse as the successor to the tactical, non management side of XCOM.

 

[Warachia]

Sorry, but I have to disagree in that X-COM was not the greatest game ever made, nor the best turn based strategy, there are SEVERAL ways to improve it, like changing keyboard hotkeys (or just allowing you to make some) the difficulty curve was horrendous, and I swear that I quit playing the game because the games missions where you saw the battle became so boring, I couldn't stomach it any more, talk about slow paced gameplay.

By no means is X-COM bad, it needs a little tuning, and then I could consider it a great game.

 

[stickmangrit]

this and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri hold a special place in my heart as being two games i snagged out of TJ-Max bargain software bins on clothes shopping trips with my mom as a kid, since they were about the only games cheap enough that i could afford them with what money my ten-to-twelve year old self had. combined, probably the best $12 i've ever spent.

 

[seule]

X-COM and Syndicate. When I was in my late teens everyone else wanted to play Doom and Quake, you couldn't drag me away from these two games... aah the days when I was young enough to waste entire weeks on games....

 

[Icehearted]

Not the greatest, that's too subjective a claim, but for what it does it's pretty awesome. I remember lost days sitting at a 486 swapping floppies, Mountain Dew and quesadillas, and bug hunting sectoids while my idiot rookies freaked out.

Hell of a game, definitely looking forward to the next one (not the shooter).

 

[Piecewise]

Dang double posts

 

[Piecewise]

As someone who is untainted by nostalgia, having played x-com only recently, I don't really see why people are saying it's "the best game ever." It's a unique game, with interesting mechanics and masterful strategy, but it's hard to say it's the best game ever. Its story is b-grade sci-fi, its graphics pleasing but not a visual fest by any means, and its game play great but buggy and often unfair in such a way that makes no true logical sense (such why the starting rifle, even in the hands of a trained professional soldier, can't hit the broad side of a cyberdisk, even from a mere few feet away some times).

The point is that calling something the "Best game ever" is a broken concept. What makes it better then other equally masterful games? Why is it better than Deus ex or Diabolo or Doom or any number of metaphorically gray haired titans of our preferred method of art and time wastery? What makes it better than ANY game, other than that you personally remember it as being great? By what criteria might one objectively grade it?

 

[Kataskopo]

All right guys, you've convinced me. But, where do I start? I see 5 games in the Steam Store, which should I play first?

I don't really like turn based combat, and it may be a micromanagement hell, but I like strategy games, so I cannot go on without trying this one.

(I think I played it like 10 years ago, but I don't remember it very well... I remember I quit because I lost very quickly)

(Also, I think I use a lot of commas. Over use of Commas Syndrome, I call it)

 

[CD-R]

All right guys, you've convinced me. But, where do I start? I see 5 games in the Steam Store, which should I play first?

I don't really like turn based combat, and it may be a micromanagement hell, but I like strategy games, so I cannot go on without trying this one.

(I think I played it like 10 years ago, but I don't remember it very well... I remember I quit because I lost very quickly)

(Also, I think I use a lot of commas. Over use of Commas Syndrome, I call it)

Start with the very first one. Enemy Unknown. It can be hard starting out and your first few attempts are probably going to fail miserably. I suggest watching a few lps to get an idea for the general flow of the game, also check out some faqs.

http://www.xcomufo.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kikoskia#g/c/D91BACF0E36EE427

 

[Infernal_Dalek]

Anyone who loves X COM should try laser squad nemesis. Created by the same people that made X COM, this is an unknown gem of a game.

It is a real-time turn-based multiplayer X COM tactical game. How can something be real-time AND turn-based? Well, instead of taking turns after each other, both players plan 5 seconds ahead and then the moves are executed simultanously.

4 Distinct 'races' to play with.

The marines (balanced, with a powerful grenade launcher)
The machines (armored but weak at spotting)
The swarm (cheap disposible units and a queen to lay eggs)
The greys (with shields and energy weapons)

I don't know why everyone shouldn't try this game.

I tried it. It's pretty fun, and I love the hybrid-time strategy. Although it has a lot of little things that bug me, like units forgetting their orders between turns. Also, the original site doesn't seem to be working for me.

The moment I played Frozen Synapse I thought, "I would fucking love this in the context of X-Com..." and then started playing while imagining the enemies as aliens.

 

[Bostur]

All right guys, you've convinced me. But, where do I start? I see 5 games in the Steam Store, which should I play first?

I don't really like turn based combat, and it may be a micromanagement hell, but I like strategy games, so I cannot go on without trying this one.

(I think I played it like 10 years ago, but I don't remember it very well... I remember I quit because I lost very quickly)

(Also, I think I use a lot of commas. Over use of Commas Syndrome, I call it)

Start with the very first one. Enemy Unknown. It can be hard starting out and your first few attempts are probably going to fail miserably. I suggest watching a few lps to get an idea for the general flow of the game, also check out some faqs.

http://www.xcomufo.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kikoskia#g/c/D91BACF0E36EE427

On Steam thats the one called X-COM: Ufo Defense. It's a bit confusing because the original was released with two different names. I totally agree though, the first one would be the correct one to start with.