Who needs the X Files? (UFO - Enemy Unknown)

Name: rune_tune

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Product:	UFO - Enemy Unknown
Date:	26.03.08 (83 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Has a firm base to play from.....

Disadvantages: Need patches for Windows XP play and not good enough for Vista!

UFO - Enemy Unknown.

~ History of the game ~

This review is for the Amiga version of this game, but since this is now outdated, I'm going to be reviewing it for the PC and PS2 Versions - which essentially are the same just different platforms.

As mentioned, this was first seen on the Amiga Gaming platform, and is where I first got to know about it, and like another of my favourite games on that (Worms) this is another game which I still play today and still enjoy, even though in many respects the graphics (and sound) are pretty dated, but what makes this game is the overall playing strategy rather than the environment you get around you. But I know this will be something some people would mark it down on, but I don't because my personal preference is it doesn't detract me from the game at all.

~ So what is this about then? ~

The premise is actually quite simple. UFO's are invading earth, and not only do people begin to disappear, but Alien Bases are being established throughout Earth as they attempt to overrun our planet.

XCOM (the name given to the unit charged with defeating these Aliens) is founded as an International force, which receives funding from a number of different countries and to begin with your resources are very limited indeed.

Your mission is actually quite simple; you must stop, capture and learn about the Aliens who are invading in order to protect the planet from being overrun completely. The International force that hired you in the first place monitors your progress, and so you gain or lose funding from these countries depending on how well you manage to achieve this.

The ultimate goal is to find out where the Aliens came from and mount a direct attack on their home base in space!

~ The Gameplay ~

So, what happens? Well you are basically on earth and you have a Base in which to start your operations from. You are on a planet that is beginning to suffer from Alien attacks, hence the need for a base. You are asked to choose your location for the base around the world, and to begin with I would recommend you decide on somewhere that isn't going to cost the earth.......
*you need to maintain a good balance on your funding for a start*

The location of the base is in the Geoscape operation of the game, which basically means you get to see the various continents and countries around the world. You start with one base, but the idea is to try and increase this number, preferably to more than one base per continent. You can also monitor where there might be Alien bases, Alien UFO's * either in flight, crashed or landed *. And other areas of activity going on around you.

The overall premise is really two fold. You have the strategic side of operations which needs you to monitor what is happening around your base or bases. You must build specific base requirements as needed (accommodation, laboratories, workshops and hangers etc).
You must also try and ensure research is carried out to help you defeat the Alien threat.
Research is particularly important in getting better weaponry to help you fight the Aliens since most Earth items are simply not good enough for the job.
You have Soldiers to command, as well as needing to ensure you have enough workmen and workspace to manufacture new weapons or personal armour items to help you.

You have a budget, which as already mentioned can be decreased or increased by the funding International nations depending on how well individual countries believe you are doing.
You can also gain additional funding as you go along by selling on items once you've researched or manufactured them to other people to help them with their battle.
This is useful not only to gain additional money, but to also help maintain a good working relationship with the International Council.

You start off with a base with limited facilities, one main craft which you can take troops out to fight the Aliens on the ground with, one Interceptor Craft, which is used to try and bring down UFO's, as well as a limited number of soldiers to start with to go out to the sites.

The other main aspect of the game is the Battle zones. Here you will need to go out to either areas where a UFO has crash landed (rather than completely destroyed), Alien Terror Bases, where Aliens have landed to bring about a short but intense reign of terror on an area, or the more permanent Alien Bases they might have set up.

To begin with, your really only going to bring down UFO's and then go out to the crash point. It's important you do this because you need to try and get as much information about not only the Alien technology you will find there, but also the Aliens themselves. You have the ability to build Alien Containment areas on the bases for this very purpose.

Without getting this information you won't then be able to pass on a lot of information for the researchers back on base to look at, meaning you won't then be able to develop viable weapons to help counter the Alien threat, and also then build Space Flight ready craft, which is what you will need to do if you manage to get to the 'end' of the game and attack the Aliens on their home territory.

~ The appeal of the game ~

As I've said, this is fairly basic to look at, with graphics that haven't really changed much since the original release of the game! And while that might horrify some people, the graphics are not what the game is about, and while it has a mix of 2 and 3 D graphics (depending on where you are in the game), the actual game is strategy, mixed with management of your resources, let alone the tactical combat situations you might have to think about.

The PC version is only XP compatible, and even then you will need to ensure you have patched version to ensure the graphics hold up! * Did I mention that the graphics are only basic? ;) *

You need to have money management hat on one minute, battle tactical hat on the next and before you know it, your then having to look at overall strategy of what is happening around you.

The game can end in a number of ways (usually not in your favour I have to add - But that is another reason I find it so challenging).

If the funding group of International Countries considers your performance poor for 2 months in a row, you run at a loss for 2 consecutive months or Aliens capture all your bases - You lose!
If you mount an attack on the Aliens main base in space - And lose - You lose the game (in other areas you can mount attacks on a base, lose that particular battle but still regroup and try again later).

If though you manage to win when you mount the assault on the main Alien base, then this means you finally win the game.

~ Final thoughts ~

This is another one of those games, which still hold up strongly in terms of how it plays today, compared to when it was released. But, because it was so well executed right at the beginning of its reign, its success is built on that. I can't think of many games today whether new or old which have such excellent tactical elements; strategic elements with the ability to still have something new and unexpected thrown at you as you play.

So, the graphics are nothing special, hell the overall look and sound of this is dated and yet if you're willing to look beyond that and dig a little deeper this is possibly one of the most addictive and satisfying games you will encounter. At least, it is for me. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of excellent games of a similar genre out there today, but not many can offer the same depth of satisfaction in playing them I've always managed to get from this game, no matter how dodgy it all might still look.

Cheats are readily available online if you really want to go in that direction, but personally I think if you did that you really would be missing out completely on what makes this game tick.

5 out of 5, not for the graphics or sounds, but for the game play and its longevity.

The game itself has come out in a number of different versions now, and my understanding is they are listed as follows:

* X-COM: UFO Defense
* X-COM: Terror from the Deep
* X-COM: Apocalypse
* X-COM: Interceptor
* X-COM: Email games

However, I've not played other versions of the game, so don't know how they might compare to this one.

Summary: You don't need to pay the earth to win this game, but it might just help.......