MobyGames Classic: X-Com: UFO Defense

by Shack Staff, Jan 11, 2012 3:30pm PST
Related Topics – X-Com: UFO Defense, Mythos Games, MicroProse Software, MobyGames Classic

Ask fans about X-Com: UFO Defense and you'll likely be told enthusiastic stories about what's largely regarded as one of the turn-based genre's seminal strategy games. The game put players in the role of the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit (X-COM, for short), a secret squad responsible for fending off an alien invasion by assimilating their technology. Tactical combat, global strategy, UFO lore, and a heavy emphasis on resource management joined a host of player-driven customization options in order to create X-Com: UFO Defense's incredibly beloved formula.

Today we add 1994's classic strategy title X-Com: UFO Defense to our growing list of video game classics, presented by MobyGames.com.

In his Moby Games review, titled "Best PC Game Ever," Tim Scott notes that while certainly a classic, X-Com is one of the few games that holds up well, even though it's just a couple years shy of being two decades old. "X-Com is one of those rare games that gets just about everything right," Scott states. "I've always thought this was one of the best games I ever played for the PC, but recently began wondering if nostalgia was simply making it out to be more than it was. I've been playing it recently for a week straight, and have quickly come to the conclusion that this IS my all-time favorite PC game," he explains.

Moby Games reviewer James P. Wong also notes how well the game conveyed a sense of atmosphere and tension that was atypically strong for a turn-based strategy game. "The game also captured a very eerie atmosphere for a turn-based game," Wong writes. "Sometimes a mission would involve exploring a farm in the pitch black of night, with only lights from the troops to see just a few feet around. I know others understand how startling it may have been to follow along a fence, turn the corner and then suddenly realize that a Sectoid was right in their face. Were there enough action points to do something else?"

Much of the sentiment relayed via X-Com's Moby Games reviews echo that of Moby Games reviewer Zovni, who gushes: "X-Com's is the crowning achievement for PC hybrid/genre-bending games," . "No other game had ever managed to combine strategic depth, resource management, rpg-ing and tactical squad-based combat into a cohesive and well-crafted package. Truly the game is amazing, even by today's standards."

Tell Us Your Stories! We want to hear about your experiences with X-Com: UFO Defense. Tell us your stories. Why did you love it? What drove you crazy? Remember it fondly with us in the comments below. We'll select some of your thoughts and memories and add it to a Weekend Update to this feature.

X-Com: UFO Defense on MobyGames.com

In the year 1998, the amount of reports of UFO sightings has been drastically increased. Stories about abductions and alien attacks became more and more widespread. Finally, after various nations of the world have failed to intercept the UFOs, their representatives met in a conference of global importance in Geneva, Switzerland. It was eventually decided to organize a secret paramilitary group, dubbed Extraterrestrial Combat Unit (X-COM). Starting with one base, two fighters, one transport, and a few soldiers, X-COM must locate the aliens, learn about their origins and technology, find out where their base is, and destroy it.

    MobyGames Classic is our chance to look back at the games that helped shape the video game industry with the help of our sister site MobyGames.com. It combines a short history lesson on the title and anecdotes from the Shacknews community.


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    • #2
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      By: Shacknews This person is cool! x
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      Shack Staff posted a new article, Moby Games Classic: X-Com: UFO Defense.

      MobyGames.com Classic returns with X-Com: UFO Defense, the 1994 strategy-RPG originally released for PC that spawned numerous sequels on multiple platforms.
      Jan 11, 2012 3:30pm PST

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      • #4
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        By: mastermike569 x
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        I've personally pumped easily over 1,500 hours into this game playing it over the years and am an enormous fan. This is the only game that I really go back to time and time again. X-COM is one of my personal favorite games and probably will be till the day I die. There is so much to say about X-COM about why I like it but where to start is difficult and there is so much to say so I will start about how the game captured my heart. I love UFO lore, X-COM hit the sweet spot and was and is probably one of the few games that really banked on popular UFO culture and created a believable story line out of it. All or most of the aliens from X-COM are based on or similar to alien races found on popular UFO related websites. The Sectoids for starters are based on a race called Zeta Reticulans (AKA The Greys). I really loved the fact that you could just pick apart all the UFO lore down to props on the downed UFO's such as alien food containers and to researching why aliens are here on earth and what their goals might be from capturing live aliens and interrogating them. I loved the fact that you could take and dissect dead aliens and see their body structures and learn how they work and function. Almost everything in the game you can research and pick apart letting you get deeper and deeper in the games UFO rich lore. The game does have a story, for those that do not see it were either oblivious to it or did not bother paying attention. The basis of the game on how X-COM was started perfectly reflects on how UFO sightings have become more and more intense over the years and in this game Goverments of the world collaborate together to deal with the alien phenomenon or possible threat and created the organization called X-COM to combat this with the worlds best scientists, soldiers and technology available. I really like how natural this approach this storyline takes more so than other games that try and copy off X-COM. You basically ease into the alien threat, learning what its all about and over time find out just how bad things are getting and try and find a way to eliminate or stop the aliens from advancing. You go from downing your first small alien craft to eventually taking it straight to them.

        The game play itself was fantastic and ultimately brutal. I can recall countless times not even a few turns after touching down with my Skyranger that my team of soldiers would fall victim to mind control from Sectoids and would soon be under alien control. Unfortunate for me, some of the soldiers that fell victim to the mind control would have rocket launchers equipped would panic and blow half my squad away in my Skyranger before I could even move most of them out. The ones that would make it out would also fall victim to enemy fire from the shadows of the fog of war soon as they stepped out into the open. X-COM would have many tools to help you combat some of this brutality, one of those tools would be smoke grenades. To prevent myself from getting slaughtered soon as I step out of the Skyranger I would throw a smoke grenade to mask my squad as they moved out into the open if there was no cover so that we could move freely without being mowed down by plasma shots coming from the enemy. I loved how enemies would be able to see you from open windows and take shots at you. I would take my soldiers equipped with rocket launchers and blow out the windows or structures that the aliens would be hiding behind to make sure they are no longer a threat. The fully destructible environment was awesome and nothing was more thrilling than being able to blow everything up with grenades, rockets and high explosives. Sometimes I would even try and collapse a ceiling to get at a pesky alien that would shoot my soldiers soon as they poked their head above a stairwell in a farmhouse or barn. Some of the alien species might be powerful and survive a few shots from my primitive weapons but have nothing on Mr. Rocket Launcher.... with the exception of the Mutons. With the more powerful armored aliens it definitely emphasizes the need to research into more destructive and powerful alien technology.





        Jan 11, 2012 11:10pm PST