So, I finally got the chance to play and finish this game. I had been reluctant to try it because the demo was really bad, the original is probably my all time favorite video game and I did not want be disappointed. I have sank countless of hours into the DOS version of the U.F.O: Enemy Unknown, played it to death on the PS1 (which, due to the problematic save system, was on constant iron man mode) and I even made a livestream of it:

When the XCOM:EU was free with PS+, I had no excuses to play it. At the start I really liked it a lot. Cover based system with different class types fitted extremely well to the core of the classic UFO. Some things were as bad as they were before, like sometimes confusing rules of the line of sight (Rebelstar for the GBA had this sorted out). Environments were changed for worse: they are smaller, flatter and too much alike. There is very little variation between same surroundings using the same tileset and too few tilesets.

Biggest problem is how buggy the game was. Corrupted saves, whole PS3 freezes, teleporting aliens, aliens dropping into the void, graphical artifacts and whole lot of other glitches. The further the game progressed, the more it bugged out. Every mission where Ghost Armor was used, something went wrong. If this is how it is for everyone, my hat is off for those who have finished this with iron man mode - you must have patience of a saint or mythic level of luck.

All said and done, it is a good first effort. Not as good as the original but close enough to warrant the buzz. I am hoping that the sequel expands the core gameplay and mechanics with more variation and more customization options. Also, how about more than 1 alien base per game. In the original it was terrifying to find out that some area was infested with several alien bases.