X-COM: UFO Defense

X-Com: UFO Defense is a genre-defining strategy game released in 1994 combining Micromanagement and Turn-Based tactical strategy mixed with fear and mystery to make a classic deserving of a competent modern update.

Overview

World View

Originally released in the UK as UFO: Enemy Unknown, X-COM: UFO Defense combines challenging turn-based gameplay with base building, research management, and persistent squad members. Throughout the game, players will encounter five alien races all intent on subjugating the people of Earth. TheExtraterrestrial Combat Unit must prevent this from happening by tracking and shooting down UFOs, stopping terror attacks on major cities, and eliminating alien bases before they can infiltrate governments across the world. Troops sent on missions improve with the actions they take and can individually be equipped with a variety of firearms and grenades. Upon elimination of all the aliens on the battlescape, your units will return alien artifacts to your base, where you can assign your scientists to start researching different weapons and technology. New weapons, gadgets, and aircrafts can be manufactured by your engineers, adding toys like medpacks, hover tanks, and plasma weapons to your arsenal.

Scenarios

Troops leave their Skyranger to investigate a small UFO

Shooting down UFOs will allow your transport ship to land at the crash site, and your troops will be tasked with eliminating any surviving aliens. All missions play out in turns, with the player always going first. Troops have Action Points that are depleted by everything from moving and shooting to turning and priming grenades. Alien weaponry is far superior to your troop's early rifles and heavy cannons, requiring caution and overlapping movement to keep squad members alive. A sort of overwatch allows soldiers to save action points for the alien turn, and, depending on an individual's Reaction stat, he or she may fire on an alien that moves into line of sight. UFOs may also land, supposedly to abduct people or cattle, or just to do some Earthly research of their own, and your transport ships can catch the aliens off guard. Research rewards are often better, as the UFO itself is not damaged like when your Interceptors shoot them down. However, this also means that there will be more aliens to contend with on the ground. Terror missions are arguably the most difficult, as they occur at inopportune times around the world and last only a few game days, leaving little time to prepare before the city is ransacked. Failing or ignoring these missions will not make the local government happy, which might lead to funding cuts at the end of the month. In Terror missions, the aliens set out to kill as many civilians as possible, so your job is to protect the citizens by quelling the alien threat as quickly as possible. Aliens also will try to costruct bases on Earth, as evidenced by heavy UFO activity in certain countries (a month by month stat page can help highlight this sort of information). These missions are completed by killing or capturing all aliens inside. It is worth noting that at the core of the bases, a high-ranking alien can usually be found who will yield valuable information if taken alive and interrogated.
The world map progresses with time, and missions can be taken during night or day. All the aliens have the unique advantage of seeing just as well at night as you do during the day, making Terror missions an absolute nightmare during the evening hours.

Aliens

There are five alien races, each with an associated support unit, usually only seen on the Terror missions or within their bases.

Sectoid

Sectoids

The Sectoids are based on the bug-eyed grays so common in extraterrestrial movies, shows, and games. They pair with Cyberdiscs - mini UFOs that hover and shoot, but explode when destroyed.

Snakemen

The aptly named Snakemen are physically tough units that team up with the terrifying Chryssalids, fast moving bipedal insects that turn their victims into zombies.

Floaters

The crafty Floaters have no legs, and instead, well, float around and guide their giant just-legs-and-a-mouth accomplices, the Reapers.

Mutons

The iconic purple and green Mutons, who couple with Celatids - purple floating kidneys that shoot acid at your troops. Seriously. They're also accompanied by Silacoids, which are essentially big moving rocks.

Ethereals

The orange robed Ethereals have the strongest psychic powers, and have basically a mechanized form of the Reaper for their Terror missions called Sectopods.

Base Building

The Base screen allows for all sorts of fun organization.

Construction of multiple bases is critical to later success, though funding and management of multiple bases provides it's own challenge. You must hire and pay all personnel and also pay upkeep for your various facilities on a monthly basis. Radar systems, storage areas, living quarters, and research and manufacturing areas must be constructed to accomodate your alien hunting ventures. Later, base defenses, alien containment, and more hangar space become important to your mission. Management of weapons and ammunition for troops and ships also occurs here.

Research & Development

Laser Defences UFOpedia entry

Hiring and utilizing scientists and engineers allows progress in the game, both technologically and story-wise. More powerful and varied weapons are made available, as well as personal armor and information about the aliens. Psychic research also becomes part of the gameplay, allowing your troops to use the alien's mind control and terrify abilities against them. The later aircraft are necessary for completing the game, and only by bringing in live aliens will your scientists discover a way to eradicate the alien menace.

blog	Week 4 Twenty Ten	Axellion
blog	20 Games to Play Before You Die	Symphony
forum	whos gonna reccomend a similar game?	Kojak
forum	Steam Release and Making it Work on Vista	ShadowMarth
forum	The manual for this game is epic long.	Geno
blog	X-Com: A Journal	teekazeek
blog	Late Night Blog	teekazeek
news	X-COM Series Now on Steam	Jeff

Game Name	X-COM: UFO Defense
Platform(s)	PC Amiga CD32 PlayStation Amiga
Publisher(s)	MicroProse Software, Inc.
Developer(s)	Mythos Games Ltd.
Genres	Add a new genre Strategy
Themes	Add a new theme Horror Sci-Fi
Original US Release	Dec. 31, 1993 need a fuzzy date?
Original US Release	know the real date?
Aliases	UFO: Enemy Unknown
ESRB	ESRB: K-A

	7.62
	Abomination: The Nemesis Project
	Dark Colony
	Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel
	Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
	Freedom Force vs The 3rd Reich
	Jagged Alliance
	Jagged Alliance 2
	Jagged Alliance 2 (Gold Pack)
	Laser Squad
See All »

X-COM Collection
X-COM: Enforcer
X-COM: UFO Defense
X-COM: Apocalypse
X-COM: Terror from the Deep
X-COM: Interceptor
X-COM: Unknown Terror
X-COM: em@il Games