UFO: Aftermath

As a kid I scantly followed UFO theories and was fascinated by the stories, but there was no real interactive way to go into the stories. Then I found UFO Aftermath. Remember, this was when the game was new, no patches, and my PC could barely run it on Windows 98. I still loved it. It also sparked my interest in military sci-fi and let me know from then on that I am a tactics game buff. The story is great, I won't spoil any of it. It's just a good story to this day makes me wonder why a book hasn't been made like this. The glossary of weapons, equipment, and research descriptions is more than enough for any sci-fi fan and entertaining on it's own to read. The AI is ok, not the best but you can tell certain enemies have certain preferences in combat. Cudgels seems to sneak around and hide when not engaged in combat, but as soon as they get a clear shot their lack of a brain shows and they shoot at you. Morelmen are non-sneaky versions of cudgels, etc. and all act for lack of a better word like wild rabid animals that wanna get you. But this is not a critique of the AI, as I think these are brainless creatures (a few are based off earthworms!) in the first place so it makes sense they act like they this, and may be an attempt by Cenega to simulate the behavior of such critters. There is a ton of guns, there is a lot of equipment, and a huge global map yours for the taking. I played through a few times and it's always fun. I come up with new tactics or revise old ones, but each time I play it's never exactly the same. For a last word I will mention in the options you can choose to start in Europe or America, Europe is easier as it's more territories in a smaller area meaning less flying times for your aircraft but America is what I choose for a challenge.

This series is largely being criticised for "not being x-com" . And that criticism is correct in the same way that one might blame a bicycle for not being a jetplane. Obviously the purpose of a bicycle is not to fly. UFO: Aftermath actually continues the tradition and ideas set forth by the original X-Com developers in "Apocalypse" and in the unfinished project "Dreamland" which was canceled by Hasbro and the game's subsequent assets purchased by Altar Interactive who made the UFO series. So in Aftermath they expand the ideas of the original developers in their last unfinished game meaning it has no relation to "UFO Defense/Enemy Unknown" or "Terror From the Deep" as both are turn based games, or jetplanes. Theres many cool ideas to find in Aftermath, like a cover system and expanded training model, again like the one in Apocalypse. Suffice it so say if you found Apocalypse to be a good game then you'll have a good time with Aftermath and the rest of the series by Altar. The second game "Aftershock" got some very nice mods and the third one is definitely the most refined one. But they're all part of the UFO story which develops through the series and are all good games in their own way.

Let's first clear one thing: This is XCOM like game, but it is not a XCOM! It is a lite version of xcom. If you start rating the game without comparing it to the xcom, you might start to like it. Yes it has some of the XCOM's mechanics but most of those are just washed down to simplify the game. You are commanding remains of humanity in an attempt to re-take Earth from alien invaders. You do that, by undergoing set of missions which involves: capturing bases, capturing aliens for examination and exploring groudned UFOs. In between the missions, you will manage your bases, train people, research new technologies, adapt alien technologies and hunt for UFOs. There is not that much variety what you can do but you will quickly get the grip what you need to do. Tactical missions are done as real-time strategy with option to pause the game to plan your move correctly. It is crucial that you plan your movements until you get it. If some mission seems to difficult, you can always retreat, research/develop new equipment, change tactic, do some other missions to level up and then, try again. Basically, there are no big pentalties in this game, which might be appeling to some demographic. However, I wished that tactical part is done without annoying reselection of your squads as soon as they spot alien and possiblity to quick group members in your squad. Manual states that quick group are possible, but it simply does not work!! And foolish system where you almost always need to cancel whole unit orders (by pressing 'c') if you want to modify current ones, will drive you mad. If you want a xcom game, then skip this one. It really has nothing of the complexity of the original and whole game seems almost linear, while xcom offered you much much more freedom. Still, xcom complexity and age might turn unpatient so this game is probably for those people. If you haven't played xcom, you can try UFO:Aftermath. After that, try XCOM to see what have you been missing all these years...

If you started with X-COM/UFO you can't never be satisfied by Altar's UFO series, but still it's a good game, which has implemented "new" (better say modern) game mechanisms on its own. If you want UFO remake, there is no other way than just keep playing the original one.

I love this game - I have this several time, so when it come up in the latest GOG promo, I couldn't help but snap it up again at such a low price to show some more love to a sorely missed genre that got it right. The second and third games in the UFO trilogy are better, however, but the original UFO is still very playable in it's own right, and a great way to get into the franchise and the genre without a lot of preamble. You don't need to know a lot of backstory for UFO, as the story is presented through the game itself, and a part of the game involves discovering what has happened. It is highly recommended you play the tutorial, just because this is also an initial part of the story - featuring Malcolm Mclean making his way across town to a nearby military base in a new post-apocalyptic world where aliens have dropped some form of biological agent over Earth, wiping out much of known life, and mutating the rest. In the process of learning the basics of the tactical gameplay, Malcolm also meets a second survivor - Brian Reynolds. From there, this two-man squad lead the Earth resistance forces, known as the Council of Earth to discovering what happened, and fighting off against the alien forces. Starting of with the two bases they have, they get to expand, gather new recruits, and research new technologies to discover what happened, what the aliens want, and how to deal with them. Although the over-archer storyline is the same, a lot of the details - such as the recruits and missions - are randomly generated, so it is never the same game twice. Plus, as well as training your squad, equipping them, and sending them on tactical missions, some of which will further the storyline and others will just expand or protect your territory, you get to see your fighters intercept UFOs, which your squad can then enter, while your research teams work on adapting alien weaponry for your own use, and even to enabling you to produce sophisticated weapons for yourself, rather than relying on whatever you can scavenge now that most of the weapons producers on Earth have been destroyed. All in all, I highly recommend this game to anyone who loves tactical strategy games. It may be the weakest of the UFO trilogy, but fans really do deserve to experience all three for the ultimate experience.