There's alot that I want to like about this game. It's a space sim for a start that has RPG elements in it. That should sell it right there. However, it does have it's problems that start to get a little annoying. It lacks a few things that it really shouldn't be without. The controls, like with all space sims of it's nature, do take a bit of time to get used to, but you can't help but feel that a right click menu would've helped. Perhaps I was spoilt playing EVE Online. This game has elements similar to it, in the way ships are moved around, but with this game it tends to be more restrictive. Sometimes you don't feel that you're in control of your ships, and commands tend to be sluggish. One such being able to dock (which is nothing more than a menu screen when you're near a station). It can be annoyingly frustrating, no matter how many times you press D or click on the icon, it only seems to do it through chance. The game starts off slowly and is very linear, but things do eventually open up for the player and you gain more freedom and better choice of ships and systems, as well as companions who all have skill trees similar to your own and each gaining experience points to use on them. But even then, you somehow feel that this aspect should be more hands-on with greater levels of customisation. It only just gets away with being able to say it has RPG features. The visuals are good and the battles can be exciting, especially the larger ones, but it is let down by it's interface. I was going to give this game just 3 stars, but I thought that was a little unfair on it because it does try to be something more than it is. So I thought 4 stars was best. It's a good game, but only if you're a fan of space sims and can forgive it's slight drawbacks.
XCOM's development really started with early games like Rebelstar, which contained elements Julian Gollop later perfected in XCOM. Notably, Opportunity Fire, allowing characters with remaining points to fire on their own whenever an enemy wanders into view. This, and others, were widely copied in other games. Another feature being the Fog Of War, where your characters were faced with the dark unknown which they had to reccy to discover what was there. This added superb edge of the seat gameplay to what seemed like just a turn based game. There is nothing more frustrating than moving your soldier into this darkness, thinking everything is alright, only to turn with your last point to see a Sectoid standing near you, ready to blast you with nothing you could do about it. It makes for a very nerve-racking game. There are two parts to this game. As well as the combat, there's the research and development side, along with building bases at strategic points around the globe to maximise early warning and defence. The good thing here is that both of these parts compliment each other well, and aren't disjointed like they are in some TBS games. There's nothing that's been bolted on for no reason. You fight battles to keep the aliens at bay, to pick over their remains and technology, which is then researched to improve your own. It's not just the various features of XCOM that's been copied in other games. We've seen a plethora of so called natural successors to this game, all attempting to emulate it to varying degrees. Fact is that Julian Gollop got there first with a well crafted game, no matter how many remakes and rip-offs are done. Don't be put off by it's 90s graphics. There's one hell of a good game in there, and it'll stun you that it's all packed into just 19mb! If only games a hundred times that size could be as good. So, if you're a fan of turn-based games, you need to buy this.
