X-Com Apocalypse

[Samprimary]

I just kind of figured out a way to wrap my brain around why I think X-Com Apocalypse was what I, personally, would consider the overall best game I've ever played.

It was so deep and interactive on so many levels of control and management and observation and planning that it was one of the few games that could have an extensive array of ways to feed your imagination and get you into the game. Despite being from so terribly long ago in the game world - primitive, by today's standards - it was very immersive and really got you sucked into the game system.

Plus, it helps that the music was very eerily atmospheric, and that the game ran on a revolutionary paradigm: it managed to, more or less, emulate a sort of desperation where you are thrust into a bunk situation that is only going to get worse, and if you don't manage to stem the multiple pressures and problems seeking to destroy you (and all of humanity) utterly long enough to act out in aggressive desperation, all you get is a long, terrible train wreck to the apocalypse.

(This is assuming you play the game without habitual save-reload fu)

Now, I won't argue it was better or worse than X-COM 1 - (never played it). I'm just saying I really liked what that game managed to accomplish, and am wondering if there exist other games that had the same general feel. Or perhaps if there exists a hope that games with that level of depth have a chance in today's drained, market-homogenized game industry ..

[Murgos]

I never really gave Apoc a chance.  After X-Com and TFTD (both of which are still on my hard drive, what? 15 years later?) it just was not what i was looking for.

[stray]

Hmm...For a second there I thought you were speaking of X-Com 1. It's just that good. I steered away from the sequel because of bad reviews.

X-Com: UFO Defense ranks as one of my favorites, and I was under the impression that the new one didn't measure up. Apocalypse is probably a bargain bin title by now, so I'll take your word and see for myself.

May I suggest Jagged Alliance 2? As much as I like X-Com, JA is the better game. They're pretty similar combat-wise, but if depth what you're looking for, not even X-Com comes close.

[Big Gulp]

I never really gave Apoc a chance.  After X-Com and TFTD (both of which are still on my hard drive, what? 15 years later?) it just was not what i was looking for.

Exactly.  Didn't trip my trigger at all and consequently I think I only invested about 20 minutes in the game.  To my way of thinking X-Com was perfect as is.  The quasi realtime they added, the move away from planetary defense to city defense, the bubblegum graphics...  None of it did it for me.  I think I reinstalled the original afterwards.

A couple of years ago I bought the super happy fun time edition off of eBay, and although it's got TFTD and Apocalypse on there, I only ever install the first X-Com.

[Samprimary]

The thing that *almost* steered me away from the game was how ugly everything looked. It was all part of the atmospheric plan, though. The arcology-city's government has a mandate of aesthetic conditions that must be met in buildings, interiors, and vehicles to conform to a very brightly-colored 1950's retro-esque theme. Fortunately, your own bases are exempt from these regulations and actually look very standard sci-fi. This is a very grim future indeed.

[Margalis]

I was really hoping the Fallout:Tactics was going to be a similar ass-kicking, but it ended up being one of the most botched deliveries I've ever seen. I would love to see more of that type of game for the PC though.

XCom1 was just terrific. XCom2 was just XCom1 underwater, which basically meant everything was green/blue. Kind of cheesy. Never gave Apoc a chance, like many people I heard it sort of sucked and that was that.

[eldaec]

The real time mechanics were fine, but the crappy strategic map, the crappy weapons, and the lack of variety of tactical maps, lack of variety in your units, and the fact that all the aliens were jelly men rather spoilt it.

If the X-Com franchise were to be revived with "X-Com apoc redux, this time with a proper strategic map. And production values." I'd give it a go.

[Ironwood]

I really enjoyed Apocalypse, but it got real easy once you'd managed to salvage the 'recharging big guns' and the portable shielding units.  After that, all that was left was researching the hell out of Psionics and also having fun when the Godzilla alien turned up and trashed the fucking city.

It also annoyed me that you could hardly EVER capture the first alien scoutcraft, because by the time you were good enough to do so, they'd stopped coming.  Pain in the buttox.

[HaemishM]

If you have only played Apoc, and not the original, I really urge you to get the original somehow. It is that good.

[geldonyetich]

Compared to X-Com and the sequel Terror from the Deep, apocolypse is a very different game.   They kept the 3d tile interaction, but Apocolypse is basically a real time strategy game.   Yes, there's a turn based mode, but the maps are too big to get much practical use out of it.   Apoc plays quite well as long as you regard it a fast paced squad RTS game instead of a deep strategy games like the previous games.

X-Com: Interceptor, on the other hand, was a total loss.   What were they using as control devices in beta testing?  Neutral synaptic uplinks?   No joystick I ever found is able to manuever at the breakneck speeds they apparently expect you to engage in combat with.    I've often regretted not having access to mod the various manuevering characteristics of the ships in the game.

[Biobanger]

Yes, Apocolypse was fun, I wasted a ton of hot pockets on that game. I generally used real-time til one of my guys saw an enemy... then turn based.

I was very hyped up for Interceptor. Got the game, tried to fly, died. Repeated. I soon realized that no matter what, if you are in firing range of the aliens, they will attack only you. Also, you can just keep turning at some ungodly angle and they can never hit you. Meanwhile, your apparently super-ace wingmen kill them off. Fights became just super-easy from then on. Because of this, I covered the map so fast that the story couldn't progress to the ending since the aliens now had nowhere to spawn.

Never did get to see the ending of Interceptor.

[Sable Blaze]

The original was the best. Apoc was  a good one though. Although derivative, it certainly had its moments.

Blowing up entire city blocks of buildings (sometimes even by accident) and then having to bribe the local politicians to keep your reputation (sorta) intact was a good time. The mayhem factor of Apoc was probably its only real improvement over the original (which was considerable, giving one an idea of just how wild Xcom3 could get). Another incident that springs to mind was a trigger-happy "agent" firing a rocket (realtime) into a mass of fallen aliens and unexploded ordnance. When the mushroom cloud had cleared, about 1/4 of the alien ship was gone and a good deal of the surrounding terrain (and teammates).

Overall, I liked Apoc quite a bit. Both it and the original were must have games. The second one...well...

Addendum: if any of you have PS2s or even an old PSX laying about, the Playstation version of Xcom was quite good and can be picked up for peanuts. You WILL need a mouse, though (targetting blaster bombs is suicide without one). I still break my copy out periodically for some good alien...interaction.

[Sky]

I soon realized that no matter what, if you are in firing range of the aliens, they will attack only you.

Oooh...Freelancer flashbacks. That game was almost good, except that all enemies would always drop everything and come after you, even if it meant the guy they were fighting when you warped in just tailed him and continually lit him up with weapons fire until he exploded.

Totally blew that game for me.

[rscott]

I assume everyone knows about

http://ufo2000.sourceforge.net/

[geldonyetich]

Ah, another fine gem on Sourceforge.   Though I think if Multiplayer X-Com is what you're after, that's what Laser Squad Nemesis is for.

[Samprimary]

What made the experience really fun for me in X-Com 3 was a pledge never to save or reload except at the start of a new day.

Some people played it using specifically-timed reloads that allowed them to see alien ships pop in, then reload to a save game and place all the X-Com ships around that entry point.

The alien craft get ganged, few aliens ever get dropped, agents don't get overwhelmed with alien infiltration, congress funding never goes down, relations with orginizations don't cause financial or relation trouble, orginizations never go hostile or alien-controlled, your supply of ships never dwindles, and basically with enough save-reload fu the game turns into a research-fest directly to an invincible cityscape fleet that dominates all and ravages the alien dimension for fun. But, with enough self-control, the game plays like it should - a frantically tactical race against time and control.

[Arctic Circle]

I loved both RT and TB action in X-com:Apocalypse. RT was just perfect for small battles and raids, especially after you get updated armor and alien weapons. TB action was vital when you didn't want to destroy property or when you did big ship/alien base missions.

Unfortunately there was serious design issues. Worst was the fact that you couldn't bankrupt/destroy complitely organizations. No matter how many times you raided those Zealots or Gangs, they just respawned immediately. Of course I was lame enought to raid same temple 10 times a day (free money, items and drugs).

Overall all X-com games are very good. I have to tip my for the fabulous Gollop brothers.

[stray]

In my search for Apocalypse, I found this place. X-Com 1 and 2 is there as well. And here I thought Christmas was already over...

http://www.abandonia.com/genre.php?genre=mostpopular&page=0

Very cool site (my apologies if it wasn't a good idea to post it).

[schild]

I'm tempted to kill your link, but you can't really get that stuff from anywhere else, and it all seems like abandonware. If I'm wrong, someone send me a PM.

Edit:


Best game ever that involved "Furries."

[stray]

Heh...."Abandonware".

No doubt, all of these games are "priceless". But I wasn't expecting this. I'm like a kid in candy store here.

Though there's something sad about the fact that I can fit the bulk of my gaming past on to one single disc.