unbroken
02-10-2006, 12:49 AM
X-com, in my opinion, is one of the greatest games of all time. I feel like it's my duty in life to spread the word of x-com, so today while playing it, I had the urge to write up a little history on x-com for those who've never played this classic game or for those who have forgotten it.
Mythos Games was created in 1989 by the fathers of x-com, the Gallop brothers. Their idea was to make the best computer strategy games available. Having worked on such games as: the Rebelstar series and Laser Squad.
Here we have Laser Squad for the C64.
http://www.geocities.com/lasersquadclassic/c64screen1.jpg
The Gallop's decided to show their demo of Laser Squad 2 on the Atari ST to Microprose in 1991. Their idea was to have the game like Laser Squad but with better graphics and an isometric view like Populous. Microprose liked the idea, but insisted they wanted a "big" game like Civilization. The Gallop brothers sat on the idea for awhile, and decided to take the same idea of Laser Squad but adding more strategic elements and a UFO theme.
X-Com: Ufo Defense:
This is where we have the first game in the X-com Series, and IMO, one of the best games of all time, X-com: Ufo defense(aka enemy unknown). At first, this legendary game almost did not see the light of day. Microprose just did not understand the Gallop's idea of x-com, and the project was axed several times. Thankfully for us, the Gallop's urged Microprose to release this and they eventually did.
The player commanded a military faction on earth and defended it from hostile UFO's. This is a picture of the legendary "Geoscape", where players could manage their base, research new technologys, manfacture products, buy new equipment, hire soldiers...ect
http://www.xcomufo.com/forums/uploads/post-89-1088624701.png
Not only did it take the strategic and economic elements from Civilaztion, but it would switch to a turn-based battle mode, where you would hunt out aliens similiar to newer games like "Commando's".
http://mars.sourceforge.net/img/ufo.jpg
This turn-based battle mode also had a random map engine so you would never play the same map twice, making the game have MUCH more re playability than other strategy games.
http://www.rolemaker.dk/documents/Requirements/BA_GameReference/screenshots/xcom1/pic1.jpg[/img]
*FUN FACT - Julian Gallop bought and researched quite a few books on Aliens and UFO's to make x-com seem more realistic.
--------
X-Com: Terror From the Deep:
With the succes of x-com: Ufo Defense. Microprose wanted the Gallop's to make a sequal in 6 months flat. The Gallop's said that was not feasible, insisting that it would be the same game but with different graphics.
and here we have the second game in the series, x-com: Terror from the deep. Which is essentialy the same game as UFO but with an underwater theme, keeping the same engine, only with different graphics.
http://www.abandonia.com/images/games/X-Com%20-%20Terror%20From%20The%20Deep3.png
Although Terror From The Deep is basically the same game as Ufo Defense it never really hit it off as Ufo did. Though in my eye's, it is the only true sequal to Ufo.
--------
X-Com: Apocalypse:
After years of hard work, X-COM: Apocalypse was released as the third game in the series. The initial game design was definitely too ambitious and too complex. Much more strategic elements were added to Apocalypse(some say too much) and also adding real time based combat on top of turn-based. X-Com agents could spy on other organizations to gain valuable information. A sophisticated diplomacy display allowed the player to instigate aggressive or defensive alliances with other organizations.
http://ben.bacchus.com.au/vpcblog/images/apoc3.PNG
In the end, Apocalpyse just did not have the magic that Ufo had and fell short to being a true x-com game.
-------
Finally, we have three x-com games not really worth mentioning.
X-coM: Interceptor, A mediocre flight sim, not worthy of the x-com name.
http://quotidiano.tdnet.it/resource/picture/430/free_game_big_2.jpg
X-com: Email, a x-com game played through email, made by hasbro, after a few years the hasbro servers died and the game no longer works. Supposedly, private servers do exist if you are lucky enough to find a copy of this game.
http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/excm2.jpg
and finally a last attempt to cash in on the name, X-com: Alliance, a FPS made from a modify Unreal engine.
http://www.gamerevolution.com/oldsite/previews/screens/xcom/x-com4b.jpg
Years later, the X-Com name has seemed to have died with Microprose. No game has matched the greatness that is X-Com. Plenty of rehashed X-Com copy's have came out since then, including: laser squad nemesis, the ufo series, and others not worth mentioning. Some loyal fans are working on remakes of X-Com, but nothing is really worth checking out right now:
http://www.projectxenocide.com
http://ufo2000.sourceforge.net/
http://www.xforce-online.de/
http://talon.sourceforge.net/http://www.gotdotnet.com/
anyway, to anyone that hasn't played x-com: ufo defense, do yourself a favor and ebay the sucker right now.
Mythos Games was created in 1989 by the fathers of x-com, the Gallop brothers. Their idea was to make the best computer strategy games available. Having worked on such games as: the Rebelstar series and Laser Squad.
Here we have Laser Squad for the C64.
http://www.geocities.com/lasersquadclassic/c64screen1.jpg
The Gallop's decided to show their demo of Laser Squad 2 on the Atari ST to Microprose in 1991. Their idea was to have the game like Laser Squad but with better graphics and an isometric view like Populous. Microprose liked the idea, but insisted they wanted a "big" game like Civilization. The Gallop brothers sat on the idea for awhile, and decided to take the same idea of Laser Squad but adding more strategic elements and a UFO theme.
X-Com: Ufo Defense:
This is where we have the first game in the X-com Series, and IMO, one of the best games of all time, X-com: Ufo defense(aka enemy unknown). At first, this legendary game almost did not see the light of day. Microprose just did not understand the Gallop's idea of x-com, and the project was axed several times. Thankfully for us, the Gallop's urged Microprose to release this and they eventually did.
The player commanded a military faction on earth and defended it from hostile UFO's. This is a picture of the legendary "Geoscape", where players could manage their base, research new technologys, manfacture products, buy new equipment, hire soldiers...ect
http://www.xcomufo.com/forums/uploads/post-89-1088624701.png
Not only did it take the strategic and economic elements from Civilaztion, but it would switch to a turn-based battle mode, where you would hunt out aliens similiar to newer games like "Commando's".
http://mars.sourceforge.net/img/ufo.jpg
This turn-based battle mode also had a random map engine so you would never play the same map twice, making the game have MUCH more re playability than other strategy games.
http://www.rolemaker.dk/documents/Requirements/BA_GameReference/screenshots/xcom1/pic1.jpg[/img]
*FUN FACT - Julian Gallop bought and researched quite a few books on Aliens and UFO's to make x-com seem more realistic.
--------
X-Com: Terror From the Deep:
With the succes of x-com: Ufo Defense. Microprose wanted the Gallop's to make a sequal in 6 months flat. The Gallop's said that was not feasible, insisting that it would be the same game but with different graphics.
and here we have the second game in the series, x-com: Terror from the deep. Which is essentialy the same game as UFO but with an underwater theme, keeping the same engine, only with different graphics.
http://www.abandonia.com/images/games/X-Com%20-%20Terror%20From%20The%20Deep3.png
Although Terror From The Deep is basically the same game as Ufo Defense it never really hit it off as Ufo did. Though in my eye's, it is the only true sequal to Ufo.
--------
X-Com: Apocalypse:
After years of hard work, X-COM: Apocalypse was released as the third game in the series. The initial game design was definitely too ambitious and too complex. Much more strategic elements were added to Apocalypse(some say too much) and also adding real time based combat on top of turn-based. X-Com agents could spy on other organizations to gain valuable information. A sophisticated diplomacy display allowed the player to instigate aggressive or defensive alliances with other organizations.
http://ben.bacchus.com.au/vpcblog/images/apoc3.PNG
In the end, Apocalpyse just did not have the magic that Ufo had and fell short to being a true x-com game.
-------
Finally, we have three x-com games not really worth mentioning.
X-coM: Interceptor, A mediocre flight sim, not worthy of the x-com name.
http://quotidiano.tdnet.it/resource/picture/430/free_game_big_2.jpg
X-com: Email, a x-com game played through email, made by hasbro, after a few years the hasbro servers died and the game no longer works. Supposedly, private servers do exist if you are lucky enough to find a copy of this game.
http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/excm2.jpg
and finally a last attempt to cash in on the name, X-com: Alliance, a FPS made from a modify Unreal engine.
http://www.gamerevolution.com/oldsite/previews/screens/xcom/x-com4b.jpg
Years later, the X-Com name has seemed to have died with Microprose. No game has matched the greatness that is X-Com. Plenty of rehashed X-Com copy's have came out since then, including: laser squad nemesis, the ufo series, and others not worth mentioning. Some loyal fans are working on remakes of X-Com, but nothing is really worth checking out right now:
http://www.projectxenocide.com
http://ufo2000.sourceforge.net/
http://www.xforce-online.de/
http://talon.sourceforge.net/http://www.gotdotnet.com/
anyway, to anyone that hasn't played x-com: ufo defense, do yourself a favor and ebay the sucker right now.