Genre: StrategyDeveloper: MicroProse Software Inc.Year: 1994
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Here are two of those unbeatable classics, two games that don't even need to be introduced, still waiting for some other to take their places -- the X-COM series. When I look at these games I ask myself once more, how come game designers don't try to duplicate this one into 3D graphics and all that stuff that millions of gamers believe that make good games? This one can keep anyone glued to the screen for days being just about 3 or 4 megabytes. *sigh*
It's kind of pointless to talk of games everyone already know, but here it goes... you're the chairman of a worldwide organization with the purpose of combating alien invasions on Earth that become more frequent and violent by the minute, as well as researching on alien technology you come across. Your funds come from the trust the rich countries of the world put on you: if you manage to keep aliens away from civils and have an overall good reputation, the countries will gradually decide to grant you more money to keep working. If not, they might decrease the level of investment, and could even ally with the aliens! The basic difference is that in Enemy unknown the action happens on land (ie. cities or the countryside of just any continent) and Terror from the deep takes place pretty much only underwater, using subs and very special survival material.
This beginning of the X-COM series (the two first games) is *very* challenging, almost too much. But it's rewarding. It offers a unique management game, where you have to deal with scientists, research, production of equipment, purchases/sales, headquarters, air ships, strike teams... as well as one of the best tactical strategy games ever developed. Once your strike team reach an UFO crash, land or wreckage site, or intervene on an alien invasion on some big city, the game turns into a thrilling tactical hunt through a number of different landscapes, from urban to countryside, from jungle to desert, and the underwater landscapes in Terror from the deep. And here you can ruin everything all in one wrong turn. The humans are dangerously vulnerable to the alien weaponry, while some of the UFOs bring beings that resemble war machines all too well.
There aren't many commands, but you'll have to get used to rules of safety in the field and management of the base, and that's why the game is so challenging. Even experienced players may need luck sometimes. I can't think of a flaw, the game works fine, it is just perfect, all you'll have a hard time doing is adjusting to the challenge of it. Terror from the deep plays slightly better than its predecessor, but both games are nearly flawless.
Overall, the fun factor of these games is undeniable. I don't know a boy of my generation who hasn't played at least one of them, and if you didn't, believe me: fix it before it's too late.
