Rating: 
Summary: No one said this is supposed to be X-Com
Review: I'm amused by all the idiots rating this game lower than 4 stars because it isn't X-Com. Hey idiots, no one said it is X-Com. It's X-Com-like, but it isn't made by, endorsed, or promoted by Microprose or anyone who had anything to do with X-Com.
If you want to rate X-Com, go rate it on the X-Com page. This game is called UFO Aftermath, and it's a fun game with good graphics and addictive game play. I have not had the same crash problems that others have reported. At about $20 currently, it's worth the money. You'll have fun.
Oh, one last thing... It's NOT X-Com!
Rating: 
Summary: Like the XCOM-series but... not.
Review: If you played any of the games in the XCOM-series, then it's inevitable you'll recognize some of the elements in UFO:Aftermath. The overview of the world where you select your missions, the top-down perspective and the squad-screen to name a few; but though I loved the XCOM-series, not so with Aftermath.Pros:
- Huge range of interesting weapons ranging from simple handguns to captured alien technology and collapsible double rocketlaunchers.
- 3D-maps with sort of nice overview.
- Pool of soldiers where you can equip your squad or replace members.
- Pausable "real-time" combat-system like in the Baldurs Gate-series. Cons:
- Stupid AI. From time to time the enemy rushes against your massed guns only to be cut down. Rarely do they flee and if they do, they just take a stroll around the block, then charge you again.
- Doors can be opened but not closed. Or maybe they can but I haven't found a way. This prevents you from opening a door, lobbing a live grenade into the room filled with aliens and close the door.
- Aliens rarly miss. They are sharpshooters and armed with their "rocket-spitters" they can kill you in seconds.
- Hard to switch weapons from the inventory. If you have some time and money over, it's not such a bad buy. But don't expect a game with the same magnetude as the XCOM-series.
Rating:
Summary: I hope there is a sequel
Review: It's hard not to compare this with XCOM, a game i loved for many years. There are some missing features, such as the ability to enter buildings or the "verticality" of being able to go on top of stuructures. However, once i set these prejudices aside, i found this to be a solid game in its own right that is every bit as addictive as an XCOM game.
Rating: 
Summary: If you loved XCOM, stay away from UFO...
Review: Like another reviewer said - The magic of XCOM just isn't there. They've taken away most all of the base management, oversimplified soldier management, and dumbed down combat to the point that I almost want to cry. After a few hours with UFO, I loaded up XCOM again and enjoyed myself quite thoroughly. It seems a lot of companies are going this way in the followups. Please, please, please - Stop dumbing down the games we love. We're not all stupid gamers.
Rating: 
Summary: Crash Parade
Review: The few impressions I was able to catch in between two crashes
semed not too bad.
But how usefull is the best game when it causes fatal errors all the time?
As long as there is no patch that reduces the numerous crashes (at least one every 10 Minutes), i would definitifely not buy this game.
Rating:
Summary: ...only with a 10 foot monitor...
Review: This game, which claims to be the "spiritual sucessor to X-Com", disgraces the entire genre of squad-based strategy games. Why? The interface is arkward and counterintuitive. The player has to plot "waypoints" in order for team members to move. Why? Do you plot waypoints before you move? The game sacrafices plot for graphics. X-Com UFO Defense (which arguably had lame graphics by today's standards) was thouroughly engaging plotwise. You wanted to win the missons even if, for nothing else, to see what would happen next on the tech-tree. Also, there was a certain uniqueness to each member of your squad that made you kind of "attatched". Here, you are expected to be so awestruck by the flashy graphics and 3-D acceleration that you can overlook the substance of the storyline and characters. In fact, the storyline is quite boring compared to the original x-com. Still, for me, one reason stands out among the rest. The FONT! What is wrong with computer game programmers nowadays. Do they think that people want to play computer games with magnifying glasses? I had to sit one foot away from my screen to go the tutorial. The game is guaranteed to cause migraines! I have noticed that this has become a trend with modern PC games, although I really don't know why. Sure, I know it sounds knit-picky, but the overall effect is that it makes the unenjoyable games even less enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: UFO Aftermath is a OK X-COM like game
Review: UFO aftermath was ok, it is just like a X-COM game just a few differences since the makers of X-COM didn't let them do some things. Graphics- The graphics where pretty ok, the animations are good and each gun looks different when they use it in the field. The units though are pretty basic and the terrain is somewhat good. The earth is also very detailed, the earth looks so real, every aspect is there, the cracks in the earth in the ocean are also noticable! They over did themselfs on the earth but thats a good thing for us :) Gameplay- The game is pretty fun when you play it, it's pretty easy at first but as soon as you get deep in the game it starts getting really hard and you choose from easy medium or hard. Some things could of been better like the world around them, In X-COM Apocolypse the walls and other obsticles fell like they would in real life, you shoot the bottom, it breaks off, and the whole top just falls down. The weapons also dont blow up, when you shoot a rocket at someone, wouldn't their weapon explode or break? they dont in this game. Most things you cant get rid of too, like walls of buildings, street lights, and more, you should just be able to go straight through the level with the help of like 35 grenades. The missions are good and fun though. Sound- The sounds are ok and the music is good. The way the soldiers talk can sometimes get annoying lol and the aliens and mutants make no sounds at all. overall- the game is good, it coulda been better in a few more months of development but it is still fun to play, it brings back the memories of X-COM and how fun it was, i give this game 4 stars out of 5.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely a must have for fans of X-COM Apocalypse
Review: UFO: Aftermath is quite the addictive game if you prefer real-time tactical strategy games. It's story is similar to the original X-Com game with playstyles imported from the third of the X-Com series. Aftermath blends crisp graphics with some truly challenging missions. Gameplay:
As I said, this game plays exactly like X-Com: Apocalypse. You have up to seven soldiers per mission and you can have each specialize in a certain mode of attack (handguns, rifles, launchers, throwing, psi, or marksmanship). In the missions you have certain objectives from rescuing downed pilots, performing reconnaissance, capturing UFOs, to invading enemy bases. Outside of the missions, it's your job to expand your territory on earth with the acquisition of bases. Now unlike X-Com, the worldview is much more simplified. Rather than building bases piece by piece, your bases come pre-built and you can change them whenever you see fit with only 24 hours of downtime. Your basic base options are military, scientific and engineering - with one other kind opening up as you progress in the game. Though diehard X-Com fans won't like the macroness of this approach it does allow for much more bases than they might be accustomed too.
The research and manufacture trees are one of my favourite aspects to this game. Not only is there a huge selection of earth technologies to begin with, but you will be finding new old-tech toys to the end. In terms of new alien technology, you have your standard laser and plasma technologies that you would come to expect, but rather than just researching the alien techs, you now have the ability to synthesize alien - human weapon hybrids that add a little flare to the game.
The story is on par with what you would expect. Both endings are quite lacking, but one of them is being expounded upon with Cenega's planned release of UFO: Aftershock in Q3 '05. Graphics:
Very crisp - and the specialized locales are a nice touch. The outdoor levels seems a bit too small, but they way the transgenants tend to swarm you, you hardly have to move in the later levels so I might just not have had the chance to sight see. My only problem came with the alien architecture. It's just plain hard to figure out where you can and can't go within the ufos. However, that's more of a design issue than a graphical one. The creatures are kind of bland, but odds are you won't be zoomed in as you need to keep an eye on other approaches. Yet, all in all, the graphics are very clean and no needless eyecandy that would make the game inaccessible to less fortunate gamers. Sound:
Make sure you patch the game up to 1.3 as soon as you get it or else you won't be able to hear the aliens. Now, they aren't anything special, but it's nice to judge how one battle is going if you have to have your attention elsewhere. The sound in the worldmap is nice, but again nothing special elsewhere. Individual unit sounds get quite annoying after a while, but if you make sure all your units have seperate portraits, it can help you to see how other parties might be doing. Overall:
I had this for a while before I sat down and really played it. But once I cracked down, I was drawn in. If you are a super fan of the first 2 X-Coms, this might not be quite your cup of tea because making it real-time changes the romance. However, if you liked X-Com 3, then this is exactly what you've been waiting for. It's a great game that follows in the tradition of X-com and adds to it in its own way. And for $20 how could you not buy it?
Rating:
Summary: Definitely a must have for fans of X-COM Apocalypse
Review: UFO: Aftermath is quite the addictive game if you prefer real-time tactical strategy games. It's story is similar to the original X-Com game with playstyles imported from the third of the X-Com series. Aftermath blends crisp graphics with some truly challenging missions. Gameplay:
As I said, this game plays exactly like X-Com: Apocalypse. You have up to seven soldiers per mission and you can have each specialize in a certain mode of attack (handguns, rifles, launchers, throwing, psi, or marksmanship). In the missions you have certain objectives from rescuing downed pilots, performing reconnaissance, capturing UFOs, to invading enemy bases. Outside of the missions, it's your job to expand your territory on earth with the acquisition of bases. Now unlike X-Com, the worldview is much more simplified. Rather than building bases piece by piece, your bases come pre-built and you can change them whenever you see fit with only 24 hours of downtime. Your basic base options are military, scientific and engineering - with one other kind opening up as you progress in the game. Though diehard X-Com fans won't like the macroness of this approach it does allow for much more bases than they might be accustomed too.
The research and manufacture trees are one of my favourite aspects to this game. Not only is there a huge selection of earth technologies to begin with, but you will be finding new old-tech toys to the end. In terms of new alien technology, you have your standard laser and plasma technologies that you would come to expect, but rather than just researching the alien techs, you now have the ability to synthesize alien - human weapon hybrids that add a little flare to the game.
The story is on par with what you would expect. Both endings are quite lacking, but one of them is being expounded upon with Cenega's planned release of UFO: Aftershock in Q3 '05. Graphics:
Very crisp - and the specialized locales are a nice touch. The outdoor levels seems a bit too small, but they way the transgenants tend to swarm you, you hardly have to move in the later levels so I might just not have had the chance to sight see. My only problem came with the alien architecture. It's just plain hard to figure out where you can and can't go within the ufos. However, that's more of a design issue than a graphical one. The creatures are kind of bland, but odds are you won't be zoomed in as you need to keep an eye on other approaches. Yet, all in all, the graphics are very clean and no needless eyecandy that would make the game inaccessible to less fortunate gamers. Sound:
Make sure you patch the game up to 1.3 as soon as you get it or else you won't be able to hear the aliens. Now, they aren't anything special, but it's nice to judge how one battle is going if you have to have your attention elsewhere. The sound in the worldmap is nice, but again nothing special elsewhere. Individual unit sounds get quite annoying after a while, but if you make sure all your units have seperate portraits, it can help you to see how other parties might be doing. Overall:
I had this for a while before I sat down and really played it. But once I cracked down, I was drawn in. If you are a super fan of the first 2 X-Coms, this might not be quite your cup of tea because making it real-time changes the romance. However, if you liked X-Com 3, then this is exactly what you've been waiting for. It's a great game that follows in the tradition of X-com and adds to it in its own way. And for $20 how could you not buy it?
Rating:
Summary: UFO Aftermath welcome back
Review: Warning : If you have a machine with an ATI Graphics card, do not buy or play this game, it constantly crashes. Opinion : I enjoyed this game, it was much like the original, with many improvements and a few irritating cons. Cons : - No squad group button.
- No automatic attack button ( ie you may sight two enemies and only manually attack one while not realizing you are under attack from two separate enemies.)
- No inventory button, though this is good in many ways as the inventory is much improved, the simple lack of an inventory button is annoying.
- Inside Alien craft - Navigation is a problem, harvester mentality makes you squad mates want to split up with them going three different ways, this is extremely annoying both because they will sight more enemies, you have less fire power, and because they often go the most stupid and longest routes. - The pro is that this is somewhat lessened by the directional navigational lines which allow you to spot the stupid intentions of your squad mates.
- A further irritation is the lack of any ability to change the background colour, so you may end up with a very bright overlay making it difficult to see what is going on.
- A pity there is no underwater combat, but this is not necessarily a bad thing.
- A pity there is no upgrade to your troop transport, so you have to wait for one helicopter to travel from hot spot to hot spot. - This is improved with teleportation from base to base, but is still very annoying. - So why not speed up the game, this just makes event go that much faster, but does not proportionally speed up the flight of your helicopter.
- The lack of two teams is irritating, though at the same time the ability to replace wounded units is a benefit.
- Should be a mission menu with available missions, not just hot spots all over a round global map. Conclusion Despite all of this, if you liked the very first X-com and you are willing to put up with the occasional crash, then you will enjoy this game. The graphics are superb, the action is unreal, and the story makes sense, I would rate this at least 79%, I'm just a bit miffed with the constant ATI crashes.
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