UFO Trilogy (PC DVD)

I noticed this game quite a while ago and when i saw it going for a fiver i thought i may as well grab it. All i can say is that im glad i did.

Having only played through the first 2 (am in the middle of the third) i can only really review those but that should be enough for you to make your mind up about whether this is for you.

The first (and so far my fav.)title you get in this trilogy is aftermath which basically tells the story of us taking back control of the planet after the dust had settled from a huge, alien attack. The real meat of the story is told through the myriad of research options that are made available to you as the game progresses and after certain prerequesits are met. I personally found this to be one of the games most attractive features, making the game more immersive than you'd think. The story is simple yet intriguing enough to make you want to see where it goes - one of the hallmarks of a truly great game in my opinion.

The gameplay is spread around two areas, tactical and strategic. The strategic gameplay consists of simple base management, research, manufacture and squad deployment. It is in this part of the game where you plan your overall strategy.

The second area of gameplay is the tactical, squad combat side. There are aspects of this part that i really enjoyed and others that i was not so enamoured with. For instance, the camera could be difficult to use at times and some of the environments could be frustratingly difficult to maneuver in. Having said that, the graphics are fairly pleasant and the combat varied due to the vast amount of gear you can deploy which takes me on to my favourite part of the game. As i have said, there is a large amount of gear to collect and create in this game, from desert eagles to alien mind control weapons - allowing a great amount of flexibilty in how you develop the people who make up your squad. This takes me on to another aspect of the game which i particularly enjoyed. This is where the game introduces certain RPG elements to the gameplay as each squad member has a list of typical attributes that can be increased when experience is earned through combat. Alongside this there are many skills that can be improved upon that give expertise in certain types of weaponry or equipment, anything from medi-packs to gattling guns.

Overall i thoroughly enjoyed aftermath in spite of a few niggles like the dodgy voice acting and the sometimes frustrating environments and difficult camera controls. I recomend buying this if just for this.

Onto the second game found in this pack, aftershock. Initially i was very excited about this sequel, afterall it adds some really interesting features that its predecessor lacked such as more involved base and resource management, distinct factions, diplomacy etc. However my excitement was gradually replaced by a mild dissapointment. This is not to say that i did not enjoy the game it was just that i found it to be irritating being bogged down with a lot of previously non-existent details, details that really dont add to the game very much and in some cases causes the game to stagger annoyingly and reduce its enjoyment. many times i found myself out of a particular resource causing all research and manufacture to grind to a halt and having nothing i can really do about it as certain resources are really quite rare yet very important. This of course made things difficult as i had to rely on the rather sparse equipment i scavenged from dead enemies which made things very difficult early on in the game. What i most disliked i suppose is that it took away the simplicity of the first game, forcing you to spend time on more mundane tasks than on the more exciting ones like blowing stuff up.

Aftershock is an improvement over aftermath in some ways like its vastly improved graphics and better environments (the camera, sadly, is even worse). The game, on paper, seems like it should be vastly better than its predecessor but in practice it falls short and i found myself thinking back to the enjoyable simplicity of aftermath.

As i have mentioned, i have yet to play afterlight for any useful amount of time but what i have seen is very promising and i look forward to spending more time with it.

An overlooked, though addmittedly rough gem - the UFO series is well worth having a look at if you have the cash and the time to spare.

First there was UFO: Aftermath, which was a limited recreation of the old X-Com games. I never finished it because frustrating and repetitive gameplay had me tearing my hair out by the endgame.

Then came UFO: Aftershock, which was also a limited recreation of the old X-Com games but a bit closer this time. I never finished it because frustrating and repetitive gameplay had me tearing my hair out by the endgame. I did get ALMOST to the end though and it wasn't nearly as annoying as the first game.

Finally, so far, came UFO: Afterlight, an almost complete recreation of the old X-Com games with extra bits. The fairly pedestrian graphics of the original two game have been replaced with a more cartoony feel and there's more to do on the strategic map. I finished it and came very close to enjoying myself for most of the game. Like the other two games it's highly repetitive but it's also tactically evolved and with a more interesting storyline.

If you're a completeness freak then this is the collection for you but if you haven't sampled the UFO: franchise then I'd skip the first two and look for the cheapest copy of Afterlight that you can find.

All the games had a pretty active modding community so be sure to check out the fansites.

Arrived on time.
New product, excellent condition.
Loaded without problems first time.

Excellent game content.
All 3 games. Start with the first and then proceed through to the last one. Or you can play all 3 at the same time.

A good sequel to try to replace the much missed UFO X COM game that is no longer produced. Oh how we miss you X COM...