Accessories

UFO Aftershock
Being an avid Xcom series fan, this game and the others in this line (UFO Aftermath and UFO Aftershock) were instant buys on my list. It is therefore incredibly frustrating and disappointing to actually experience the disaster that is Altair Interactive's answer to Xcom. The first game in the series started slowly and then rapidly became a monotonous replay over and over of the same missions against the same monsters. Then I made the mistake of upgrading my video card. Instantly, my video was upside down and backwards. After many hours of suggested fixes and patches, the game went on the shelf of dead games. Phase 2 has been different but even more aggravating. Apparently, according to the "explanation" I have been given, there is some type of conflict between the game mechanics and any computer with multiple processors or Hyperthreading Tech. So the end result is literally hundreds of crashes to the desktop, save times that approach 1/4 hour, and more freeware fixes, suggestions, and patches that do nothing to fix the problem. In some cases the suggestions actually make the problem WORSE. Listen up fans! If you are as desperate as I am to follow the Xcom theme, please save yourself the trouble and money. Wait for a company that is forward thinking to step out into realm to build a game that will actually play without all the extra crap to wade through.

A worthy sequel to Aftermath
UFO Aftershock is fun. I've spent numerous hours enjoying it, and expect to spend many more. It's easy for me to like, as I've always been a fan of similar squad based / tactical / RPG style games, but it would earn my approval even if I wasn't. While the "Aliens are attacking the world and you must fight them with your team!" theme has certainly been done before, I feel that the Altar / Cenega series offers a unique style. Consequently, in evaluating Aftershock I think of it mostly in relation to its predecessor, UFO Aftermath. They share far more in common with each other than they do with most other games of the type.

The story is interesting, and even more enjoyable if you played the previous game. Since the premise for the beginning is one of the alternate endings to Aftermath, it ends up covering ground that is usually untouched in the genre. This makes the story more unique and less derivative than might be expected.

The resource management element is more complex than Aftermath, but still fairly simple, and easily grasped. The new reputation and diplomacy tool is nice, and can be quite useful at times, though it often helps most when left alone. The new races are an interesting addition, and the soldier recruitment system is more convenient than the "have a new recruit randomly appear in the roster every so often" system in Aftermath.

The tactical combat is the heart of it all: the chance to use the soldiers you've carefully improved, trained, and equipped. If you enjoy the combat, you'll probably enjoy the game in general, and the combat is definitely enjoyable. It's much improved from Aftermath, particularly with the ability to go inside structures without it requiring a second map, and to use ladders, stairs, elevators, and teleporters to move on multiple levels of the same map. The new weapon mods improve your ability to customize your troops according to tactic or whim, and the weapon balance is much better, with different damage types and delivery options being significant factors on the battlefield. As a whole, the tactical options are greatly expanded, and it feels more natural and fun.

I'd like to be able to end it right there, and leave on a happy note, but sadly the many good points of the game also make you really notice the flaws. First and foremost, the game regularly crashes to desktop, usually after no more than an hour or so of play. This is a serious and inexcusable problem, even after patching the game, but for me simply saving frequently reduced it from "game-breaking" to "annoying" status.

Second, the game comes bundled with and dependent on the much-despised StarForce copy protection software. StarForce is intrusive, hard to get rid of, and some people have reported that it resulted in permanent damage to their optical drives. It is, however, fairly low-profile and inconspicuous, and for me the risk of possible drive damage wasn't a major deterrent. Even if something did happen, optical drives are fairly cheap these days. I'm willing to risk it if it means I can enjoy the games that, like Aftershock, regrettably punish those who legitimately buy their copies, leaving anyone able to remove the copy protection a compelling reason to do so.

Finally, there is a valid complaint to be made that while fun, the combat missions feel old after a while. This is mostly due to the mission generation system: because many maps and environment elements are re-used, and while the circumstances may vary, there are ultimately only a few mission objective types. For me, this was a bit of an issue, but I got past it by not letting my units have permanency. I found that as long as I was always trying a new armor, weapon, mod, special ability, or tactic, there was something new and interesting that kept me involved even if I was fighting a battle I'd basically already fought before. This will understandably be less helpful after you've played the game through, and explored most of the options. If you're bored easily, you might want to try renting the game or finding a place to buy it heavily discounted, because replay value will be limited. There are a lot of options to explore, though, and I've managed to go through it twice without feeling like it wasn't worth my money.

In the end, there's serious problems that keep me from recommending the game the way I'd like to. I found that I could work with them though, and really enjoyed the game apart from them. If it sounds like you could handle them too, I'd encourage you to give it a try. I know I'm glad that I did.

needs some help
well i prefer aftershock then this one. the opening of the ugly anoying guy talking is sorta anoyance i would much rather have read it, and it kept on hitting problems after problems with bugs, one of which was anoying every time i moved the screen would flip out like crazy till they were done moveing, some times it would even freeze. i am sure it is ot like that for every one but on mine it was sorta after a day i just deleted it. i am sure it is a good game if you have a copy that does not screw up all the time

Fun game but way too long
I've played this game quite a few times, but only played to completion twice. It is far too long and by mundane mission #120 you are wondering when it will end.

But that is the only bad thing about the game.

Good Points:
-Player Modifiable System. Below was mentioned the games website. In the forums section are MODs which REALLY do a great job of improving the game. You can also MOD it yourself. Playing with totally new weapons, armor, and people makes this truly enjoyable. The fact that a game can be modified allows players to fix much of what they do not like.

-X-Com like play, but with a better system than time points or the old Real Time from X-Com APOC. The first UFO Aftermath game (also modifiable) was good, but was more akin to Fallout in its "you have to scrounge weapons to live". UFO AS also has this "find a good gun or fight unarmed" in early sections, but you can actually build multiple factories and labs to build items faster.

-Enemies abound. Using some MODs from the website, I can now have 20-30 enemies attack my troops who now have better weapons and pretty cool armor to fight back with. Makes for an interesting time.

The Bad and Ugly:
-Can have long load times on older systems (pre-mid 2006).
-Resource system leaves you wanting to cheat and get more at first.
-Missions, even with MODs become mundane and boring between 2nd and 3rd (finale) stages. This is one of the reasons I restart. After I defeat 90% of the enemies and have researched almost everything, it becomes a 20 mission wait to see when the last mission will arrive. It is more fun in the beginning than near the end.

So a great game that is lots of fun and modifiable, but waaayyyy too long.

Many great features, many critical bugs.
As a software tester, I find it inexcusable to release software this buggy. The system crashes to desktop multiple times per hour, even after installing the latest patches. The game itself had great features (the training system, equipment modifications and the research and development side) but the unfinished design is unforgivable. The company responsible is no more though, so I guess I am beating a dead horse. I will try the next one though, as it was made by a new team.