UFO: Aftermath (Full Version)

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Hertston -> UFO: Aftermath (10/12/2003 5:08:27 PM)

Thought I'd post a mini-review thingie as some folks posting in the "redone games" thread seemed interested.

First up, UFO:AF is NOT an X-Com sequel, but it would be pretty futile to attempt to review it without referring to those games (a lot), if only as common frame of reference with those interested. They do have an awful lot in common. So here goes.

Strategic layer. Different, and somewhat limited. No money management, base building or recruitment - bases and territory are captured rather than constructed. Character development is very good.. effects are (generally) noticeable, and you do start to "care" about your boys (and girls) at least to some extent. R&D is implemented very well... it has a nice logical structure and you have a lot more control than X-Com over the paths your R&D takes. X-Com was pretty much "do everything" - in Aftermath you need to choose, at least in the first half of the game. I like the touch of intercepting UFO's with Eurofighters, MiG 29s and such - adds a nice "Independence Day" feel. Overall though, though things do get more complicated as your territory (and the biomass) increases, the strategic side is pretty much just a framework for the tactical game.

Tactical game. There will be a lot of opinions on this, and personal "tilt" is very important. Totally different from X-Com in any of it's incarnations, and LSN, it's basically a "real-time that stops when anything happens" approach. You have full control to pause and amend orders etc at any time. It actually works very well IMHO. There is an awful lot of tactical subtlety possible that initially you don't appreciate (most comments to the contrary are from those who have only played a few "simple" intro missions), and as the game progresses you need to learn how to apply it to succeed. The interface is easy to use, and easy to customise (turn off the voice sounds asap - unbelievably annoying even if the voice acting had been good - it isn't), and tactical missions flow very smoothly. "Random" or not, they can get a little repetitive, but so did X-Com. Best feature though is the variety of weapons, everything has it's use and it's place - and needs different tactics to use succesfully. Don't overlook some of the early stuff, even as the alien technology becomes available. Worst features are limited AI (this gets propped by "porked up" firepower) and maps which get a little tight.. in the UFOs particularly just orientating your troops correctly can be an (often fatal) annoyance.

Overall. Review scores have been in the mid-high seventies which is probably about right. You'll see a lot worse games scoring higher though. The biggest problem with UFO:AF is the X-Com hang-up on the part of just about everyone, Aftermath isn't as good, but it [I]never could have been[/I] as good. You can never top nostalgia.. as UFO:Apocalyse demonstrated. Take UFO:AF on it's own merits, and while it won't have X-Com longevity, you'll get your money's worth and some entertainment until EYSA is released, anyway ;)



Zakhal -> (10/12/2003 5:15:01 PM)

The Bucket: 2003-10-06: "UFO: Disappointment"
[img]http://www.warbucket.com/comics/221.gif[/img]



Zakhal -> (10/20/2003 3:54:43 AM)

Anyone interested of squad based combat such definetly check out soldiers of anarchy. Its a roadwarrior/twilight2000 style post-apocalyptic game. Combat is realtime *but* it works ok and feels a bit like jagged alliance. Thers plenty of cold war era stuff in it from submachine guns, kevlar vests to humvees, helicopters and t80's. Ok grafix and lots of nice animations like when people jump into the humvee they open the door and slam it closed. Gun sounds are good, shotgun sounds like shotgun instead of popgun like in UFO:A i.e. Soldiers can crouch, crawl and climb over fences. Houses and other stuff is destroyable.

Its mission based but each mission is a large area (you really need vechiles to drive around, walking is out of question) and it branches according to your decisions. Missions are very nice done, thers lots of stuff to explore in each, scavenge arms and recruit more soldiers. Lots of suprises and stuff.

Between mission you can tune up your battle team in your base, trade weapons (couple of dozen uzis for a rpg7 launcher and some ammo i.e), modify&repair your vechiles and aircraft (slap som extra armor and "grenademachinegun" or M60 into your humvee), equip your squadmates (binocs, molotovs, grenades, ammo, medpaks, drugs, combat vests, small&heavy arms, etc), treat your wounded in the field hospital, produce drugs and medicine, brief for next mission, examine details of all ingame weapons&vechiles and other items.

The development team for soldiers of anarchy (silver style entertainment*) is the same that is developing the fall: last days of gaia. The Fall uses the same engine (with lots of improvements of course).

Soldiers of Anarchy - reviews:

quote:

Video Game News - 89%
[...] Overall, however, Soldiers of Anarchy is the best squad based strategy game I've played in years. For fans of X-Com and Jagged Alliance, SoA is a must buy.
- Kevin Walker (Video Game News


quote:

US Military - 5 Stars
Sometimes you get tired of saving the World by controlling vast amounts of air, sea, and land power, and you just want to go back to the good old days when you were an NCO in charge of a squad. Enter Soldiers of Anarchy [...]
- Rod Powers


screenshot1
screenshot2
screenshot3

Soldiers of Anarchy features:
[list]
  • 3D-realtime tactic at it's best, vast 3 dimensional landscapes full of action

  • Thrilling non-linear story

  • Comfortable 3D-editor for building single and multiplayer levels

  • Complex ecological system with varying flora and fauna

  • Realistic environmental elements; rain, snow, daylight and darkness

  • Dozens of realistic war units with multiple weapons systems

  • Knock over walls, push boulders, fell trees; nearly everything is destructible

  • Special skills and military rank for every soldier

  • Atmospheric music and 3D-sound

  • Intuitive control of the camera

  • Thrilling multiplayer missions for up to 8 players

  • ...and many more surprises and exciting details
    [/list]

    *The Fall: Last Days of Gaia is in development by the accomplished development studio Silver Style Entertainment ( [url]www.silver-style.com[/url] ), which is located in Berlin/Germany. Silver Style Entertainment's most recent product was the award-winning Soldiers of Anarchy ( [url]www.soldiers-of-anarchy.com[/url] ), which received great appreciation worldwide.



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