UFO: Extraterrestrials
Encyclopedia
UFO: Extraterrestrials is a Microsoft Windows
game aimed to be a spiritual sequel
to the highly acclaimed UFO: Enemy Unknown
(retitled X-COM: UFO Defense in North America). Developed by Chaos Concept, the game incorporates a twist of the aliens defeating the humans on Earth
. Gameplay takes place on a human-colonized planet named Esperanza, where the alien threat has just arrived.
The research side of the game is extensive, with about 120 projects to complete. These projects lead to improved weaponry, equipment, and understanding of the aliens.
When a UFO is spotted on the global view (or "geoscape") the player must send interceptors to shoot it down. Once the UFO has been shot down the player can send in a transport of soldiers to carry out a tactical mission to neutralize the aliens and capture their equipment. Alien commanders can also be captured for interrogation.
The aliens can start a tactical mission if they attack any of the player's bases. Aliens can attack the player's base with UFOs, in which case it is a fight between your SAM sites and the UFO; if the SAM sites are destroyed, a tactical mission within your base will take place (or aliens will take it over in which case the player needs to send a transport ship). The aliens may also initiate a terror mission against any country; in this scenario the environment is a city with civilians in it.
featured a retrospective of UFO: Extraterrestrials that focused on the effects mods
have had on the game. Long-time reviewer Niko Nirvi
, a strong admirer of the original UFO: Enemy Unknown, described the original UFO: Extraterrestrials as a pleasant but visibly rushed substitute. He focused on "Bman's Ease of Use Mod 4.07 (fixed by Coasty)" as the prevailing merger of minor modifications, and pronounced it "the true successor of UFO: Enemy Unknown" that "genuinely achieves some of its predecessor's magic."
According to the magazine, the more visible features of Bman's mod are added weaponry, incorporation of the original Enemy Unknown enemies (although graphically by copying and enlarging the older game's sprites), improving AI and rebalancing the game mechanics by changing them towards those of Enemy Unknown.
, which has been in development since early 2009.
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
game aimed to be a spiritual sequel
Spiritual sequel
A spiritual successor, sometimes called a spiritual sequel or a companion piece, is a successor to a work of fiction which does not directly build upon the storyline established by a previous work as do most traditional prequels or sequels, but nevertheless features many of the same elements,...
to the highly acclaimed UFO: Enemy Unknown
X-COM: UFO Defense
UFO: Enemy Unknown is a critically acclaimed strategy video game created by Julian Gollop and published by MicroProse Software in 1993...
(retitled X-COM: UFO Defense in North America). Developed by Chaos Concept, the game incorporates a twist of the aliens defeating the humans on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. Gameplay takes place on a human-colonized planet named Esperanza, where the alien threat has just arrived.
Gameplay
Gameplay in UFO: Extraterrestrials is similar to the original X-COM games. The player starts out with a base where they can add buildings, allocate scientists, equip soldiers and vehicles, manufacture equipment, etc. Additional bases can be bought in different countries but are used mainly for housing interceptors. Most buildings cannot be built in bases other than your main base.The research side of the game is extensive, with about 120 projects to complete. These projects lead to improved weaponry, equipment, and understanding of the aliens.
When a UFO is spotted on the global view (or "geoscape") the player must send interceptors to shoot it down. Once the UFO has been shot down the player can send in a transport of soldiers to carry out a tactical mission to neutralize the aliens and capture their equipment. Alien commanders can also be captured for interrogation.
Missions
The tactical missions are turn based, with no real-time option. The tactical squad that is sent to the crash site can include robots and tanks as well as soldiers; tanks and robots take up more space in the transport, however, and space is limited. Tactical missions can take approximately 30 minutes and there are about 200 pre-made levels. When a mission begins a level is chosen according to the environment where the action takes place; the environment in missions is destructible.The aliens can start a tactical mission if they attack any of the player's bases. Aliens can attack the player's base with UFOs, in which case it is a fight between your SAM sites and the UFO; if the SAM sites are destroyed, a tactical mission within your base will take place (or aliens will take it over in which case the player needs to send a transport ship). The aliens may also initiate a terror mission against any country; in this scenario the environment is a city with civilians in it.
Experience
The more aliens a soldier kills the more experience he receives (tanks and robots do not gain experience). There are rank insignias that show this and titles linked with each; when a soldier accumulates enough experience they go up a rank. Soldiers lose experience when they are recovering from injuries in the hospital; they can even lose a rank if they are in there long enough, but when a soldier comes back from the hospital they will gain experience faster for a time.Modding
The August 2008 edition of PelitPelit
Pelit is a Finnish video games magazine published 11 times a year by Sanoma Magazines, a division of the Sanoma Group. Being by far the largest of its kind in Finland and covering both PCs and consoles, it has for a long time lacked serious competition and is thought by many to be the magazine of...
featured a retrospective of UFO: Extraterrestrials that focused on the effects mods
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
have had on the game. Long-time reviewer Niko Nirvi
Niko Nirvi
Niko Nirvi is a long-term major icon in the Finnish gaming world. He is well known for writing computer game reviews since the 1980s in MikroBitti, C=Lehti and the computer game yearbooks that were predecessors of the Pelit magazine...
, a strong admirer of the original UFO: Enemy Unknown, described the original UFO: Extraterrestrials as a pleasant but visibly rushed substitute. He focused on "Bman's Ease of Use Mod 4.07 (fixed by Coasty)" as the prevailing merger of minor modifications, and pronounced it "the true successor of UFO: Enemy Unknown" that "genuinely achieves some of its predecessor's magic."
According to the magazine, the more visible features of Bman's mod are added weaponry, incorporation of the original Enemy Unknown enemies (although graphically by copying and enlarging the older game's sprites), improving AI and rebalancing the game mechanics by changing them towards those of Enemy Unknown.
Reception
Reception of the game was generally mixed, with Metacritic listing it at 68 and Gamerankings at 69.Announced sequel/prequel
In September 2009, Chaos Concept unveiled a new website announcing a sequel, UFO2Extraterrestrials: Shadows over EarthUFO2Extraterrestrials: Shadows over Earth
UFO2Extraterrestrials: Shadows over Earth is an upcoming Turn-based strategy video game developed by Chaos Concept. It is the sequel to UFO: Extraterrestrials. It is scheduled to be released on Microsoft Windows in March 2012.-Plot:...
, which has been in development since early 2009.
External links
- UFO: Extraterrestrials homepage
- February preview at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- Fan Forums at StrategyCore