So, does this game exist?

Hi guys,

I've been impressed in the past with the general knowledge level here on PC games, so I thought I'd ask a question that comes up for me frequently.

Back in the day, I LOVED the XCOM series, and also the old Chaos Gate game (this was released back in '98! ), and these games run near the absolute top for me based on gameplay style. Trouble is, I guess I'm the only one that feels this way, as I am unaware of (nearly) any other games that offer these features.

So, just wondering: is anyone aware of a game with the following features they could recommend?

1. Turn Based Play (not real time). (The ability to pause and give orders is similar, and would be an acceptable but poor second option, but ideally I'd like turn based play.)

2. Tactical level combat - ideally, you should control your troops at an individual level, and there should be about a dozen or so of them. (maybe more, maybe less - exact number isn't important as long as it has a good tactical feel...)

3. Individual inventory system. You should be able to equip your troops with weapons/armor/devices as you see fit.

4. Individual skill system. Each soldier should have certain skills, and you should be able to customize these skills through gaining experience and choosing upgrades.

5. Non-first person view. Preferred a 3/4 camera view, but anything non-first person would probably work...

6. Sci-fi theme would be preferred, but truthfully I'd probably play any theme as long as it had the above characterisics.

Xcom and chaos gate I've tried, as well as laser squad nemesis and a couple others that were meant to be xcom style games; but I long for a more modern game built along these lines, but taking advantage of today's computing/graphics power. (Got XCOM bundle off of steam, and though I still love it, it's not nearly as pretty to me as it was when I first played it! )

So, I'm hoping that there really IS a game out there that fits this description, that I've somehow missed. Anyone have any ideas?

 

LOL, you are basically describing the Pokemon series

good luck with that one

 

Have you tried UFO: Extraterrestrials?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO:_Extraterrestrials

or

UFO: Aftermath series although this is all real time

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO:_Aftermath

 

What the man above said, UFO Aftermath, UFO Aftershock, UFO Afterlight are all a twist on normal X-com gameplay, if you are looking for a pretty version of X-Com UFO Extraterrestrials offers the closest in terms of gameplay.

*Edit* If your after something seriously oldskool and own a PS1 get Front Mission 3, turn based gameplay, 2 possible story lines and mechs what more can a person want lol.

 

Jagged Alliance 2 - you and the mercs you hire have to overthrow a dictatorship on some island. It's turn-based, the combat is similar to XCOM. THe graphics kinda suck by today's standards - it's a 1999 game http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jagged_Alliance_2_Gold_TacticalScreen_Screenshot.png and there's almost no sci-fi.
You could play the original JA2 a few times and then try JA2 1.13 which is a mod that changes/adds a lot of stuff (most important is 1024x768 res, the troops can't see behind them and they only see what's in their fov, scopes extend the range, so you need snipers/spotters with binoculars to see the enemy far away. Unlike the original it makes sense not to use sniper scopes in close combat because of tunnel vision so you switch to a secondary weapon like smg/pistol with faster rate of fire; also drawing/changinga weapon/looking through scope/sights takes a few action points)

UFO:ET is a DUMBED down ripoff of XCOM with better graphics, there's also a mod that adds more stuff from XCOM to UFO:ET.... the modders are better than developers which is sad

 

Try out Kotor

 

you will definatly love dragon age: origins, youtube it right away and you won't be dissapointed

 

yeap some great suggestions made id suggest something like Heroes of Might and Magic V heres the home page and a review here it doesn't have a sci-fi theme but its still a good story and very challenging, and as a bonus the gold edition can be picked up dirt cheap as well.

good luck in your search.

 

I suggest Fallout: Tactics. Also if you like RPGs with turn-based combat and a very very good story Fallout and Fallout 2 are good choices (NOT Fallout 3).

 

Fallout: Tactics probably fits most of your criteria...somewhat sci-fi...weaponry is about as sci-fi as X-Com...think it's available from Steam, D2D, and gog.com...

Freedom Force and its sequel...it's not sci-fi, but very tongue-in-cheek superhero...and it's the pause and direct type of combat which you call out as a poor second option...(it's actually fairly well implemented with a right-click on a character freezing the action and bringing up a radial type menu)

Jagged Alliance has already been mentioned...combat is very, very similar to X-Com...I wouldn't call it a modern game though...

Silent Storm is probably the most modern packaging of the X-Com style combat that you'll find...World War 2 is the backdrop...

None of the above really have the strategic element that X-Com had...build your base and allocate money to research or soldiers...they mainly focus on the combat aspect which would make you think that the combat should be a lot more sophisticated than X-Com...but X-Com was actually fairly complex with great line-of-sight rules and multi-level battlefields...I still think breaching a door in X-Com is more nerve wracking than doing the same in any of the Rainbow 6 titles...

Heroes of Might and Magic series (and now the renewed King's Bounty series) has good base building and research but the combat is very, very different...

Of everything I mentioned, I still think X-Com is the best...you might try Fallout Tactics though for an intermediary fix...

 

No dude I know exactly what game you are talking about, basically it was the table top game turned active. I loved that game and Dark omen which came together. I would have to say

Final Fantasy Tactics

Heroes of might and magic

and a few other tactic games like jagged alliance.... but in reality nothing really quite compares to it especially for the time, I have yet to find a game like it... in fact I have yet to find a really good game like Dark omen as well.

 

It sounds like some Baldur's Gate (if interested in the games back on those good old days) or the Neverwinter Nights series (if interested in the games back on those not so old days) or the Dragon Age: Origins (for these days).

Of course, Fallout 1 or 2 may fit your needs but you can't control your teammates as far as I remember.

 

Yep, played the earlier Fallouts and enjoyed them (and Baldur's Gate), and currently playing Dragon Age:Origins as well. They are closer to what I am looking for (probably why I enjoy them) but I was just wondering if there was anything else out there. Thanks for the sugesstions, though - if nothing else, it's giving me more confidence that I haven't missed anything...

 

:laugh:

This is gold.

Try Jagged Alliance 2.

 

Why oh why can't we have a modernised X-Com game? Some of the best games I ever played. The other later ones just couldn't compare.

 

here is a fan made game that has been in the works for a bit. from others, I hear it is very close to X-com gameplay wise. in no way is it a fully finished game, but it is constantly being updated and it's free.

http://ufoai.sourceforge.net/

 

While you can level up your Pokemon which gives it a heavy RPG flavor, the combat in Pokemon is somewhat lacking...

Try X-Com (D2D or Steam) or Jagged Alliance (gog.com) and you'll see that Pokemon's paper, scissors, rock approach to combat, as fun as it is, doesn't quite compare to the firefights in either of those game series...

And X-Com really isn't an RPG...it has RPG elements (eg, you can level up your soldiers and enhance their abilities and change their equipment)...it's a turn based tactical (ie 'squad sized') strategy game that has some strategic elements like developing your base, buying equipment, researching random ideas or things gathered from UFO crash sites, and keeping your cash income greater than your expenditures (which largely has to do with how well you do in the tactical encounters)...

I've never thought X-Com was like Baldur's Gate or Planescape: Torment or Neverwinter Nights...if anything, it was more akin to Temple of Elemental Evil which was heavily focused on combat...

 

lol... well, I've never tried it, but somehow I doubt I can set my pokeman squad up in a cover fire pattern to react when aliens come through the door, or breach a position under the cover of grenades...

...but, if you can, then I stand corrected...

 

As I was first reading your post I thought of this game I really loved called Incubation. But then it had everything except the leveling up of your squad. You did outfit them before your mission though with their equipment.

Then I went and looked up Incubation and it was from 1997, lol. Hey, at least its Abandonware now and you can get it for free!

Your later mentions of like a Balder's Gate type changed the direction I was thinking of though. So probably you're best off taking some of the other poster's advice. Good luck!

 

I forgot about Incubation...it probably is a better fit than even Fallout: Tactics...it doesn't have the strategic or RPG elements, but it's sci-fi, turn-based squad combat...

I could never get it to work with my 3dfx wrapper so I haven't played it for years...

It's not 'modern' but the graphics are a definite step up from X-Com's...and it has that same tense feeling that X-Com gives you during the combat phases...

There was also an expansion pack for it that really made the package worthwile...if you can find Incubation and get it running, it's an excellent pick...

 

Oh, no, don't misunderstand - I have played and enjoyed Baldur's Gate, but I really prefer a sci-fi tactical squad game, and I'd never heard of Incubation, but it looks like a very good fit from the picture! I'll have to check it out - thanks very much!

 

I think you might like Mass Effect 1/2, you might as well play the first one to get the story. Its a cool game and meets most of your criteria except for turn based, although it slightly is as the game pauses when you choose to use your, and your team mates, abilities.

 

How about Galactic Civilizations 1 and 2 with expansions? It's sci-fi, space, turn based strategy where you can explore the universe and upgrade your ships as you see fit.

 

Yep, I do enjoy GalCiv, as well as Civ IV and other 4x games - Civ IV is my all-time favorite, but I love the genre (turn based 4x). I consider those more strategy than tactical, though, and on a much grander scale. i was hoping for something more on the lines of a tactical squad based game. (something recent, that is - even Incubation, mentioned above, had a '97 release, - though I am looking forward to learning more about it!)

Thanks for the thought, though - GalCiv certainly meets the strategy angle, and is a favorite of mine!

 

With the exception of being turn based (you can pause and give orders) and not being able to take full control of your sqaud mates (you can still control their inventory and how they level up, plus give lots of orders and switch their weapons, tell them to use their abilities etc)...well you've described the first Mass Effect. The second one is coming out soon as well, not sure how that will fit your criteria.

 

I thought mass effect was more of a FPS style game... was I wrong about this?

 

Well yeah, but everything you described still fits without the turn based combat and taking individual control . Maybe I'm taking it too literally.

Edit: I thought of another, this one isn't turn based either though, but everything else fits entirely. Dawn of War 2.

 

Hey! Glad Incubation was a decent suggestion for what you're looking for. Like I said before, it's so old and not being maintained anymore so its classified as Abandonware which means you can easily download it for free. Might as well give it a run to test it out.

http://www.cdosabandonware.com/std_games_details.php?gameid=697

There's a link to the download and a quick review. Enjoy!

 

Just took a look through all my game shortcuts, and these might interest you:

Abomination: Nemesis Project...1999...looks a lot like X-Com, but the actual combat is real-time (therefore, it plays more like Diablo)...it was marketed as the spiritual successor to X-Com...if you liked Apocalypse (I didn't) then you might like this one...if you liked Apocalypse, then you might also try Bullfrog's Syndicate (or Syndicate Wars) but those games are as old as X-Com...

Missionforce: Cyberstorm...1996...graphics are slightly better than X-Com...it's a mechwarrior game set in Sierra's Earthsiege universe (designed to compete with Activision's FASA-based MechWarrior games)...turn based strategy game whose principal component is the hex-based tactical encounters but has strategic elements (research, economics, mission selection) and RPG elements (synth upgrades...synths are the mech pilots)...Microprose's MechCommander came along a little later, but I believe it was real-time...I loved Cyberstorm...

 

Its a shooter thats for sure, but most of the game takes place in a 3rd-person POV. But you get to choose your squad, their equipment, and level up their skills. The Sci-fi story is pretty engaging too, i would say at least give it a try.