Galactic Civilizations III
NOTE: This is a review of the Final Release Candidate for the game, so it should apply to the released version.
Having been a long-time GC2 player, I eagerly signed up for the Founder’s Edition early-access over a year ago, and have followed the development of GC3 since then closely.
Let me tell you, getting a 4X game that incorporates all the features that hard-core strategy gamers want, while remaining both relevant and competitive, is really hard. As in, EXTREMELY hard. StarDock has done an excellent job with GC3. That’s not to say there still aren’t quibbles over the direction certain features have taken, but the reality is, that if you actually want to release a game, certain decisions are going to have to be taken, and you’re sure to piss off someone who wanted that feature and didn’t get it. But GC3 is a solid and entertaining game, if not a radically innovative one.
– Real player with 2842.9 hrs in game
Read More: Best Turn-Based Strategy Sci-fi Games.
First of all it is critical to understand that the game is still in beta testing and therefore has some glitches. That said it has been pretty stable for me. (Four year old dell xps 8100 with 16gb and a 750 Ti video card). At present the plan seems to be to a go for a final release in May. There will be frequent patches before then and perhaps a beta 6 release (beta 5, with enormous additions, was released yesterday (Mar26). If you don’t like encountering bugs and reporting them to help the game, then wait for the release. Of critical importance remaining is tuning the AI to be smarter and more aggressive, imo.
– Real player with 2285.4 hrs in game
XCOM: Enemy Unknown
“VIGILO CONFIDO YOU ALIEN FU**ERS-”
-Cpt. Heavy McHeavyface, before launching a rocket at a Berserker.
! The rocket misses, killing a VIP plus the rest of his team near the evac point in the process.
TL:DR:
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is an intense game, almost nerve-wracking at times, but generally rewarding as you plan and fight your way through droves of alien invaders with a variety of classes, equipment and abilities. You might find yourself save-scumming (reloading saves for better results), but that happens to the best of us. The game will push you to take risks and deal with consequences, both in long-term strategy with base, crew and international management, and in short-term with tactical combat. While lacking in a few aspects such as a deeper plot, and leaves some optimization work to be desired, Enemy Unknown will get your tactical thinking at full throttle for a steady incursion of (sometimes brutal) enemy forces.
– Real player with 365.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Turn-Based Strategy Tactical Games.
JUST TO CLEAR THINGS UP
This review is for XCOM ENEMY UNKNOWN (INCLUDING ALL DLC) ONLY.
XCOM Enemy Unknown has an expansion pack called XCOM Enemy Within . I’m not going to include that in the review because I’m planning to write a separate review for it. This review will only be about the BASE GAME + ALL DLC.
Also, I have not played the original XCOM games (shame on me, I know) so I won’t be making any comparisons to those.
– Real player with 329.1 hrs in game
Void Marauders
Void Marauders puts you in command of a pirate space ship and its crew. Recruit soldiers, arm them and lead them into tactical turn based battles against alien, robotic and human forces. Board or destroy ships, assault installations and colonies and loot your way across the stars to become the most infamous pirate of the sector.
Loot and pillage enemy ships and installations, sell your well earned loot in space trading stations and improve your ship and equipment. Remember to save something for your soldiers though, pirates and mercenaries will be loyal to you as long as you pay them or you could risk desertion, a mutiny or being thrown through an airlock.
FEATURES:
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Manage a ship and its crew. Recruit soldiers from different classes and species.
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Lead your soldiers in turn based tactical battles against human, alien and robotic enemies.
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Play a procedural campaign for great replayability.
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Loot and pillage enemy ships and installations.
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Trade your loot and buy new equipment and upgrades.
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Manage the loyalty of your crew and hunt down any deserters and traitors.
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Fight Dynamic Rivals: enemies that win reputation for defeating your men or even traitors that will challenge you across the campaign.
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Find and capture the legendary ship The Omen to become ruler of the sector.
Read More: Best Turn-Based Strategy Pirates Games.
XCOM®: Chimera Squad
Very enjoyable fun, especially if you’re a fan of X-Com, with some new and different mechanics and management system, and some excellent combat fun. Playing is a Viper is so rad.
Pretty good replay-ability (I’m on my second play-through now, and quite like the little differences in the way the story unfolds depending on which factions and missions you choose to pursue. I love the breach mechanic - both how it looks and how it unfolds, and really like the animation style, cut scenes, etc which have a real graphic novel feel. Would definitely recommend, and I hope there’s further DLC planned for this game!
– Real player with 99.3 hrs in game
While I appreciate the diverse cast, and the game mechanics, the game has you playing jack booted thugs killing people, “criminals” with impunity. Instead of fighting terror from previous games, you are fighting anarchy. The fascist message is disturbing. Also, sometimes after you reboot, the game stops opening, and instead of the “play” button, there is only a “buy” button. I’ve already bought the game, I want to play it, not buy it. Lastly, the game offers to let you pick which of the 3 factions to play first, and if you pick the right most faction, the boss is impossible. The internet tells you that you need to pick them from left to right, though nothing in the game lets you know you need to do this.
– Real player with 43.2 hrs in game
X-COM: UFO Defense
Super game! One of the true classics, and - according to me - one of the best games still in modern times!
Note: A patch openxcom.org fixes pretty much all of the bad usability issues in the original game. This is probably a must-have if you are going to enjoy the game today.
This game is super for people who likes strategy and management. Unlike the later series of X-Com (partly but mainly after Apocalypse (game #3)), the features of the game has been overly simplified to make the game suit a much wider audience. This game, however, is the real deal… superb for those who like a good challenge and the management involved.
– Real player with 177.6 hrs in game
There are games that are good. There are games that make you addicted. Then there is XCOM…
It’s the end of the 20th century. In response to growing alien threat, few governments decide to fund and XCOM organisation, solely dedicated to neutralising forementioned threat. Player becomes Commander of the force.
Game consists of two levels. On the Geoscape, you manage bases, research (come on, all this sweet loot left by deceased gray cabbage. I know you want it.), manufacture and more. Starting with single base (preferably western europe, you have radar coverage over whole Europe, part of Russia and Northen Afrcia), few soldiers and fighters equipped with conventional terrestial weapons. It is sufficient for the first few weeks, but after recovering UFOs and aliens, both dead and in custody, you will get better equipment: Laser weapons with unlimited ammo, powerful plasma-based armament, durable armors, UFO-looking fighters or even possibility to make your soldiers use their Psionical abilities against aliens. But to get this, you need to get some UFOs down. Send an Interceptor, and use his persuasive rockets to make aliens crash. Then, Tactical level starts.
– Real player with 154.3 hrs in game
The Protagonist: EX-1
This is a really solid little early access tactical turn-based shooter. The graphics and audio are both pleasing and the combat and crafting are addictive and satisfying. I do wish that the gameplay was quicker and more difficult though.
All-in-all, for $13 this game is definitely worth it. Check out my full review here!–-v
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thwb0cJQoa8
– Real player with 14.1 hrs in game
**This is an excerpt of my much more detailed review and analysis, that you can find here (ENG & DE) and also as Video below.
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Opinion and conclusion**
Overall, I find the combination of Early Access and RPG a bit difficult. Because you usually play through RPGs only once because of the story and a later re-run after Early Access is rather unlikely. I would prefer internal beta testing and a proper release here.
– Real player with 11.8 hrs in game
UFO Checkers
fun free little checkers game
– Real player with 0.4 hrs in game
I don’t think the UI scales with monitor size because my name was in front of the board so i couldn’t move some pieces
– Real player with 0.3 hrs in game
Underwater Wars
Awesome game, very relaxing and nostalgic if you like xcom terror from the deep. Easy to learn, still in early access so they’ll add more skirmish maps soon. I love skirmish mode. Take your time and enjoy some underwater combat.
– Real player with 1.5 hrs in game
TLDR: Despite its uncommon setting, this tactical game is dogged by uninspired design. The poor voice over, boring missions and absence of narrative cripple it in a competitive and already crowded genre.
I’ve always had a soft spot for seafaring type games, be they on the surface (Pirates, Sunless Sea) or beneath it (Terror from the deep), so I originally had high hopes for Underwater Wars. Unfortunately I have never reviewed a game where I could only find one good point to highlight…
- Turn-based submarine combat, and the underwater setting
– Real player with 1.0 hrs in game
USC: Counterforce
USC: Counterforce is a turn- and squad-based, tactical sci-fi strategy game, the direct sequel both story- and gameplay-wise to Ultimate Space Commando (“USC” for short), taking up on the events where USC ended. As a high-ranking naval officer of United Space Command, you’re tasked to lead a 3-ship strike force back to planetary body M-8322–the scene of the original Wraith Incident–to investigate and neutralize the remainders of a still mostly unidentified alien threat. But what you find there may very well change the course of history forever…
The “original USC gameplay” returns with a brand new engine with realistic, top-down 3D graphics, an improved and modernized user interface, and partially redesigned, even more in-depth combat mechanics.
Main Features
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FIELD TACTICS REDEFINED: An in-depth, RPG-lite game system with complex character attributes and skills, detailed combat mechanics, and elaborate inventory management fuels the turn-based tactical core of the game, enabling you to truly customize your forces and face the threats as you want. Train and equip your marines according to your tactics with a class-free, yet versatile skill system allowing for many powerful builds and combinations.
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LIVING ENVIRONMENTS: Fight and explore through fully interactable and destructible, varied, multi-layered environments with useful, realistic mechanics: rearrange the battlefield, build barricades, avoid and exploit environmental hazards, lay traps, trigger chain reactions, seal airlocks, or break through walls–but be aware, your enemies can also do so! The combinations of hazardous elements and effects open up even more tactical possibilities and dangers.
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DETERMINE THE FATE OF HUMANKIND: Take command and lead your fleet in the story-driven, semi-randomized, multi-ended Campaign mode, where your tactical tasks are accompanied by detailed management of your planetbase installation, the making of life-changing, narrative strategic decisions, and defending the fleet and the relay station to Earth.
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INFINITE REPLAYABILITY: Discover the other games modes: lead your marines on various, extremely challenging multi-mission Operations with unique goals; build, maintain and defend a functional outpost in Defend the Base!; and play however you want in the fully customizable Single Mission mode featuring a hot-seat co-op multiplayer option. All missions throughout the game are made by our proprietary Random Map Generator, providing limitless possibilities!
- DISPLAY YOUR SKILLS: an optional online profile system takes your experience even further: compete in seasonal challenge missions, earn ranks, achievements and in-game goodies, dominate the leaderboards. Upgrade and improve your official, ranked squads mission by mission to create the Ultimate Space Commando.
X-COM: Terror From the Deep
My personal favorite of the first two XCOMs. But that comes with disclaimers. The first is play it with OpenXCOM to deal with some of the bugs.
Good: UFO Defense had good music, the but the music here is insanely good. Creepy, ominous, and uses variants of the same thing. It has a creepy Cthulu vibe in general. Ion armor looks much better than power armor, and you can see the soldiers face’s in the inventory screen all the time.
Alien (sonic) weapons are much better balanced than UFO’s plasma tier because the sonic weapons all have clear strengths and weaknesses. So you have to bring a mix of them. The underwater maps look great. The underwater dungeons look even better.
– Real player with 191.8 hrs in game
Ok, before I get into the good, the bad and the ugly, I should say that I DO recommend this game, the reason I’m saying this is that my initial review may sound quite negative. I am writing this just moment’s after playing terror from the deep and I wanted to have a clear view of the game, so without further a due.
This is, without a doubt, THE MOST INFURIATING GAME I HAVE EVER HAD THE MISSFOURTUNE OF PLAYING!!!
This game did the impossible; it managed to be harder than UFO defence! HARDER!
Right, lets go through this in a bit more detail.
– Real player with 95.6 hrs in game