With Tears of Joy: XCOM Has Returned!

There are very few advantages to getting older, but experience is definitely at the top of the list. So it's with considerable pride that I say I bought the original UFO: Enemy Unknown on launch, which you may know as XCOM: Enemy Unknown or even XCOM: UFO Defense, depending where you grew up. Developed by Julian and Nick Gollop (as part of Mythos Games), this early 90's classic was published by now-defunct MicroProse. Like many gamers around the world, I fell in love with it instantly. The tactical squad-based action was immensely fun, the deep research and development trees quite engrossing, and the entire setup was simply on the dot. Released during the X Files heyday, Enemy Unknown proved a commercial and critical success and led to several sequels, none of which I personally felt captured its singular spirit and blatantly addictive gameplay. Remaking Enemy Unknown was somewhat of a vaporware thing, much akin to Duke Nukem. Almost 20 years have passed, and several times talk emerged of a reboot, yet none occurred. That is until good old Firaxis of Civlization fame got together with 2K and finally delivered. And oh, how they delivered! This XCOM: Enemy Unknown is like someone turning your 1994 budget four cylinder into a fully loaded 2012 V6 sedan. Notice what I did there? The new XCOM isn't a full-on bells and whistles technology showcase, it isn't a muscle car or a supercar, but it takes what was frankly a pretty low-tech game even for 1994, updates it with good graphics and sound, and man oh man does it do a number on improving the trim level. This XCOM has so much stuff packed into it, it makes the original look like a quickie app for your phone, which I guess it could be just about now. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is by far the most addictive game I've played this year, surpassing certain shooters. I just can't get enough. It follows the same basic structure of the original. Earth is invaded by hostile xenos, but nobody knows why. Their attacks are random and seemingly uncoordinated, mostly sabotage, abductions, etc., yet obviously hint at something grander and more sinister. You're tasked with commanding a small force known as XCOM, funded by member nations in a bid to investigate and ultimately repel the invasion. The remake follows the original quite closely in broad strokes, but is so much savvier and more intricate. There are real characters here, your secret base is lovingly detailed and rendered, the tech tree is basically a rain forest, and the in-mission action is super-smooth, with nice third person shooter touches. Balancing your finances leaves you on the edge of your seat, and you really get attached to your squaddies. We don't get many squad-based tactical actioners these days, and certainly none as smart and down to Earth as this. As the aliens would say, your puny weapons are useless against us! OK, that was two more puns than were actually needed in that sentence. Recommending XCOM: Enemy Unknown is beyond easy. Sure, it has its shortcomings, like almost all soldier characters speak with a uniform American accent even though they supposedly hail from all over the world. And mission locations basically all look the same, doesn't matter if you're in downtown Tokyo or the woods outside Cologne. But these are things you should not worry about. Like one of its alien invader types, XCOM: Enemy Unknown takes control of your mind. Before you know it, that Steam timer says four hours played. FOUR HOURS? But I just installed it! This is what remakes should be. It takes the original, updates it, and improves on it. It's not a PC demo piece, but it's just a great game. Now all I need is for someone to remake Crusader!     Once again, thanks to the wonderful Steam screenshot grabber. And please don't panic. I'm playing this on PC with everything set to max. Only using the Xbox controller! PS: don't forget there's ANOTHER XCOM game coming down the line, but this one is a cerebral first person shooter, and not really related to XCOM: Enemy Unknown, possibly not even taking place in the same universe, as the new Enemy Unknown is set in 2015, while the other XCOM takes place in the sixties.