UFO: Aftermath

by Cenega

Product Features

• An alien invasion devastates Earth and only you can save the world
• Purge the planet through skillful global-resource management and small-squad tactical combat
• Research new technologies to develop incredible weapons and devices
• Unique combination of real-time and turn-based combat
• 20 available soldiers whose skills evolve throughout

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000AK9OV
• Item Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: October 21, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,800 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #46 in Video Games > PC Games > Action > Military & Espionage
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

It's May 25, 2004, and Earth is doomed unless up to seven soldiers take action to rid it of scary aliens and mutants through global-resource strategy management and on-the-ground, in-the-action, small-squad tactical combat. Develop your soldiers through the game's role-playing element and execute your directives simultaneously in real-time combat with the option of pausing the game to get your team of soldiers to roam earth's alien- and mutant-infested countries. The sole focus being: to blast the aliens and mutants into another universe.

Coupled with testosterone-satisfying combat, you'll need to research new technologies to develop incredible weapons and devices if you're going to outwit and out-nuke those ugly aliens and killer mutants back to the space. As Commander of this formidable operation, keep your wits about you while strategically managing your bases and making tactical, on-the-ground advances--but keep your stamina and focus strong, as the randomly generated environments, tactical missions, and dangerous aliens with advanced artificial intelligence will take you off-guard to earth's eternal suffering.

Additional Features:

• Non-linear environments with a strong and unique combination of real-time and turn-based combat with global strategy and local tactical warfare
• Complete 3D environment
• Hard-core weaponry--from standard-issue weapons of defense to newly researched weapons of mass destruction, including the Foldable Personal Turret
• Global Missions--during the game you'll have the option to fight anywhere on Earth, from deep forests to high mountains
• Strong role-playing elements feature within the tactical combat system
• Up to 20 available soldiers have six attributes and 14 skills which can be improved throughout
• Directors Cut--the player can see the most exciting moments of a mission through a special movie-like camera
• Region-specific graphics, including building style, flora, and advertising hoardings
• Destructible objects, destructible aliens, destructible soldiers, destructible planet

Product Description

A Dungeon and Dragons Real-Time Strategy Experience!Product InformationIt's May 25 2004 and Earth is doomed unless up to seven soldiers take actionto rid it of scary aliens and mutants through global-resource strategymanagement and on-the-ground in-the-action small-squad tactical combat.Develop your soldiers through the game's role-playing element and execute yourdirectives simultaneously in real-time combat with the option of pausing thegame to get your team of soldiers to roam earth's alien- and mutant-infestedcountries. The sole focus being: to blast the aliens and mutants into anotheruniverse.UFO: Aftermath’ is a combination of a small squad tactical combat and aglobal strategy game putting you against an alien threat. Use all of yourskills and abilities to defend the planet Earth from its destruction. Fightagainst many kinds of mutants and aliens research new technologies developincredible weapons and devices which will help you in your war against uninvitedspace visitors.Product HighlightsCombining a global strategy with small squad tactical combat the challengeoffered is to fight against an alien invasion. Featuring run time generatedtactical missions with innovative simultaneous combat action; the genre is alsoenhanced with strong RPG elements offering a quite unique mix of strategicideas.RPG - Your soldiers will improve as they gain more experience. Theirskills are derived from these statistics and each point that you put into anyone of these attributes will have a noticeable effect on that soldiers skills.These attributes are: Strength Agility Dexterity Willpower Intelligence andPerceptionStrategy - You must manage your bases interceptions and squads.Territory is equal to power in the game - the more you control the better yourinterceptor coverage. Also the faster you research the better things could be.Tactics - Fighting on the ground against aliens and mutants for thecontrol of territories. Once you

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good X-Com Game, March 15, 2004

By 

Pecos Bill (Gaithersburg, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: UFO: Aftermath (CD-ROM)

I have a hard time seeing how someone can like X-Com and not like this.

The play-style is similar to X-Com: Apocolypse in that it is semi-realtime. I find this acceptable because it greatly speeds up gameplay and really puts more tactical decisions in your hands rather than relying on automatic reactions during the enemy's turn, as happened in UFO Defense.

I also like that the missions frequently have more defined goals than just "kill everything". I distinctly remember some X-Com missions taking me over an hour just trying to find the one last alien hiding in a closet somewhere. Aftermath missions tend to be more specific (you don't have to kill everything) and even the "kill everything" missions only have you kill about 90% of the enemies before giving you the option to declare it a success (presumedly your backup troops will do the mop-up after your elite team does the majority of the work).

I also personally appreciate the pacing of technological advancement. The one thing I never liked in X-Com games was a shortage of real-world weaponry and what you did get was replaced by alien technology almost immediately. In Aftermath you have a great variety of normal human weapons and the desire and ability to replace them with alien weapons occurs much slower.

Furthermore, if there is a type of mission you just don't like doing, you can "delegate" it to the regular army. It will be resolved automatically without the use of your team. Obviously you want to use your team where success is vital, but if your team gets shot up or you just don't like to do scouting missions then you can delegate and still have a chance of success.

Another change is that you can't enter buildings on a map. When I heard about this I thought it would suck, since entering structures was a predominant feature of X-Com games, but it's really not that bad: where X-Com would have an "urban" map that consisted of a small map and one big building, Aftermath has "urban" maps that consist of city streets and many buildings. Having to enter them would be a time consuming and unnecessary distraction. In the instances where you do need to enter a structure (such as a crashed UFO), it's done as a two-part mission: part one to secure the exterior, part 2 takes you inside.

The only thing I can think of that I really miss is in these crashed UFO missions: In X-Com, the crashed UFO had battle damage, including some of the alien crew already being wounded or dead. In Aftermath the ships all seem perfectly intact on the inside with no wounded or dead crew. (I guess the aliens invented better surge protectors and shock absorbers.)

One bit of cheese is that you can abort a mission at any time and any upright team members are automatically extracted. This is useful but cheesy: In UFO Defense you had to make it back to your ship to extract your team, in Aftermath you can hit "abort" whenever you want and extract your team in unrealistic circumstances, like just before a big missile is about to kill everyone.

But still, overall it's a great game. Where Apocolypse was really taking X-Com into a ridiculous direction with crayola aliens and a bizarre futuristic setting, Aftermath goes back to the roots: guys with machineguns fighting horrible aliens. (Well, eventually you get machineguns, initially you're fighting with pistols, shotguns and grenades! (Hint: Grenades are your friend.))

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Like the XCOM-series but... not., October 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: UFO: Aftermath (CD-ROM)

If you played any of the games in the XCOM-series, then it's inevitable you'll recognize some of the elements in UFO:Aftermath. The overview of the world where you select your missions, the top-down perspective and the squad-screen to name a few; but though I loved the XCOM-series, not so with Aftermath.

Pros:
- Huge range of interesting weapons ranging from simple handguns to captured alien technology and collapsible double rocketlaunchers.
- 3D-maps with sort of nice overview.
- Pool of soldiers where you can equip your squad or replace members.
- Pausable "real-time" combat-system like in the Baldurs Gate-series.

Cons:
- Stupid AI. From time to time the enemy rushes against your massed guns only to be cut down. Rarely do they flee and if they do, they just take a stroll around the block, then charge you again.
- Doors can be opened but not closed. Or maybe they can but I haven't found a way. This prevents you from opening a door, lobbing a live grenade into the room filled with aliens and close the door.
- Aliens rarly miss. They are sharpshooters and armed with their "rocket-spitters" they can kill you in seconds.
- Hard to switch weapons from the inventory.

If you have some time and money over, it's not such a bad buy. But don't expect a game with the same magnetude as the XCOM-series.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Game, February 25, 2006

By 

J. Brice Jr. "Tank" (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: UFO: Aftermath (CD-ROM)

When I discovered a new "X-com style" game, I was worried because the reviews mentioned compatability problems and run errors. I decided the possibilities were worth the risk, and I have been happy ever since. This game is amazing!!! The depth of involvement and strategy of cleaning the alien scourge from Earth is unmatched in any other game of this kind. It is definitely a must have for any fan of the original X-com series, completely addictive!