Love this game. One of the BEST turn-based strategy games in existence. The PC version looks much better, but this version is great--especially if you are closer to the TV than not.
Customize your soldiers' equipment, abilities, and even languages! Lots of combat options to tweak. The voice acting is great. The story lines are entertaining and kind of creepy. There are a few stand-out characters. Then, of course, there are the four "cheat" characters based on well-known gaming personalities (Sid Meier, for example). If you are a sci-fi geekazoid, you HAVE to try this game. It burns away the hours and leaves you smiling.
You can even torture yourself with impossible difficulty levels and game enhancing disabilities. It's a game that you can make as hard you wish it to be.
The aliens are unique and have their own powers--only some of which you can duplicate through research, interrogation, and autopsy. But you have to catch the critters first. The robotic servants of the aliens are pretty scary--one of which needs to be handled carefully, or it can destroy your entire squad in six moves.
Freaky aliens that create zombies screech into your face. Cyborg aliens fly into combat. Heavily armored reptoids make it feel like you are fighting tanks. Alien commanders and "ethereals" who can take control of your soldiers can extend game play quite a while..
It's all lots of fun, because you never know what lurks in the dark or around a corner. Plus, the aliens try to flank you and escape disadvantaged positions, so the outcome can change at the drop of a hat.
Also, when your soldier dies, he or she is dead. Bye bye forever, Sergeant Dirk Bobblebrain (Or whatever you rename him).
You can genetically enhance your soldiers, discover psychic powers, create cyborgs, and research alien tech to acquire better weaponry, vehicles, and armor. The possibilities are endless. You can make research more difficult, psychics rare, genetic enhancement and psychic powers non-compatible, and so on. Lots of cool options which make replay value REALLY HIGH.
Oh, and the music is impressive. It really sets the mood. Whether you are investigating a crash in a forest, invading a giant abductor vessel, trying to escape an alien-infested wharf--the music is scary and adrenaline-inducing.
So, go get some green blood on your boots, soldier! It's killing time!
BUY THIS GAME. On PC too, if you can. (There is a great mod on PC which allows you to field lots more soldiers and face incredibly diverse mixtures of aliens.)










