UFO
Aftershock
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Great
tutorial |
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Total
control |
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RPG
elements |
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No
multi-player |
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Unoriginal |
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For
fans of the UFO series, this game will feel anything
but alien. by
Daemia
December
5 , 2005 - Reeling
from the affects of the Aftermath is Aftershock. Aftermath
was a refreshing, multi-tiered, team-based strategy
game. It was refreshing but it wasn't entirely unique.
It follows the pattern of the strategy game rigidly
and was plagued by some technical issues including
crashes and poor graphics. UFO: Aftershock is like
a refined version of Aftermath but it hasn't found
its own unique take on the genre and rehashes more
of the same from the original version.
Aliens
have taken over the planet and have polluted it with
a deadly biomass which has caused mutation of various
humans and aliens. The humans that escaped the alien
invasion were residing on Laputa which is now itself
in turmoil with the leadership of that world destroying
the human colonies. The escapees are determined to
return to Earth and face the invaders in an attempt
to regain control of the planet - but there are other
factions on the planet that need to be dealt with.

The
aliens are powerful but they can be destroyed by your
small army - if you have the means to produce one.
You've got to prepare for the alien attacks by acquiring
some land, resources, troops and buildings to construct
weapons, vehicles and more buildings. Once you get
your hands on an area of the planet to call your own
there are two main tasks you must perform. One is
to start building a base and the other is to start
alliances with several neighboring factions in an
effort to expand.
Humans,
cyborgs, mutants and Psionics control various provinces.
They are a rich source of resources, technologies
and potential recruits. Offer them some of your resources
and chances are they will not find you a threat. If
they like you they will share, trade, sell or give
you some resources or troops. There isn't much depth
to the diplomacy aspect of this feature. You can't
directly communicate with the head of state or any
chancellors but if the faction finds favor with your
leadership they might come under your control as part
of your commonwealth.
The
game is played in real time, yes, even the combat.
But the pace of the game is severely hampered by all
of the pauses that require your attention. These pauses
are included to make the micromanagement easier to
keep track of without losing your mind but either
way it's going to piss you off. The game pauses whenever
you spot an alien, lose sight of an alien, kill an
alien, run out of ammo or when another teammate walks
in front of another one blocking his field of vision.
You access the menu and make the necessary adjustments
and then continue on playing. It's nice to have this
option and it's a real Godsend if you're playing for
keeps but you can adjust the pause options to respond
to less incidents in order to pick up the pace if
that's what you're more concerned with.
Having
established your base, the main tasks at hand require
harvesting resources and building shops to process
the material. Just about everything you do will require
research. You will even have to build research buildings
to conduct research on the construction of other buildings.
Confusing? Believe it or not, it's not. You can't
skip levels; the game is linear in the context of
having certain aspects completed before being allowed
you to move on. It will help you with various menus,
prompters and of course, pauses to remind you of what
needs to be taken care of and in what order.

Resources
are plentiful. Once you scour the area you will find
tons of things for processing. The more things you
find the more things you can build which will aid
in your accomplishment of the huge campaign. The campaign
is divided into countless missions that are relatively
easy to complete individually, but the campaign is
so large and relentless that you never seem to make
a dent in it. This is find if you're in it for the
long haul but those weaned on instant gratification
will need to take a pill or look elsewhere for their
thrills.
Squad
members are comprised of various factions, each having
different attributes that you can enhance much like
a RPG. The humans are the most plentiful and make
good generic soldiers. The cyborgs can be upgraded
with various hardware systems and weapons that make
them effective for the frontline. The Psionics possess
psychic powers and are used for more covert activities.
They also make good support for the main troops.
Each
squad member has 14 different skills and six main
attributes. By increasing the main attributes you
will increase various skills. For example, increase
a soldier's strength and he'll be able to carry more
weapons. You can give soldiers more dexterity, accuracy,
better hearing, better sight and the ability to wield
different weapons from twin guns to laser blasters.
Regardless
of your squad's abilities, it's your ability to place
them safely and strategically in the various situations
that will make or break your success in each mission.
Make sure you take advantage of natural cover in the
environment and ensure that your teammates are always
covering each other. Both the enemy squad and your
team tend to bunch up during combat. You need to spread
your guys out a little more so that they aren't sitting
ducks. In such a formation they won't all be able
to shoot.

This
game is a real resource hog, but on the surface there
doesn't appear to be any good reason for it. The graphics
aren't great, as they often repeat considering there
are only a dozen maps. There are only a handful of
alien models and load times are excessive. I did experience
a couple of crashes and some slowdown. The animations
for the various soldiers that show them performing
their various skills shows that there is some attention
to detail. Whether he's reloading his ammo, getting
pummeled by a foe or doing some stealth recon, it's
all presented with a stylish sense of realism that
focuses our sights on what's important and that's
the maintenance of your army.
Control
freaks need apply. UFO Aftershock may be sluggish
in pace but there is lots to ponder like a good game
of chess. The menu system is excellent and a comprehensive
tutorial keeps you informed of all the decision-making
processes. You might be disappointed if you've played
Aftermath since Aftershock is rather derivative but
newbies should find this challenging.
Features
- Intertwining
global strategy and small scale tactical missions
- Strategic
resource and base management
- Enhanced
SAS (Simultaneous Action System) and RPG system
in tactical play
- Fight
your way through realistic skyscrapers, inside and
out
- New
amazing items and technologies to research and develop
- Radical
new training and experience system
- New
terrifying enemies and powerful allies
- Added
diplomacy element
- New
gripping storyline
- Interactive
destructible environment
By
Daemia
CCC
Staff Writer
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