UFO: Afterlight

Well, it is an okay game.

The load times are terrible though for the battles. They seem to get longer the more you play, so maybe it’s a memory leak, or just win2k.

Easy mode is far too easy, so I guess I’ll have to restart again. It takes a few restarts I think to get the hang of how to tackle things. The first thing you need to research is some real guns. Then to make them you need metal, so you have to send out scientific and technician teams build geology probes and mines.

The resource aspect is a nice addition.

The one thing I found most disappointing is you don’t get to hire your own men, you start with 22 or so, and work with them. Maybe we do later but I’m not holding out hope.

I’m not sure if I’ll go back to it, it’s so time consuming. The battles are so far in mostly open areas, which doesn’t have much cover.

The xcom battles I remember best were the first ones in the farms, in the dark, where seeing an insectoid for the first time was actually scary. This game doesn’t seem to be scary, but maybe that’s because I played on easy mode after being massacred on normal (because I hadn’t researched weapons quickly enough).

Also, the researching doesn’t seem to provide the same sense of satisfaction. Instead of take different paths on increasing sophistication, each choice seems to branch off every time. Too many choices, not enough benefits from each choice.