X-COM: Enforcer
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| X-COM: Enforcer | |
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| Developer(s) | Infogrames |
| Publisher(s) | Infogrames |
| Engine | Unreal Tournament |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release date | USA April 19, 2001 PAL October 26, 2001 |
| Genre(s) | Action |
| Mode(s) | Singleplayer, Multiplayer |
| Media | CD |
| Input methods | Keyboard, mouse |
X-COM: Enforcer is a computer game created by Infogrames. It is the sixth game in the X-COM series, but takes place in a time line separate to that established by the first four games of the series. This game was presented as a third-person shoot'em up game instead of tactical turn-based strategy as in previous games, which is a great departure to the series.
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[edit] Story
The game is set during the First Alien War in 1999. Unmentioned in the storyline as played out by X-COM: UFO Defense, funding was being provided to a program tasked with creating the ultimate robot warrior, led by a Professor Able Standard. However, owing to funding cuts by nations involved with the X-Com program, they were forced to abandon the project.
Professor Standard refused to stop the project, carrying it on in secret in the Nevada desert. On completion, Enforcer was unleashed on the invading alien hordes. [1]
Although set during the first alien war, the story portrayed in the game is not reflective of the canon of the game series as set out by the first four X-Com games and therefore takes place in an alternate timeline. During the end the scientist discovers an alien mothership is about to unleash an attack on Earth, and only Enforcer can stop it. Eventually this leads to a showdown with a cloaked female "High Ethereal" who taunts the Enforcer, and after the Ethereal is defeated the Mothership self-destructs and Enforcer is jettisoned into space, with the scientist's dying words echoing through its mind before fading to black.
[edit] Single player
In single player mode, the player assumes the role of the Enforcer. The game takes place from a 3rd person perspective and uses both the keyboard and mouse as controls. The aim of each level revolves mainly around killing aliens and rescuing hostages. Each kill results in "data points" being dropped by the deceased aliens, which Enforcer can pick up and use between missions to accomplish research. Enforcer can also pick up "Unresearched objects" which expands the available research paths resulting in new weapons and armour. The aim of majority of the missions is to destroy alien transporter drones to prevent them from teleporting into various sites around the transporter. Some mission has the player to survive from alien waves, protecting important facilities, and fighting bosses.
Puzzles which present themselves in the game are simple and the focus of gameplay centres on continual action and continual masses of aliens. [2]
[edit] Critical response
Reviews for X-COM: Enforcer were mixed, receiving an overall Metascore of 65.[3]
IGN claimed that the game is "pretty much nonstop action" and that it was perfect for "When [you've] only got fifteen minutes to kill", giving it a score of 8/10. [4] Gamespot noted that "It's as mindless of a shooter as they come, and you can't help but be disappointed at the thought of this, in light of the series' roots as a mentally stimulating strategy game." with a review score of 64.[5] Computer Games Magazine were more harsh, claiming the game had "All the complexity and depth of a frying pan.", giving it half marks.[6]
Many X-Com fans believe that this is the weakest game in the series, due to being in a different genre to previous games in the series. One popular view was that in breaking away from the strategic and tactical aspects of the previous X-Com games, it became a simple watered down generic shooter with little backstory.
During production of the game, Hasbro canceled two other X-Com games that were in production: X-COM: Alliance and X-COM: Genesis. Given that Hasbro went bankrupt shortly after the release of X-COM: Enforcer, Enforcer is seen to be a mash of Alliance and Genesis resources in order to quickly make something at least marketable with the X-Com name. This can be seen in the game codes with some enemy model names having the Alliance alien Ascadian tags on them, as well as what was seen to be a room of the "Patton" spaceship being used for the scientist's hideout instead (a keen eye can spot the X-Com Alliance armor hung on the sides).
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ X-Com Enforcer Game Manual
- ^ http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/165/165224p1.html Retrieved 24/05/07
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/xcomenforcer?q=X-COM:%20Enforcer Retrieved 24/05/07
- ^ http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/165/165224p1.html Retrieved 24/05/07
- ^ http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/reviews/0,10867,2711113,00.html Retrieved 24/05/07
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20031125011520/http://www.cgonline.com/reviews/xcomenforc-01-r1.html Retrieved 24/05/07
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