X-COM (series)

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X-COM is a series of computer games, started by Mythos Games and MicroProse in 1993. The first three titles were tactical games while the fourth was an action-based space combat/strategy game.

The first installment, UFO: Enemy Unknown in Europe (also known as X-COM: UFO Defense in North America) was written by a team led by Julian Gollop. MicroProse quickly had an internal team create the sequel X-COM: Terror from the Deep. Subsequently, the Gollop brothers went straight to work on X-COM: Apocalypse, which would end up being the third in the series when released in 1997. Soon after Apocalypse, MicroProse was bought by Hasbro Interactive.

All titles were developed for the PC, with a few ports to the Sony PlayStation and Amiga. The first three titles were originally developed to run under DOS, and have subsequently been ported to run under Microsoft Windows using DirectX.

Contents

[edit] Series standards

The premise for the series is fairly simple and straightforward, with variations among them: armies of hostile aliens have begun invading the Earth, killing and enslaving the human race. The mise en scène and trappings of the game closely mirror those of the classic ITV television series UFO.

Despite the clichéd setup, the implementation is serious and carefully detailed to give an "authentic" impression.

In all the games, the player is put in command of "X-COM", the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit. By defending countries from enemy invasion, the force gains monetary support. Any nation may quit, if X-COM's service is deemed unsatisfactory or the nation's government has been infiltrated by the invaders. Through research of recovered alien artifacts, X-COM is able to develop better and more powerful weapons, armor and vehicles to combat the alien menace and eventually uncover their true nature.

The game takes place within two main views: the Geoscape and the Battlescape, a dichotomy that is the hallmark of the entire series.

The Geoscape consists of a global view of the earth from space. The player can view the X-COM bases (in various locations on Earth), make changes to them, equip X-COM craft, order supplies and personnel, direct research efforts, schedule manufacturing of advanced equipment, and sell alien artifacts to raise money. The Geoscape is continual and not turn-based.

Gameplay switches to the isometric combat view of the Battlescape whenever X-COM personnel come in contact with alien units. This can result from investigating downed enemy crafts, combating alien terrorist activities, or attacking alien bases discovered during play. Aliens may also be encountered if they manage to attack and infiltrate one of the X-COM bases.

In the Battlescape view, X-COM combatants are pitted against the alien enemies. In addition to personnel, the player may have vehicles such as heavy weapons platforms outfitted with powerful lasers or rocket launchers. This mode is turn-based and each combatant has a number of "time units" which can be expended each turn. When all alien forces have been neutralized, the mission is scored based on number of X-COM units killed, civilians saved, aliens killed or captured and the number of alien artifacts obtained.

[edit] The series

The complete series includes these titles:

The first two games are undeniably the most popular and most successful of the series[citation needed], and the first was named Game of the Year by many gaming magazines[citation needed]. Apocalypse took several new directions with the series. It introduced a real-time combat system, in addition to a modified turn-based system that drew considerable criticism[citation needed], and the aesthetics were shifted to a less grim and more futuristic style. After Interceptor, Hasbro Interactive purchased MicroProse and acquired the X-COM brand.

Two more titles were planned for this series. All were aborted when Hasbro shut down Hasbro Interactive in 1999 and 2000.

Hasbro sold all of its Hasbro Interactive intellectual property to Infogrames (now Atari) when it shut down the studios. In 2005, Take Two Interactive acquired the rights to the X-COM series from Atari[1]. There are unconfirmed rumors that Irrational Games (who are owned by Take Two) may be developing a new X-COM title[2].

In May of 2007, a representative of 2K Games (a subsidiary of Take Two) declared on the Steam forums that they had inherited the X-Com franchise. In light of this, 2K Games re-released X-Com: Terror from the Deep on Steam with support for Windows XP only. The representative mentioned that re-releases for X-Com: UFO Defense and Apocalypse may be possible, but there are no plans at this time. The Turner Broadcasting game service GameTap licensed X-COM: UFO Defense from Take 2 in 2007 and released it on its service. As of April 2008 X-Com: Terror from the Deep can no longer be purchased from Steam outside of North America. The reason for this is currently unknown, although it should be purchasable through Steam again in the future.

[edit] Attempt at an unofficial remake

The Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge was a cancelled game by the authors of the original game (Mythos Games), claimed to having been "essentially a remake of the first X-Com with 3D graphics".[3] (In 2001 Virgin Interactive, who possessed Dreamland rights, prompted Altar Interactive to restart production. The game was renamed to UFO: Aftermath then.)

[edit] "Spiritual" successors

Because of the games' popularity, other game developers have created games similar in theme and tone of the X-COM games. The level to which they borrow from the original series varies.

[edit] Accolades

  • X-COM: UFO Defense was voted "best PC game of all time" by the staff of IGN in 2007.[4]
  • X-COM appeared as #22 on Computer Gaming World's list of the best games of all time in 1996.
  • X-COM: UFO Defense appeared as #21 on IGN's "Top 100 Games of All Time" list in 2007.[5]

[edit] Elerium-115

 This video game-related article or section describes an aspect of the game in a primarily in-universe style.
Please rewrite this article or section to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective.
Elerium-115
Elerium-115

Elerium-115 is a fictitious element featured in the series, inspired by conspiracy theories surrounding Ununpentium. It is said to contain high amounts of energy. In the first X-Com game it is only acquirable by capturing intact alien Power Sources (50 units of E-115/Power Source) and cannot be manufactured, thus making it one of the most valuable items in the game. In later games, it can be extracted in mines on other planets.

In the first installment of the series, Elerium is first discovered when scavenging intercepted UFOs. It is used by aliens for propulsion and for their special 'plasma' weapons. Elerium is said to give energy by the following way: if it is bombarded with accelerated particles, part of it will transform to antimatter; the matter-antimatter mutual annihilation is the reaction which gives the energy, but the reaction also emits gravity waves and a functioning Elerium-powered reactor also generates it's own gravity field, independent from all outside gravitational interference. Later in the game the player also develops his own elerium-powered weapons called Fusion Ball Launcher (following the example of the alien weapon Blaster Launcher) and Plasma Cannon (based on reverse-engineered plasma technology, specifically researching Plasma Rifle+clip or Heavy Plasma+clip enables researching Plasma Beam). It is depicted in the game as an orange crystalline substance, but incidentally it has the same graphic as that of a Stun Bomb in the Battlescape (purple ball).

In the second installment of the series, another element called zrbite is used by aliens in a similar way as elerium but seems to be a bit richer in supply. According to fanon, it works by amplifying sonic waves while giving off large amounts of energy. It is part gold, part alien biometal; because of the latter, it cannot be manufactured, since some of it's components are unknown to human science. When the Second Alien War ended, all Zrbite on the world has become inert, since the aliens' molecular control network was the key to unlocking it's power. However, it isn't forgotten; in 2054, the Transtellar Corporation unveils the prototype for the Mark I Conversion Drive, an ion propulsion system that generates power through helium-carbon fusion. The key to the success of the design was the use of a reaction containment chamber with a shell composed primarily of inert Zrbite.

In X-COM: Apocalypse, the third installment of the series, Elerium is used to power all engines and most weapons and can be bought from a corporation known as Solmine, which mines it from Mars. Due to it being available quite affordably through the game, acquiring it is never an issue.

In X-COM: Interceptor, the fourth installment in the series but taking place third in the timeline, a synthetic form of Elerium-115 is developed and is considered weapons grade, allowing the deployment of various new weapons systems. During the game prior to this, the use of the element for military purposes other than power generation or propulsion was prohibited due to the limited supplies.

Although research from the first installment says that Elerium is not naturally found inside the Solar System, in October, 2061, after several weeks of transmissions, the Mars probes show an indication of what could be a huge stockpile of Elerium-115 several thousand kilometers from Cydonia. Plans are immediately set in motion to send a manned expedition to Mars-the first since the final X-COM cleanup mission in November, 2009. The Elerium mined there was more than enough to satisfy Earth's needs and as such, Transtellar has purchased all rights to interstellar research abandoned when Elerium stockpiles from the first war ran out. In a matter of months, Transtellar finished plans for a prototype hyperdrive, tested successfully in 2065. This advancement paved the way for X-COM: Interceptor.

[edit] Intellectual property

The trademark for the X-COM intellectual property (IP) was filed on May 25, 1995 by MicroProse Software, Inc.

Following the acquisition and subsequent merger of MicroProse Software, Inc. with Hasbro Interactive, the X-COM IP was also transferred to Hasbro Interactive on August 19, 1998.

Due to financial difficulties, 100% of Hasbro Interactive was sold to the French concern Infogrames Entertainment SA on January 29, 2001. As part of this transfer, the X-COM IP was legally transferred to Infogrames on December 21, 2001. Shortly thereafter, Infogrames was renamed Atari Inc., able to do this since acquiring several Atari IPs from Hasbro Interactive.

In 2005 Infogrames/Atari transferred several IPs to Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. and X-COM was transferred with them on June 12, 2005.

The X-COM IP is currently owned by Take Two and its subsidiaries. [6]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Trademark Assignment Details for Atari from the United States Patent and Trademark Office
  2. ^ "Irrational Games Developing X-COM Title?" article from Shacknews
  3. ^ XCom UFO creators strategy game Laser Squad Nemesis (HTML). Codo Technologies. Retrieved on 2007-11-26.
  4. ^ Top 25 PC Games of All Time (HTML). IGN (March 16, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-05.
  5. ^ Top 100 Games of all Time (HTML). IGN (November 28, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
  6. ^ Trademark Assignment Abstract of Title from the United States Patent and Trademark Office

[edit] External links

[edit] General

[edit] Newsgroups

v • d • e
X-COM series
Main series
Spin-offs
Unofficial games by Julian Gollop
The Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge (cancelled) • Laser Squad Nemesis • Rebelstar: Tactical Command
Games inspired by the X-COM series