X-Com: Enemy Unknown/Enemy Within. More turn-based goodness.

In my excitement to write about classic turn-based games I forgot about one notable favorite of mine, the X-Com:  Enemy Unknown.  I have spent hundreds of hours working to defeat the alien menace that is threatening Earth and if you like turn-based games, you should too!

I'm a little ashamed to admit that I haven't played the classic X-Com games.  I'm sure the X-Com purists would strongly dislike the 21st century adaptation of the strategy classic.  Maybe someday I will try to experience them in all their glory.

Anyway...back to Enemy Unknown.  In X-Com:  Enemy Unknown you play as the commander of a super-secret Earth defense organization known as X-Com.  The game opens on a cinematic of mysterious alien devices bombarding Earth and unleashing a noxious fog on it's inhabitants.  The gameplay starts with a short mission that is part tutorial and part story.  You command a small squad of soldiers (initially 4, but that number can be changed with purchases made later in the game) and your goal is to investigate and destroy any hostile alien invaders.  You learn the basics of movement on the in-game grid and the importance of utilizing cover (seek out full cover whenever you can).  The aliens have superior technology and the strange ability to telepathically control humans--how could you possibly hope to defeat them?

The answer to that is the pooled resources of the world in the form of the X-Com project.  You have access to the best soldiers and technology on Earth and everyone wants to work together to defeat this threat.  The main part of the game is centered on combat missions where you command your squad of soldiers--there are different types of missions and the objectives could be to wipe out all the aliens on the map or to rescue as many civilians as you can.  The combat missions are fun and can be quite challenging.  My best advice to you is save early and save often--you will pay for every small mistake you make.  Before each mission you get to choose which soldiers will make up your squad.  There are four basic classes of soldier to choose from--sniper, assault, support, and heavy.  The sniper is your ranged specialist who can pick off an alien from a long distance.  Assault soldiers wield a shotgun and are good at moving in close to take out a target.  Support soldiers can be played a couple of different ways--they can become medics who can heal or revive injured soldiers or they can specialize in throwing smoke grenades to provide cover for your squad.  The heavy uses a mini-gun and a rocket launcher to lay down some massive damage.

My squad prepares for battle.  Enemy Within content included.

Another major aspect of the game is managing your base and resources.  Each month you can earn money by providing satellite coverage to different countries/regions.  The more satellites you launch = the more money you earn.  Unfortunately it isn't that basic.  Satellites take a long time to build and require you to construct a satellite uplink that can only support 2 satellites (or the much more expensive nexus that can support 4).  Satellites also require aircraft to provide cover and you'll have to build and maintain those craft.  Then there's the issue of what you want to focus on--do you want to focus on science and research or engineering?  You only have so many resources to spend and this decision can be tough.

The initial difficulty curve in X-Com is quite tough.  You start off with a squad of inexperienced soldiers who can't hit the broadside of a barn and who panic at every opportunity.  But if you hang on and keep playing, you'll have an experienced squad of ice-cold professionals who won't bat an eyelid at the biggest and baddest aliens out there.

X-Com:  Enemy Unknown is frequently on sale on Steam.  Buy it if you love strategy and taking out aliens.