UFO: Aftershock Critic Reviews

Aftershock is a very difficult but fun strategy title that marries strategic and tactical portions which are both compelling and fully-developed, as well as an important RPG system, which also interconnects quite well with the other portions of the game.

Much better than Aftermath. Geoscape and RPG elements are excellent. Tactical fighting is far better than before, but still needs some work. Battlefields should be generated randomly, and structural damage is not good enough. Take Silent Storm for a role model, please.

If nothing else, the combination of squad-based combat with a RTS title makes UFO: Aftershock worth picking up, but the game surpasses its gimmick with solid gameplay.

ALTAR Interactive has done an admirable job of improving upon UFO: Aftermath and delivering a very deep, fun game. The learning curve is steep, but gamers who like obsessing over details will find rich, rewarding gameplay.

It's plagued by page after page of 'I don't daren't skip this' tutorial help, but there are rewards for those who persevere.

While the game features its own amount of idiosyncrasies when it comes to the menus and interface, and a steep learning curve, there is some fun to be had, even if it takes a while to get to that point.

I think a lot of these interface and order problems have to do with the decision to go both turn-based and real-time together. While it was certainly a noble attempt, it just didn't work together as well as it might have.

One of those hit-and-miss games. It gives you some things to think about and the tactical missions work well enough, but those missions are too similar, and they just go on and on and on, well past the point of tedium.

If you are aching for a good and highly challenging strategy game, then look notfurther then UFO: Aftershock.

Combines solid graphics with time-tested gameplay from the classic X-com series. Sadly, this title has far too many glitches and its lack of diversity hurts it greatly in the long run. Only hardcore fans of the infamous series should check this title out.

At its core, the game is almost solid. Good graphics, fun combat sequences, and the slowly rewarding element of research and development have potential for a real winner. However, the game is just simply too long and repetitive for its own good.

Control freaks need apply. UFO Aftershock may be sluggish in pace but there is lots to ponder like a good game of chess.

The graphics need to be overhauled, the missions need to be more diverse, and I would definitely like to see a deeper diplomatic side to the game. The bottom line, however, is that if you like strategy and micromanaging a lot, you should give this a try, but if you are easily bored, you'd probably want to pass on this title.

UFO Aftershock is, in short - strategy gaming brilliance, spoilt by lacklustre interfaces and controls, and one truly terrible camera.

But the fact is "X-Com" is twelve years old, and memory has a way of polishing off the burrs and nits that flaw a game, leaving you with only the hard candy shell of perfection. UFO: Aftershock cannot measure up any more than "UFO: Aftermath" did, but it hits a lot closer to the mark.

A solid "X-Com" clone, tailor made for grognards and entomologists.

Playable, but lacking any "fun factor".

Solid tactical engine. Now, if it only had a brain to back it up.

A pale imitation of an age-old PC classic that tries to innovate but fails to grasp what was great about the original.

While UFO: Aftershock improves on its predecessor in some ways, there's just far too much wrong with this copy of the classic X-COM alien-hunting strategy series to recommend it.