X-COM: Apocalypse

Overview

X-com: Apocalypse is the third game in the X-com series. While retaining the turn-based strategy and base building elements, it marks a departure from previous instalments in terms of gameplay. Players can now choose to fight engagements in the old turn-based style or issue commands as the action flows in real-time. Location has also switched from the original global focus and now takes place in a futuristic city where relationships between various factions must be managed.  

Story

Set decades after the second X-Com game, the action takes place in the futuristic city of Mega Primus. Inter-dimensional gates have begun opening over the metropolis, releasing alien UFOs who have been attacking the city.

X-Com, an international military outfit set up to deal with the threats in the two previous games, is re-established to deal with the new menace.  Starting with a single base and human weaponry, they must defend the city while recovering alien artefacts in order to learn how to defeat the inter-dimensional aliens. X-Com gradually learns more about the aliens and eventually reverse engineers their technology and uses against them.   
 
Ultimately, X-Com develops ships that can travel through the gates and must send its soldiers through to the alien dimension to defeat the invaders once and for all.   
 

Gameplay

The gameplay in Apocalypse marks some significant departures from previous X-com games while retaining the core structure that made the series so popular.

Retained is the division of play into different phases.

• City View: Where players send vehicles and troops around the city, manage relationships with the city’s various factions, buy property and fight UFOs.
  
• Base View: Where bases are built and expanded and research is managed and coordinated.
  
• Tactical View: Where squads are deployed to buildings and streets. Players must give tactical commands to their squads in order to defeat the aliens and protect civilians.
  

The tactical view contains the most radical changes to the X-Com formula. Where past games featured turn based strategy, Apocalypse takes place in real-time with the ability to pause the action and issue commands. For fans of the original, it remains possible to change back to the original turn-based format by adjusting the game’s settings.     

System Requirements

• • Supported OS: Microsoft® 2000/XP/Vista®
  • Processor: Pentium 90MHz or better
  • Memory: 16Mb RAM
  • Graphics: Supported 32Mb Graphics Card
  • Sound Cards Supported: Sound Blaster and 100% compatibles, Microsoft Sound System, ESS Audio Drive, ProAudio Spectrum, Ensoniq Soundscape and Gravis UltraSound
  • Hard Drive: 60 MB Hard Disk Space