I'm not going to lie but some level of graphics and audio add to the atmosphere for me. I mean not that overblown action bullshit Firaxis is putting out, but the original X com was loaded with atmosphere.

Reminds me, the past weeks I've been playing UFO Alien Invasion.

A pretty neat freeware remake of the original X-com. Lot's of intended stuff unimplemented and the campaign currently ends when you take the first alien base. But still, there's base building, research, manufacturing, loads of weapons, different kinds of interceptors.

And decent graphics with solid gameplay.

Definitely going to take a look at the new XCOM one of these days.

Check out Xenonaughts instead.

X-com 1 and 2 were visually presented as US comic books with a side order of sci-fi B-movie. Xenonauts doesn't look like any style, except for art by Random Games.
http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/wages-of-war-the-business-of-battle/screenshots
http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/avalon-hills-squad-leader/screenshots

I'm fine with both the ASCII and the flashy style of the thread subject. Xenonauts is just neither here nor there.

Didn't notice before, but the price on wowhd.nl is a shop wide 15% discount valid this weekend. After that it's €35.99.

I was looking into this the other day, It looks interesting but I can't seem to get pass the looks of the soldiers models. They don't look very good at all to me, I mean if I'm gonna stare at them for hours and hours at least make them nicely animated with a nice art style.

But I guess I'm just weird.

Hopefully, GOG will carry the original xcom series at some point. So I can play them.

X-com collection is $3.75 atm on the Amazon Labour Day sale. Activates on Steam though, if that bothers you.

It's looking pretty good in terms of gameplay, although I'm a bit disappointed about the squad size and the fairly small maps. A big part of the atmosphere of the original was the tension as you scoured the map for aliens, never knowing when ending your turn would result in a chrysalid appearing out of nowhere to try to tear your face off. I just didn't get that same feeling of tension watching the linked videos (and the two deaths in the videos were just due to crappy tactics, rather than the many deaths that occur in the original X-Com due to the unforgiving difficulty). I'm hoping that the map sizes and squad sizes increase later in the game and we were just seeing some of the earlier missions. Of course I'll still be getting it, although when and at what price naturally depend on their distribution/DRM choices.

Squads start out at four, and as far as I know six is the maximum it'll ever go to.

That's rather unfortunate. I can't imagine clearing a map the size of some of the alien bases in the original X-Com (let alone TFTD) with just 6 squad members, so I'm assuming the maps aren't going to get all that big. I guess I'll have to settle for each mission just being a brief skirmish rather than a lengthy game of hide and seek with plasma rifles.

The squad size does sound a bit small. I'd guess it'll play a bit more rpg and a bit less wargame. Can't imagine it'll be par to lose a rookie or two on hard missions if you're going to win the game. Cant afford the attrition.

Unless you can train newcomers.
Or get decently good operatives to begin with. Which would make sense, the fate of the world and all that.

Not rushing to preorder anyway, that or xenonauts.
Actually bought UFO: Extraterrestrials Gold a while back. It got pretty decent reviews in it's "gold" status (and pretty bad when it first came out). Played it until the first mission but couldn't get past the battle movement and gave up right away.

Not rushing out to buy the original either. Based on LP videos, it's got plenty of merit, but not only are the graphics butt ugly, but the gameplay seems terribly clunky as well. Not many games age beautifully.

This is something I find pretty goofy about the original. I am literally the only thing standing between the world and utter destruction. And yet you'll get shut down for going over budget (I know sometimes aliens take over country administration, but still). AND FOR GOD'S SAKE STOP SENDING MY ROOKIES. SURELY YOU MUST HAVE ACTUAL TRAINED SOLDIERS YOU CAN GIVE ME.
I actually found the gameplay not to have aged too badly. It has that early 90s problem of really big buttons with no text, but once you get used to it the gameplay's still solid, unique, and fun. It's very unforgiving though, and definitely not for everyone.

Meaning things like triple shot with a laser is a slow squirt traveling through the screen, missing the opponent, then slowly traveling through the next screen. The next schot slowly worms through the screen, hitting and killing the alien. Then the next squirt slowly worms through the screen, obviously missing the now dead alien, then slowly travels through the next screen before hitting the random bush.

I just dont have the patience.

But I guess that does sort of fall into graphics category, even if it affects the gameplay. Swap in the zap-zap-zap *growl* from UFO Alien Invasion and I'd play it with more pleasure.

If I remember rightly, you can set the options for how quickly shots move from the options menu during combat.