UFO Aftershock Impressions

UFO Aftershock is the sequel to last year's UFO: Aftermath, which itself was supposed to be the spiritual successor to 1994's X-Com, one of the most revered PC games of all time. Aftermath suffered from a few problems and bugs, though the game was eventually patched up. But with Aftershock, developer Altar looks to continue its franchise by incorporating more features requested by fans.

Aftershock takes place approximately 20 years after the events in Aftermath. You may recall that Aftermath had several possible endings. Aftershock takes place after the ending where you decide to hand Earth to alien scientists looking to turn the planet into a giant living organism. After living in an orbital station for years, you lose all contact with the aliens on the planet, so you must seize control of the station and then return to the surface to find out what has gone wrong.

Altar is attempting to improve the gameplay from Aftermath in a number of ways. For example, the bases that you build will now all be interconnected so that means you'll have a lot more at stake if one comes under attack, as the loss of one base could cause a disruption along your base network. And in Aftermath, fans complained that no matter how many bases you built, you could still build only one item at a time. That problem is now addressed, and you'll be able to build one item at each base at a time.

Aftershock will also change the pacing of the combat a bit. Mainly, the game will take place in more indoor areas than outdoor ones, which will make for more close-quarters combat. You'll also be able to put snipers on top of roofs, which is a feature that many fans requested. This should make it easier for your sniper to scope out an area.

Finally, we were told that the graphics engine from Aftermath will return in the new game, but with a number of enhancements. Aftershock is still about a year from delivery, so there are probably plenty of other new features that we'll learn about as the game comes closer to completion. We'll keep you apprised of all developments, but for now, expect the game to ship next year.