X-Com commandeers Steam

MicroProse's five-game collection of classic RTS franchise heads to Valve's online distribution platform, $5 apiece or $15 for the lot.

As one of the premier services for digitally distributed PC games, Valve's online repository Steam is updated on a regular basis with the latest titles to come to market. However, on occasion, Valve will also dip a bit deeper into its industry partners' reserves to revive gems of years gone by.

This week, Valve and Take-Two teamed to add MicroProse Software's acclaimed X-Com collection to Steam. Five games in all, the collection includes X-Com: UFO Defense, X-Com: Terror From the Deep, X-Com: Apocalypse, X-Com: Interceptor, and X-Com: Enforcer. The games can be picked up individually at $4.99 apiece, or as part of the X-Com Complete Pack, which includes all five games, for $14.99. To promote the new arrivals, Valve is offering a 10 percent discount on all five games as well as the collection pack until September 11.

Take-Two acquired the rights to the classic real-time strategy franchise from Atari in 2005, after the series lay dormant following the less-than-spectacular X-Com: Enforcer in 2001. X-Com: UFO Defense, the original game in the series released in 1993, is widely heralded as one of the greatest games ever made, and has been inducted into GameSpot's own Greatest Games of All Time. Long-standing rumors indicate that Ken Levine's 2K Boston--creators of last year's award-winning BioShock--is at work on a new installment in the X-Com franchise.

29 Comments

  • Asurmen21

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 11:17 pm PT

    So does anyone know if there are still the same type of cheats for the Steam version as there was the original? I would love to have the 2.5billion right about now : )

  • AFBrat77

    Posted Jan 28, 2009 12:20 pm PT

    X-Com: UFO Defense from Steam works perfectly fine on Vista.....great to get to play it finally!

    I also have Apocalypse as well theres no reason why it won't work fine on Vista as well.

  • Jaldspirit

    Posted Jan 11, 2009 2:26 am PT

    WTG Steam, take a game that has been free for years and start selling it!

  • Jehovahswitless

    Posted Oct 9, 2008 8:01 am PT

    please please please don't screw it up! between x-com and fallout i've barely left the house these past 20 or so years! and with the new fallout looking devastatingly infectious (in the good way) let's hope that they can make it as good as the original, a feet which they haven't managed in what 15 years or so!

  • kurtrusselshair

    Posted Sep 12, 2008 8:50 am PT

    o it plays on vista just fine, it comes with the dos emulation/compatibility program dos box which leaves it running perfectly

  • broncosfan

    Posted Sep 8, 2008 11:03 am PT

    Too bad it indicates that it is not Vista compatible on Steam. I guess this is further reason that I should setup dual boot for XP on my laptop, but unfortunately as it is now I have limited space left on my system for an OS install.

  • sil80klowndrift

    Posted Sep 7, 2008 5:18 pm PT

    X-com on XP = dreams come true
    I still have the first 3 games for the PC as well as the X-Com Apocalypse strategy guide which i still read from time to time so I would never forget any tactics for one of my favorite games of all time. I even got myself a pre-XP PC using Win98SE just so i can play X-Com a few years ago. now i wont need that second PC anymore YAY!!!

  • Humorguy_basic

    Posted Sep 7, 2008 4:34 pm PT

    Could see the end of abandonware as more and more classic games of the last decade get sold like this. Between this and G.O.G. PC retro gaming has never been so prominent in the marketplace. As modern games cost more and sell less, this could be a good little money spinner for publishers holding on to old product. One company that will benefit is the struggling Interplay, that have rights to some classic games!

  • Icehearted

    Posted Sep 7, 2008 3:46 pm PT

    I played this on a 486 and then bought it for the Playstation (I even bought the mouse just for this game). Nothing as good from the series since, thought Terror wasn't all bad. I'd love to see another in the same style.

  • GANGSTASAN

    Posted Sep 6, 2008 10:42 am PT

    Go Steam!

  • GANGSTASAN

    Posted Sep 6, 2008 10:42 am PT

    Go Steam!

  • GangaWolf

    Posted Sep 5, 2008 7:22 pm PT

    According to the Steam site, it runs under Win2000 or WinXP. I'm willing to bet it would run in Vista in XP-Compatability mode, but don't know for sure.

    And anyone who hasn't played these games, if you like turn-based strategy, good story, a nice reasearch tree, etc. spend the $5 and get the first game of the series: X-COM: UFO Defense. As long as you aren't graphics obsessed (1993 graphics and no 3D accelration needed), the gameplay is awesome.

  • bodylotion

    Posted Sep 5, 2008 2:57 pm PT

    never played x-com but i can appreciate classic games, i wonder if i should buy this one.

  • Cobra5

    Posted Sep 5, 2008 1:03 pm PT

    X-Com is one of the single best games of all time, on any platform or genre. If you have even a passing interest in any sort of strategy game, or simulation game, or hell even RPGs to an extant, I strongly reccomend this game.

    To see it re-released is something long overdue. This is an excellent development.

  • TMZ41486

    Posted Sep 5, 2008 12:01 pm PT

    Does any one know if this works for Vista?

  • finaleve

    Posted Sep 5, 2008 7:16 am PT

    Sarcerok > XCOM is better descrived as an RTS. The battles are mainly turn-based rpg elements, but don't forget the other half of the game. The whole aspect of building bases, making money, researching, and all that jazz.

    Glad to see a bit of revival. Best game I still want to play.
    I hope Levine (2k Boston) does work on the new installment. He might do a decent job of it.

  • Witchsight

    Posted Sep 5, 2008 5:33 am PT

    Research Completed!

  • Sarcerok

    Posted Sep 5, 2008 12:30 am PT

    Um, since when did XCOM become an RTS? The first two were totally turn-based, the third had the option of turn-based or "phased-real-time" which was kind of a hybrid of turn-based and real time, and the last two XCOM games you mention really did not have much to do with the first 3 other than that they abused the franchise without contributing anything to it.

  • turb06

    Posted Sep 4, 2008 11:59 pm PT

    i hope this will run on vista, i have been dying to play the first 2 again.

  • kurtrusselshair

    Posted Sep 4, 2008 10:59 pm PT

    to update my last comment, yes it works perfectly with dosbox through steam, sweet, its the ruination of my high school years all over again haha seriously you haven't lived until you walk up behind a little bug eyed alien, drop off the high explosives pack, and run away and hear him scream as the next turn starts

  • kurtrusselshair

    Posted Sep 4, 2008 10:33 pm PT

    I still have my copy of ufo defense for playstation1 and my old game disc for dos install(come on kiddies any of you ever used dos?? haha). my question however is will xcom ufo defense run on vista? as no other versions of the game will in any way shape or form, not even through gametap which was the only reason i tried that waste of hd space haha

  • gwath_lord

    Posted Sep 4, 2008 10:22 pm PT

    This looks interresting, buying X-Com on Steam.
    I never was a fan of anything but the first 2 games (Defence/Enemy Unknown and TFTD) but they were awesome!
    Making of a new game? Well, I hope they don't just make it the same game as the old ones, with better graphics, cause that's already a work-in-progress (http://www.projectxenocide.com/).

  • GangaWolf

    Posted Sep 4, 2008 8:38 pm PT

    Well, the GeoScape portion of the first 2 X-COM games can be viewed from a certain point-of-view as RTS, but really the bulk of the game was in the tactical missions that were all turn-based goodness. :-) X-COM Apacolypse gave you the option of playing the battles in either RTS or turn-based, but the AI for RTS was terrible and not worth it.
    Never played the last 2, but I think one was more of a space-sim and the other either a FPS or squad-based shooter - and from what I heard both were terrible.

    If you only get 1, get the first one - X-COM:UFO Defense - it is truly a classic!

  • camberiu

    Posted Sep 4, 2008 7:08 pm PT

    What is next for Gamespot, to refer to the "Sims" as a series of Survival Horror games? Maybe they will call GTA a "First Person Shooter".

  • giantraddish

    Posted Sep 4, 2008 6:36 pm PT

    I'm rooting for Ken Levine. Every X-Com sequel so far has been garbage. Hope he bucks the trend.

  • mysterylobster

    Posted Sep 4, 2008 6:15 pm PT

    "Take-Two acquired the rights to the classic real-time strategy franchise"

    Real-time? Another Tom Magrino article, another error. When will Gamespot hire a fact-checker for this guy?

  • KillerJuan77

    Posted Sep 4, 2008 5:42 pm PT

    Awesome! I got to buy them!

  • camberiu

    Posted Sep 4, 2008 5:34 pm PT

    Only Gamespot to refer to X-COM as a series of RTS games.....

  • crunchb3rry

    Posted Sep 4, 2008 5:24 pm PT

    OMG! A new X-COM? Hopefully they go back to the roots, but maybe a step up so it's most like Terror From The Deep.

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