X-COM: Interceptor

The Good
This game is a decent space flight simulation. It is the first X-Com game not to be a third person turn-based strategy game. The plot is a bit simpler than the first three but it is good to be fighting the Sectiod hierarchy once more. The interface is simple and the new campaign screen is a very Imperium Galactica/Masters Of Orion-eque looking but fun. The sound FX are very nice.

The Bad
The graphics are a bit dated for their times and the 3D support is flaky at best. It was a bit too short, beat it in the course of a week and that is saying something when X-Com: UFO Defence took me a summer, X-Com: Terror From The Deep took me around three seasons, and X-Com Apocalypse took me a good season and a half.

The Bottom Line
This game is a simpler less plot oriented addition to one of the greatest series in the history of PC gaming. It is the perfect point for a new comer to jump into the series if they cannot find the first two.

The Good
The game story does fit quite nicely into the X-Com universe, and is some-what likeable just for its X-Com-ness, hmm...

The Bad
Interceptor aims to change the style of the X-Com games, and IMO that is its fatal mistake, I would much prefer to have had another Apocalypse engine game, with a new story than this. The tech-tree and research are not as rewarding as past games, the space combat system is a Tie Fighter wanna-be at best. The game simply fails to excel in any single area of itself, and this makes it dull overall.

The Bottom Line
The game is trying to expand the X-Com name, but misses what made the other X-Com games what they were. It fails to excel in any area, and makes for a lackluster, disappointing game overall.

The Good
Nice Graphics, Nice Flgiht-simmie-bits, nice cut scenes, and excelent on the "Mood"

The Bad
Research tree too 1-dimensional, Sourcebook had a lot of Irrelivent pictures, and needed more meat

The Bottom Line
X-COM interceptor is a good, but not outstanding SpaceFlightSim/Stratergy by Microprose. While it does stay true to the Storyline, so far, it is a little lacking in some areas.

First, the rearch tree, essentally, theres no point researching half of it, theres no benafit in immediate research of little nick naks (where as X-COM 2 did this too much, requiring you to get the Lobsterman Navigator before you can get anywhere Decent).

However, the fact that you no longer have to worry about pesky Scientisits and Engineers does appear to spoil the mood, you soon totaly forget you had to buy em in the first two games.

Its SpaceFlight Sim is where this realy shines, very smooth.

However, there is an Excelent (from a gamers point of view) bug in this system. The manual declares that the Mouse cannot be used for spaceflight. Thats a load of Crap, the game is barely playable by keyboard, too fast on the turns, but for those of us whom dont have $100+ to spend on a stick, the Mouse use option is excelent (even if some could consider it cheating....)

Overall, if your into X-COM, or Spaceflight sims, get it, if not, or your looking to enter the genres, there are better places to start (X-COM 1/UFO Defense for X-COM wannabes, or Wing Commander for Spaceflight wannabes). 7.2/10

The Good
Decent graphics for 1998. Base management seemed a little smoother in this game as compared to the others. Flight sim graphics and sound are smooth.

The Bad
The big beef I have with this game is that the best weapons in the game become available about 1/4 of the way through. Once you get autoaiming plasma cannons, or anything autoaiming for that matter, it's "good night Irene" for the aliens. Before that, it's almost impossible to hit the aliens with dumbfire weapons, so just let your wingmen take 'em out or use missiles. Silly in-cockpit video sequences with pilots that look exactly the same, with only different colored lighting for each, gives this game a "poor man's Wing Commander" feel.

The Bottom Line
Poor man's Wing Commander. Better than Terror From the Deep, but that's not much consolation.