X-COM: Terror from the Deep

aka: TFTD, UFO 2, X-COM 2
Moby ID: 543
DOS Specs
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Description official descriptions

X-COM: Terror from the Deep is the follow-up to the resource management and tactical combat game X-COM: Enemy Unknown.

It has been 40 years since X-COM last defeated the aliens. Now, in the year of 2040, aliens begin to appear on the Earth again. This time the threat to humanity is coming from the depths of oceans.

The game is almost identical to the original X-COM game. The user interface, weapons, and aliens are all the same. The only difference is the adaptation of the aliens and weapons (e.g. new hand-to-hand weapons) to the ocean environment. The game features both undersea and on-land missions, and is significantly harder than its predecessor.

Spellings

  • 幽浮2:深海出擊 - Traditional Chinese spelling

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Credits (DOS version)

60 People (54 developers, 6 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 84% (based on 26 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 113 ratings with 11 reviews)

Good game, but bettered by its predecessor

The Good
Well, it's pretty much the same as UFO: Enemy Unknown, its prequel. This game is based underwater though, so the graphics and sound effects are a little different. Not better or worse, just different. Particularly appealing are the rivetted brass look of the alien ships, just like the Nautilus in "20,000 Leagues under the Sea". I also loved the footstep sounds, especially over the metal decking of the ships. And some of the underwater scenary is very cool.

The Bad
This game is much bigger than the first game. But that's not really a good thing. The orignal's leaness gave it a certain appeal, whereas this just gets repetetive and dull real quick. The ship attack missions are real fun the first time, but you soon get really hacked off having to search every single cabin for that last alien - this alone can take over an hour.

During the game you have to destroy 8 large alien bases. Each one of these is a nightmare situation - four floors of alien landscapes, and you never have enough men to cover the ground properly.

The Bottom Line
I don't know how this game ends, since I got bored and frustrated long before I got that far. However, I do have a ZIP file with all my last saves in, so maybe one day I'll go back to it. Maybe...

If you loved the first game, you'll probably like this as well. Whether you'll have the perseverance to see it through is another matter.

DOS · by Steve Hall (329) · 2000

As good as prequel, but... different

The Good
Well. Saying that it's the "exact same game" is not quite right in my opinion. XCOM: TFTD takes a bit different approach, and is much better at it, in many ways.

The game is deeper, darker, more terrifying. And the aliens! While Gill Men and Deep ones feel a bit silly, Tentaculats and other nice creatures of this sequel leave UFO: Enemy Unknown far, far behind.

Everything is more serious and suspense, depths of the ocean are darker, screams of dying Aquatoids run chills down your back and teeth of Tasoth are sharper... After playing TFTD, blasting sectoids on cabbage fields feels a bit silly, and you will come back to TFTD to find that claustrophobic, haunting experience that prequel lacked. In other words, you're not chasing little green men anymore, now it's your aquanauts being chased, in the depths of the oceans...

While most of weapons feel the same, technology feels a bit more realistic and your aquanauts in top notch armor don't look more like what they were supposed to be and not like lost funny astronauts as was in the prequel.

Loads of new (and better!) graphics, darker colors and less repetitive terrains add alot too.

The Bad
As almost all reviews say, missions are way too long and difficult. Especially second level of the alien colony - whoever designed this map - totally overdid it. Maps are quite crazy too, and it feels almost like designer intentionally designed the map so chasing down that last alien would be so difficult. This becomes quite frustrating.

Also, while music is good, and definitely adds more to the atmosphere, all that deep and dark burden wears player off quickly. I personally preferred cyberpunk and somewhat thrilling feel of the original to this... endless terror and agony that TFTD sounds like. Still, sounds are heavily improved and overall feel fits better to the theme.

Spending few hours (missions) underwater makes you miss the daylight. Sadly, there's almost none in this game. This gives somewhat worn out and repetitive feel, especially since game is much longer and harder.

The Bottom Line
If you liked UFO: Enemy Unknown and seriously need more, pick up this game. But remember that techno-thriller'ish joyride of the first game is now replaced with fear-inducing, dark battle for survival.

And your chances for survival are low, much lower than before. Quite literally, if you're not a patient, experienced hardcore player, you WILL die alone in darkest depths and no one will ever know what happened to you. No merry civilians wandering around this time.

DOS · by The Doom (2) · 2009

In one word: absurd.

The Good
X-COM, the first part.

The Bad
It's obvious that XCOM was outstanding, one of the games that deserve to be called classics; a game hardly to be beaten, by sequel or not. But TFTD is simply absurd: it's the same game, exactly the same game. Even worse, the plot is also absurd. What has done mankind with all those plasma cannons taken from the aliens in the first episode? Why must I walk the path again from... harpoons? TFTD is the result of following a success and taking it to the worst extreme: to make an exact copy of the previous.

The Bottom Line
If you have seen XCOM, you have seen TFTD. If you don't, skip the latter completely and try the first.

DOS · by Technocrat (193) · 2002

[ View all 11 player reviews ]

Discussion

Subject By Date
Steam powered!? Xoleras (66143) Aug 17, 2007

Trivia

Bugs

The research tree in this game had a few bugs which prevent you from researching certain items, one of them can even stop you from successfully completing the game. Luckily there are guides that contain ways to avoid these bugs.

Development

After completing UFO MicroProse wanted to do a quick follow up within six months. We said that this was not feasible, and if it were possible it would be little more than the same game with different graphics. Instead we started work on X-Com:Apocalypse, which was much more ambitious. Once UFO/X-Com was clearly known to be a success, MicroProse suggested that we license the code for them to develop their own sequel. The rest is history.

-- taken from the Mythos Games web site.

References

X-COM: Terror from the Deep is heavily based on the writings of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Many names and creatures are taken straight from HPL. Also, T'leth is R'lyeh, and in the final mission, you can see the tomb and the portrait of the Great Cthulhu himself.

Awards

  • Power Play
    • Issue 02/1996 – Best Strategy Game in 1995

Information also contributed by Jaromir Krol and Spearhead51

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  • MobyGames ID: 543
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by IJan.

PlayStation added by Trixter. Windows added by Xoleras.

Additional contributors: Narf!, Kasey Chang, tarmo888, n][rvana, Paulus18950, Patrick Bregger.

Game added December 6, 1999. Last modified January 19, 2024.