What, no Vista X-COM love? Seems bizarre to release it without Vista support. Oh well, I guess I'll be stuck waiting for a patch. The joys of PC gaming.

X-COM: UFO Defense and X-COM: Terror From The Deep were bloody brilliant. I remember seeing the title screen for TFTD for the first time... sent a chill up my spine. And the first time you have to take on the aliens inside your own base? Crazy-awesome.

I don't think X-COM: Apocalypse, X-COM: Interceptor, and X-COM: Enforcer could really be considered "classic" in the same sense as the first two -- they were hollow shells of the originals, even though Apocalypse stayed pretty close to the original formula.

Ashground

Holy crap!

Holy crap!

Holy crap!

SilentSeraphin

The only one i liked was x-com ufo defense, but hot damn if that wasn't one of the greatest games of all time. Will we be seeing more of this kind of thing on steam? Star Control 2 perhaps??? *praying*

houkah

MUST BUY NOW! One of the greatest games ever, I used to name all my soldiers after my friends and when one went insane and killed other soldiers or got scared and ran away it just added to the fun. I do miss the HIGH EXPLOSIVE HANDOFF!tm. nothing better than walking into a room with a sectoid in it and handing him some high explosive and walking out, all in one turn, then when its the enemies turn there's nothing but a smoking crater. AH the memories....

Ak3k

Still remember playing the first X-Com, such a great game. Though never did find a way to slow down the game speed when playing it in Window XP.

Deivion

what's X-COM?

geekgrrl

The first X-COM is probably one of the best games of all time. Whenever somebody asks me what my favorite game is, unless I am really into a new game, "X-com" is the answer. Everybody should buy it! And we should get a proper sequel. It has only been 14 years, no big deal

sakeido

I bought TFTD when they released it on Steam on the basis that hey, they wouldn't be selling it if it didn't work without ballsing around.

I was wrong.

X-Com is worth getting, but check that it actually, you know, works, before you get it through Steam.

Mister Adequate

I'm pissed. i downloaded X-com from steam a few months ago only to find out it wont run in vista. I fucking hate vista.

boringjob2

I am proud to have the original, but I heartily recommend it to everyone.

It is brilliant. I have replayed it about a year ago on Superhuman and enjoyed every second of it.

When I played it for the first time in the nineties, it was scary:
[www.bartsnews.net]

Barts - www.bartsnews.net

I am so on this when i get home from work. I wasted hours on X-Com in highschool.

Eville1 says SKUse me a sec.

The first X-Com is one of the top 20 best games of all time. Worth it. If you haven't tried it and you are even slightly interested in turn-based strategy with base building, buy it. Now.

roland13x

@newname42: HA! I thought the same thing too!

I've nothing but fond memories of the original x-com: ufo defense. My friend introduced the game to me through the Playstation version (much harder to work than the PC version, btw). The only other game I had experience with was Apocalypse and while it didn't have the same flair as the original, it did provide me with many, many fun-filled hours.

wstraynor

TFTD...Fun of slaying aquatoids with spearguns...Ship terror missions against lobstermen...Alien retaliation attacks......The dreaded tentaculati...the pressure, the atmosphere with the gloomy music and inspiration from LoveCraft...THE GAME...Must...resist...reinstalling...

Zorba

MOTHER-F*&#@^%!

I already bought Terror from the Deep, curses Batman! Oh well, I might as well buy it again (maybe Steam will let me gift it?)

Also, I'm on Vista. :(

Pezdispenser

Like many others, I too have fond memories of and with this game.

I haven't played TFtD, as I heard it was much harder, and basically the same as the first, except it took place underwater.

I played the first on the PSone back in the day with a bunch of (high school) friends everyday after school for months, allocating each character to a friend (starting with playing with 8 friends, and eventually upped it to 14) and taking turns.

Good times. Probably ranks up there as one of my favorite games of all time as well.

I tried playing again a few months later on a PC, but found that the game ran too fast for me, and I couldn't figure out how to slow down the CPU turns (the shots were sped way up so I couldn't figure out where they came from).

This is a steal.

def PD

also:

"This software contains support for Windows XP/98/Me/95 with installation instructions. This software is not supported by Windows Vista, however there are community driven strategies and tips available for making the software function on Vista which you can find on our various fan-sites."

SAKY

This reminded me about the free C&C Red Alert download!

I thought "fuck that was Sunday". Lucky for me (and maybe you) it is still available for download!

[www.ea.com]

SAKY

@PissedPS3Fan: I think Terror From the Deep was my favorite, too. Sure, the maps seemed a little less varied overall, but I loved the vehicle / character / weapon designs, as well as the overwhelming claustrophobia felt from being underwater the whole game.

Ashground

Damn, I thought I was going to get to go outside this weekend.

newname42

Am I the only one who thought X-COM 2: Terror from the Deep was the best of the series? I loved creating a team with high MC Skill and the MC Disrupter (or "The Stick"). Nothing is better than making the enemy fight each other.

PissedPS3Fan

Is it worth it to buy the whole set? I loved UFO defense, but TFTD was too long and hard for me. (Those alien bases were HUGE.) I haven't heard anything good about the other games at all.

jrleek

This is excellent news, can anyone verify if this is working on XP at normal speeds?

wezlypipz

I checked the Steam forums a few minutes ago and found some talk about Vista compatibility for the games. I'm not entirely convinced yet that it would actually work. While I can run the first two fine with just DosBox, running Apocalypse is trickier...

I wouldn't mind giving Interceptor a shot too. Enforcer, though...that's not Xcom in the slightest, but I guess I'll get it since it's part of the bundle (assuming some confirmation on Vista).

zebber

@geekgrrl: one of the best turned based strategy games of all time.

balls187 upside yo head

FWIW, Gametap has Xcom...

balls187 upside yo head

There's actually a really good X-Com knock off for Linux called UFO: Alien Invasion. It's stable, it's good and it's free, YAY! Only problem is there's no Windows version. You'll have to march under the banner of the penguin if you want to play it.

[ufoai.sourceforge.net]

But on topic this is great news. I'm glad publishers are realizing that there's till a demand for older titles as long as their price point is correct (read low). I'll be picking this up after work.

LanciePants

Already own the games, but they are so awesome. I would love to see the first two X-COM games being re-released for mobile phones. They are powerful enough for it today, and one could play the game all day!

One turn here and one turn there. It would be awesome B)

Kazutoyo

Oh baby! That's a damn good deal. Dammit, I can't wait for that new computer so I can play this (I have an old iMac right now).

Placentasaurus

It's amazing how well that game has aged. I still play X-com a couple times a year. One of my all-time favorite games.

Now if only they would make a new X-com game that doesn't suck.

romBox

"This product doesn't appear to be available in your region."

:(

why the fuck publishers do these stupid things?

carbonelli

@thenino85: That's what DOSBox and abandonware games are for. :)

eclipsegryph

@geekgrrl:
Get back in the kitchen. The big boys are talking here.
... Er, no.
It's a relatively old PC gaming series. The first 2 are amazing, with the rest being good, but not as good. The world is being attacked by aliens, you play as an organization stopping them. You build a base, research a tech tree to better equip your troops, manufacture said equipment, etc. This is all done in real time. When you have an alien encounter, it switches to a turn based strategy game. The best part, really, is that each member of your squad tends to be, up until you get Psi abilities to ANNIHILATE things, much weaker than the aliens. In the beginning, before you get armor, a single shot downs one of your troops. You have to play with a good sense of tactics, using cover and having your men work in groups. And, of course, be prepared to replace them when they die...

rekenner

This is what Steam should be doing. Bring back classic games from the DOS era, make them work on XP/Vista/OS X/etc., and sell them. Kinda like what Gametap does, only sell each game individually instead of having a subscription fee. It's practically free money for the publishers. Steam gets more customers and more money. Gamers get some lost gems that they can't play on modern computers. Everyone wins.

thenino85

Well, if it's working smoothly on XP I may just have to get a Steam account. Never did get the sound to work on my (perfectly legitimate *cough*) DOS version.

-- Steve

PS: no, actually, it is the CD version so it may be the Win95 edition... though it still asks me for my version of Soudblaster or AdLib card.

Anton P. Nym

HO. LY. SHIT. Steam is A++++ seller, would do business with again! I've not been able to get Apocalypse to run properly since Win98...that was a long time ago. I still have my original X-Com disks but now I can get the whole shabang for $13 and some change...almost feels like stealing.

FlashIV

Any news on whether they made the early games run on newer Windows versions? I'm having big problems getting X-COM: Apocalypse to run, even in DOX-Box. The original XCom runs at 5 times the speed, so you need to go through the hurdle of finding a speed-manipulator running in the background to slow down your PC till you find the right speed.

I'm always a little annoyed at how little time developers invest in getting their legendary classic to run on new computers - especially if they take (small amounts of) money for it.

lumpi

It's bad enough that I already have too many games that I just don't have the time to play. Now this?

I'm think DOSBox will be sufficient for running this. Other games I've tried to run in emulation mode without success worked flawlessly in DOSBox in both XP64 and Vista32 for me.

I have fond memories of shelling grounded UFOs through the fog of war with blaster bombs and dropping proximity grenades on top of aliens while I hovered over them, just to watch them die the second they took a step.

I still remember the triumphant rush of having a base invaded and fending off the aliens with a rookie squad that lacked armor and had barely any ammunition.

Good times.

Also, I can't be the only one who stuck with the laser weapons over the more powerful plasma rifles throughout the game (until the final mission) because of the unlimited ammo.

dyl604

Do these run right or do you have to use some crap utility to slow down your computer? 'Cause these don't work well at all.

tabion20

Does anyone know if the downloaded version of TFTD is patched to remove the research bug that can prevent you from finishing the game?

The_Catalpa

No Vista support makes me sad. I really wanted to play it on this machine too.

Erignamatic

Oh no. NOT AGAIN.

THEY BLOCKED MEXICO AGAIN?!

GOD _@*#$_)#&@$*@#* DAMMIT STEAM@

Dave Silva

Vista is balls. I got a quad core machine running on XP because Vista wont give STALKER any love n sex.

heretrix

@carbonelli: Same thing here. I've never played X-Com, so I thought this would be my chance to redeem myself. Wrong.

DarkDraken

@Chagrin: You got a pretty good time before you, I can say... O.o

All my favourites you list there!

lumpi

This is pretty perfect. When I bought my new computer recently, after an old one whose disc drive didn't even work for years, I had decided I would try to check out all the classic PC games I missed the first time 'round. X-COM was right at the top of the list with some others (Deus Ex, Fallout, System Shock 2, Baldur's Gate 2 et cetera).

Chagrin

I still have my old XCOM copy, and it is difficult to run on Windows XP. No sound/music becomes a problem, as does the speed at which the game runs. Can anyone confirm that these games downloaded from steam run alright?

copet

@Ak3k:
Hah, yeah I think we all used to do that. It was great going into school the next day:

"Hey Ian! I'm sorry to tell you that last night you lost your nerve, freaked out and started to shoot at anything that moved. I was personally forced to execute you before you wounded the rest of the squad. Sorry. On the plus side I can control things with my mind now. Mrrrooowwwwwwwnnnnn!"

Treesus

@ShaggE: Heh. It's special because it was made at the absolute PEAK of strategical depth in games. It only went down from there. The game drowns you in possibilities of how to play it, and, while some work better than others and most things you'll never try... it gives you this feeling of digging deeper and deeper into the game world without ever hitting the bottom.

No game does that today. Heck, even Dwarf Fortress has less detail in a few comparable segments (and MUCH less intuitive controls).

lumpi

Steam, i couldn't love you anymore if you had given birth to me. I spent many a dark night with x-com apocalypse and ufo defense of the psx.....there hasn't been anything remotely like it or pulled off nearly as well since then.

PATSCRU

I must be the only gamer on earth who is entirely uninterested in ever playing X-Com. I know I will end up playing it someday though, just to see what the foofaraw is all about.

ShaggE

PS: 2K games owns it now? Really? I hate that company so much and they buy up all the best licenses.

Shame.

lumpi

@lumpi: And therein lies the rub for me. If a game is TOO open in choices, I get overwhelmed, and end up doing the bare minimum needed 99% of the time. Or I just fuck around in the game. (See: Sim City)

ShaggE

@PissedPS3Fan: My favorite as well, the ship attacks always owned me on superhuman though.

Cakey4242564

Oh, X-Com, my first PC game, and still one of the very best. I'll never forget the time my troops were first hit by a blaster bomb. I nearly crapped myself.

Sadly, this laptop o mine is Vista. Is it possible to buy these games but maybe try to run them on DOSbox or something?

Mini-Boss

i was scared silly by this game when i was young. crysallids(sp?) and snakemen. my men never touched the ground after getting the last suit.

kitsuneconundrum

I bought it, I loved these games and find a way to play them every year so.

@Mini-Boss: I have vista and they run just fine. Funnily enough it launches dos box to play them.

PolarJack

@copet: I bought it, it runs ok, altho the geoscape runs at a bit of a low frame rate. (XP)

houkah

14 bucks for a blaster bomb-load of X-com? Holy dook.

I can kill sectoids all over again. It's like Christmas in September! With Blaster bombs!

Salen

This game is impossible lol. I played it with a gameshark on ps1 with infinite money and I couldnt beat it. I played it on pc while cheating on player stats and money and still couldnt beat it. Damn etherals...

Dimipapa

Definitely buying the first one... and maybe Terror for the deep.

Unfortunately, almost all other games from the series are utter crap. But the ones that are good, BOY, they ARE GOOD!

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

Apocalypse was the first PC game i ever bought, after finally getting a computer that had a Hard Drive, as opposed to dual 5.25 floppy drives. (and this was back in 1997. yeech.)

i'm absolutely psyched to be able to play it, and Defense/Terror of the Deep again. these games consumed and utterly destroyed my junior and senior years grade point average. :)

joerocks1981

I still have my mint condition PS1 longbox version...and it's worth a pretty penny, too.

Knoxximus (360/PSN)

Talk about money for old rope! How is this a great bargain?
"X-Com/Terror From The Deep" are both DOS-era games and after "Apocalypse", the sequels were 'forgettable', to put it mildly.

From the screenshots posted here it doesn't look like the games have been improved in any way either. "X-Com" had some irritating bugs and gameplay anomalies (e.g: your elite soldiers don't do hand-to-hand, mind-controlled troops will be 'lost in action' if the last alien on the map is killed, you had no control over the deployment of your soldiers in troop transports or base defence missions.)

X-Com was a great game but I'd never pay for it now unless it was fixed. I'd download it though.
([www.the-underdogs.info])

Keshie

I never played an X-com game.. but I just how one of my friends back in school always praised it.. and I wanna try it. but which one of the first three should I get? (I only want to try one of them)

jaronimo

@artofwar420: I am running XP.

artofwar420

I bought the "Terror of the Deep" one a while back, it was 2 bucks on Steam, I was like: "YAY!"

Then I double clicked the game, then my screen started crying, then I cried.

There are indeed some compatibility issues.

artofwar420

@artofwar420: OMG!!! They must have patched it, cause now I can play it (on XP) OMG!! Go get it if you have XP!! GET IT! WOOOooooO!

artofwar420

HOLY F'ING S.

One of the best games ever.

Buying the whole set when I get home

RPGEmperor

@Mister Adequate: I remember a while back Kotaku had a post about that Good Old Games site (launching soon hopefully), where they sell stuff like Fallout, Planescape, etc. and ACTUALLY MAKE SURE IT WORKS IN VISTA!

Seriously Valve, what the fuck?

Silverbackne

@Silverbackne: Keeping a VERY close eye on GOG, because if they live up to their promise I'll be a happy camper.

Although posts in here suggest Valve fixed stuff up? If true I'm wholly on board and shall purchase posthaste.

Mister Adequate