UFO: Extraterrestrials

 PC
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. AceGamez
    100
    If you have even the slightest interest in strategy games, and if you ever played the X-Com games, then just buy it - you will not regret it. And if you never played any of the X-Com titles then do yourself a favour and snap them up too!
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  2. Pelit (Finland)
    88
    The true heir of the classic X-COM and almost as addictive. However, the game has a multitude of irritating design flaws that need correcting. [June 2007]
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  3. GamePro
    85
    UFO: Extraterrestrials has largely managed to capture the elements that made X-COM such a classic and iconic game. Almost nothing about the game can labeled as innovative or revolutionary, but it is such a well packaged refinement of a proven formula that it is hard to complain.
  5. Gamers Europe
    85
    UFO isn’t perfect, but it does breathe enough life into a genre that hasn’t seen enough action recently. You could do a lot worse.
  6. Jolt Online Gaming UK
    78
    The game is a real mixed bag of action and strategy that, while not quite recreating the magic of X-COM, gives a pretty good showing of itself.
  7. GameWatcher
    72
    Overall the game is well done and will be very much enjoyed by fans of the classic X:COM games and anyone who enjoys tactical combats.
  8. PC Zone UK
    71
    It's fun, tough, cheap and really hard to stop playing; sometimes it's good to look back. [Oct 2007, p.86]
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  9. PC Gamer
    70
    Given UFO:ET's $39.99 price tag, it's hard to recommend over the $5 copy of "X-COM: Terror from the Deep" on Steam, unless you're really itching for a minor graphical upgrade. [Aug 2007, p.68]
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  10. PC Format
    65
    Offers much of the pleasures of the original...and yet nothing has really been improved. [Sept 2007, p.62]
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  11. Game Over Online
    61
    Just a poorly made game. Almost nothing about it works, and there’s absolutely no reason why you should buy it when you could play UFO: Afterlight (or even Silent Storm) instead.
  12. Eurogamer
    60
    There are enough flaws in it to stop recommending it to anyone but real X-com fans - who, it seems, are busy trying to mod it into something closer to their desires.
  13. IGN
    59
    Enjoyable only to the extent that it copies X-COM UFO Defense. With that in mind, it's hard to deny that the game has some merit, but it hardly does justice to its inspiration.
  14. GameShark
    58
    As fun as UFO is at times you can’t help but ask yourself – what’s the point? Haven’t we already played this game before? It’s one thing to ask for a clone of a 14 year old game – it’s another thing to actually get it.
  15. PC Gamer UK
    58
    This is a low-rent clone, barely an improvement, without a soul to call its own. [Aug 2007, p.80]
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  16. GameSpot
    52
    The best that can be said about the game is that its sci-fi atmosphere and smart artificial intelligence make it a somewhat acceptable way for the desperate to whittle away a couple of dozen hours waiting for someone to finally do a proper remake of "X-COM."

Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Best PC Game of 2007
96
#96 Most Discussed PC Game of 2007
96
#96 Most Shared PC Game of 2007

User Reviews

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User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 37 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 37
  3. Negative: 6 out of 37
  1. Scritty
    Apr 26, 2011
    9
    Note - This review is for the GOLD edition only.
    When UFO first cam eout almost 4 years ok it was "ok". I bought it from Gamersgate and played    Note - This review is for the GOLD edition only.
    When UFO first cam eout almost 4 years ok it was "ok". I bought it from Gamersgate and played it a bit, though probably no more than an afternoon. I would have given it a 6 at the times, though looking back 1 of those points might have been for the nostalgia of the game it tries to emulate (X-Com)
    What the Gold edition offers is just about every improvement that the community asked for with the original. Better ranged combat, better AI, better UI, tweaked graphics, moddability (some hard coded into the game - you want turn based or real time combat? It's an option. You want immortal, mortal or VERY mortal troops, select them)
    In fact it turns out that the developers took the contents of the top community mods and (shamelessly but quite understandably) hard coded them into the game along with the existing bug fix and improvement patches (of which there were either 2,3 or 4 depending on how you bought your original game)
    The result is a FAR better game. The graphics will still disappoint some (though they are much better than the original X-Coms form 17 years ago) and the first really good tribute to the Microprose/Gollop brothers legacy.
    I will add that if you have no money what-so-ever then UFO Alien Invasion is an option. It is not as good as this, but for free it's not too bad at all.

    nyway, the original release was worth 5 or 6, this one is worth a solid 9 for fans of the game.    … Full Review »
  2. SeanD.
    Nov 21, 2007
    3
    I wanted to like this game, I desperately did. Something about it, I just couldn't get into it. I am a massive fan of the X-Com series, I wanted to like this game, I desperately did. Something about it, I just couldn't get into it. I am a massive fan of the X-Com series, and it rings fairly true to UFO Defense. The controls are annoying, but manageable, and from what I can tell, there are mods to take care of that problem. Some of what I've seen calls this UFO Defense with a graphics update, but to me the graphics are ugly and horrific. They honestly ruined the game for me, I'm not one to be picky about graphics, but they completely ruined it for me. I realize this isn't a major studio game, but that's no excuse, there are games from outside the main studios that still look good. I actually uninstalled this and started searching for user-made patches for X-com so I could run it on my computer. As for the complaint calling normal difficulty like insane, if you played the old X-Com games, then you expect it to be hard regardless of what difficulty setting. If you can get past the ugly look of it, and the unwealdy controls, there is something good underneath. As for me, I'll stick with UFO Defense and Terror from the Deep(which by the way is on steam for $5).… Full Review »
  3. nomanredd
    Mar 20, 2013
    10
    I am reviewing this game using the UNI Mod which I think made this game the legitimate successor of the original XCOM. I have heard thaI am reviewing this game using the UNI Mod which I think made this game the legitimate successor of the original XCOM. I have heard tha vanilla was not good but the one I purchase was the steam version using BT mod. It was okay at first and I would rate it as a 7 but it made the game for me TOO EASY. So I have research and some recommended the UNIMOD for advance players and I have not looked back. I even restarted my game and I love every piece of the UNIMOD for this game. This game thus elevates itself as one of my all time favorites.… Full Review »
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