Classic Games Postmortem - XCOM: UFO Defense

[@KaroKoenich]

He is not much of a talker, but he is the creator of one of the best games ever made. Great guy.

[@ludeman]

Not much of a talker yet still fascinating

[@daveschrader2025]

This appears to be a professional conference, not Comic Con. It's not supposed to be exciting.

[@morgitorgi1498]

I mean, he has that understated dry wit down to a T.

[@Skund79]

@@daveschrader2025 It doesn't have to be exciting to be somewhat decent, he isn't a good speaker, not even average, but he designed one of the best games which probably influenced many games till this day

[@ollieduracell]

Still play the original to this day. One of the greatest games ever made without a shadow of a doubt. Respect to Julian

[@lokemmslokemms4294]

i m afraid it is more like a coincidence that they created one of the best game of all time. they or julian himself tried to recreate the similar game but they failed. From the sound of it, it looks like the QA team is very vital for its creation. They will need the same QA team if they want to get things rolling.

[@Mr_Damion_Scott]

Thank you Julian, for making X-com. I remember playing it night and day as a youth during the summer.

[@Lord_of_Dread]

Don't ever apologise for the blaster launcher. Landing on a mission site and having your squad instantly annihilated was part of the bleak terror, the game wasn't afraid to be absolutely fucking brutal.

[@krzysztofpaszkiewicz1274]

Recently I watched a video where a player killed 11 snakeman with one blaster shot during a base defense mission. So two can play that game. :)

[@MetalAriel]

Man I remember chilling at my grandad‘s place, who absolutely adores this game during the mid 90s in Poland. I watched him play the game a lot and was kinda frightened by the artwork. I played it during my college days and found it being a great game. So basically a generation-wide success

[@devox3291]

one of the greatest (if not THE GREATEST) pc games ever! PC Gamer magazine officially listed the moment a player has one of their military units go around a corner, or open a door, only to instantly have an alien staring at them eye-to-eye , ie:ready to give them a kiss, and the gamer verbally yells out in terror and falls out of their chair onto the floor as one of the greatest moments in the entirety of the history of pc gaming. Its a moment, if you play the game enough, you will have it. And you will never forget it!

[@jessed0308]

Dude, i totally agree. Prob my fav game ever.

[@ashuggtube]

The next best thing in the game AFTER that, of course, is landing at a mission and suffering a squad wipe before you've gotten your troops out 🤣

[@devox3291]

Its reallu astonishing how great (and fun) it is@@jessed0308

[@devox3291]

@@ashuggtube Oh man! I remember those . So unfair.....so wrong. Helpless as everyone gets destroyed.

[@onemilliondollar]

Best game ever, I still play it, have spent thousands of hours with it. Kudos!

[@ayurgal]

It's interesting how many other Postmortems cite this game as the influence to their game. So many innovations. I got to chat with Julian one day a long time ago. A really nice guy.

[@xmeda]

UFO is not dead. We have OpenXcom today which is modernized remake :D

[@RailRoad188]

The Modding Community is awesome, I'm now once again addicted to this game engine lol 😅

[@Gorgen2k]

Yeah, i still play ufo defense and terror from the deep from time to time. Helped to get them on steam and now i playing useing the awesome openxcom mod that fixes alot of bugs and better resoulition and such plus alot of mods that you can try out. Liked the apoc as well, but the first two are my fav`s

[@AudieHolland]

Microprose was the best computer game company in the world. Finally someone who agrees with me! Although Microprose started and became big by making military simulation games like Silent Service, Gunship, Project Stealthfighter and even Pirates! which was a pirate swashbuckling simulator. Only after Sid Meier made Railroad Tycoon, did Microprose become heavily involved with strategic, turn based games.

[@7177YT]

Playing this game obsessively in my teens was a terrific experience. Thank you Julian

[@florianneumann9441]

Seeing this the first time today - xcom was a game that defined at least a year of my life... me and a friend didn't even speak English and figured it all out by trial and error - well most... i guess it took about 3-400 mission to us finally having researched everything (and accidently having cought the muton 'navigator'(?) to get the last mission - let the guy know i am upset he didn't but bunnies in the game

[@jibbo9455]

I played xcom enemy unknown on my fathers 386 25mhz for thousands of hours. One of the best games ever made. Looking forward to Phoenix point. Firaxis xcom2 is very good, but a bit to simplified (unlimited ammo, only 2 ap, all soldiers(classes) have same stats etc) Phoenix point seems to take a bit from the firaxis games but keeping most of the stuff from the original xcom. If they manage to make the game have the same eerie look and feeling and fun gameplay as xcom eu it will be a modern day masterpiece.

[@Susrek]

I've honestly considered getting a refund but hopefully it's awesome.

[@daneshi83]

Only ~200 views! WTF! This was one of the best games back then, and still holds up these days in this current generation. Modern games rely on huge graphical advances and loud guns, XCom/UFO relied on tense missions and a thought process. People really need to be watching this video to understand how important this game is to the gaming heritage and how close it came to never being released.

[@mrmukimoto2371]

no it wasnt. only a few people know this nerd game.

[@casedistorted]

I remember first playing Xcom Ufo Defense on the Playstation 1, the music in that game and everything about it was so amazing. Still one of the most influential games of all time. and brutal. I still own the original black and white strategy guide I got from Barnes and Noble as a kid.

[@ngtony2969]

Is that the official guide? If not, the official strategy guide, both 1 and 2, you need to read it. Trust me, you will enjoy them for weeks ... considering they're as thick as a yellow pages phone book.

[@casedistorted]

@@ngtony2969 I will have to find it, I remember buying it at a book store in the 90's I believe. It's somewhere in the basement.. Nvm I just looked it up on Amazon, it's titled X-Com Strategies and Secrets by Neil Randall | Jan 1, 1995 Not the official one but it was very well done. HUGE book too.

[@SadButter]

Microprose was awesome

[@Kotesu]

+RandomGuy1994 Them and Looking Glass Studios... I swear they were almost too far ahead of their time. Innovative, emotionally challenging, intellectually engaging - to this day they still represented the best of what games can become.

[@Samsun55]

Butter of Sorrow microprose was great. They made a couple of great games like Xcom, Gran Prix 94 etc. The mechanics of those games are unmatched till today. Never forgot those games. İm playing xcom till today. To bad that the new versions never reached the same horrific excitement...

[@DiamondSane]

Simulation Software

[@kacknoobdeluxe]

*Transport Tycoon intensifies*

[@ghost2031]

Love this Postmortem, watching it for the second time.

[@burrito4332]

"I'm not going to describe the game in any detail" As per Julian.

[@pavelvoynov2732]

It's actually a Floater, just a bit different from final version.

[@WhispersOfWind]

Basically the best games are those that mimic reality in some way (mimic as in 'simulate' _and_ otherwise _incorporate_). Also, often, IMO, these very good games, have multiple genre _mechanics_ combined into a product, like action strategy Rpg etc... oh, and no _Q&A?!_

[@glitch373]

Hells Wind I don't agree. A certain type of game gets its maximum enjoyment out of simulation. But abstraction can work just as well for other game genres. Most games go for a perfect balance of both, after all xcom is still about alien invasions and flying saucers.

[@Funglutton]

Tetris

[@hundun5604]

36:18 UFO Aftermath, UFO Aftershock are nice (awesome imo) follow-ups.

[@PobortzaPl]

I was looking for someone mentioning UFO: After[noun] series. Those are early 2000s games and in my mind they had kept the idea of geoscape realtime, battlespace turnbased game about fighting against extraterrestrials.

[@stardaggerrihannsu2363]

Someone should make a player pool with all these names, THEY are the Heroes!

[@alphaomega2310]

they not deserve to die from friendly fire rocket shot or from a pack of chryssalids))

[@stardaggerrihannsu2363]

@@alphaomega2310 You need to be a COMMANDER, not a reckless fool!

[@incarnadine1632]

Julian Gollop's newest game, Chaos Reborn is out 26th of October 2015, YAY

[@pragma-tv]

This was my fav childhood game. Enjoyed this video a lot. It's almost 2025 Thanks for the X-Com 👽

[@IRMentat]

still one of the greatest strategy games in existence. i'd pay now for an engine/UI upgrade of the original feature-set. the remake never quite did it for me, too much trimmed out, too small-scale considering it was a world at threat.

[@djgrom9542]

I like how close the Geoscape is to Google Earth :) Almost a copywrite claim. haha. Thanks for doing this Postmortem. I love this game so much

[@mr.piccolo186]

Post Mortem? X-Com is immortal.

[@hullzor970]

Wow, amazing story behind a gem of a game from my childhood. Interesting point that the X-com project was almost cancelled IRL, hmmm maybe Spectrum Holobyte has some aliens in their ranks? Haha!

[@tunnocks]

Chaos (Spectrum) and Xcom (PS1) ....great games from this man!

[@stardaggerrihannsu2363]

Of all the PC games, in the top 10, this is either 1 or 2!

[@BuzzKirill3D]

I wish they didn't cut out the Q&A portion of this Postmortem. I, for one, wanted to know why Julian Gollop circled the caped/clothed Muton on the concept art sheet - it wasn't in the game, to my knowledge.

[@alaaddindeniz915]

XCOM TFTD was REAaaally Goooood !!!!

[@semibiotic]

Why ? It was worse XC:UD copy-paste.

[@CookRacingUK]

Absolutely loved that

[@nomercy8989]

Awsome presentation mr. Gollop

[@jrag1000]

Celebrating 30 years in the games industry and I'm still alive, said no one...

[@nicosmind3]

Terry Pratchet fans....

[@0shizik0]

Idea that game was cancelled is frightening. We were one step from losing such masterpiece. How many good games are actually lost? Still I'm happy that we have xcom. And it's good that it's legacy lives on. ❤

[@mcgeufer]

Microprose, I just loved it. I bought many games from them including X-Com. Microprose was such a great brand back in time, you could buy what ever they throw at the market.

[@tonicalou]

15:22 looking at some character designs that didn't make it into the final game I'm glad that bunnies were dropped out. I'm sorry only for the characters (1) the one at the right screen at the 1st row at the 4th position from the left to the right (2) right screen at far bottom-right position.

[@edgarsantos3034]

That game ain't dead. It's more alive than the 2012 remake and most of the new games out there. Lol A true testament to longevity.

[@gipson123]

thanks Gamespot for sharing this

[@handsomebrick]

Didn't Laser Squad have destructible environments?

[@1simo93521]

Yes you could blow up the environment. It had rockets, grenades and demo charges.

[@Tosh220]

A GENIUS!

[@stardaggerrihannsu2363]

ALL HAIL THE GOLLOP!!!

[@rizer80]

i'd gladly pay an interview to Gollop just to ask him "Do you like Xpiratez, Master?"

[@pawemichaowski3491]

thank you

[@hundun5604]

"Saved from cancellation" Best choice in gaming history! 😅

[@canertogan6462]

Only game i still play!

[@cutterbacon]

What happened to dreamland chronicles freedom ridge?

[@skybuck2000]

Please release the source code, it's probably the most interesting source code on the planet !

[@Bigbacon]

they really need to do a Shogo:MAD one.

[@skybuck2000]

27:00 I thought this was about real-life gjez ! But it's in game ! Very funny and interesting !

[@DanielDailey639]

My problem with the "postmortem" moniker is that games don't die. Especially great games like Xcom UFO Defense.

[@ashuggtube]

The "mortem" is for the development of the game, not the life of the game (and now franchise) itself 🙂

[@abcdef2069]

i liked x-com 1 ufo and x-com 2 terror form the deep. but i liked x com 2 more, because they fixed all the bugs in x-com 1. but i liked x-com 1's back ground music. they were eerie and hallucinating, representing as if you were in a place with unknown forces. you should not have made x-com 1 and 2 capture the alien commander easily. or should have made the interrogation need 5 years to finish, so that i could fight longer. well you influenced jagged allience 2, which was the best and still is the best turn based game with personalities.

[@BuzzKirill3D]

Oh, I see. Thanks.

[@duncantiminey1088]

Rebelstar is my favourite game.

[@duncantiminey1088]

The Spectrum game, not the GBA one :)

[@XYZabcXYZ951]

Finally he didn't explain the difficulty level savegame bug :(

[@RunaurufuOfficial]

the same thing happened to XCOM Apocalypse with it active-pause game mode. People love turn based orginal and do not accept changes.... which in that case were frankly making game much better

[@blix17]

Omg he likes all the stuff I do I played xcom and TRAVELLER yes whooo

[@damianwozniak3798]

First time ive played UFO i was teenager who didnt know english. On AMIGA and game was playeble still, till this day i love games with great UI, civilopedia i ment ufopedia ^^ That game is faaaar better then new X-com series UFO:EU is the best from whole UFO-vers ^^ and im playing it still bcs is the best, the new X-coms arent half that good.

[@raullapeira]

"Microprose started doing a first person shooter... *glubs on microphone*" So we do...

[@nomercy8989]

yeah I really liked Aftermath, Aftershock was cool but I never finished it. Never played Afterlight thou. might get if from steam if its there

[@nomercy8989]

But they werent turnbased. That was the biggest difference and reason why people dismiss them. But you are right they were really good games

[@koolandblue]

On the screen with all the aliens- beside the Ethereal and below the Chryssalid- Robocop!

[@GoldenGateNum9]

*Gaming really needs more geniuses like Julian Gollop, Shigeru Miyamoto & the Miller Brothers (Myst Creators).*

[@kacknoobdeluxe]

he entered the *GOLLOP-CHAMBER* long ago

[@RunaurufuOfficial]

Well that may be your opinion but more common "xcom 3 hate reason" is moving out from turn based game (even it was still there...) and changing geo into city view. People see one game and fall in love in it or ignore. If they love it than any mayor change will be difficult for devs to perform... and there you are kinds stuck in the same environment... look at bioshock -> sequel is very similar to first part, and third is different but at the same time is more like a movie than a game...

[@GraveMistake1]

Xenonauts is actually my favorite game now.

[@stardaggerrihannsu2363]

I can't stand how the troops look like Hungarian refugees from WW2! Great game though, I supported it since beta.

[@rallyecars7449]

fuck that game u can't throw things over objects

[@CarlosLopez-wb2qn]

@@rallyecars7449 Wow, really??? LITERALY UNPLAYABLE

[@0phite]

[@Marius-vw9hp]

All you need to make a fantastic game is use the original system from the first game and put your own spin on the story.

[@PaveMentman]

--- I'd say "Xenonauts" did a decent job with this due the "Hard-science-fiction-Cold-War"-setting. It is not necessarily fantastic-game. But it's one of the more / the most "X-com"-like we have gotten so far, even if very flawed ("engine"-wise) in comparison to "(Open)Xcom" that just seemed to "get it right" from the get go. But considering it is semi-open-souce (read: Very few chosen individuals have the source-code), it could be on par with the OpenXcom-project in future. --- ---

[@Marius-vw9hp]

I think Xenonauts is exellent considering the budget they probably had etc.

[@Daringunicorn]

Xenonauts is the best Re-make iv played of X-Com

[@gigaslave]

*takes notes*

[@painr0x0rz]

Please port original X-Com and GBA Rebelstart to iOS

[@h0rk3d]

Cant listen to him swallow saliva for 40mins :/ Prolly one of the greatest games ever made!

[@raullapeira]

"There is a reason why we made this bug (save game difficulty reset)".... *Interest in the talk intensifies*

[@mcplayer6456]

Awsome guy but did that dude put those godforsaken crysilids in the game

[@RunaurufuOfficial]

people like new stuff as long it is similar to what they know. It is good if you make something completely new... but when you make huge changes and call something "continuation" than in most cases you are doomed (C&C4 was smashed by fanbase whom cannot understood how EA could change RTS into some crapy game...). This is also why XCOMA is "remake" - they warm up old story in new clothes with some changes (emotional connection exist) but they cut hopes for "just new graphic" approach very soon ;]

[@JayXdbX]

"People do not accept changes" Your statement is incorrect. I accept change all the time. The main reason i dislike Xcom 3 is the fact the maps are to huge. If i decided to do turn based game, i can't because Publishers noticed a change and would rather follow that. What players hate is pointless or bad changes! Why am I not justified in hating Xcom enforcer? Why shouldn't i dislike the changes in resident Evil games now a days? How about the fact the Coop is shoe horned in? Sorry for rant

[@0phite]

+1 Tr.€ Classic Games Postmortem - XCOM: UFO Defense+FINNAUTIT+ASSEMBLY+RAT-RAU

[@herauthon]

Refurb and Reload ! ! !

[@arihuuskonen6816]

GDC cant even provide a decent presentation clicker for this man? Almost ruins the talk.

[@julesl6910]

IT people always get blamed for every single thing that goes wrong. Someone worked really hard to make sure the setup was absolutely perfect and then gets the blame because the presenter doesn't know how to use the damn clicker.

[@KiloTangoQuebec]

Hey people of youtube I am recruiting members for my clan named Ragnarok. We already have a website up and running. Also the clan is apart of a Five Families Alliance. Which is a group of five clans that will work together to grow and dominate rival clans. We will mostly be acting Defiance and a few other games. But if you are interested or would like some more information, you can message me on Xbox Live at the gamertag ZDS x AkTiveZz Thank you for you time

[@dutts98]

...

[@JayXdbX]

He doesn't own the IP anymore. Go talk to 2k games.

[@MrMischelito]

interesting talk, but next time, please give the speaker a presenter that works every time you push the "next slide" button and a microphone that does not amplify the sounds every time the speaker swallows or simply opens his mouth. it's a bit disgusting to listen to...