X-com: Terror from the deep.
U.F.O.: Enemy Unknown was one of my all-time favourite games, up there with the likes of Syndicate from the halcyon days of the commodore amiga. It's graphics are showing their age now, but the gameplay still stands up. They don't make games like this any more, turn based strategy games are rather thin on the ground these days. So when I was rooting around the shops in the St. Enoch centre somewhere around thirteen years ago and discovered it had a sequel and, even better, it was for the ps1, I immediately bought it.

It was pretty much the exact same game. Slightly improved graphics were a plus and the soundtrack was great, but after playing it for months it dawned on me that something had gone wrong. I had gotten as far as I could with the research stage of the game, and months of sifting through blown up submarines revealed nothing new. I was stuck.

Several times I returned to the game over the years, each time being met with the same problem. Sometimes I would get as far as advanced armour, sometimes it wouldn't even get that far. For years, off and on, I'd get drawn back into it only to give up after encountering this bug.

It was about 3 years ago that I found an article online detailing the bug and how to get around it. There are several things in the game which needed to be researched in specific order to avoid the game becoming unwinnable. Armed with this new knowledge, I plugged the trusty ps1 mouse into my dusty old ps2 and put the disc in. A few weeks later I had researched everything I needed to find the aliens mothership and had started the final mission.

I got bored halfway through it and gave up. It remains unfinished to this day.

A few months ago I tried the old disc in my shiny new ps3 and discovered it works. Played it for a few months and decided this would be the time to finally complete the game! Then Assassin's Creed 2 came out.

I think I'll go and have a shot just now.......
( baw__bag contains traces of nuts on, Sun 27 Jun 2010, 15:00, 19 replies)

I couldn't finished the original
because it was that bleeding hard. I've seen some fan-remakes on the internet in full blown 3d but they seem to have completely lost the feel. One day...
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Sun 27 Jun 2010, 15:45, closed)

The first one allowed you to name your own troops
which once saw me leave my best mate behind as the rest of my team evacuated, surrounded by those green rock-hard alien things, having pulled a pin from a grenade but not having enough time units to throw it.

It brings a lump to my throat to think of the heroism :P
( baw__bag contains traces of nuts on, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 21:07, closed)

It's now being sold on Steam actually, bundled with DOSBox. Been playing it again - much awesomeness.
(calamarain just invented dehydrated water, Sun 27 Jun 2010, 19:52, closed)

Yup I bought em all
but was disappointed with the dodgy sound on the PC version, the ps1 version has a really atmospheric soundtrack. Gonna play UFO again though.
( baw__bag contains traces of nuts on, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 20:56, closed)

It's always nice to hear from an old Amiga comrade
Syndicate is still good fun to play (I still have my amiga set up next to my PC).
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 9:44, closed)

The best turn based strategy game
I played on the Amiga 500 was Battle Isles. That game was awesome!! Searched for an emulator some time ago but couldn't find anything :( The only other game I have played that came close to the game play is Panzer general on the PS1, which I found in the discount basket in Game for a fiver...result!
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 10:00, closed)

Oh man, "Battle Isles"...totally forgot about that
a mate of mine had it and he would kick my ass every time. Good fun though.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 11:10, closed)

I'm glad somebody remembers this feat of software engineering
talking of not finishing things, I am not sure if i ever finished a 2 player game, we always used to play the biggest map and a game could last 6 hours easily, I would play it again tomorrow if I had the chance, especially as you could play online these days. I wonder if there would be a market for an online hex based turn game? If you have an itch to play something similar get Panzer General on the PS1, weirldy the graphics aren't as good but the gameplay is still there.
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 13:08, closed)

WinUAE
Works well enough. Barbarian and North Vs South is also worth a revisit.
( Dervel OTBC, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 9:15, closed)

Amiga Forever
I used to work in an independent games shop in London in the late 80's/early 90's. I remember selling people lots of Amiga's (and ST's).. I also remember them asking me about PC's, and me telling them not to bother as they weren't likely to take off.... (!) This was when EGA was king and soundcards were just a glint in Bill Gates eyes...

The Amiga.... Sniff...
( DeadEyeDick, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 18:12, closed)

I think Syndicate might be my all time favourite.
I played it to death when it first came out.
( baw__bag contains traces of nuts on, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 21:04, closed)

Assassins Creed II
Just finished that last week, very underrated game that. I sunk 35 hours into it and still didn't get all the side missions finished. Read Dead Redemption now...
( DeadEyeDick, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 11:15, closed)

Absolutely loved AC2, game of the year (2009) for me
RDR is incredible, unfortunately my CRT television couldnt do it justice.
( Colonel Dracula Two manky hookers and a racist dwarf, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 11:42, closed)

I also only finished it this week
the ending is very very interesting :D Not got RDR yet, but I've heard good things :D
( baw__bag contains traces of nuts on, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 21:00, closed)

RDR is OK so far - the aiming reticule is getting on my tits though. Oh and after ACII, you WILL want to climb everything, RDR is not the game for that..
( DeadEyeDick, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 11:32, closed)

I did like X-com
I bought the original as part of some bundle, it was so out of date I needed dosbox to slow it down to playable speed.

But i finished that, and I think I finished terror from the deep.

However, I have spent far more time installing the third in the series than playing it
(teebie jeebie, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 12:56, closed)

The mention of Amiga games reminds me of
playing Frontier Elite, what a game!!
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 17:01, closed)

I loved it but never ever got anywhere in it.
I seemed to just scoot around the first few planets and could never do any of the missions, but I was only about 13 when I played it so probably just didn't understand how it worked, what with erm, not having a manual or anything :P
( baw__bag contains traces of nuts on, Mon 28 Jun 2010, 21:03, closed)

I can relate to that
I was a great at making loads of money importing and exporting illegal weps but sold my space trawler for an imperial warship and failed miserably at the assassination missions but probably for the same reasons, I think I was about 13 at the time. I even remember the original Elite on the Acorn Electron now that was a tough game, no auto docking so it was pointless.
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Tue 29 Jun 2010, 10:03, closed)