X-COM: Interceptor

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In X-COM: Interceptor, protect Earth's space mining operations from devious aliens threatening to destroy the planet. Combining real-time first-person combat with strategy, players must equip X-COM fighters, amass an arsenal, research new tech, and even pilot their own attack ship in this thrilling, fast-paced space battle.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 87 reviews

story2 positive mentions

gameplay2 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of space flight simulation and X-COM style base management, providing a fresh take on the franchise.
Despite its age, the core gameplay mechanics are engaging, allowing for enjoyable dogfighting and strategic planning.
The game has nostalgic value for long-time fans of the X-COM series, with some players appreciating its charm and replayability.

The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, making it nearly unplayable on modern systems without extensive workarounds.
Controls and interface are often described as clunky and confusing, leading to a frustrating user experience.
Many players report that the game fails to run properly, with issues such as inability to save progress and graphical glitches.

story
17 mentions
12 % positive mentions
82 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The story in the game offers a unique expansion of the narrative, effectively connecting the plots of the previous titles while providing enjoyable lore for fans. However, players have reported significant frustrations due to glitches and mission design issues that detract from the overall experience, making it more appealing primarily to dedicated fans rather than newcomers. The campaign is relatively short, with missions often lacking depth and guidance, which can lead to confusion and dissatisfaction.
- “An unexpected and very different take on expanding the story, and a fairly enjoyable game, albeit with some heavy annoyances.”
- “Also, the story is nice; it does a decent job of establishing a bridge between the plots of the first two games and that of X-COM: Apocalypse.”
- “You build bases, expand them with modules, research techs (story-wise you download them from Galactic Science Corps), hire pilots, buy craft, weapons, and equipment, and send them to intercept UFOs.”
- “Having repurchased it on Steam, I was very frustrated that the probe mission was glitched and could not be completed.”
- “This focus on strategy, not the storyline or final stages.”
- “I'm giving this a recommended rating, but I honestly wouldn't recommend it to anyone other than fans of the original who would like a little more plot and lore and don't mind the lacking gameplay.”
gameplay
10 mentions
10 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The gameplay combines base building mechanics from earlier XCOM titles with space flight simulation, allowing players to pilot ships in dogfights rather than managing individual soldiers. While the mechanics are easier to grasp than in previous entries, the experience is primarily recommended for fans of the original series who appreciate the added plot and lore, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay depth. Overall, it offers a fun and engaging experience, especially for those willing to adapt to modern controls.
- “The game takes the base building mechanics from the first three entries and instead of having you manage individual soldiers and have tactical battles, you pilot a ship in space and have dogfights.”
- “I spent years of my childhood and high school years bopping sectoids, mutons, and everything else that crawled, walked, or flew (and took a general disliking to me) lol in all the UFO/X-COM games, and the gameplay is still as good now as it was way back when!”
- “You build bases, expand them with modules, research techs (story-wise you download them from galactic science corps, gameplay-wise it's just like research in every other such game), you hire pilots, buy craft, weapons, and equipment, and send them to intercept UFOs.”
- “I'm giving this a recommended rating, but I honestly wouldn't recommend it to anyone other than fans of the original who would like a little more plot and lore and don't mind the lacking gameplay.”
- “Balanced might be veteran and permadeath restrictions if you want to be challenged without getting annoying gameplay.”
- “The core gameplay is a space flight sim, which if you can convince it to play well with modern controllers can still be fun if silly time.”
graphics
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
83 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely criticized for being outdated and prone to issues such as stuttering and scrambling when using certain commands, particularly in the DOSBox port. While some players report that the game runs fine on modern systems with updates, the overall consensus is that the visuals have not aged well, making it difficult to recommend to new players.
- “The graphics start to stutter after you click on something.”
- “The graphics have aged poorly, and the DOSBox port doesn't help.”
- “It's hard to play nowadays with the dated graphics and controls.”
stability
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game is generally considered fun and easy to pick up, but users report significant stability issues, including glitches and crashes, particularly on Windows 7. Despite these bugs, many players still find the experience enjoyable and worth playing.
- “Buggy mess on Windows 7; jammer probe light years away; game crashes.”
- “Always did like this game, though it's got a few years on it now (and some glitches). It's still a lot of fun and quite easy to pick up.”
- “It glitches with probes, but apart from that, it is good.”
optimization
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with players reporting difficulty in loading and running it smoothly on modern computers, often limited to a maximum resolution of 1080x720. Despite its enjoyable gameplay, these technical shortcomings hinder overall recommendations.
- “It isn't too well optimized for modern computers, and I think the resolution has a maximum of around 1080x720, but it is still a great game.”
- “The optimization issues in 2021 have made it difficult for me to fully enjoy the game, despite my love for X-COM.”
replayability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
100 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Users note that the release of version 1.2 has significantly improved the game's playability, enhancing its overall replayability.
humor
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the humor in the game, particularly highlighting the amusing comments made by the pilots, which add a lighthearted and entertaining element to the overall experience.
- “The game is filled with hilarious comments from the pilots that keep you laughing throughout.”
- “I love how the pilots' funny remarks add a unique charm to the gameplay.”
- “The humor in the game, especially the witty comments from the pilots, makes every mission enjoyable.”