X-COM: Interceptor

X-COM: Interceptor was the series' third installment and also the first to significantly depart from the formula made famous by the original X-COM: UFO Defense. Instead of turn-based ground missions with soldiers and aliens, it offered a game set in space around Jupiter, where the player, as commander of a newly formed UFO frontier organization, manages a network of space stations and fights the alien invasion directly from the cockpit of a fighter ship. Story-wise the game follows on from the events of the previous installments, but shifts the battle for humanity's fate from cities on Earth into deep space.

The core of the game is management - building and upgrading stations, researching new technologies and ships, trading resources - combined with real-time action space combat controlled similarly to classic flight simulators. The player could customize ships' weapons and equipment, hire pilots with their own stats and experience, and plan the defense of individual sectors against the growing alien threat. This shift toward faster, more action-oriented gameplay divided the series' fans - some appreciated the change of pace and more direct action, while others missed the strategic depth and thoughtful turn-based missions the brand was founded on.

The game ran on the then-current Windows 95/98 and used 3D-accelerated graphics, making it a technically ambitious project for its time, though it required a fairly powerful computer. Despite mixed reception and a number of technical ailments, Interceptor remains an interesting example of how far the X-COM brand could be experimentally stretched in the nineties, before it returned to its turn-based roots many years later.

Why play: Interceptor is for players who want a taste of the era when the X-COM brand was still searching for its identity - the combination of space management and arcade combat offers a different experience than the series' later turn-based installments, even at the cost of less strategic depth.