X-COM: Alliance

X-COM: Alliance was one computer game of the X-COM series of games. It was developed by Hasbro Interactive's Hunt Valley, Maryland studio during 1999 and 2000, but was cancelled before completion.

Overview

X-COM: Alliance was being developed by Hasbro Interactive (HI) as part of their attempt to turn X-COM into a brand, much like Monopoly, Clue and other Hasbro properties. X-COM: Genesis was to be the first game in this effort, Alliance the second.

Unlike other games in the X-COM series, most of which were turn-based strategy, Alliance was a first person shooter. The game had the player assume the role of a trooper in an X-COM squad. Through the first-person perspective of a squaddie, the player would fight the hostile alien invaders.

The player would start with a group of 12 troopers, unable to recruit more as the game progressed. Also unlike most of the previous games, especially the first, X-COM: UFO Defense, most of the squaddies would be female (in the initial two games, females comprised about 25–40% of the squad members). This was done apparently in attempt to appeal to the mostly male gamer demographic.

Plot

The game takes place in 2062 when the Patton, an Earth research ship, travels to Cydonia to acquire as much Sectoid technology as possible (the Sectoids were the human's main enemies in the first two games). The Patton goes through a dimensional gateway and ends up many light years from Earth. There they find the Sectoids engaged in a war with a new alien race, the Ascidians. The player must join forces with this new race in order to defeat the Sectoids. This alliance gives the game its name.

Development

Development progressed and game design advice was lended by X-COM develpment veteran Dave Ellis. The game garnered favorable previews by several video game industry magazines.

At the end of 1999, the Hunt Valley studio survived the first round of studio closures enacted by HI when they decided to scale back their efforts in the video and computer game industry.

Later in 2000, however, the Hunt Valley studio was also closed down and the game was scrapped.

The team

Producer

• Martin De Riso

Lead Software Engineer

• Chris Coon

Game desinger

• Chris Clark

See also

• X-COM: Genesis

External link

• IGN's preview of the ill-fated game