RetroAhoy: X-COM

Next up: Iconic Arms.

00:00 Introduction
02:02 Julian Gollop
11:05 16-bit Transition
18:00 MicroProse & UFO's Development
22:47 Basic Gameplay - Geoscape
26:32 Basic Gameplay - Battlescape
32:33 Game Progression
41:58 Late Game & Ending
46:08 Reception
48:14 Sequels
56:14 The Fall of MicroProse
01:02:58 Mythos Post-XCOM
01:07:08 UFO Clones
01:11:50 Firaxis & Take-Two
01:15:48 XCOM
01:31:27 Mods
01:33:20 Snapshot Games
01:35:58 Conclusion

[ColtGColtG]

X-COM, the game that taught many gamers that a 90% chance to hit misses 60% of the time

[CapitalTeeth]

This man went from CoD weapon guides (when his channel was still named Xbox Ahoy) to hour long documentaries about old games.
And on god I loved watching that transformation unfold ever since his first iconic arms video.

[jamieenoshima]

When I finished this game I did the final mission while running out of time. A good chunk of my experienced members where critically wounded. So I went in with the 60 squad team 10 veterans. 50 rookies.

It was a massacre. Immediately on landing it was like D-Day. The rookies got gunned down left and right. Chrysallids jumped everyone. We tried to split as quickly as possible into squads and get out of the heavy suppression. Eventually all that was left was a squad of 5 veterans. Desperately searching for the mother brain. 3 stayed back to hold the advance of Chrysallids. They didn't last long. But one of the survivors limping set enough explosive charges on timer and blasted enough rockets they'd took most of the swarm with them.

Two left, my leader from the beginning and my second in command. Psychic attack, my leader was possessed. Took shots at the second in command who couldn't bring herself to shoot X-coms longest serving and most respected veteran. Limping bleeding out I accepted that this is a defeat. Yet the room she stumbled into. Was the room with mother brain. We had about 2 turns left till she would have bled out. And on the last turn before her death she fired enough shots into mother brain. Ended the alien threat for good. No survivors but humanity was saved.

[Chaosrain]

The textbook definition of QUALITY over quantity. Always a treat, Stu.

[mysteriousstranger]

I've never played a minute of any xcom
Yet I'm watching with bated breath and living the whole story as Ahoy unravels it

[SSCEurobeat]

This man has the power to make me wanna play anything he talks about

[LarixusSnydes]

"They could wipe out the entire population of a city, or worse... negatively affect your performance score.". Brutal, but true in X-Com. Thank you for yet another great documentary. Always a treat.

[MedlifeCrisis]

A humdrum Friday suddenly becomes a great day. Ahoy is just a class apart.

[LUNATIC]

The original X-Com sits in my 'holy trinity' of all time favourite games. This video was a wonderful homage to the series and a pleasure to watch.

[eljuanchosirk]

This man made me buy the xcom:enemy unknown and made me discover a whole new franquise I didn't know existed. This is some extremely good free marketing you made here and I love it.

[mindshuffler]

I literally do not exaggerate when I say that an upload from Ahoy feels like Christmas.

[acethegunnerd]

The fact that Ahoy absolutely nails tying in the graphics design on each one of his videos never fails to impress me.

[bigtastyben]

Stu is one of the very few youtubers who can make hour long videos and not make it feel like a bloated mess.

[ReverendTed]

Fantastic as always.
Exceptionally minor quibble, but at 1:34:40, Phoenix Point gets a Chaos Reborn title banner.

[Lebjs_]

I like how AHOY's community is used to the long waits, it's kinda like a stray cat who drops in every once in a while, happy to see it but not bothered or worried if it doesn't show up for a while.

[rocky]

I can't believe I hadn't found this video before. Wonderful production as always, but this one in specific warms my heart- The old XCom, on my dad's dinky laptop, was the first video game I ever played. It opened my eyes to a whole new world, and to this day still holds a special place in my heart. Seeing it explored and given so much attention and love- it's a great thing.

[alphalight]

Can’t even begin to imagine how much work it takes to produce a video like this.

[erichobbs]

As a huge X-COM fan, this made my day. I'm chuffed to bits.

[ZappBranniglenn]

It's fascinating how much of Enemy Unknown's mechanics date all the way back to the first XCOM game. What an impressive title.

[pokehybridtrainer]

You will fear 95%. If it ain't 100, you know it can and will miss in the OG UFO: Enemy Unknown.