X-COM: Enforcer

X-COM: Enforcer is a computer game created by Infogrames. It is the fifth game in the X-COM series, but takes place in a time line separate to that established by the first four games of the series. This game was presented as a third-person shoot'em up game instead of tactical turn-based strategy as in previous games.

Plot
The game is set during the First Alien War in 1999. Unmentioned in the storyline as played out by X-COM: UFO Defense, funding was being provided to a program tasked with creating the ultimate robot warrior, led by a Professor Able Standard. However, owing to funding cuts by nations involved with the X-Com program, they were forced to abandon the project. Professor Standard refused to stop the project, carrying it on in secret in the Nevada desert. On completion, Enforcer was unleashed on the invading alien hordes.

Although set during the first alien war, the story portrayed in the game is not reflective of the canon of the game series. The game follows Enforcer as he defeats alien forces throughout the United States, including several special alien creations aimed to destroy him. In the end, Able Standard discovers the alien mothership, which is behind the recent attacks on Earth. It is about to unleash an attack on Earth, and only Enforcer can stop it. Even though professor is mortally wounded by aliens, he, in his last moments, sends Enforcer through a teleport right to the mothership. Eventually this leads to a showdown with a cloaked alien leader known as "High Ethereal", who taunts the Enforcer, and after the Ethereal is defeated the Mothership self-destructs and Enforcer is jettisoned into space, with the scientist's dying words echoing through its mind before fading to black.

Gameplay
In single player mode, the player assumes the role of the Enforcer. The game takes place from a 3rd person perspective and uses both the keyboard and mouse as controls. The aim of each level revolves mainly around killing aliens and rescuing hostages. Each kill results in "data points" being dropped by the deceased aliens, which Enforcer can pick up and use between missions to accomplish research. Enforcer can also pick up "Unresearched objects" which expands the available research paths resulting in new weapons and armour. The aim of majority of the missions is to destroy alien transporter drones to prevent them from teleporting into various sites around the transporter. Some mission has the player to survive from alien waves, protecting important facilities, and fighting bosses.

Puzzles which present themselves in the game are simple and the focus of gameplay centres on continual action and continual masses of aliens.

Characters
X-COM: Enforcer features a few central characters, plus a bestiary of normal enemies which player fights throughout the game. The game is set during the X-COM: Enemy Unknown, so many enemies may be familiar to those who played this game. The returning enemies are: Sectoids, Mutons, Chryssalids, Snakemen, Sectopods, Reapers, and a single Ethereal. Other enemies unique to the game include giant gorilla-like mutants, robotic suicide bombers, and flying humans turned cyborgs under alien control.


 * The Enforcer - main character of the game. A powerful robot, specially designed to eradicate aliens.
 * Professor Able Standard - the creator of the Enforcer and his operator, mentor, and only friend.
 * Giant Reapers - first boss, a giant, acid spitting, two-legged monstrosity. Later returns as a normal enemy.
 * Mutated Chryssalids - second boss battle is a struggle with two of these grotesque, dangerous creatures. Later encountered as normal enemies.
 * Cyberbeasts - third boss battle is a confrontation with three of them. These monsters are combination of technology, weaponry, and Earth's animal inhabitants fused together into a deadly killing machine. Later encountered as normal enemies.
 * Wargon - fourth boss, an attacking, heavily-armed column-like ship sent to destroy the Enforcer.
 * Mondellus - fifth boss, an ugly, English-speaking, tank-like cyborg created by aliens to destroy the Enforcer.
 * Arachnapod - sixth boss, a spider-like robot created by aliens from Earth's weaponry. The Enforcer also encounters a second Arachnapod during his assault of the alien mothership.
 * High Ethereal - final boss and the leader of alien forces storming Earth. This cloaked creature of immense mental power is the highest-ranking member of the Ethereals from the original "X-Com: Enemy Unknown". The High Ethereal is able to communicate with Earth inhabitants, including Enforcer, and is evidently holds a great hatred for them.

Critical response
Reviews for X-COM: Enforcer were mixed, receiving an overall Metascore of 65.

IGN claimed that the game is "pretty much nonstop action" and that it was perfect for "When [you've] only got fifteen minutes to kill", giving it a score of 8/10. Gamespot noted that "It's as mindless of a shooter as they come, and you can't help but be disappointed at the thought of this, in light of the series' roots as a mentally stimulating strategy game," with a review score of 64.

Computer Games Magazine was more harsh, claiming the game had "All the complexity and depth of a frying pan", giving it half marks.

Development
During production of the game, Hasbro canceled two other X-COM games that were in production: X-COM: Alliance and X-COM: Genesis. Given that Hasbro Interactive went out of business shortly after the release of X-COM: Enforcer, it's seen to be a mash of Alliance and Genesis resources in order to quickly make something at least marketable with the X-COM name. This can be seen in the game codes with some enemy model names having the Alliance alien Ascadian tags on them, as well as what was seen to be a room of the "Patton" spaceship being used for the scientist's hideout instead (a keen eye can spot the X-Com: Alliance armor hung on the sides).