USC: Counterforce Is A Bit Original XCOM, A Bit Borderlands, A Bit Something Else

You Can Only Learn By Losing At First

There are quite a few comments on the Steam page for USC: Counterforce and even Rock, Paper, SHOTGUN originally gave up on the game immediately, because the devs decided to make the first mission unwinnable.  The start is even worse than Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, your squad will run out of ammo and die horrifically.  That’s the point, these were the first to encounter the alien swarms and were utterly unprepared.  Their deaths serve to teach you about the game and to ensure the second team, the one you control throughout the game, what is needed to survive.

Your soldiers start out with solid skills, they can still improve through experience but you aren’t starting out with rookies.  Inventory management is huge and what you bring with you has a big impact.  Their are medkits that lower your moral while boosting action points, or ones that you can OD on which then paralyze your squaddie.

You will need to mine and make money to expand your base and resources in USC: Counterforce, as well as develop new weapons.  That’s where the Borderlands part comes in, you can upgrade weapons or use your resources to create a prototype, “a novel variant of a weapon, with randomised bonuses.”  You won’t know what you get until you spend the resources, it could be amazing or it could be like one of those Borderland weapons drops that offers you nothing.

For just over $20 it’s likely old Jagged Alliance and UFO: Defence fans won’t consider USC: Counterforce a waste of money.