XCOM is a great example, that one I do play from time to time. TFTD more specifically, that was the first one of the series I saw and played so it's special, it also has a few improvements over the original I prefer. My buddy and I would hotseat the game, we each had a character we'd control. Which totally sucked by the time Psychics popped up and we realised one or both characters had the mental fortitude of a vegetable.
snowblizz
I also am a massive fan of XCOM, TftD was ridiculously hard though! Here's a thread on Warseer discussing the game from the demo. It actually sounds really good! I was worried they'd ruin it.
I'm currently enthralled with a Space-Roguelike called Faster than Light which I reckon could be a winner similar to Dwarf Fortress.
MLP
Yeah, I've been doing time with FTL too. Great little game and close to something I wanted to create for myself a few years back. Their version is much better though. Still haven't completed it though. I find it rather difficult.
GRNDL
It is pretty difficult, but I'm getting through, I've beat the boss on easy and unlocked a few shipss with extra layouts. Hopefully the modding commuiy will get on making some cool packs for it
I also am a massive fan of XCOM, TftD was ridiculously hard though! Here's a thread on Warseer discussing the game from the demo. It actually sounds really good! I was worried they'd ruin it.
MLP
Ridiculously hard, really? I never saw it as such. Can't remember it as such. Then again, I've never been afraid to use the save/load button often. Though I can't recall which degree of difficulty I've played it on at best. Could mainly have been going at it on easy.
There was/is a OSS version of the original game being developed that was very good. I played some of the earlier versions, haven't checked how it looks now.
Another game I go back to BTW, Colonization, I remembered it now with all the reboot talk and and remembering buying a Civ4 based re-make of the game. The weird thing, all the improvements in graphics were lost to under the weight of changed gameplay. When the old bad (compared to what is available now, I don't consider the old graphics bad per se) graphics give you a better feel for the game, the "European view" this is most noticeable in something is rather off.
That is a trend I notice quite heavily actually. In many many cases the older less sophisticated games had much greater immersion than the newer remakes. Rose-tinted glasses or do the new developers just not get it?