New X-Com Shooter Coming From BioShock 2 Studio

[AceDiamond]

Why are they doing this...? Can't we just have a straight up remake? The last time [http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/xcomenforcer?q=x-com%20enforcer] they tried making an FPS in the X-COM universe, it didn't go so well...

Yeah I guess it didn't go so well seeing as how Enforcer was a third-person action game. Whoops.

Details, details... third-person, first-person - makes very little difference in my view. You still run around shooting things. The only difference is whether or not you can see your own ass while you're doing it.

There are actually many differences but since I know you're not going to listen I'm not going to bother explaining it.

whoever decided to make an FPS out of X-com should be shot

Well you'd have to start with the X-Com Alliance people then because once again the idea of an X-Com FPS is not an unheard of idea

 

[GamingAwesome1]

*facepalm*

Just when I thought somebody else would throw caution to the wind and try to bring back the RTS they go and make it an FPS.

I mean god forbid you release a game that is destined to be dumbed-down pap for the FPS thickies.

Good opportunity wasted.

 

[Veylon]

What the heck? The point of X-Com was the mystery, the fear, the atmosphere. The Enemy Unknown was just that: you went into every battle uncertain as to what you would be fighting or where it would be. The maps were randomized; there was no memorization of key points. You never knew who would walk out of a battle alive or who would stop a plasma burst, or if an alien grenade or blaster bomb would come sailing out of the darkness and annihilate an entire squad. Every turn around a corner, every opened door offered the possibility of instant death. An FPS doesn't allow for this kind of random, unpredictable death and destruction to be inflicted on the player.

And the real beauty of the game? Everything the aliens use on you, you eventually get to use on them. There's a sort of balance or justice in this that makes the game a battle of wits by allowing the player access to the AI's toys.

 

[Nevyrmoore]

X-Com an FPS?

...if you'll excuse me, I have this sudden urge to go troll the /v/irgins on 4chan.

 

[Taawus]

Childhood... returning... memories... goooood.

 

[thiosk]

why can't we have a reimagined FUCKING X-COM

x-com UFO Defense is a great example of a perfect fucking game that doesn't need reimagining.

X-Com 2 lost the magic, X-com 3 was unplayble, and the "FPS" and flight sim versions were so atrocious.

Face the facts:

X-com was a victory because it was 50% strategy and 50% tactics.

Take that formula, copy the fuck out of it, and make a new xcom game. it doesn't even have to be turn based, a nice squad based ufo investigation combat would be wondarfullz

 

[Greywalker Zero]

What a pile of steaming doo-doo.
1> Microprose did NOT create X-COM; they bought it off Julian and Nick Gollop after they realised the original games were doing really well. Then proceeded to murder it. (see X-Com Interceptor for further details).
2> The best parts of the X-Com story were always written by its creators and the selection of enemies seemed to be more intrinsic to the game.
3> Strategy isometric / turn based squad combat engines have all but disappeared; not because there isn't any interest (see UFO: Aftermath / Aftershock / Afterlight for further details) but because companies like 2K and EA are unimaginative and desperate to appease shareholders than to appease the fans of classic genres.

Seriously, did they honestly think that 'their' idea had any merit to it what-so-ever?
Please; make a new X-Com game if you must but instead of spewing out yet another mediocre FPS wanna-be how about getting the mad-skillz out and make a new strategy team combat system?
Is it THAT hard? Or is it simply that the likes of 2K are scared that they won't look HARDCORE in front of EA and Mircosoft.
Heck, Microprose made a pretty penny from it...

 

[swordless]

Do a proper X-Com game and then I might care.

 

[Yog Sothoth]

Why are they doing this...? Can't we just have a straight up remake? The last time [http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/xcomenforcer?q=x-com%20enforcer] they tried making an FPS in the X-COM universe, it didn't go so well...

Yeah I guess it didn't go so well seeing as how Enforcer was a third-person action game. Whoops.

Details, details... third-person, first-person - makes very little difference in my view. You still run around shooting things. The only difference is whether or not you can see your own ass while you're doing it.

There are actually many differences but since I know you're not going to listen I'm not going to bother explaining it.

Well, let me ask you this: Which is more alike? A FPS to a third-person shooter, or a RTS to a third-person shooter?

My point is that X-COM should be a strategy game, not a twitch-factor shooter of any kind. I think we have enough of those already, especially on the Xbox...

 

[Chaos Marine]

*Screams of incoherent panic*

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

[Eric the Orange]

Rebelstar: Tactical Command for the GBA is the closest thing to XCOM now...

PLAY IT! NOW!

I'll wait and see how this turns out before passing judgment though.

I would gladly play anything that's even close to as good as X-COM, but finding old GBA games is not easy.

 

[Slaanax]

How bout a strategy FPS like the Old Space Hulk Games. If its fun I'll play it.

 

[Greywalker Zero]

*Screams of incoherent panic*

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Yup. That really does about sum this whole episode in gaming-foolery for me.
Do you think they'll 'reimagine' the Mech-Warrior series as a dance game next?
Or maybe they'll turn Silent Hill in to a Wipeout / Mario Cart thing?
How about Halo as a turn based isometric strategy?
WoW as a flight sim?

 

[swordless]

Then have you tried the UFO games [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO:_Aftermath]?

All 3 of these were pretty fun and I've seen the trilogy box set for about 10 bucks.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Good news for people who want another shooter from 2K marin, bad news for people who want another X-COM.

Rebelstar: Tactical Command is not much like X-COM at all really and wasn't even that easy to find when it was first released. I'd recommend UFO: Extraterrestrials or the original games. All of those are on steam if anyone wants to find out why us horrible old moaners have our panties in a bunch.

 

[Antari]

Other people have already covered the Fallout 3 thing so I'll just echo those comments: Despite the caterwauling from the offended minority who refuse to let go of 1997, Fallout 3 rocked the house. I'd be absolutely thrilled if XCom is that good.

I don't see how this one will pan out. FPS's are a dime a dozen, unless they do something spectacular it will fizzle just like X-Com 3 did when Microprose tried to remake the franchise, and ended up killing it.

Fallout 3 rocked the house because they made a hell of a game all around. I played the old Fallout's when they were released. Fallout 3 held close enough to the feel of the world to get by with going FPS instead of an RTS type.

X-Com's backstory wasn't nearly as expansive. They will be pulling alot of it out of a hat. They had better make sure its a white fluffy bunny and not a dead rabbit in a plastic bag. It would be nice to see them do it well. But with the current performance of the market with Fallout 3 being the exception to the rule. I'm not going to hold my breath.

 

[CD-R]

XCom? So you don't even play as X-Com in it? Well that's very lame.

Since there's a lot of gamers here who never played the original X-Com I guess I should explain how it worked. It was a turn based isometric strategy/ base building sim. Typical game play goes, detect a UFO. Send planes to shoot down UFO. Send squad in to kill remaining aliens and collect alien artifacts (the turn based strategy part). In between those missions you would be researching alien tech, building bases, managing staff like soldiers, scientists and engineers, managing your finances, performing autopsies on alien corpses, interrogating captured live aliens. There were also other mission types such as raiding alien bases. Sometimes aliens would terrorize cities and you would have to send your squad in to kill them all. Or defending your base from an alien assault. To win you had to capture certain high ranking aliens alive and interrogate them to find the location of the secret alien base on Mars and blow it up.

I already made a post on how to make a good remake of X-Com.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.131043-What-long-lost-franchise-would-you-like-to-see-again#2886357

A remake of a classic game can be good if you keep everything that was good about the original game and more or less give it a modern graphics update. (see the new Sid Meier's Pirates or New Super Mario Brothers Wii I suppose)

To everyone saying any remake needs to keep the isometric turn based view and can't be an FPS or third person action game, you're wrong and here's why. As someone pointed out earlier in the old X-Com games you could research the alien's tech to make new weapons and equipment. One of the upgrades you could get was power armor. Basically your troops went from being squishy humans that die with one shot, to space marines. Now what could be more awesome than that you ask? Well I'll tell you. It was the next armor upgrade.

FLYING POWER ARMOR

Power Armor that let your troops fly. To be fair it was more like hovering or levitating armor than FLYING POWER ARMOR but still. Imagine it. An FPS that gives you armor that lets you hover about the map. Use your FLYING POWER ARMOR to fly on to a roof top and get into a good sniping position. Aliens holed up on the third floor of a building? Blow a hole in the wall (the old X-Com games also had destructible environments) and fly in using your FLYING POWER ARMOR. Hell that could be the whole marketing campaign for it. XCom: it has FLYING POWER ARMOR.

I'm not usually one to side with the whiny fan boys when there's a remake or sequel of a classic game (See No Mutants Allowed on Fallout 3 and Sonic fans) But come on 2K Games. You're going to give us a run of the mill FPS where you play as an FBI agent instead of FLYING POWER ARMOR?

2K Games I am disappoint.


Edit: Think of the fun you could have if they included an alien interrogation mini game Also FLYING POWER ARMOR

 

[SangRahl]

I see 'XCom' and I go, "Sweet... (then I see the term 'FPS') jeebus I hope they don't screw this up."

I'd considered it once before... Turning the isometric maps of X-Com into 3D environments. You move your men as you would over a map, and then you have direct first-person control for visual reconaissance and shooting. But, as hair-raising as only having keyhole visual access to the battle, I couldn't see having to manually maneuver EVERY Winkin, Blinkin, and Nod through each firefight.

I'll just keep firing up my old copy and fiddling with weapon/soldier/alien stats for "new" experiences.

 

[tkioz]

Baby Jesus is crying. I want my RTS X-Com remake, not a silly FPS. I could handle it if, and only if they keep the geoscape and the FPS is like Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six, I think that could of worked well, but a straight FPS? Bleh!

 

[Chaos Marine]

And for those interested, you can get the entire series off Steam and Impulse and I think Good Old Games too.