XCom E3 Trailer Brings the Disappointment

[Antari]

The bastardization of my beloved X-Com is complete. It wasn't bad enough they made 4 follow up's that failed for the most part except for maybe #2. The wounds were just healing, now they go to open it up again. This time with the salt of FPS. Just listen for the loud scream of pain on release day, that will be me.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

They should give this game a new name to reflect it's freshness and originality compared the old clichéd XCOM. Something like X-CASES: The Thing from Uranus. Amirite? Arf. etc.

 

[Andy Chalk]

Jesus christ Andy, it doesn't look that bad, Not great, but not terrible. Guess I never played the original though.

You guess you never played the original? Maybe you should check into that.

I've already said this before: It'd be very foolish of 2K to waste the X-Com name on a half-baked FPS. If all this is going to be is another "blah" shooter with aliens, then give it its own name - someone suggested Alienshock, which is excellently horrible - and keep X-Com for when something truly special is in the pipe.

As far as the trailer goes, it's just not that good. It's flat, it's dull. I'm loathe to say that it's not "worthy" of the X-Com name, but there it is. The game needs to be a whole lot better than "not terrible" to justify rejuvenating the name, and the reveal trailer, especially one crafted for E3, needed to be great. This wasn't.

It doesn't mean the game will suck, but it's not an especially promising sign.

 

[lee1287]

Oh.

Oh no.

Oh no NO NO!

Whats th film at the end of that montage? chainsaw hands?

 

[Sevre]

Although the video has been removed, judging from the comments this seems to be like Starcraft:Ghost

 

[Owlgravy]

I'm not saying its going to be a welcome addition to the xcom franchise (although it looks like it might be good in its own right)

But, to all those who don't like the 50s look, I'd like to say that my dad worked on a couple of the x-com games (and btw - can tell you precisely why enforcer was made into a pile of suck) and he told me that 50s was the look that x-com was based on (With exception to various pieces of tech) and TFTD had the 50s vibe more apparent with the.... something or other... he told me this yesterday when I sent him the link to the trailer and I cant remember what he said... Yes, I have a bad memory.

 

[Vankraken]

The difference between the fallout reboot and this X-Com reboot is that fallout in both styles was still at its core a RPG while this is a FPS with zero shown elements of anything tactical, strategic, or macro management. Also fallout 3 still had there symbolic elements of BoS, super mutants, death claws, the vaults, vault boy, etc. This X-Com has shown zero Sectoids (the gray aliens of classic UFOlogy) Mutons, Etherials, Chrysalids, normal UFOs, bases, squads of soldiers, the list goes on. Sorry but this game reeks of a FPS version of the X-Files instead of X-Com which is about the international organization tasked with combating the alien invasion (eXtraterrestrial COMbat unit) and not some department inside the FBI (which is what the X-Files thing is and what 2k is saying for the back story of this xcom game).
2K is trying to profit off the license of one of the most abused (and yet brilliant) game series ever.
Ill gladly take an x-com tactical strategy (RT or TB), FPS, RTS, RPG, flight sim, or just about any other style of game as long as ITS ACTUALLY ABOUT X-COM. Please get your Mulder and Scully out of my X-Com please.

 

[GothmogII]

The difference between the fallout reboot and this X-Com reboot is that fallout in both styles was still at its core a RPG while this is a FPS with zero shown elements of anything tactical, strategic, or macro management. Also fallout 3 still had there symbolic elements of BoS, super mutants, death claws, the vaults, vault boy, etc. This X-Com has shown zero Sectoids (the gray aliens of classic UFOlogy) Mutons, Etherials, Chrysalids, normal UFOs, bases, squads of soldiers, the list goes on. Sorry but this game reeks of a FPS version of the X-Files instead of X-Com which is about the international organization tasked with combating the alien invasion (eXtraterrestrial COMbat unit) and not some department inside the FBI (which is what the X-Files thing is and what 2k is saying for the back story of this xcom game).
2K is trying to profit off the license of one of the most abused (and yet brilliant) game series ever.
Ill gladly take an x-com tactical strategy (RT or TB), FPS, RTS, RPG, flight sim, or just about any other style of game as long as ITS ACTUALLY ABOUT X-COM. Please get your Mulder and Scully out of my X-Com please.

It's not like they've shown much other than the FPS aspects, which, I'd imagine is what they thought people would be most interested in seeing. We don't know if there's going to be a tactical interface that allows you to give your men orders, or what kind of strategies you can use. All we know is this: It's an FPS, and they've stripped out everything that resembles previous incarnations of X-COM. (Arguably, Apocalypse did this too, as it's vastly different in style, if containing basically the same gameplay elements.)

Whether or not this game is going to be a failure remains to be seen. Don't really see the need to get our feathers ruffled over nothing. Don't know if this was mentioned before, but the older games -are- still widely available, you can buy packs, or even download them of Steam, there's nothing stopping anyone from playing and enjoy them.

 

[KillerRabbit]

What concerns me is the amount of people who haven't played X-Com here. Probably one of the finest (and hardest) TBS games ever made.

Amen to that...

Anyway, I will re-title this "game" to "X-Files FPS" and play it anyway

Btw, I just replayed X-com 1 & 2 to the end, for the "23th" time Amazing games these X-com games!

 

[MarsProbe]

I take great solace in the fact that I read an interview in my print media magazine that pretty much destroys all you naysayers and what you are thinking this game will be. it will not be generic and shootery, it still manages to pump all the Xcom strategy into a far more atmospheric format.

Does this print media magazine have a name? Just so everyone else can look it up and be put right, as it seems they need to be.

Still a rather uninspiring trailer though. What a pity.

 

[philosophicalbastard]

Everyone please stop your bitching over the title, really your worse than boycotters.

O.T.:It looks interesting, but I hope they include more enemies besides geometry and BP oil.

 

[V8 Ninja]

Let's think about this for a second guys; would a turn-based strategy game involving aliens EVER sell a good amount of copies (more than half-a-million) in today's market? Of course not. The strategy genre has basically died for those unwilling to scour the PC gaming scene where a decent gaming rig can cost upwards of $1,000. 2K Marin is just trying to make a (hopefully) good game that is profitable and has familiar elements to a more-than-a-decade-old game. And besides, I'd rather see a failed attempt to bring the series in a new direction than a complete rehash of the previous game.

 

[thehorror2]

I take great solace in the fact that I read an interview in my print media magazine that pretty much destroys all you naysayers and what you are thinking this game will be. it will not be generic and shootery, it still manages to pump all the Xcom strategy into a far more atmospheric format.

Curiousity: which print media magazine was this? I'd like to read it for myself.

 

[Ontoue]

Apparently the video was removed by the user, so... Yeah.

 

[GothmogII]

Let's think about this for a second guys; would a turn-based strategy game involving aliens EVER sell a good amount of copies (more than half-a-million) in today's market? Of course not. The strategy genre has basically died for those unwilling to scour the PC gaming scene where a decent gaming rig can cost upwards of $1,000. 2K Marin is just trying to make a (hopefully) good game that is profitable and has familiar elements to a more-than-a-decade-old game. And besides, I'd rather see a failed attempt to bring the series in a new direction than a complete rehash of the previous game.

I don't entirely agree with that, what about Civilisation? Or the recent Total war games? I don't know the numbers, but I'm reasonably sure those sold very well. Overall, yes, FPS'es win out due to sheer numbers. But even then, numbers alone are not a good indicator of quality, right

Secondly why would you have to buy a $1000 PC to play an RTS or TBS? That's the kind of money and upwards even people spent to be able to play Crisis. An FPS.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

Let's think about this for a second guys; would a turn-based strategy game involving aliens EVER sell a good amount of copies (more than half-a-million) in today's market? Of course not. The strategy genre has basically died for those unwilling to scour the PC gaming scene where a decent gaming rig can cost upwards of $1,000. 2K Marin is just trying to make a (hopefully) good game that is profitable and has familiar elements to a more-than-a-decade-old game. And besides, I'd rather see a failed attempt to bring the series in a new direction than a complete rehash of the previous game.

How do you know much a turn based strategy game would sell? The only reason that Civ games are made is that they keep on selling millions. When UFO was made there were very low sales expectations for it from Microprose. Nobody can seriously tell me that there is some iron law about what strategy games can sell or that they can not be profitable.

It's true that Strategy games work better on the PC. Some benefit from more detail in higher resolutions while console games still have to run on standard TV resolutions and mouse control is normally needed to stay sane. It pisses me off that my favourite genre should just be written off because they are associated with PC and platform warriors have decided that PC gaming needs to be attacked at every opportunity. Don't do that.

It's none of my business what poor old 2k marin are doing to try to make ends meet. A rehash would be disappointing but if there is any game that deserves the HD remake treatment it is UFO. The best result would be if some super competent dev could make a true sequel that really takes the game concept forward without throwing the baby away with the bath water. I not sure that any dev that good exists and many other UFO fans agree with me which is why they are willing to settle for a UFO remake or some sort of complex tactical shooter (which I wouldn't want to play myself).

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Let's think about this for a second guys; would a turn-based strategy game involving aliens EVER sell a good amount of copies (more than half-a-million) in today's market? Of course not.

Damn, Steam must be losing money on these re-releases then:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/1620/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/7760/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/7650/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/42890/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/37030/
http://store.steampowered.com/sub/2008/

And especially that forthcoming release...what was it? Civilisation V?