New X-COM Announced

[Gimli]

Kotaku reports that a new X-COM game has been announced. An FPS simply called XCOM, it is being developed for the Xbox360 and PC by 2K Marin and is a re-imagining of the original franchise.

A quote by 2K's president Christoph Hartmann:

 

"With BioShock 2, the team at 2K Marin proved themselves as masters of first-person, suspenseful storytelling, and with XCOM they will re-imagine and expand the rich lore of this revered franchise," said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. "Players will explore the world of XCOM from an immersive new perspective and experience firsthand the fear and tension of this gripping narrative ride."

 

You can read the rest of the article here.

 

The official web site has been launched with some basic information:

XCOM is the re-imagining of the classic tale of humanity

[Bomb Bloke]

AN agent is tasked with identifying and eliminating the growing threat? As in, one?

 

Granted they're not giving us much to go on here, but this XCOM smells to me of a linear game, where you're handed objectives in a set order, and nothing much happens until you complete them.

 

As opposed to something, like, say, X-COM, where what you've discovered in terms of "plot" has very little to do with what sort of missions you'll be performing.

 

But I suppose before I go off on a big long rant I should wait until I know what I'm to be ranting about. They used the term "strategy" in their description, so there's hope that strategy does, in fact, exist within their game design. I guess we'll see.

 

I mean, I've got nothing against the idea of X-COM as a FPS (I'm still annoyed about the whole Alliance-never-getting-finished thing), but this certainly won't work as a traditional FPS (we don't need another Enforcer, even if that game was decent fun).

 

My main concern is their use of the term "re-imagining". I'm not interested in hearing that the X-COM canon of this last decade or so is going out the window.

[Gimli]

Take a look at the 2k forums. There was a viral marketing campaign for the last week or so and the material posted there suggests that it might be set either at the time of Alien War 1 or before it happened. Could be touching on the agents (the ones who are tasked with finding alien bases). We'll see.

[Sunflash]

Welp, so much for sleeping tonight!

[Guest Guest_thecyke_*]

Very cautiously optimistic,thats some big name studios mentioned there. What an utterly odd first screenshot to post though.

[Sorbicol]

Well, if anyone can capture the atmosphere of X-COM then I guess the people behind Bioshock aren't a bad choice.

 

This is clearly going to be an FPS though as they are aiming it Console as well as PC. My initial responce is one of disappointed Sceptism that it's not going to be a TBS type game. Then again, is it is a good job and works well then maybe we can look forward to that in the future.

[Guest Joe Johnson]

It's so sad!

XCOM is a round based strategy game, not a FPS. XCOM was/is one of the best games I have ever played.

What are they doing??? I just can't believe it.

[AlanatXcomHQ]

Personally, I think this new game could very well be a Bioshock / Rainbox Six: Vegas 2 kind of hybrid, using ability / stat strategy of Bioshock's for potential stat increase like in X-com 1 and 2 and for FPS strategy gameplay like Vegas 2

[Chryssalid_Victim]

I'd say give them a chance. A lot of the 2k guys are self confessed X-Com fans and obviously they believe they can pull something off.

 

They know they're going to cause a stir by turing it into an FPS and re-booting the franchise but I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt until we actually see anything.

 

I have no doubt it'll be a great FPS with a highly immersive storyline, because that's what those guys do, but whether it's a X-Com game remains to be seen.

 

Still, not writing them off yet. I can think of plenty of really cool things to see from an FPS perspective....like a Chyrssalid dragging a squad member off and promptly shivving him in true Chryssalid fashion...although I doubt they'll be in the game it's something I could dream of....and then have nightmares about.

 

At least I've got the Steam Pack to fall back on if it is a big dark gothy failure...man that first game just NEVER gets old.

[Space Voyager]

Well I'll be DAMNED... Now excuse me while I go and digest this all.

 

BTW, TheCyke, AFAIK you have a registration here. What is all this about guest? You're no guest, you're a local!

[Ki-tat Chung]

Extremely nervous, esp about the "re-imagining" as BB mentioned...but still excited!

[Thorondor]

Covers from the Official Xbox Magazine June issue (newsstand and subscriber special editions). On sale May 4th...

 

 

::

 

GamesRadar reports:

The exclusive cover story takes you deep into XCOM

[Greywalker Zero]

I knew it the moment I woke up this morning that today was going to give me a sign of the End of Days and here, ladies and gentlemen, is it.

2K are desperate to stay in the 'big games' market (especially with the likes of EA churning out the death rattles of Bioware and Pandemic (R.I.P.) ) and therefore they have taken it upon themselves to send an e-mail to Cthulhu and Satan for an express delivery of fresh demon-spunk in order to melt the minds and standards of the gaming community.

 

And lo did the black squirrel be seen as far south as Lutton and cheese rain upon the sick and the broken...

I'm telling you... End... of.... Days (and not the Arnie movie...)

[Bloodmoney]

It's only X-Com by name, another crappy effort to milk down franchise, like Bethesda did with Fallout 3. Congratulations developers & publishers, another franchise raped for your own greed.

[Space Voyager]

I was hyped up about Alliance already, so I don't know why I would dislike this game by default. Can't wait. They better not screw it up.

[Sunflash]

I love the internet. All we really know is what's on that site, and yet already people are having heart attacks.

 

I think I'll have to just ignore this thread for awhile, or find a way to filter that actual news from the hystriacs.

[Bloodmoney]

I love the internet. All we really know is what's on that site, and yet already people are having heart attacks.

I loved it also. Another crappy game in franchise which don't belong to the same genre like original ones, yet people are excited about it.

[Guest Guest_Exarch_*]

I'm entirely split on this. Will it be good? Probably. Will it be X-COM? Maybe, if they try really hard to capture the same atmosphere as UFO Defense. I'd better find myself walking through the familiar dark corridors of an alien base to be ambushed by a Reaper or Chrysallid. I see what they're trying to do, but... at the same time, they've essentially said "We're removing all the game mechanics that made the originals popular. Oh and we're rebooting the story." "So why is this X-COM?" "...I'll get back to you on that."

 

The thing that urks me the most though is from the screenshot, and those magazine covers, this is obviously set in the 1940s or 50s, and I'm getting Bioshock meets X-COM vibes all over. Bioshock was based on 1950s sci-fi also. Considering it's made by the same people, I feel it's no coincidence that it almost seems like they're doing Bioshock 3 with a different backstory, if that makes sense. 2K Marin seems to be hung up on the 1950s style. If my beloved Heavy Plasma guns are replaced by cheesy, stereotypical 1950s rayguns, I won't be happy.

[Exarch]

I'm entirely split on this. Will it be good? Probably. Will it be X-COM? Maybe, if they try really hard to capture the same atmosphere as UFO Defense. I'd better find myself walking through the familiar dark corridors of an alien base to be ambushed by a Reaper or Chrysallid. I see what they're trying to do, but... at the same time, they've essentially said "We're removing all the game mechanics that made the originals popular. Oh and we're rebooting the story." "So why is this X-COM?" "...I'll get back to you on that."

 

The thing that urks me the most though is from the screenshot, and those magazine covers, this is obviously set in the 1940s or 50s, and I'm getting Bioshock meets X-COM vibes all over. Bioshock was based on 1950s sci-fi also. Considering it's made by the same people, I feel it's no coincidence that it almost seems like they're doing Bioshock 3 with a different backstory, if that makes sense. 2K Marin seems to be hung up on the 1950s style. If my beloved Heavy Plasma guns are replaced by cheesy, stereotypical 1950s rayguns, I won't be happy.

 

Sorry for the double post, but I just remembered my log in and wanted to add something. >.>

 

I think the saving grace for this as opposed to something like Fallout 3 or C&C4 is that it's not claiming to be a direct sequel. This is not X-COM 4. It's a side story, and I'm all for franchises splitting off into different genres. But it's yet to be seen if the style is going to be so radically different that it's not even recognizable anymore. I'm skeptical, certainly, but I'll wait to see some actual aliens and not an obviously early Alpha screenshot of a flat-shaded, untextured UFO blowing up some poor fool.

[Gimli]

The setting is part of the problem. It's set in the 50s or 60s, but X-COM was formed in 1998. As such, I do not see what the game has to do with X-COM in the first place.

[Exarch]

The setting is part of the problem. It's set in the 50s or 60s, but X-COM was formed in 1998. As such, I do not see what the game has to do with X-COM in the first place.

 

Which is why I think they're rebooting it to fit with their 1950s fetish. Like I said, it's definitely what's irking me the most. Hopefully... HOPEFULLY this is just a prequel, and X-COM will still be officially established in modern times. But if they really are going for "X-COM in the 50s," I'm going to be disappointed.

[Bloodmoney]

I wonder if the X-COM game Firaxis is supposedly working, will be also set in 50/60 or later. Still another Enfoncer-like game is a tragedy.

[Matri]

Which is why I think they're rebooting it to fit with their 1950s fetish. Like I said, it's definitely what's irking me the most. Hopefully... HOPEFULLY this is just a prequel, and X-COM will still be officially established in modern times. But if they really are going for "X-COM in the 50s," I'm going to be disappointed.

I take it you've never played X-Com: Apocalypse, then.

[Exarch]

I take it you've never played X-Com: Apocalypse, then.

 

Oh, I played Apocalypse, and I loved Apocalypse. But there's a difference between taking a 1950s style, and actually being set IN the 1950s. At least Apocalypse built on what was already there. We had elerium powered craft, plasma guns, etc. It was clearly a futuristic setting, the backdrop was a last bastion on Earth as humanity spread out into space looking for new places to settle. We had human/alien hybrids from the previous wars, robots, and a dystopian society that formed in the wake of the previous alien wars. The 1950s art style was iffy, but when you remove that, you don't really lose what X-COM Apocalypse was.

 

An X-COM based in the actual 1950s will have none of that. There won't be a Skyranger, there won't be jet interceptors, auto-cannons, and other familiar elements of the old games. If they do, it's going to look out of place and essentially give a "Sky Captain" vibe. I can only speak for myself, but I don't want 1950s comic book X-COM, I want modern X-COM.

 

They're just going to have to be really careful with what they do. Like I said, we already know the gameplay won't be familiar, classic X-COM turn based strategy, and they're rebooting the story. So what will make this X-COM? Well... we just don't know right now. And that's really not a good way to make your first announcement. It has the potential to be really awesome, or to flop horribly, depending on how much they use Bioshock as inspiration over X-COM.

 

As for the worry about it being another Enforcer... I highly doubt that. Enforcer was a rushed product to not let the X-COM Alliance assets go to waste. This will be polished, I have no doubt of that. The question is whether it'll be recognizable as X-COM or not.

[Zombie]

I find it odd that nobody has brought up the name yet: XCOM. Why did they drop the X-COM (with dash) terminology? They hold the license so that isn't the issue...

 

- Zombie