X-Com, the classic 90's turn-based strategy game pitting mankind against alien invaders, is set to make a comeback as a first-person shooter, courtesy of the 2K studios behind BioShock 2.
The game, which is actually called XCOM, is in development for the Xbox 360 and PC at 2K Australia and 2K Marin, and makes substantial changes to the original series, combining research and planning elements not with overhead, turn-based strategy sections, but with first-person shooter action.
X-Com Is Back!"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."
It's funny, for years, people kept repeating the same rumour, that 2K Boston and Ken Levine would be making a new X-Com game. Don't think anyone expected it to come from 2K's other BioShock studio. Actually, I don't know if anyone honestly expected this at all.
Press release:-
2K Games Announces XCOM® - Suspense and Mystery-Filled First-Person Shooter from Creators of BioShock® 2
Award-winning developers set their sights on re-imagining the suspense, tension and fear of one of gaming’s most beloved franchises only on Xbox 360 and Windows PC
New York, NY – April 14, 2010– 2K Games announced today that XCOM®,the re-imagining of one of gaming’s most storied and beloved franchises,is currently in development at 2K Marin, the studio behind the multi-million unit selling BioShock® 2.Currently in development exclusively for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC, XCOM combines the strategic core of the groundbreaking franchise with a suspense-filled narrative and distills it into a tense and unique first-person shooter experience.
“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.”
XCOM is the re-imagining of the classic tale of humanity’s struggle against an unknown enemy that puts players directly into the shoes of an FBI agent tasked with identifying and eliminating the growing threat. True to the roots of the franchise, players will be placed in charge of overcoming high-stake odds through risky strategic gambits coupled with heart-stopping combat experiences that pit human ingenuity – and frailty – against a foe beyond comprehension. By setting the game in a first-person perspective, players will be able to feel the tension and fear that comes with combating a faceless enemy that is violently probing and plotting its way into our world.
XCOM is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information on XCOM please visit www.XCOM.com.
This will live or die on whether the FPS tactical segments are dynamically generated beleivable and naturalistic environments - preferably with terrain etc. destruction - or cookie-cutter bland crap that doesn't immerse you at all.
Its much easier to do dynamic random environments on a global scale (as opposed to a set area, like Fallout 3) with an isometric turn based game.
I say bring it on.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 02:39am
by Stark
Sounds pretty horrid. You're Fox Mulder with a spacegun and they badged it 'XCOM'. So what?
Until there's any actual evidence there's anything in common with the older games (not the more recent games, which all sucked shit, but the really, really old one that is shit but well-remembered) it's not even worth mentioning it.
EDIT - oh and if 2K release another first person game that can't be toggled to third person despite high quality player models, I'll be sad.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 02:47am
by wautd
It might work, and I'll be looking forward to it if it can deliver its promises but I'm remaining sceptic at this point. X-COM: Interceptor looked good on paper too.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 02:47am
by Nephtys
Part of me screams with incredible joy at the idea of another X-COM in development. Then another part of me looks at the Enforcer box I have somewhere in a closet. And I weep silent, invisible tears.
This sounds a lot like the latter. I'm hoping of course, that the word 'FBI agent' is not actually what you're going to be, just what the news release says. Well. Whatever happens, it cannot be worse than Enforcer.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 02:47am
by Kuroji
XCOM? FPS?
They could remake this in such an awesome way, these days, to make a tactical shooter in the vein of the original games. And instead they're making an FPS out of it? This isn't an XCOM game, this is an atrocity.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 03:34am
by Stark
wautd wrote:It might work, and I'll be looking forward to it if it can deliver its promises but I'm remaining sceptic at this point. X-COM: Interceptor looked good on paper too.
It did? Cynically gluing an IP onto a totally different game 'looked good'?
If you're lucky this will turn out like Syndicate, with linear and silly levels broken up by a strategic 'get guns' layer. That wouldn't be too horrid, if it worked; it's certainly not going to be OMG XCOM ON FOOT. The inclusion of 'XCOM' in the name is simply to sucker people who should know better.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 04:00am
by Vympel
Well they say there's going to be a geosphere component. Hopefully its what people fucking want, and not just same lame-ass "pick levels you want to do from here lol" (to channel STRAK for a second ) mechanic.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 04:02am
by Kuroji
Oh, it'll work, Stark. There are enough people who will go 'oh shit, XCOM! ...oh shit FPS. ...maybe there's a chance it won't totally suck.'
That's the bar for remakes, anymore.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 04:45am
by Stark
Vympel wrote:Well they say there's going to be a geosphere component. Hopefully its what people fucking want, and not just same lame-ass "pick levels you want to do from here lol" (to channel STRAK for a second ) mechanic.
I'm willing to accept there's even research or something in there. It'll come down to how they do levels and objective; like you say if it's dynamic enough it'll be fun regardless if it's nothing like XCOM.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 05:03am
by DPDarkPrimus
I picked up the XCOM games during that Steam sale for almost nothing, but I haven't had time to try them out yet. Which one should I start with when I get around to it?
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 05:17am
by Marcus Aurelius
Stark wrote:
Vympel wrote:Well they say there's going to be a geosphere component. Hopefully its what people fucking want, and not just same lame-ass "pick levels you want to do from here lol" (to channel STRAK for a second ) mechanic.
I'm willing to accept there's even research or something in there. It'll come down to how they do levels and objective; like you say if it's dynamic enough it'll be fun regardless if it's nothing like XCOM.
How could it be anything like XCOM, really? The original XCOM games were strategy games with a "real time" strategic and turn-based tactical component. Such games are long dead, but if it was an RTS it might catch some of the original XCOM spirit. However, since it's an FPS, the best it can do is to have some common story elements with XCOM. If it has decent multiplayer you can perhaps play XCOM and aliens with your clan, but the experience would still be just FPS multiplayer with an XCOM theme, no more or less.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 05:21am
by Sarevok
DPDarkprimus:
The first one. Terror from the deep is extremely hard and apocalypse not as good as previous games.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 06:52am
by Kuroji
Terror from the Deep is hard because everyone played XCOM on Impossible and beat it.
They only realized after TFTD came out that there was a bug and no matter what difficulty you select, it ran on Easy.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 07:11am
by Stark
And TFTD is full of broken mechanics (like guys always succeeding at the last psychic attempt they have time units for, etc). I preferred it, bugs aside.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 07:22am
by Kuroji
Which reminds me, I never did bother to install XCOM on this laptop when I got it. Pity... I should install Steam and do so, see how it works on this one, because the last one was entirely too finicky to enjoy it much.
Sadly though, I never played TFTD. Bit of a shame really, I'm going to have to pick it up someday before I upgrade to Windows 7 and it becomes unusable. Unless they figured a way around that anyway.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 08:40am
by Andrew_Fireborn
Kuroji wrote:Terror from the Deep is hard because everyone played XCOM on Impossible and beat it.
They only realized after TFTD came out that there was a bug and no matter what difficulty you select, it ran on Easy.
I'd actually heard it this way: UFO:EU would revert to Easy after the first mission regardless of difficulty selected, and TFTD would revert to Superhuman after it's first mission.
Still, I winced several times as I read this... There's no part of this that even remotely reads positive to me... 2k's Bioshock 2 team... Trying to create suspense in an FPS, based on a game series who's 'suspense' was based on ridiculously short LoS for your men, and the high lethality of combat...
As for which one to start with, UFO:EU/UFOD would be best. TFTD has a few research hiccups, and a number of restrictions on weapons... (Though, most aren't on useful weapons. Autocannon > Rocket Launcher.)
Apocalypse suffers from an overreach of scope, and incompletion. Though, I actually liked raiding the hell out of the cult of sirius. Good money, and something to do during the long downtimes... Although there's a ship class that only appears a few times during a relatively short window, that if not recovered ensures you're not going to beat that game.
A tip for UFO:EU though, if you see any zombie looking fuckers, or a giant bipedal black crab asshole... Don't get anywhere near them. Dust off, and nuke the site from orbit.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 09:38am
by Spekio
My first reaction was: "BLEAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Then I remembered that Fallout 3 managed to not totally suck. So there might be hope.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 10:05am
by White Haven
Rocket Launcher > Autocannon, by far. You just need to know how to use it right.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 10:23am
by Vendetta
Kuroji wrote:
Sadly though, I never played TFTD. Bit of a shame really, I'm going to have to pick it up someday before I upgrade to Windows 7 and it becomes unusable. Unless they figured a way around that anyway.
It's only UFO but painted blue.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 10:32am
by Andrew_Fireborn
I did always have a RL guy on my early game squads in UFOD... But it was somewhat tainted by TFTD being my first, and it's Torpedo Launcher being limited to underwater only. So that I preferred grenades on my rifle mooks and the autocannon on UFO door duty.
Though, it's like RPGs, I start, burn out or get distracted, and months later when I get around to picking it back up, I restart because I forget where I was. Still haven't beaten TFTD, and only completed UFOD once, because I found a trainer when I was 12... (Though, prior to outright cheating, I was a pretty big "savescummer." )
Should probably legitimately beat them. But Monster Hunter Tri's dropping next week...
Vendetta wrote:It's only UFO but painted blue.
Yes and no... it is fairly harder, if only because of the Lobster Men and the fact that they made the Chrysalids FLY!...
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 11:13am
by Vendetta
Andrew_Fireborn wrote:
Vendetta wrote:It's only UFO but painted blue.
Yes and no... it is fairly harder, if only because of the Lobster Men and the fact that they made the Chrysalids FLY!...
Well yes, they turned all your weapon stats down and turned all the enemy stats up as well, and made more multipart missions, but by and large painting it blue was the big change.
Psionics, for instance, were still hilariously broken for all concerned.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 01:57pm
by Nephtys
I played TFTD as my first X-COM game, and I got my ass kicked. Later, when I played UFO, I realized why.
The alien statlines are absolutely insane. Tasoths move twice as fast as your guys. Lobstermen take over 20 gauss rifle hits on average to take out, or three direct sonic cannon blasts. Xarquids have foolproof reaction-fire. Bio-Drones exploding will gut you. And the worst of all: If you don't capture a live Deep One or Calcinite, your research is going to be screwed.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 02:51pm
by Zixinus
Before we spoil our undies about how dare they make an X-COM FPS, let me bring up this old trailer:
It could work as a game. Although I am almost certain that this is just an abuse (well, from the standpoint of the fans at least) of the name in the hope to get more sales.
And I am willing to bet that it will work.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 02:56pm
by Xusilak
Kuroji wrote:Sadly though, I never played TFTD. Bit of a shame really, I'm going to have to pick it up someday before I upgrade to Windows 7 and it becomes unusable. Unless they figured a way around that anyway.
There's a patcher for X-COM called UFO Extender, by Seb76, which enables it to run adequately on Windows 7. It also optionally enhances the game in numerous ways. I'm in the process of converting it to TFTD, as well as adding additional functionality and fixing TFTD-specific bugs. By the time you switched to Windows 7, I would most likely have the majority of it done.
As for the new game, I think an X-COM FPS (I'm going to pretend Enforcer never existed) would have potential if it stuck pretty closely to the strategic Geoscape gameplay of the originals, and made the Battlescape gameplay something like the squad-oriented tactical FPS games, where you'd configure and equip your squad before the mission then be able to switch around the unit you're currently controlling in the game, etc. Sort of like Rainbow Six, but with a strategic game level and dynamic, destructible environments. However, as has been pointed out, the fact the new game is going to focus on the actions of a single FBI agent strongly implies the strategic game is going to be much weaker than the originals, and rules out the idea of switching between the unit you're controlling in the tactical game. Here's hoping it at least has dynamic and destructible environments. Also, Chryssalids.
Re: XCOM is back. As an FPS.
Posted: 2010-04-14 03:10pm
by Kuroji
Considering my upgrade rate, by the time I convert to Windows 7, Windows 8 will be out, so I'm not too worried about that. I hope they do keep the destructible terrain, but it won't surprise me if they don't. Still, there've been enough games released in the past years where that's possible, by now it should be entirely possible for them to do that with this game, if they decide to go that route. In which case it would be worth picking up just so you can blow the hell out of everything on terror missions.
Hell, that might be enough to make me pick this up on its own.
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