XCOM: One Does Not Simply "Shoot" a Cryssalid...

[YakYak]

...One drops a grenade on the body, just to be safe.

Anyway, this is the necropost-dodging replacement for the dead thread dedicated to XCOM: Enemy Unknown, a remake of the 1994 PC game that many still hold as one of the greatest games of all time. X-COM: UFO Defense has two types of fans: those who played it to death back in its day, and those who have heard of it from the former. I am part of the second group, brought into the light by Iskandar's Travels in X-Com, a Let's Play that almost singlehandedly convinced me to pre-order this game back in June. Okay, that's enough ranting from me, let's go over what we know:

Remake/Reimagining of original X-COM

Made by longtime X-COM fans at Fraxis

D&D-esque "move and shoot" system

Single base

No base invasion (For balance reasons)

Satalite coverage instead of bases

Deep strategic layer atop tactical combat layer.

Research & Manufacturing

Squad size of 4, upgradeable to 6.

Customizable, nameable units (first, last and nickname)

Permadeath

Psionics

Confirmed aliens: Sectoid, Floater, Muton, Cyberdisc, Cryssalid, Sectopod, Thin Man (New), Beam Drone (New, Cyberdisc support/repair), Berzerker (New, Muton-based, melee), Outsider (New)

Ranked online multiplayer!

Websites:

UFOpaedia, a wiki about the X-COM series

The offical XCOM website, home to news, features, videos and articles

And to kindle discussion, what are you naming your soldiers? I'm going classic style, and listing off friends and family, plus any volunteers I get from here to die horribly, because we all know that's what's going to happen to our soldiers.

[Jonzac]

OH MY GAWD!!!!

I'm in heaven, even if its not a one-for-one exact copy the video certainly looks like its kept the "spirit" of the game intact.

I can't get to their website from work...just when are they looking to be done?

[YakYak]

Release day is OCTOBER 9!

That is at the same time right around the corner and way too far away.

[Rotting Baron]

Pretty excited for this game to come out. I played the original X-COM a lot, and this looks to be a pretty good update for the series.

[Tengu_temp]

Enjoy this new, very long gameplay footage video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azurpE8B5VQ

[Rotting Baron]

The most important thing in that video is that we can have Guile hair again. GOTY, all years.

But seriously, that stream laid any reservations I had to rest. It seems that the changes made are still in service of the X-COM atmosphere.

[Zevox]

Originally Posted by Tengu_temp

Enjoy this new, very long gameplay footage video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azurpE8B5VQ

Huh, looks nice. Can't say I'm a fan of the idea of including the need to reload weapons in a game like this, but that aside, I like what I see there.

I've never played the series before, but after hearing that this one would have a console version, I've been mildly interested in it. Haven't had a good turn-based strategy game in a while, what with the last Fire Emblem not coming to NA and the most recent taking its sweet time to get here, the Disgaea series being PS3-exclusive, and no new Advance Wars in years. Now I'd say I'm a bit more than mildly interested. If it does have a demo, as is implied by their unwillingness to answer that question, that may be able to push me into buying it day 1.

Zevox

[BRC]

They seemed very proud every time one of their soldiers died, as if to say "Don't worry guys, the game still hates you".
I was going to be upset about the loss of Time Units, but watching the video, I think the whole Move then Shoot mechanic works. I would have liked it if you could Move-Shoot-Move, but now you can spend more time focusing on the overall strategic situation and less time counting time units.
I like the move to smaller squad sizes and smaller maps. The hospital for wounded troops encourages you to keep changing your roster, and smaller maps mean less time searching cornfields for the one sectoid you missed.

I only really have one complaint, and that is that the mysterious commander's voice sounds silly. The Voice Actor is clearly trying so hard to be serious, but it just comes out ridiculous.

[YakYak]

Reloading was a feature in the original X-COM as well, and at a quarter of the maximum TUs (which few soldiers had, and they were all vets), was one of the most potentially devastating things that could happen to a soldier.

[Rotting Baron]

Originally Posted by BRC

I like the move to smaller squad sizes and smaller maps. The hospital for wounded troops encourages you to keep changing your roster, and smaller maps mean less time searching cornfields for the one sectoid you missed.

I was initially worried about smaller squads, but I never really moved more than four soldiers at a time in UFO Defense, so it's not so bad.

Is anyone else going to be running Ironman mode on their first playthrough? I'll be doing it for the extra challenge.

[YakYak]

I probably won't, but I'll go for as few reloads as I possibly can.

[Triaxx]

I don't think I've ever actually run iron man in any strategy game I've ever played. I really hate losing people, and having to start the mission over is usually more hassle than I'm interested in. I prefer to play under the honor system than with a hard mechanic.

[YakYak]

Of course, there's Fire Emblem, or as I like to call it: RAGEQUIT!

Trying to keep moving on in XCOM is going to be a challenge for me.

[Cespenar]

Usually running Ironman in at least the second playthrough is a better choice, in my experience at least.

Anyway, the game looks tacticy enough for me to not dismiss it as a "THEY RUINED ITTT" guy. The other "XCOM" game, however...

[YakYak]

Yeah, FPS, really?

[Cespenar]

Originally Posted by YakYak

Yeah, FPS, really?

Apparently, and I quote, "strategy games are just not contemporary".

[iyaerP]

Go tell that to starcraft 2 and Blizzard

[tensai_oni]

Originally Posted by Cespenar

"THEY RUINED ITTT"

Did you mean to say...

Betrayal?

Anyway, the other XCOM game has its share of problems, but being an FPS is not one of them. I'm okay with an X-Com shooter, you just have to do it right. Which unfortunately is not the case there.

[YakYak]

Based on the little bit of Enforcer I've seen, it's machanically a step up, now we just need to get one based in the actual X-COM universe.

[iyaerP]

I've played Enforcer. It wasn't terrible, but nor was it anything even resembling good. And it was set in the Xcom universe, except that everything was stupidly weak and you mowed it down by the hundreds. Not exactly what you expect out of an Xcom title.

[YakYak]

Yeah, in my mind, a good XCOM shooter would have to take a page from Rainbow Six to even start getting the feeling right.

[iyaerP]

Eh, more like Rainbow Six took a chip off of the original XCOM block.


Note that this only applies to the original RainbowSix. The newer ones are more ridiculous than CoD MW

[Triaxx]

The only shooter I've found that's nearly as hard as X-Com should be is the PC version of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter. Stupidly accurate and powerful machine gunners. Insanely nasty turrets and tanks that want you to die a horrible death. And that do it from forever away.

That's what X-Com should be. A struggle to survive long enough to do some damage.

[YakYak]

Original Rainbow Six (And Tom Clancy had his hands all over both R6 and Ghost Recon) was a 1-2 hit kill on all 4 of your squad members.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Originally Posted by Tengu_temp

Enjoy this new, very long gameplay footage video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azurpE8B5VQ

I'm sold. The special abilities look like a really awesome addition.

[Triaxx]

I haven't played Rainbow Six, but GRAW gives you a couple of shots before death. I've never liked one hit kill mechanics. It's one of the upsides to X-Com, because it might seem like a one hit kill, but it's possible to survive.

[YakYak]

With the emphasis on possible. A large part of the Rainbow Six mechanics are stealth and cover, which helps you not die.

[Triaxx]

That would be fine except for this.

[YakYak]

That was a trademark feature of the original X-COM, and one of the only classic things about the game that the remake is doing without. Their motto is "tough but fair".

[t209]

Question on Logic Fallacies:
Why can't X-Com call airstrikes from interceptor, put smoke launchers on robot tanks (Smoke Grenade make games easier), or Gunship support?