XCOM re-imagined by 2K Marin for Xbox 360 and PC

this is the worst news ever, for a PC gamer who wants a real X-Com :(

"If the story stays true to the original franchise..." That's a nice dream. Because God knows that every time a company capitalizes on a dying brand identity, they always make sure to create a great experience combining classic story elements with the benefits of modern creation technology. Like, remember how they made new Star Wars movies and they were great? Or how it was really cool when they remade Punisher and it was really good? Or Halloween? Or Friday the 13th? Or The Pink Panther? Remember how those were all good? Oh, wait...

@OtisWhitaker

PC gamers have a real X-Com. It's called X-Com: UFO Defense/X-Com: Enemy Unkown.

I for one am pleased this is an FPS. I don't want one of the best games of all time appropriated by a slovenly horde of 13 year old Xbox games who can't remember the PS2, much less DOS.

FPS Xcom? No thanks, unless they add something completely revolutionary to the most overproduced genre in videogames, it won't be Xcom. It will just be an FPS with aliens, a dumbed down version to reach a broader market audience. You need to have a squad, feel attached to them, in part due to all the time and money you put into training them and equipping them, feel afraid of moving one of them in the wrong direction, try to cover one squad member with another while on the move, etc. If there is one genre does doesn't fit into FPS is Xcom. What about base building? What about research and reverse engineering weapons from alien tech? what about weapon and armor production? Sorry but I just don't see how it's going to capture the essence of Enemy Unknown or Terror from the Deep if it's going to be an FPS. This is my favorite franchise of all time, I just hope they prove me wrong... but damn, from a turn based tactics to FPS? I knew it wasn't going to be turned based, but first person??

If this means they are simply changing the tactical missions (ground missions) to something similar to Brothers in Arms, I will be quite excited. I don't really have much of a problem with that, as long as it maintains the sandbox strategy aspects of the original series.

However, if it means they are trying to make a story-based FPS on a game series about campy alien invasions, I will curse the name of 2K forever. This is not another story that needs a straight shooter treatment. Anyone remember Enforcer? That game sucked hard.

I read XCOM on 360 and thought sweet, then I read it's yet another shooter and I lost interest.

I have to agree with James Murff. Maybe if they do some sort of Brothers in Arms, where you decide which guys to put on the different firing teams and order them around in real time, and they don't mess around too much with the rest of the formula. If they leave all the research aspects of it, the production, the hiring and training of new guys, base building, etc and all the sandbox aspect of it.

But if they try to make it another story-based run through a corridor sort of FPS game, it's going to suck as much as Enforcer, and they will be ruining their chance of reviving one of the best franchises in video game history.

Man, how is it possible that we already know 2k Marin's next project when they just released Bioshock 2 but we still don't know what Irrational Games (2k Boston) is doing when their last release was Bioshock 1. Damn you Ken Levine, just tell us!

Why didn't they just make a new IP? This brand appeals only to that fanbase who has been wanting another tactical game, not another first person shooter.

To those fans clinging for hope, abandon your hope: no matter if the game succeeds or fails, a real XCOM game is never going happen because this exists.

Once they said FPS I didn't feel so bad about the PS3 platform getting the shaft.

Remember when Shadowrun was made into a totally new game that had nothing to do with the old game?

Why are the best Turn based strategy RPG's being slapped in the face like this? First FRONT MISSION now X-COM? I liked them the way they were thank you.

Why's the new game named without a dash like the classic X-COM by Microprose? It's probably a completly different game, anyway...

The only surprise here is that it aint coming to the Playstation 3....

"...revealed that 2K Marin (responsible for BioShock 2) is working on a re-imagined version of XCOM."

Oh god, yes! Yes! YESSSS!!

"...first-person shooter"

Never mind, false alarm.

I'd have no faith in this if it wasn't Ken Levine. Dude made BioShock, and LET'S NOT FORGET HERE - SYSTEM SHOCK 2.

He knows what he's doing.

as soon as i heard this news, i instantly thought back to xcom alliance!

check out this trailer i remember watching back in the day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNwJmMcImcU

BRING IT ON!!!

Shagittarius @ Apr 14th 2010 2:18AM
At first I was like : O

Then I was like : |

-------------------------

I came to post this. *sigh*

There's a real UFO remake on steam. Its called UFO: Extraterrestrials. Only thing is its harder than original xcom (somehow) and it doesn't take place on earth.

If you're gonna reimagine X-com, do it in the style of Valkyria Chronicles (with base building). This (and any) FPS reimagining of X-com is full of fail. It isn't the X-com name that holds any kind of nostalgia, its the gameplay. Change the gameplay significantly, then its not X-com.

FPS huh? Why does everything have to turn into a FPS lately? Just updating the strategy of the originals (I'm thinking Enemy Unknown/Terror from the Deep) to today's graphical standards would've worked well enough, IMO.

But oh well. Guess I'll give these guys the benefit of the doubt. If they leave some of the aspects that made the originals so fascinating (researching alien technology, alien autopsies, the suspense, the "global" sense of it all) maybe it'll be something to look forward to.

At least they aren't making Bioshock 3.... yet.

I like how "players will assume the role of an FBI agent" is followed immediately by "If the story stays true to the original franchise", as if those two lines could actually exist in the same paragraph without looking stupid. The former answers the latter before the question even comes up.

Well to all your doubts, thankfully the owner of 2K has been a huge X-Com fan so knowing that I dont think he'll allow them to kill the original feel that the first one had. Heres to hoping at least.

Oh my god, they killed X-Com!
/cartman

X-Com holds a special place in my heart as the only game I can still stand to play some 10 years down the line. What keeps it there is the gameplay. There isn't even a story to worry about. So saying that they want to reboot the franchise by delivering a story based experience wrapped around a completely different game perspective (a very tired one I might add), makes no sense- especially considering that those of us who loved X-Com would not want the title thrust upon some F.E.A.R clone like we couldn't tell the difference. I expected more from 2K.

X-Com is one of the games that made me a die-hard PC gamer. This is a tragedy.

Someone else already pointed out, but let me reiterate: there were plenty of people who didn't think Fallout 3 did justice to the license. You can stop bringing up Fallout 3 as the game that proved raping a license is O.K.

I like the Night Vision Goggles.

I distinctly recall reading about them doing a XCOM spinoff FPS back in the late 90's. Don't think it ever saw the light of day.