Guys, Stop Hating XCOM

[RaptureWillBeReborn]

I've seen a ton of threads recently saying that XCOM looks bad, that it doesn't seem a lot like the original, the blobs are stupid, etc.

Now, I agree that 2K has made several bad decisions recently, but XCOM looks perfectly fine to me.

I never played the original games. I also believe that no man has the right to drastically alter another man's creativity or ideas without their consent. HOWEVER, 2K has the rights to make XCOM any way they please because they have creative liscence and they have the rights TO REMAKE THE ORIGINAL XCOM.

Sure, it may look nothing like the original, but they're trying to create a new story out of something old. They're trying to bring the game back to life with new characters, a new plot, and some badass aliens. And it seems to me like they're doing a good job. Also, none of you guys should be saying that XCOM looks cheap, stupid, or horrible just from the trailer. There's a ton of stuff that hasn't been revealed yet.

While we're talking about 2K's creativity and stuff, I'd like to bring up the blobs. A lot of you are complaining that they have no personality. This is true. It is PRECISELY for that reason that they are scary and creepy. A mindless, formless, black death that just grabs you by surprise and kills you. You don't know why it's doing it, you only know it's trying to kill you. That is what scares me the most: A mindless animal set loose, killing anything in sight. Wouldn't that scare you, too?

Another thing: the weapons. Some people are saying that they don't make any sense or aren't creative. Keep in mind that this takes place in the 1950's, when nothing REALLY made any sense at all... people only cared about what it does and what it looks like. (Ask anybody who lived in that time period, and they'll tell you it's true. )

Well, I just ran out of creative juices, so I'll continue my anti-XCOM hater thread later. But read over what i posted, and tell me something: Do you still hate XCOM?

[mersault]

You said you've never played the original games. And XCOM looks perfectly fine to you. That's because you've never played the original games. Please let the people who have actually played the games ***** about it.

On a side note, the Titan looks badass, hope there are more enemies like it.

[ShanDaMan]

I never played the original games. I also believe that no man has the right to drastically alter another man's creativity or ideas without their consent. HOWEVER, 2K has the rights to make XCOM any way they please because they have creative liscence and they have the rights TO REMAKE THE ORIGINAL XCOM.

They also have the right to create a brand new game with completely unique characters and situations, new gameplay, and completely new settings. These new game elements can have a great deal in common with those from a recently released game by the same developers. Since they also own the rights to X-COM they can afterward slap that name (or an abbreviated form of it) on this new game. While it is their right to do so, it is not at all the same as remaking the original X-COM. X-COM is still highly regarded.

The first game is undeniably the most popular and most successful of the series. It was often voted to be one of the best video games of all time by many gaming magazines and websites, including #1 on the IGN's list of Top 25 PC Games of All Time in 2007 and again in 2009, #2 on the Pelit's list of Best Video Game Since 1992 in 2007, #3 on the PC Gamer's list of "Top 50 Games of All Time" in 2001 (and #11 in their 2010 "Top 100 Games of All Time" list), and #3 on Computer Gaming World's list of Best Games of All Time in 2001.

It deserves a true remake.

Do you still hate XCOM?

Hate is the wrong word, at least for me. I wouldn't keep coming back to this forum if all I wanted to do was express hate to a video game I wasn't going to buy. I sincerely want to like the new game. I'm hoping the devs listen to the fans responses and that future information that is released about the game shows more substantial connections to the past. Whether it is something I end up liking or disliking will depend on what they show.

I'm disappointed that another game with gameplay very similar to the original has not been announced, as doing that would bring a wave of applause the internet hasn't seen since it was announced that Star Wars was finally getting released on DVD.

[I-ChooseTheImpossible]

I've played the original X-Com and this new one looks fine to me, old school X-Com fans remind me of one of my friends who ttys to covince himself he doesn't like a game because he is scared that it is going to be good. I say give the game a god damn chance, sure it's not a turn based strategy, but hey, it may even turnout that you actually like this game.

[Sinclair Saucer]

I think it looks cool; I love the 50's retro vibe it gives off; seems an X-Files, GTA, Fallout 3, Bioshock cross over!

[FtRapture]

Well as always there seems to be a group of people that don't like change, I am willing to give it a chance. Besides it is really to early to say you don't like it.

[RaptureWillBeReborn]

I've played the original X-Com and this new one looks fine to me, old school X-Com fans remind me of one of my friends who ttys to covince himself he doesn't like a game because he is scared that it is going to be good. I say give the game a god damn chance, sure it's not a turn based strategy, but hey, it may even turnout that you actually like this game.

I think it looks cool; I love the 50's retro vibe it gives off; seems an X-Files, GTA, Fallout 3, Bioshock cross over!

Well as always there seems to be a group of people that don't like change, I am willing to give it a chance. Besides it is really to early to say you don't like it.

Tell them like it is!

[Cpl_Facehugger]

I've played the original X-Com and this new one looks fine to me, old school X-Com fans remind me of one of my friends who ttys to covince himself he doesn't like a game because he is scared that it is going to be good. I say give the game a god damn chance, sure it's not a turn based strategy, but hey, it may even turnout that you actually like this game.

The problem isn't that it isn't turn based strategy. The problem is that it's too close to Enforcer.

No, that's not fair. Enforcer at least had most of the familiar aliens.

Edit: Also, it's kinda disappointing that all the "give XCOM a chance!" guys can't actually make decent arguments beyond "We know so little about the game!" With that argument falling down because most X-Com fans are willing to re-think their views... If something is released that isn't disappointing.

While we're talking about 2K's creativity and stuff, I'd like to bring up the blobs. A lot of you are complaining that they have no personality. This is true. It is PRECISELY for that reason that they are scary and creepy. A mindless, formless, black death that just grabs you by surprise and kills you. You don't know why it's doing it, you only know it's trying to kill you. That is what scares me the most: A mindless animal set loose, killing anything in sight. Wouldn't that scare you, too?

Honestly? No. Because Chryssalids did that better. A Chryssalid has all the primal fury of the blob, combined with xenomorph like body horror, extreme tactical threat, and a creepily distinct and uncanny appearance. It grins at you! Grins, like a shark!

Another thing: the weapons. Some people are saying that they don't make any sense or aren't creative. Keep in mind that this takes place in the 1950's, when nothing REALLY made any sense at all... people only cared about what it does and what it looks like. (Ask anybody who lived in that time period, and they'll tell you it's true. )

Even if that's true, it doesn't give you carte blanch to put stupid stuff in the game. Not unless you want the game to look like a parody of itself. Basically, if this game is supposed to have a remotely serious tone, stupid stuff like blobatov cocktails should really be kept to a minimum.

[Supercharge]

i dont think your being fair to the criticisers. imagine someone took bioshock. set it on the surface in the 1800s with no splicers, sisters or daddies and ADAM came in the form of a flower in people's gardens.

that's what has happened here and i think that's the best way for anyone to understand the pessimism displayed atm.

also despite the name. it hasn't got anything that really stands out and makes you say.. WOW. it's very bioshocky in it's appearance.. it's yet another 50's game. an era that isn't exactly new and fresh.. and the blobs aren't scarey.. not in the tinniest. if that scares you, Chryssalids would make you curl up in a ball and cry

however i do like the titan. though it could be a bit more..mysterious.. the cuboid shape at the beggining isn't scarey however i can imagine the panic setting in as it prepared an uber powerful laser to rip up the neighbourhood.

you cant stop people disliking the game. it's going to be either that. or maybe 1 or 2 positive threads every two months. However just the fact people come back to these forums is evidence that they are willing to look for positives if they appear.

[brendensavi]

i dont think your being fair to the criticisers. imagine someone took bioshock. set it on the surface in the 1800s with no splicers, sisters or daddies and ADAM came in the form of a flower in people's gardens.

To be honest, I like that idea. The Victorian era is by far my favourite time period, and it would be interesting to see BioShock blended in with it. Instead of art deco, it would be art nouveau, which personally, I like better than art deco

Regardless, I agree with those that are being optimistic towards the change and are willing to give it a chance.

[Supercharge]

To be honest, I like that idea. The Victorian era is by far my favourite time period, and it would be interesting to see BioShock blended in with it. Instead of art deco, it would be art nouveau, which personally, I like better than art deco

Regardless, I agree with those that are being optimistic towards the change and are willing to give it a chance.

except bioshock wouldnt be blended in..no plasmids or the like. it would be a game about gardening and caring for your lovely Victorian garden and ADAM can be used as currency to purchase tulips.

i think that's a more accurate portrayal. and i have nothing against optimism. i just dont like blind optimism, where you fail to see how others can dislike it.

[brendensavi]

except bioshock wouldnt be blended in..no plasmids or the like. it would be a game about gardening and caring for your lovely Victorian garden and ADAM can be used as currency to purchase tulips.

Now that is being unfair and a bit drastic. Although XCOM is almost entirely different than its predecessors, the premise remains the same: Defend Earth from aliens. Caring for your garden has never been the premise of BioShock.

and i have nothing against optimism. i just dont like blind optimism, where you fail to see how others can dislike it.

We certainly don't fail to see why others dislike it, we're only trying to explain that you don't have to dislike it simply because it's not done in the same way as it once was.

[Codex]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, people are perfectly entitled to have an opinion of the game either way, positive or negative. What they are NOT entitled to is to attack people who have a differing opinion than them.

This goes both ways: those who are upset about the "misnomer" or the "rebranding" of X-Com should not attack others who haven't played the originals just as those who have not played the originals and are interested in XCOM should not attack those who are upset. It's a two way street, and I honestly think both sides need to sit in their corners and think about how they treat their fellow forum members. We should be able to discuss what we like the look of and what we don't like the look of without being told that we are "backwards philistines" or "stuck in the mud old fogies."

This is a place for discussion, which means we're going to dissent in our opinions. What needs to be done is that we ensure that the dissent doesn't morph into attacks on people rather than the product we are talking abut.

[Supercharge]

Now that is being unfair and a bit drastic. Although XCOM is almost entirely different than its predecessors, the premise remains the same: Defend Earth from aliens. Caring for your garden has never been the premise of BioShock.



We certainly don't fail to see why others dislike it, we're only trying to explain that you don't have to dislike it simply because it's not done in the same way as it once was.

i agree that i was a bit too harsh. but still the way you protect earth is different in that the old favoured millitary action while this is investigative. Plus with the shrinking of global down to USA not only in gameplay but in story as well it would appear from the ARG etc.

i am waiting for more information with hope. i'm not going to dissapear because of the name. and im sure plenty feel like that. i just wanted to point out that the only people who can make most people happy about the game are those giving out the information, noones going to suddenly become optimistic because someone told them to.

i have nothing against those that look forward to the game though. and i've heard a few bits from interviews that make me think that there could be stuff that has yet to be shown that will finally make this game great rather than average. So i'm optimistic in that field but there are some opinions that will always stick.

sorry if i came off as being aggressive in any way

[brendensavi]

i agree that i was a bit too harsh. but still the way you protect earth is different in that the old favoured millitary action while this is investigative. Plus with the shrinking of global down to USA not only in gameplay but in story as well it would appear from the ARG etc.

i am waiting for more information with hope. i'm not going to dissapear because of the name. and im sure plenty feel like that. i just wanted to point out that the only people who can make most people happy about the game are those giving out the information, noones going to suddenly become optimistic because someone told them to.

i have nothing against those that look forward to the game though. and i've heard a few bits from interviews that make me think that there could be stuff that has yet to be shown that will finally make this game great rather than average. So i'm optimistic in that field but there are some opinions that will always stick.

sorry if i came off as being aggressive in any way

No worries, it was all proper discussion. I do hope everyone is happy with it in the end. I would definitely find it bothersome if BioShock were to be remade a decade from now into something devoid of everything I loved about it. However, I'd like to think that 2K understands the gravity of what they're doing, and that they're striving to please both devoted fans, and those who have never played the series.

I really do like that Victorian BioShock idea, though. I think a disheveled, art nouveau and Adam filled London would be interesting

[mersault]

Look, this isn't about people who have played the originals and do not like this remake attacking people who have not played the game.

It's not as if we can just say to ourselves, "Well, think about it from their perspective. What if I never played the original X-Com? What would my impression be then?"

Just like someone can't unread a book, we can't unplay the original X-Com. And because of that, we can't rid ourselves of the expectations we have when we hear the name X-Com.

I'm not going to say it's like "Imagine [insert thing you love] is now being remade as [completely unlike thing you love]" because that has failed to make anyone understand where fans of the original are coming from.

I am all for giving this game slack. I hope it's awesome. I hope it's action-packed and strategic at the same time. I hope it has just as much unscripted replayability as the original game.

But the fact is they are using the X-Com name to capitalize on brand recognition, and so far it seems the majority of the people who are pleased with the remake have not played the originals. And then fans who are pissed off at the remake are being told that they are close-minded.

I'm not saying people who haven't played the original have no right to comment about how excited for this game. But please, leave off with the "Just give it a chance" nonsense by making us seem like we are just being close-minded, ignorant old fuddy-duddies who hate anything new and have never played Halo.

[0zymandibles]

Hating is far too strong a word. There must be a distinct lack of worthwhile causes to fight for out there for this to be the case. Subjective opinion and fact are very different things.
There was never any rights question. Rights certainly don't come into affecting people's opinions of how they are exercised, and they are perfectly entitled to those. I agree with Codex' post, well put. Leading a divisive forum crusade, bad form.
I'm interested to see what they reveal next.

[FtRapture]

I also can't fathom seeing a preview for a game I don't care for and heading to their official site to say I don't care for it. Maybe it is me but I just, I know this seems crazy, won't buy it, and will get something I do want. Even if it was a franchise I love (Baldurs Gate comes to mind).

[nu_clear_day]

...
I never played the original games. I also believe that no man has the right to drastically alter another man's creativity or ideas without their consent. HOWEVER, 2K has the rights to make XCOM any way they please because they have creative liscence and they have the rights TO REMAKE THE ORIGINAL XCOM.

Sure, it may look nothing like the original, but they're trying to create a new story out of something old. They're trying to bring the game back to life with new characters, a new plot, and some badass aliens. And it seems to me like they're doing a good job. Also, none of you guys should be saying that XCOM looks cheap, stupid, or horrible just from the trailer. There's a ton of stuff that hasn't been revealed yet.

Well, I just ran out of creative juices, so I'll continue my anti-XCOM hater thread later. But read over what i posted, and tell me something: Do you still hate XCOM?

2K certainly has every right to do whatever they want with an IP that they now own. If they want to take a game that was known specifically for it's gameplay and (I guess "sandbox" would be the closest description) nature of emergent storytelling (and very little else) and then reboot it as a game that seems to share none of that in common beyond "they're both about trying to stop and alien invasion," then that's their prerogative.

But then it's also my prerogative to come to the forums (which only exist to serve as opinion receptacles) and express my (dismay isn't the proper word, and it's certainly not anger, but) perplexity at these decisions.

Like many others here, the old X-Com games were a serious breakthrough for me. Myself, I came to videogames back in the day because I thought a natural progression for old-school tabletop wargaming would be to make the leap to computers (where you wouldn't have to muck around with all of the math and the inevitable arguments about how best to interpret the rules.) X-Com followed in the spirit of those games.

I'm a long-time fan of the X-Com series. As a fan, I want to want to like anything associated with the franchise. Why even bother with buying an existing IP if the game you're making isn't going to be relevant to the people who actually supported the franchise in the first place?

To repeat, I'm not angry. I don't "hate" this new game. (And I thought the whole "let's start calling it 'Xenowhatever' didn't exactly paint us in the best light.) I'll probably even buy this game (even if simply out of curiosity than anything else.) But I'm still waiting to hear how this game is at all relevant to me, as a fan of the X-Com name.

Best-case scenario for us, this turns out to be a game that's good on it's own merits while simultaneously being not at all what I'd actually be interested in; or at all satisfying the "itch" that I continue to have as a fan of the series.

[Mr.Plum]

XCOM looks perfectly fine to me. I never played the original games.

Does anyone else find it extremely ignorant how people just wander into conversations, knowing close to nothing about the discussed topic, and starts blindly defending the attacked subject? I've never played X-COM, XCOM, X_COM, X>COM or whatever the hell it's called, but I wouldn't dare try and defend something I know absolutely nothing about. It's like a having a discussion about of how abysmal Star Wars Episode I was with respect to the original trilogy and someone aimlessly wanders in, having vaguely heard of this "Star Wars" thing, and starts defending it just because it's being attacked. It just makes the person look foolish.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, whether that opinion is liking, disliking, agreeing, or disagreeing with something is up to them. But an opinion has to be built on some sort of foundation, some sort of reasoning. It sounds to me, that XCOM fans have good reason to be more than a little frustrated with the route X-COM has taken. New fans are more than welcome to be interested in XCOM, but just don't be defending something you know so little about. RaptureWillBeReborn thinks XCOM looks cool. Fantastic. But don't be telling people to stop hating it because it goes against your newly found interest.

[Nosmirc]

I never played the original games. I also believe that no man has the right to drastically alter another man's creativity or ideas without their consent. HOWEVER, 2K has the rights to make XCOM any way they please because they have creative liscence and they have the rights TO REMAKE THE ORIGINAL XCOM.

So your solution to make the haters stop hating...is to rub their noses in the very thing that is making them hate that which is deserving of hate? Let me know how that works for ya.

Sure, it may look nothing like the original, but they're trying to create a new story out of something old. They're trying to bring the game back to life with new characters, a new plot, and some badass aliens. And it seems to me like they're doing a good job. Also, none of you guys should be saying that XCOM looks cheap, stupid, or horrible just from the trailer. There's a ton of stuff that hasn't been revealed yet.

Here's what has been.

It's not a military operation. It's not set in modern times. The aliens of old are out, which means, the most interesting aliens that scared us will be out. We will not be disembarking from a cool looking dropship. We won't have 90's comic book hero tight armor.

That right there is enough to make me a sad panda.

While we're talking about 2K's creativity and stuff, I'd like to bring up the blobs. A lot of you are complaining that they have no personality. This is true. It is PRECISELY for that reason that they are scary and creepy. A mindless, formless, black death that just grabs you by surprise and kills you. You don't know why it's doing it, you only know it's trying to kill you. That is what scares me the most: A mindless animal set loose, killing anything in sight. Wouldn't that scare you, too?

I recall someone in another topic likening them to Headcrabs from Half-Life. I find that to be an apt comparison, and they'll be just as annoying to deal with. And very much not scary.

Another thing: the weapons. Some people are saying that they don't make any sense or aren't creative. Keep in mind that this takes place in the 1950's, when nothing REALLY made any sense at all... people only cared about what it does and what it looks like. (Ask anybody who lived in that time period, and they'll tell you it's true. )

That doesn't justify the lack of sensical weapons. And so far, we don't even know if there will even BE alien tech to reverse engineer. None of the aliens shown thus far would even have the need for such things.

Well, I just ran out of creative juices, so I'll continue my anti-XCOM hater thread later. But read over what i posted, and tell me something: Do you still hate XCOM?

Yes, because they've changed far too much. It's literally a different game. And what is really sad is that their reps even refuse to admit it, even when journalist flat out say "This is very different".

Remember the reply to that? Oh right, along the lines of "We don't think it's THAT different!"

Honestly? No. Because Chryssalids did that better. A Chryssalid has all the primal fury of the blob, combined with xenomorph like body horror, extreme tactical threat, and a creepily distinct and uncanny appearance. It grins at you! Grins, like a shark!

And the only thing more scary then a shark is a grizzly shark

I also can't fathom seeing a preview for a game I don't care for and heading to their official site to say I don't care for it. Maybe it is me but I just, I know this seems crazy, won't buy it, and will get something I do want. Even if it was a franchise I love (Baldurs Gate comes to mind).

Disapproval must be heard. Why? Because those of us who want an honest X-Com remake need to stand up and say, we want a god damn remake.

This isn't a remake. To call it a remake is to call bubblegum ice cream mint chocolate ice cream. This isn't what many fans of the originals are looking for.

And since is is the only place where we can voice our concerns DIRECTLY to the owners of the IP, I'm afraid you'll just have to put up with the dissent. Can't fathom that? Then I guess you've never had the pleasure of having something you love turned into some that is devoid of what made you love it in the first place.

That is the crux of my anger here. I cannot bring myself to become excited over this game because everytime I look at it, I know it's parading around in a cape made from a loved one.


For the tl;dr crowd:

Guys, Stop Hating XCOM

No.

[Aegeri]

I haven't heard anything that has really enthused me or reminds me of the original games at all with this. I am in a more wait and see period now, but if I see another preview filled with useless boring blobs I am not going to be happy. Anything else would be good, more on what the base entails and what you can do with it (or build in it/on it?).

I just want ONE element in this game that reminds me of the original X-Com being really shown off as an important feature.

[nu_clear_day]

I just want ONE element in this game that reminds me of the original X-Com being really shown off as an important feature.

QFT.

So far, I don't think I've seen anything that I could even remotely connect to X-Com. (Okay, so there's aliens - but in the videogame industry, that doesn't narrow things down very much...) Just one element that screamed "this element is absolutely and uniquely X-Com" would make at least some impact on public opinion.

It's not like 2K didn't know what they were going to get into, here. It's their case to make that this new game... "deserves" it's title. The burden of proof is one them.

[Nosmirc]

Just one element that screamed "this element is absolutely and uniquely X-Com" would make at least some impact on public opinion.

I think they shot that pooch when they drastically changed the gameplay and setting

Then ran over it with a truck a few times. Then lit it on fire. Then urinated on the ashes.

If they want me to be interested in this game as it is, they need to a) admit they really don't care that much about X-Com, and b) make this game it's own IP, since it clearly has nothing to do with X-Com. Yes, that may require a name change, but really, as long as it continues to be called XCom, I'll loathe it for...I can't even say for pretending to be like the game I enjoyed for many years...since it's not even doing that.

Heh. It's like going to a Star Trek convention with a name tag saying "Hi! I'm deForest Kelly", when you're clearly not deForst Kelly, and the fact that he's dead, Jim.

[Supercharge]

If they want me to be interested in this game as it is, they need to a) admit they really don't care that much about X-Com, and b) make this game it's own IP, since it clearly has nothing to do with X-Com. Yes, that may require a name change, but really, as long as it continues to be called XCom, I'll loathe it for...I can't even say for pretending to be like the game I enjoyed for many years...since it's not even doing that.

Heh. It's like going to a Star Trek convention with a name tag saying "Hi! I'm deForest Kelly", when you're clearly not deForst Kelly, and the fact that he's dead, Jim.

i have to agree, if you changed the name to a new IP and the name of elerium noone would have made the connection.

it's sad really, i'm sure there'd be far more people pleased with this game if it werent for the name.

why do you use the title of an old game?
in order to attract old fans of the game

so basically this doesnt even work from a marketing point of view as X-COM fans rush in wide-eyed..then realise they've been duped and get mad. it doesn't create a bigger market. it just draws more criticism.

the game itself is not at all bad. though i'm still waiting for something that will truly suprise and excite me. hopefully the next enemy they show will be a little more fearsome

[Brian Damage]

Ooh, a grenade thread!

Ahem. Can't see anything wrong with applying stern critique to the stuff 2K have already thrown us; I do think there's enough out there to get a good picture of what's coming. So far I'm not massively impressed with the game in and of itself, but more pertinently I'm kinda miffed by its cuckoo-like nature.

We shall not, we shall not be moved
We shall not, we shall not be moved
Til' we see something truly X-Com,
We shall not be moved [Etc.]

[nomotog]

I have seen a few people say this this is not a xcom game. That they made another game and just slapped the xcom name on it. You know because they have changed the setting the game play style and well that's it really, but really it is just what happens with a remake. When you make a remake you pull the game down to it's bare bones and then sometimes you pull it down even more before you rebuild it.

If you where to remake xcom you would end up with something a lot like what we have now. It's easy to see why they would change the game play like they did turn based squad based combat is a hard sell these days, so you change it to FPS squad based combat. Why is it set in the 1950s? People like the setting and when you think of space aliens you think of 1950.

Fans of the originals don't always like the remakes, but that's because there not for you. There for us new people. The ones who didn't play the first ones.

[venom11]

well XCOM really does look bad. but i'm really looking forward to this game!

[Aegeri]

You know, the thread title always makes me chuckle. Every time I read it I can't help but read it in the voice of the guy who did the "Leave Britney Alone" thing.

It's easy to see why they would change the game play like they did turn based squad based combat is a hard sell these days, so you change it to FPS squad based combat.

Hopefully the "squad based" part of that will actually become true.

I have my doubts. Honestly, I'm writing the game off entirely if they're going to make the immensely poor decision of having "important" guys who go with us on missions that can't be commanded. That's just bad game design 101 and it doesn't matter what the game was originally. If you make AIs important to winning, or attach RPG stats or anything else to them their fate should be dictated by the player. At the very very least I pray we get "Stay", "Attack", "Follow me" and "Run for your life" as commands.

[Nosmirc]

I have seen a few people say this this is not a xcom game. That they made another game and just slapped the xcom name on it. You know because they have changed the setting the game play style and well that's it really, but really it is just what happens with a remake. When you make a remake you pull the game down to it's bare bones and then sometimes you pull it down even more before you rebuild it.

Fans of the originals don't always like the remakes, but that's because there not for you. There for us new people. The ones who didn't play the first ones.

Didn't think that one through very well, did ya? Tell me. Why spend whatever it was 2k spent on the IP...if not to draw in the originals fanbase? Derp derp. That's right, the point of a remake is to get those who liked the originals to get the new stuff. Only thing is, 2k goofed. They thought they knew what people liked about the originals, but as it turns out, they were entirely wrong.

By the way, calling this a remake is silly. They don't even have the bare bones. It literally is, from what has been shown, a completely new IP, that just happens to have the name of X-Com.

If you where to remake xcom you would end up with something a lot like what we have now. It's easy to see why they would change the game play like they did turn based squad based combat is a hard sell these days, so you change it to FPS squad based combat.

How is it a hard sell? What do you have to back this up? FPS games that sell well do so because their gameplay backs it up, not because they are a FPS game. There are a ton of poor FPS games that have done poorly. Why? Because of their gameplay.

Turn based games are not 'hard' sells. There just haven't been many of them. But hey, Final Fantasy Tactics did well enough to earn itself a remake and sequel (I think there were four games in total, although the ones on the DS didn't follow the same story, I think...same gameplay for the most part though). There's the entire Disgaea series, which has done pretty well (not my cup of tea though...). There's Front Mission, although they're trying a new angle with their latest. But the prior games did well enough to have several sequels.

And why was that? Partially due to niche markets, but also because they had good gameplay.

Why is it set in the 1950s? People like the setting and when you think of space aliens you think of 1950.

Bogus. UFO lore covers more then the 50s and Roswell. The events involving the alleged base in Dulce took place in the 70s, as did the events in Fire in the Sky. Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County is somewhere in the 90s (it's also known as the McPherson Tapes, which I personally think is one of the best Alien Abduction movies to date). In fact, here's a page with some of the more memorable UFO reports through out this last century http://ufos.about.com/od/classicufocases/tp/1990tp.htm

In any case, the 1950's setting is overused. At this point, the only game I want to see using it is Fallout, and that's because Fallout is based on the 50s cold war paranoia and propagana.

well XCOM really does look bad. but i'm really looking forward to this game!

Then what about it are you looking forward to?

[Cpl_Facehugger]

You know because they have changed the setting the game play style and well that's it really, but really it is just what happens with a remake.

The Monkey Island remake disagrees.

When you make a remake you pull the game down to it's bare bones and then sometimes you pull it down even more before you rebuild it.

See, the thing here is that they appear to have tossed all the bones out, leaving us with nothing.

To use a television example, there are huge stylistic differences between the old Battlestar Galactica and the new one... Yet the core themes and premises are the same. Heck, most of the characters are even named the same.

To compare, going by the released information, the core themes and premises between X-Com and XCOM are not the same. Not even similar, unless you accept "they both have aliens, humans, and firearms" as a compelling similarity.

If you where to remake xcom you would end up with something a lot like what we have now.

Uh, what? Only if you are trying to make a first person shooter.

It's easy to see why they would change the game play like they did turn based squad based combat is a hard sell these days, so you change it to FPS squad based combat.

First off, the squad based combat doesn't seem particularly good, seeing as how you can only have two guys at once. Not much of a squad there.

Second, if turn based combat is a tough sell (Civilization says this is a fallacious assertion; a particularly lulzy one given that 2k is publishing Civ V), you can make it real time ala Apoc.

But "remaking" a game known for its strategy into a FPS when the market is already oversaturated with FPS games... Indeed, FPS games with a 1950s styling to boot, is terrible.

Why is it set in the 1950s? People like the setting and when you think of space aliens you think of 1950.

I don't like the setting. I think it's a terrible setting, and I think it's been heavily overdone in recent times. It shows a tremendous lack of creativity to want to do yet another 1950s styled FPS.

Fans of the originals don't always like the remakes, but that's because there not for you. There for us new people. The ones who didn't play the first ones.

It's "they're." Also, there is surely a happy medium between XCOM "let's urinate all over the franchise" style remakes and NMA's ideal Fallout game style remakes.

That is, taking what works and running with it, rather than completely redoing everything until it's so unrecognizable that you have people seriously saying it should be called something else.

[Tanki]

While we're talking about 2K's creativity and stuff, I'd like to bring up the blobs. A lot of you are complaining that they have no personality. This is true. It is PRECISELY for that reason that they are scary and creepy. A mindless, formless, black death that just grabs you by surprise and kills you. You don't know why it's doing it, you only know it's trying to kill you. That is what scares me the most: A mindless animal set loose, killing anything in sight. Wouldn't that scare you, too?

To say the least, if its mindless and chaotic creature then its an easy enemy.
Having no personality does not add fear to it, it takes away the fear that would have originally been there. Enemy's with out personality's reduce the "immersive" game play wouldn't you say. Seriously, the blob is not scary. No one would think twice about running from jelly.

The pointless mobs...?

[Brian Damage]

You know, the thread title always makes me chuckle. Every time I read it I can't help but read it in the voice of the guy who did the "Leave Britney Alone" thing.

You too?

That is, taking what works and running with it, rather than completely redoing everything until it's so unrecognizable that you have people seriously saying it should be called something else.

Not to mention the rumors whizzing around that even the developers weren't sure if they should call it XCOM.

[Nosmirc]

Ooo, rumors. I would like to subscribe to your newsletter

The Monkey Island remake disagrees.

Oooh, right, finished installing the second one yesterday, then promptly fell asleep in my chair lol...Gotta say, that's a brillant way to do a remake.

[mersault]

Thanks for the headsup, Nosmirc!

I really loved Monkey Island 2, but if you say it's boring enough to make you fall asleep because it is exactly like the original game I loved then I probably won't get it. They should have just tried to capture the spirit of the sequel but gave Guybrush a chainsaw gun and had him fight the three-headed monkey on an alien space station.

Really, thanks for the mini-review. You paying money to buy the game and install it and then instantly fall asleep saved me money. Thank you!

[Nosmirc]

Thanks for the headsup, Nosmirc!

I really loved Monkey Island 2, but if you say it's boring enough to make you fall asleep because it is exactly like the original game I loved then I probably won't get it. They should have just tried to capture the spirit of the sequel but gave Guybrush a chainsaw gun and had him fight the three-headed monkey on an alien space station.

Really, thanks for the mini-review. You paying money to buy the game and install it and then instantly fall asleep saved me money. Thank you!

No no, it's not boring, I fell asleep while it was installing, and forgot about it lol...

It was an amusing game, pretty good for 10 bucks. Being one who hasn't played the originals, the ending was...unexpected lol...

[serious77]

I've seen a ton of threads recently saying that XCOM looks bad, that it doesn't seem a lot like the original, the blobs are stupid, etc.

Now, I agree that 2K has made several bad decisions recently, but XCOM looks perfectly fine to me.

I never played the original games. I also believe that no man has the right to drastically alter another man's creativity or ideas without their consent. HOWEVER, 2K has the rights to make XCOM any way they please because they have creative liscence and they have the rights TO REMAKE THE ORIGINAL XCOM.

Sure, it may look nothing like the original, but they're trying to create a new story out of something old. They're trying to bring the game back to life with new characters, a new plot, and some badass aliens. And it seems to me like they're doing a good job. Also, none of you guys should be saying that XCOM looks cheap, stupid, or horrible just from the trailer. There's a ton of stuff that hasn't been revealed yet.

While we're talking about 2K's creativity and stuff, I'd like to bring up the blobs. A lot of you are complaining that they have no personality. This is true. It is PRECISELY for that reason that they are scary and creepy. A mindless, formless, black death that just grabs you by surprise and kills you. You don't know why it's doing it, you only know it's trying to kill you. That is what scares me the most: A mindless animal set loose, killing anything in sight. Wouldn't that scare you, too?

Another thing: the weapons. Some people are saying that they don't make any sense or aren't creative. Keep in mind that this takes place in the 1950's, when nothing REALLY made any sense at all... people only cared about what it does and what it looks like. (Ask anybody who lived in that time period, and they'll tell you it's true. )

Well, I just ran out of creative juices, so I'll continue my anti-XCOM hater thread later. But read over what i posted, and tell me something: Do you still hate XCOM?

They want to make this game... that's fine, just remove the XCOM name and make it an original IP. Then, actually make a true XCOM game with the license that they own. Just because they have the license doesn't mean that they can do whatever they want with it and NOT expect backlash! If somebody acquired the license to "The Wizard of OZ", made a porno and slapped the WoO name on it just because they had the license, would that be fine?

[AK Downfall]

...anyone remember Halo Wars. And RTS game that people thought would suck cause the halo series was a first person shooter.

The whole XCOM hate is the exact same thing with the Halo Wars just vis versa.

[serious77]

Halo Wars, at least, remained true to the franchise in world and flavor. This game has NOTHING to do with XCOM!

[EaglePryde]

Halo Wars, at least, remained true to the franchise in world and flavor. This game has NOTHING to do with XCOM!

That's true. Halo still was Halo even with the genre change but in our case it's totaly different.

If i made Tetris and put Alien looking bricks into it and called it XCOM, it still wouldn't be XCOM..it would be Tetris. If they would call it something like Bioshock but with a different setting then it would fit better than their XCOM naming that has absolutly nothing to do with the original games