d0om on 15/4/2010 at 08:44
If the new Xcom game is like space hulk, it could be awesome.
If its just a HL2 clone with aliens/weapons from XCom, it will be less awesome.
mothra on 15/4/2010 at 08:55
what's there to update ? did the term FPS get a new meaning ? Systemshock was an rpg/shooter hybrid. Bioshock was a shooter with a little RPG sprinkled upon. Bioshock2 embraced the shooting as the one thing working in the whole concept and got better for it. That somehow worked out for the franchises but still had nothing to do with the game it has been associated with, Systemshock, although it was in the same "genre" or copied the same "elements", not to talk about copying the story as well.
X-COM was a turn-based strategy game that melted so many genres it was it's OWN genre and it never has been really tried to recreate or became its own genre with the typical low-quality clones. I am not talking about half-assed sequels and fps-spin offs.
The only thing coming close is SpaceRangers:Reboot in boldness of gameplay insanity. And now you take the "name", the brand "recogniton", make it an FPS and are "excited" about it....
About what ? an Alienshooter ? like the 100000000 other alienshooters ?
My guess is the usual: brand name recognition, possible free internet publicity due to the shitstorm created by old fans with NO impact whatsoever on the new target audience: the "sophisticated" casual player that thought Bioshock was the 2nd coming of gaming christ and "innovative". I'm sure legions of disillusioned gaming journalists will be positive about it as long as it's not another GOW clone. That is enough nowadays to get recognized for "originality".
geez. I would crawl under a table and hide. Jordan Thomas involved ? He seems to have settled on spending the rest of his talent on boring rehashes. He showed so much promise and now he has to deliver "safe" sequels. Not that BS2 was bad per se, it was just so ..... unnecessary.
nicked on 15/4/2010 at 09:40
If they incorporated the alien mind control effects in a squad-based shooter, it could be really tense - sort of like the Thing game.
Matthew on 15/4/2010 at 10:02
Quote Posted by d0om
If the new Xcom game is like space hulk, it could be awesome.
Once I get over the crushing disappointment that I'm not getting a new strategic-tactical game, I could get behind something like this. If it's a straight FPS, I likely won't bother until it's dirt cheap.
Eldron on 15/4/2010 at 10:08
I'm pretty sure we wont be given random maps or destructable terrain in this game, that's not something that has ever been a needed or asked for feature in the Unreal engine, nor is it something that most developers want to get into due to cost to develop and headaches.
I'm guessing pre-built, prebaked maps.
EvaUnit02 on 15/4/2010 at 12:36
Quote Posted by Eldron
I'm pretty sure we wont be given random maps or destructable terrain in this game, that's not something that has ever been a needed or asked for feature in the Unreal engine, nor is it something that most developers want to get into due to cost to develop and headaches.
I'm guessing pre-built, prebaked maps.
Honestly I'd rather that they just dumped that old hacked together Vengeance engine that they've used for the last 6 years and started afresh with UE 3.0.
It'd be a lot less messier and you wouldn't have silly glitches - like how the physics in Bioshock 1&2 was capped at 30fps, whilst the rest of the game's framerate is uncapped. Eg Ragdolls seemed like they'd be falling in slow-motion in jarring contrast with the rest of the game.
d0om on 15/4/2010 at 12:59
If you think about what made Xcom tactical battles great, it was the suspense, the unknown. Exploring knowing at any moment an alien could be lurking facing you and gun you down. Each squad member would normally only fire 2 clips a mission at most. This is in massive contrast to most FPS games!
You didn't send your best men into a door first, you either send the rookie in to take the overwatch fire, or you use explosives to make your own door elsewhere!
Space hulk (the old one, not the new fancy one) was like this, with you ordering squads around to cover approaches, not wanting to go round blind corners in case there are enemies lurking etc. That had the freeze time mechanic for ordering your squad around, which you gained in realtime and spent when frozen.
Matthew on 15/4/2010 at 13:02
Quote Posted by d0om
You didn't send your best men into a door first, you either send the rookie in to take the overwatch fire
Naaaah man, that's what Robbie the robot launcher-tank was for!
d0om on 15/4/2010 at 13:42
Tanks were expensive! You could buy 6 rookies for the cost of a tank!
Although I always renamed all my rookies "Rookie" and they only earned a real name when they had survived some combat experience :)
Matthew on 15/4/2010 at 13:51
But then I couldn't have done all the mechanical robo-noises under my breath, silly.
