New video from Firaxis spills the alien beans on the upcoming XCOM: Enemy Unknown

A while back it was revealed that we will not only be treated to the FPS take on the old X-COM franchise, but that there is also a "proper" new game in the works, which is going to take us back to the base building and turn based combat goodness of the original games.

Today the developers, Firaxis, has posted this video look of the game, giving us the first chance of actually seeing it in action:

I'm personally really excited after watching this video!
Some people may disagree with the somewhat cartoony art direction that the game seems to be sporting, but I don't mind it at all, and I think that the new "glamour" cam that they were showing off looked awesome and will help add to the immersion of combat.

I'm definitely much more interested in XCOM: Enemy Uknown now and looking forward to playing it later this year (no firm release date is available yet, though).



 Subscribe in a reader

A "real" new X-COM game is in the making by Firaxis

While we're waiting on the delayed first person shooter take on the X-COM franchise, we can enjoy a fantastic piece of surprising news.
Game informer has just revealed that there is a new and "proper" X-COM game in the works, which will be a traditional X-COM game that focuses on large scale alien fighting strategy, mixed in with tactical control of your extra-terrestrial exterminating hired guns.

The game, which is nostalgically titled "X-COM: Enemy Unknown", is being made by Firaxis, which is a company with much experience in the strategy game genre, as they are the massive swollen brains behind several of the "Civilization" games.

According to Firaxis president, Steve Martin (don't laugh, that's his real name), there's been much consideration put into ensuring that this game will stay true to the "classic" X-COM games, as he explains in the interview with Game informer: "We were careful to keep XCOM: Enemy Unknown true to the elements that made X-COM such a revered game while delivering an entirely new story and gameplay experience for both die-hard X-COM fans and newcomers to the franchise."

It seems aliens, much like deer, are also hypnotized by car headlights. I'm sure this knowledge will come in handy

The game will feature destructible environments, a real-time strategic view (as we know it from the old X-COM games) and turn based combat (again, like the old games of the series).

I'm looking forward to seeing more details about this game, which will hopefully be a little easier than the first X-COM, which I recently went back and played and subsequently got my ass completely handed to me by.

 Subscribe in a reader

New X-COM game delayed - UFO's on galactic detour

Those of you looking forward to the new FPS reboot of X-COM that 2K Marin is currently waiting on. are going to have to keep watching the skies for longer than first anticipated.

You'll have to postpone those monolith shooting activities to sometime well into 2012, at the earliest

In the fiscal Q2 2012 earnings report the X-COM publisher, Take-Two, have announced that they are now expecting the game to ship in "fiscal 2013", meaning somewhere between April 2012 to March 2013.
This is bumped back from the previously announced March 2012 release date.

I am actually really sad to hear this news. While I was initially (very) skeptical about a FPS X-COM game, the last showing of the game at E3 managed to impress me quite a lot, and I was looking forward to playing in this 50's Americana setting.
Especially the increased focus on research and management of your men has piqued my interest and provide a clearer connection to the X-COM games of old (the original of which has been kicking my ass).

E3 2011 X-COM mission play through:

 Subscribe in a reader

X-COM Journal Day 1: This could all go very bad...

As I proclaimed yesterday, I have bought a copy of X-COM: UFO Defense and immediately jumped into the world of small grey aliens and flying saucers (brings back nostalgic memories of X-Files it does).

Yesterday I was bombastically bragging how my many years of gaming experience would easily enable me to subdue this old sci-fi gaming antiquity, and I launched the game with high hopes of easy battles against inferior computer enemies.

Approximately 45 minutes later I found myself alt+F4'ing out of the game with a sense of deep despair that would make an emo goth seem cheerful.

A fresh game of X-COM ready to be conquered!

There is no doubt that the last 17 years since X-COM's release has seen great leaps and bounds in terms of easing players into a game and helping them get a feeling for what the hell is going on.

I think the death of the big paper manual has probably helped with this, as back in 1994 you would still find a nice little book for you to read through, whenever you bought any game more complicated than Space Invaders.

However, without a manual (or the patience to read one, even if I could find a PDF document online somwhere) I threw myself headfirst into the game and hoped to figure it out as I went along.

Mistake number one came after around 20 seconds of having selected difficulty level and started the game.

Sci-fi blast from the past: X-COM: UFO Defense

Following my own, rather fantastic, advice on cheap sci-fi games on Steam I just picked up a copy of X-COM: UFO Defense

Something strange in the neighborhood?
Who you gonna call?
X-COM!

I intend to deep dive into a pool of DOS powered gaming nostalgia and relive the magic of the strategy game that helped spark my love affair with sci-fi computer gaming.

Either that or I will run away screaming, horrified by the outdated graphics and cumbersome gameplay mechanics.
Either way, it should provide you with top quality entertainment!

X-COM was one of those games that I had a bit of a complicated relationship with, just like I do with Eve Online.
It continually kicked my ass every time I played it and I only managed to finally complete it by cheating (trainer programs and hex-editors for the win! "FFFFFF" for lots of money).