The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

Andy Gravity

Some footage of the opening mission, doesn't look too bad.

nesf

Azza wrote: »

I've read a lot of user reviews for X-Com Enemy Unknown by fans of the original who say its massively dumbed down shallow version of the original.

A true remake, say a reskinning of the original, would have 80-90% of the gaming community running home to their mothers to say Firaxis were mean and beat them up after they stole all their lunch money. It's a very unforgiving game. There's quite an amount of depth to it but it's brutally unfair. It was one of those games where not completing because it was just too hard for you was acceptable.

One thing a lot of the older people missed in the new version were the base raids. In the old game you had to build your base on a 2d "map." If the base was attacked by the aliens you fought on that map. This lead to very interesting trade-offs between maximum productivity bases and bases that were very difficult to assault. It sounds like it'd make it too easy but for most of the game you were at such an extreme disadvantage in combat that you needed to stack the odds very highly in your favour just to not lose someone in a firefight.

Admittedly though the AI and other parts of the original were pretty crap but that's reasonable given the hardware that they had to play with at the time.

Azza

nesf wrote:

A true remake, say a reskinning of the original, would have 80-90% of the gaming community running home to their mothers to say Firaxis were mean and beat them up after they stole all their lunch money. It's a very unforgiving game. There's quite an amount of depth to it but it's brutally unfair. It was one of those games where not completing because it was just too hard for you was acceptable.

Yeah damned if you do, damned if you don't. Unknown was probably too hard for most gamer's on any difficulty above normal.

nesf

Azza wrote: »

Yeah damned if you do, damned if you don't. Unknown was probably too hard for most gamer's on any difficulty above normal.

Yeah, it's the price of gaming becoming popular.

ShadowHearth

nesf wrote: »

Yeah, it's the price of gaming becoming popular.

Its still a turn based strategy with macro management of the base done right in modern time. Look at New Jagged alliance game. Now thats how you make a bad turn based classic games remake.

I know the New Xcom is a chop down version of classics, but it is still great game. Sometimes unfair, but sometimes it was way unfair to my opponents, where I would hit them with just 7% of chance.

nesf

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Its still a turn based RTS with macro management of the base done right in modern time. Look at New Jagged alliance game. Now thats how you make a bad turn based classic games remake.

I know the New Xcom is a chop down version of classics, but it is still great game. Sometimes unfair, but sometimes it was way unfair to my opponents, where I would hit them with just 7% of chance.

RTS? o_O

degrassinoel

Mornin Shadow, still punting your i hate this game even though i never played it before card? awesome

I think that video Andy posted is awesome, validates my decision of a prepurchase. I'm more than happy that this little spin-off is going to give some (what appears to be) quality backstory/XCOM-origins. I think it looked graphically better than the other pre-release videos i've seen.

Yeah, looking forward to this even more now, cheers Andy!

ShadowHearth

nesf wrote: »

RTS? o_O

Sorry, Strategy.

ShadowHearth

degrassinoel wrote: »

Mornin Shadow, still punting your i hate this game even though i never played it before card? awesome

I think that video Andy posted is awesome, validates my decision of a prepurchase. I'm more than happy that this little spin-off is going to give some (what appears to be) quality backstory/XCOM-origins. I think it looked graphically better than the other pre-release videos i've seen.

Yeah, looking forward to this even more now, cheers Andy!

I havent even said a thing about new game in my latest post... :rolleyes:

degrassinoel

lmao

dude, i bet you'll end up buying this :P

ShadowHearth

degrassinoel wrote: »

lmao

dude, i bet you'll end up buying this :P

Well, like with any game, I will give it a chance to impress me. After checking few reviews, proper gameplay videos I will know better. That does not change my opinion about the game as it currently stands.
Yes, I would like old school type of game, but maybe this type of game, might bring in other gamers to X-com franchise.

degrassinoel

Ahh yeah, any excuse

Potatoeman

degrassinoel wrote: »

Mornin Shadow, still punting your i hate this game even though i never played it before card? awesome

I think that video Andy posted is awesome, validates my decision of a prepurchase. I'm more than happy that this little spin-off is going to give some (what appears to be) quality backstory/XCOM-origins. I think it looked graphically better than the other pre-release videos i've seen.

Yeah, looking forward to this even more now, cheers Andy!

It's a valid concern to have given the increasing trend of developers trying to appeal to a wider audience. There have been too many great games changed to generic titles. I like FPS games but I also enjoyed XCOM and would rather that they concentrated on the strategy games rather than another FPS as there are already loads of great ones. This could bomb and result in them scrapping the entire franchise as its trying to trade on the name ofthe other title in an attempt to spin money.

Azza

Potatoeman wrote:

It's a valid concern to have given the increasing trend of developers trying to appeal to a wider audience. There have been too many great games changed to generic titles. I like FPS games but I also enjoyed XCOM and would rather that they concentrated on the strategy games rather than another FPS as there are already loads of great ones. This could bomb and result in them scrapping the entire franchise as its trying to trade on the name ofthe other title in an attempt to spin money.

Its not an FPS. Its a third person shooter with an emphasis on squad control.
It has a different developer making this, 2k Marin. The turn based series is being handled by Firaxis Games of Civilization fame. Its development has in no way delayed development of any future games in the X-Com turn based series. X-Com Enemy Unknown has been very successful critically and commercially the future for that series seems to be secure for the short to mid term.

Sure it could tarnish the brand name if the game is of poor quality, but so could the next turn based game if its not up to scratch either.

degrassinoel

the live action video's playlist on youtube is here, some new videos were added, gotta say.. they did really well with those. Looking forward to the game even more now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyGvBzQ9nNI&list=PLmAxB8FR-F8qfgAocYOjm-TUpE9NVR6hX

degrassinoel

All of the prepurchase rewards should be unlocked today. (it's at 99% right now)

Bonus DLC mission, Spec Op's The line, and the entire XCOM collection.

Spear

Spec Ops has appeared in my library. It looks like no gift version of the XCom games if you already have them.

degrassinoel

yeah just noticed that too, bit annoyed over that. I wanted to give them to my cousin. Meh, the writeup they have on the steam page ommits to tell you that the XCOM bundle is solely for your account, whilst it specifically says the Spec Op game can be traded if you already bought/own it on steam.

I'm not too fussed, i'd have bought the game anyway, i'd just like for steam to be a bit more open with how they word these things.

Edit: i was wrong again, restarted steam and it's added the whole collection as giftable/tradeable to my inventory.

Sephiroth_dude

Is this a squad based shooter similar to the brother in arms series?

degrassinoel

Spear wrote: »

Spec Ops has appeared in my library. It looks like no gift version of the XCom games if you already have them.

Just restarted steam there and it's added all the DLC's for EU, and the entire xcom collection into my inventory, you can gift or trade them. Happy days!

It is a squad based third person shooter, i've not played BIA so no idea there

Sephiroth_dude

Ahhh I'd be very interested in getting it so .

humanji

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Is this a squad based shooter similar to the brother in arms series?

From what I've seen, it's seems like a lite version of the BIA games, as in you give basic directions to your squad, but I'd assume they're mostly superfluous and you'll be the one doing all the work.

I tried opening the Steam page and all I'm getting is "Sorry, but you're not permitted to view these materials at this time." It's like it knows I'm in work.

Tinie

Looks like this is the time to pick up a cheap copy of XCOM on steam trading sites what with all the Xcom gifts being given out now. Heard a lot of good things about it so looking forward to trying it out.

degrassinoel

pre-load is up on steam, 5 days to go (9.5gb in case you were wondering) looking forward to both this and the XCOM announcement this week at gamescom.

Grumpypants

Finally got around to playing this and enjoying it a lot. Only through the first attack sequence and left the base so early days. The squad control works pretty well and the story line is enjoyable.

nesf

The gist of the reviews seem to be: this is a game that was not designed from the ground up as an XCOM related title, this seems to have been bolted on in a rough and ugly fashion midway through development and the result is the worse for it.

degrassinoel

I wont spoil the plot for anyone, even with spoilers.


I completed the game yesterday.

The good: The game has interesting characters, beautiful locations, creepy, eerie and atmospheric is pretty much the standard for all your missions. The first mission dumps you right into that atmosphere. The combat is different, i really enjoyed the idea of time-dilated issuing of commands and for the most case it works.

The bad: The friendly ai loses the run of itself sometimes, sometimes it runs so far forward or inside a building that it gets itself killed and fu**s up your plans (think solo-rambo in left4dead) other times it gets confused and freezes when given orders and will not do anything until recalled with F2.
The enemy AI on the other hand is quite good in comparison, takes a while to get used to the tactics that each alien employs.

The ugly: the plot. Felt as though they didnt know how to finish it in true XCOM fashion and fired the original writer then allowed some writer with little or no XCOM background write the ending.

Overall, i felt a bit disappointed by the plot which was the main reason i was buying the game. It's reasonably rated on metacritic at 67. The game itself had so much potential to be anything it wanted to be provided the plot was strong. And thats the thing, it starts off strong and gradually becomes non-cannon to XCOM:EU

I'd say pick it up when it's price has dropped, in a steamsale or whatever. It's not worth 50quid.