XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Why Firaxis Loves X-COM

Dhruin

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Chekote writes in with the latest GameInformer article on XCOM: Enemy Unknown. On offer is a video interview with Firaxis, describing why they love the original games so much:
The original X-COM was a masterpiece, and nobody is quicker to acknowledge that than XCOM: Enemy Unknown's lead designer Jake Solomon. He cites the original title as his favorite game of all time and he wanted to make sure that the rest of the team at Firaxis understood why the 1994 PC title is so beloved. Many at the studio also cherished the classic title, but anybody that wasn't familiar with it was put on a crash course to absorb every detail. The first X-COM has the scope, depth, and atmosphere to survive the test of time, and the team at Firaxis is approaching the reimagining of the game for 2012 with humility and extreme caution. In this video, the art director, producer, and lead designer for XCOM: Enemy Unknown share their experiences with the original game and talk about the process of dissecting and analyzing a masterpiece.
More information.
 
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I still don't understand the need for this, given the fine job UFO:Extraterrestrials did in recreating the XCom experience (unlike the After- series, which wasn't such a fine job).
 
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I still don't understand the need for this, given the fine job UFO:Extraterrestrials did in recreating the XCom experience (unlike the After- series, which wasn't such a fine job).

Mmmh, let me think

1. Firaxis is a high profile studio. Its releases get way more attention than any indie effort.

2. Bringing it to consoles.

3. A bigger budget, because it is a major publisher game (Take 2)

4. Bringing it to major DD channels like STEAM, GamersGate or even services like OnLive.

I will buy this game no matter what. I tried Extraterrestials and wasn't impressed.
 
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Just because one remake was ok it doesn't mean that other's won't be. And seeing how X-COM is probably close to the greatest game ever, a remake is never a bad thing. I just hope they don't screw it up. I'm having nightmares about X-boxes eating all my favourite games and leaving only splinters of the original games behind.
 
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The After series qweren't to bad....especailly since you can mod them...UFO I heard wasn't so good. Firaxis could possibly do a really great game with the resources and personel they have.
 
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Loved the last two games of the after* series: aftershock and afterlight.
The micromanagement of everything (combat, base and marines management) was so sophisticated, you easily forgot about it being not turnbased.

I also couldn´t get into UFO: Extraterrestrials.
 
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http://www.ufo2extraterrestrials.com/

UFO: Extraterrestrials 2 is on my radar for over a year now.
Its shaping out quite nicely. Its back on planet earth, it has a lot of fun features. I couldnt get immersed on the 1st of the series mainly because it was on a diferent planet and they seemed to understand it was a poor decision on them in the first place since they are coming back to a more X-COM root on planet earth.


I have high hopes for this one, probably more than on firexis tbh. Lets see in March.
 
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UFO2 has been pushed back a couple times and UFO1 was delayed something like 2 years. The delays were smart since they put out a good game with no significant bugs, but still... How solid is that March release really looking?
 
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UFO2 has been pushed back a couple times and UFO1 was delayed something like 2 years. The delays were smart since they put out a good game with no significant bugs, but still… How solid is that March release really looking?

I Honestly don't know if March is still up, but before the March 2012 release date it was posted that it would be APRIL 2012.

So, if they changed from April to March is a good sign, when things go bad its the other way round :)
 
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Mmmh, let me think
I will buy this game no matter what. I tried Extraterrestials and wasn't impressed.

Yeah I heven't been impressed by any of the unofficial spiritual successors, so here's hoping the official remake manage to recapture the feel of the original.

-Sergorn
 
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the alien hiding in the cabinet..... and you had to search for so so so long......
 
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the alien hiding in the cabinet….. and you had to search for so so so long……

I didn't mind this so much in the original XCom. Where it was totally unacceptable was in the follow-on where you had a cruise ship with like 500 cabins all alike! I hated those missions so much that I would land on the ship, load my guys back up, and leave. You'd take a small reputation (or whatever it was) hit from that but less than if you didn't show up at all.
 
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the alien hiding in the cabinet….. and you had to search for so so so long……

That killed Xcom 2 for me. I hated those…….pink missions (terror missions I think they were called). I had a strategy guide and IIRC it said that one way to get around those missions was to go there, land and instantly take off with everyone on board. You took a hit to your rep, but I don't believe it was as much as totally ignoring it.

I didn't mind the base missions or the downed UFO ones, but that freaking cruise ship drove me nuts. There was always one alien hiding somewhere I thought I checked. Guaranteed every-single-time there would be one hiding I couldn't find.

EDIT: HA! Just read Bill's response and I see he used the same guide I did :D
 
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EDIT: HA! Just read Bill's response and I see he used the same guide I did :D

No guide, I played it when it was new and just learned.

Eventually Scott T. Jones worked out a lot of the problems with XCom and XCom 2 with his XComUtil package. If you ever go back and play the original I highly recommend it!
 
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Thank's Bill. Never heard of it.

I started a fresh game a few months ago, but only got so far in it when I started getting the hidden aliens. It seems I had a lot more patience when I was younger, but not now. I quite soon after.

I went to that site and got the XcomUtil Package. I'll give her a shot the next time I replay it.
 
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