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General Category => Off the Record => Gaming HQ => Topic started by: katmai on April 15, 2020, 06:52:09 PM

Title: XCom new game?
Post by: katmai on April 15, 2020, 06:52:09 PM
 https://kotaku.com/a-new-xcom-game-is-coming-out-next-week-1842859356  (https://kotaku.com/a-new-xcom-game-is-coming-out-next-week-1842859356)
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: FunkMonk on April 15, 2020, 08:35:40 PM
It's only $10 until May 1st. I'll probably buy it at that price, even if it is essentially a standalone expansion pack. It's looking to innovate on the turn system, at least.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: DGuller on April 15, 2020, 08:56:16 PM
How often is a game announced two weeks before release?  Seems a little weird.  I'm not too hopeful, Firaxis seems to have increasingly been losing the plot with the franchise.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: garbon on April 16, 2020, 01:50:00 AM
Yeah with annoucment timing, details and price sounds like paying to try a experiment.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: Tonitrus on April 16, 2020, 05:46:19 AM
Cooperation with the aliens?  That goes against everything XCom is supposed to be about.  :mad:
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: Josquius on April 16, 2020, 05:49:20 AM
Wasn't the whole plot with Xcom that there were evil overlord aliens who had conquered others and incorporated them into their ranks? Plotwise makes sense.
But yeah. Weird to be announced so near release.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: The Larch on April 16, 2020, 07:05:03 AM
Apparently it's meant to take place 5 years after X-Com 2, in the uneasy post-war peace situation, and contained into a single city rather than worldwide, so it seems that it'll be more police-like and less military-like, so to speak.

I'll wait for the first reviews, but if they're good (and it's not expensive during the first few days) I think I'll get it. X-Com has given me so many good times over the years that they have my trust.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: FunkMonk on April 16, 2020, 07:39:55 AM
It's definitely an experiment, but Firaxis has handled the franchise so well, and produced increasingly better and more coherent gameplay within it, that I'll probably pick it up for $10. Frankly, they deserve the trust they've built with the fans.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: ulmont on April 16, 2020, 07:52:17 AM
Quote from: FunkMonk on April 16, 2020, 07:39:55 AM
It's definitely an experiment, but Firaxis has handled the franchise so well, and produced increasingly better and more coherent gameplay within it, that I'll probably pick it up for $10. Frankly, they deserve the trust they've built with the fans.

Yeah, agreed.  I mean, it's basically standalone DLC, and I'd be buying it if it was actual DLC for XCOM 2 for $10. :contract:
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: Tonitrus on April 16, 2020, 08:39:44 AM
Quote from: The Larch on April 16, 2020, 07:05:03 AM
Apparently it's meant to take place 5 years after X-Com 2, in the uneasy post-war peace situation, and contained into a single city rather than worldwide, so it seems that it'll be more police-like and less military-like, so to speak.

I'll wait for the first reviews, but if they're good (and it's not expensive during the first few days) I think I'll get it. X-Com has given me so many good times over the years that they have my trust.

XCOM: Apocalypse (the original XCOM 3) already tried that.  It didn't go so well...
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: ulmont on April 16, 2020, 09:32:12 AM
Quote from: Tonitrus on April 16, 2020, 08:39:44 AM
Quote from: The Larch on April 16, 2020, 07:05:03 AM
Apparently it's meant to take place 5 years after X-Com 2, in the uneasy post-war peace situation, and contained into a single city rather than worldwide, so it seems that it'll be more police-like and less military-like, so to speak.

I'll wait for the first reviews, but if they're good (and it's not expensive during the first few days) I think I'll get it. X-Com has given me so many good times over the years that they have my trust.

XCOM: Apocalypse (the original XCOM 3) already tried that.  It didn't go so well...


Yeah, but Firaxis seems to be heading towards jettisoning the strategic layer in favor of just a straight tactical RPG, which seems cool by me.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: The Larch on April 16, 2020, 10:00:00 AM
Yeah, Apocalypse was a much larger departure from the traditional X Com style of games. It seems that Fireaxis is keeping this new game closer to the traditional engine, only changing the focus.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: DGuller on April 16, 2020, 10:00:23 AM
I guess that's where XCOM lost me.  I enjoyed the fact that there was both a strategic and tactical part to the game, and both of them were crucial and neither was a sideshow to the other.  DLCs turned it into a linear story-driven RPG, which made it into a different game, and I would argue a much worse game.  I enjoyed the fact that my strategic decisions would have an impact on the tactical situation.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: Tamas on April 16, 2020, 10:02:29 AM
Quote from: DGuller on April 16, 2020, 10:00:23 AM
I guess that's where XCOM lost me.  I enjoyed the fact that there was both a strategic and tactical part to the game, and both of them were crucial and neither was a sideshow to the other.  DLCs turned it into a linear story-driven RPG, which made it into a different game, and I would argue a much worse game.  I enjoyed the fact that my strategic decisions would have an impact on the tactical situation.

I don't have all the small side-mission DLCs, but I can safely say that you are very wrong. There are TONS of strategic decisions you can make in XCOM2, not just with research but also with soldier customisation, that can have a very formative impact on how tactical battles turn out. Far more IMHO than in the 90s games.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: DGuller on April 16, 2020, 10:30:25 AM
Quote from: Tamas on April 16, 2020, 10:02:29 AM
Quote from: DGuller on April 16, 2020, 10:00:23 AM
I guess that's where XCOM lost me.  I enjoyed the fact that there was both a strategic and tactical part to the game, and both of them were crucial and neither was a sideshow to the other.  DLCs turned it into a linear story-driven RPG, which made it into a different game, and I would argue a much worse game.  I enjoyed the fact that my strategic decisions would have an impact on the tactical situation.

I don't have all the small side-mission DLCs, but I can safely say that you are very wrong. There are TONS of strategic decisions you can make in XCOM2, not just with research but also with soldier customisation, that can have a very formative impact on how tactical battles turn out. Far more IMHO than in the 90s games.
I was talking about DLCs.  Vanilla XCOM2 was a good game.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: Zoupa on April 16, 2020, 08:53:24 PM
War of the Chosen is a better game in every way than Vanilla X-Com 2...

(https://i.imgur.com/cbOEUfz.jpg)
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: The Larch on April 24, 2020, 04:06:53 AM
And it's out! Who'll be the first one to get it?  :P
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: garbon on April 24, 2020, 04:58:19 AM
Quote from: Zoupa on April 16, 2020, 08:53:24 PM
War of the Chosen is a better game in every way than Vanilla X-Com 2...

(https://i.imgur.com/cbOEUfz.jpg)

What is this picture showing us?
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: The Larch on April 24, 2020, 05:08:23 AM
Quote from: garbon on April 24, 2020, 04:58:19 AM
Quote from: Zoupa on April 16, 2020, 08:53:24 PM
War of the Chosen is a better game in every way than Vanilla X-Com 2...

(https://i.imgur.com/cbOEUfz.jpg)

What is this picture showing us?

That he's played the game a lot and is sitll playing it nowadays, after many years?
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: garbon on April 24, 2020, 05:33:28 AM
Well it doesn't seem to show anything about War of the Chosen vs vanilla.

All I saw was 47 full days of gameplay. :D
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: ulmont on April 25, 2020, 07:27:10 PM
Quote from: The Larch on April 24, 2020, 04:06:53 AM
And it's out! Who'll be the first one to get it?  :P

I had it preordered, so I guess I won?  I'm enjoying the hell out of it.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: FunkMonk on April 25, 2020, 07:35:42 PM
I've played it for about 5 hours.

It's XCOM but faster. I like it a lot.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: FunkMonk on April 26, 2020, 07:32:59 AM
My main team so far consists of:

A shotgun-wielding black lady who can practically instantly kill anything anywhere on the map with a 3-turn cool down

An alien monk who runs in, punches an enemy so hard that they can't move, and then pops an ability that makes them immune to damage.

An alien-human hybrid that gives everyone invincibility shields and charges into enemies.

An Asian lady that can heal anybody for free with no cool down, as well as pin enemies down to delay their turn or give someone else a free action.

This is without grenades and items that manipulate turn order.

The synergies are pretty awesome.
Title: Re: XCom new game?
Post by: The Larch on April 27, 2020, 10:58:20 AM
I also bought the game during the weekend, but I haven't yet been able to play it much. My first impressions are good, though, I quite like the Breach mode, and the multi-stage mission setup. Also, it seems that the game is not quite as deadly, so a more agressive style is sometimes not quite the death sentence that might be in the regular X-Com, where a much more cautious approach is normally the warranted one.