ALMOST bought XCOM:EU today...

[ladlon]

It's on sale on Steam, and I had been eagerly awaiting it... but today, I was reading several reviews of how the tactics have been really dumbed down, and that the game is very linear, and the maps are not random in any way... and suddenly, I found myself going from eagerly wanting it, to taking it off my list.

Still looks really nice, and I love the atmosphere... I hope I'm not going to regret passing it up (...it's $13!).

Certainly a huge range of opinions on it... with the pro reviewers going crazy for it, and several gamers bashing it for being dumbed down, linear and short. Replayability and randomness are things I insist on, so that news was disappointing, to say the least...

Instead, I'm waiting on Xenonauts to hit Steam.

[StellarRat]

It's on sale on Steam, and I had been eagerly awaiting it... but today, I was reading several reviews of how the tactics have been really dumbed down, and that the game is very linear, and the maps are not random in any way... and suddenly, I found myself going from eagerly wanting it, to taking it off my list.

Still looks really nice, and I love the atmosphere... I hope I'm not going to regret passing it up (...it's $13!).

Certainly a huge range of opinions on it... with the pro reviewers going crazy for it, and several gamers bashing it for being dumbed down, linear and short. Replayability and randomness are things I insist on, so that news was disappointing, to say the least...

Instead, I'm waiting on Xenonauts to hit Steam.

In another year you can pick it up for 10 bucks and if you hate it you're only out the cost of a lunch.

[Chris]

I actually rather enjoyed XCOM:EU - it's not quite the same as the old game, but it's still fun. But yeah, obviously buy my game too

[scorpio]

Have to say I think you're missing out. I'm an avid player of the original, and have it extensively modded with Xcomutil, UFOextender, custom uniforms etc and love the gameplay at a deep level. I enjoyed beating it at superhuman with heavy restrictions such as no blaster bombs/psionics for myself.

Let me just say that the new XCom had me planning turns for a good 10 minutes at times. True tactical moves, considering fewer troops as we all know, and therefore much more satisfying. This is at the impossible/ironman difficulty, which is by FAR harder than the afore-mentioned vanilla game I describe above. Much better with not having to artificially restrict myself aswell. The most satisfying victory I've had in any game.

Anyone who says it is dumbed down need only boot up impossible ironman and see how that works out. The reviews are by people who play it once on normal, or even classic, and decide it's not as punishing or involved as the original, when it is in fact better in so many ways.

There are certainly downsides, the interception is just you sitting there watching it, but really how involved is the OG interception? The strategic layer is bland/obvious and far too punishing on the highest difficulty, but still doable. Anyway, you know the downsides I'm sure so I wanted to mention how great I found the game, in the end, having been very skeptical to begin with aswell.

The best way is (would have been) to try yourself for a reasonable price!

[Solver]

I enjoyed XCOM:EU quite a lot, though I recommend also looking at re-balancing mods.

It's not really like the original X-COM, it's more of an X-COM inspired game. There's more emphasis on the combat missions which are themselves much faster and more intensive than in the original or in Xenonauts. The gameplay is different, but it keeps some true characteristics of X-COM like being really unforgiving, one wrong decision can easily cost you a soldier's life. A lot of the complexity is gone but it's still a fairly complex game, and some new mechanics (soldier abilities) are very fun if less complex than in the original, and as said, the game can be totally unforgiving.

I don't think it's a game that can entertain you for years, but it's definitely worth playing.

[ladlon]

Ha! Ya, I'm sure I'll see it again, and it'll be the same discount or more. Steam is doing its usual great job of tempting me repeatedly.

Interesting to hear you enjoyed it, Chris. I was totally hyped about getting it until today. I did a serious 180 that almost gave me whiplash! The reports of it being very linear/guided, and a 'turn-based Gears Of War' really turned me off it. I have no idea if those reports are accurate (as they clash with the glowing reviews of the gaming sites).

I recently had bought Silent Storm 2 (...a very spontaneous purchase, due to a sale, and me watching a vid of it, having never really heard much of it before). Wow, instant love. I've always been fond of turn-based tactical games (...well, even anything that allows you to at least THINK of what you are doing, rather than just mashing away), but that game really locked my interest in the genre.

I had always wanted to grab the original X-Com, but even though I'm not a complete graphic whore (and love the old-school stuff), I do find I get turned off by older game's sometimes clunky interfaces, jittery frame rates, or overly primary colour palettes. That's why I was glad to see a version here that is faithful to the details/freedom of the original, yet improved the graphics and refined the experience overall. I'm also excited about the openness to modding, which should really bring a lot of interesting options to the players.

When is the next News update?! I keep checking Steam to see if Xenonauts is up there.

[Phoenix]

I can only say: You are missing out a lot of good fun

[Bromley86]

£10 on Zavvi, although that's likely of little use to you. I keep resisting for the same reasons as you, but I may cave for that.

[Snap_Dragon]

I really enjoyed XCOM:EU and I loved the original X-com they both have a lot in common but there are core differences which really grinds the gears of a lot of purists, thus they tend to be dismissive of XCOM and write it off as not a 'true' game.

The big difference I found is in pacing and atmosphere: XCOM is fast and dramatic and the music and play-style reflects that. Characters run and shoot, and the move system simplifies things not to take you out of the action. Some elements are simplified not to dumb it down but to preserve the faster, and much more intense pacing. There are two actions per character, four to six characters, once you move a character you have to complete his move or give that move up. There is still a lot of fear and tension when your guys are being shot at off turn on when a new group of enemies move in when you are already pinned down but it is feels like a fast and desperate fight, especially if you are trying to protect an isolated scout or a soldier who is about to bleed out. In some missions the game makes great use of time pressure to crank this tension to the max, like when diffusing bombs, saving civilians in terror missions, or trying to get antidote to poisoned soldier before he keels over.

In the original the battles were slow, you were looking through a map covered in the fog of war only to be stuck down by a bolt of energy fired out of the blackness. The music and the atmosphere was slow, deliberate and tense. Troops were slower moving around, they could not move as far, but everything was far more fiddly as you tried to squeeze the most out of each last TU.

XCOM has a tension like trying to diffuse a ticking bomb or saving someone dangling from a cliff, while X-com is like a ghost story or a slasher flick where you know the killer is most likely in the dark attic and you are going up there anyway. The change in tone and atmosphere is subtle to most but to call it dumbed down is like calling the original x-com a ponderous micromanagement where you obsessively outfit groups of soldiers like an obsessive mother preparing them for the first day of school.

You could have that level of granularity in a slower game without it becoming too much of an issue, although I did find that X-com tended to drag at the point I wanted to shoot down small scouts into the ocean rather than bother sending my second or third line team from my secondary bases at it. I absolutely did not have this complaint about XCOM but I did miss a bit of complexity and fiddlyness of the original.

Long story short they are both good games and like comparing the two is like comparing a waltz to a jazz version of the same song.

[erutan]

I'll chime in and agree it's well worth playing on sale. The tactical layer is (generally) quite well done if different. The strategic layer has been oversimplified (vs. the streamlined of tactical) but it still "works" in the sense of having to balance global priorities / losing countries / being strapped for funds.

I haven't played GoW, but from what I know I wouldn't compare the two. It's well worth picking up on sale.

[ladlon]

Yep, I totally hear you on all that. That's the initial impression I got as well, comparing vids of the two. This is just what others said, which did spook me a bit (...plus, I got quite a few newly purchased games I've barely played, so I'm not hurting for more in a hurry).

I'm certainly not one of those purists types who immediately dismiss any remakes if they stray even the slightest... Heck, I haven't even PLAYED the original.

The way I saw it, I'll be getting Xenonauts, so it wasn't critical for me to get it. I may still grab it in the future. I did like the slickness of it, and the atmosphere and tension. The biggest disappointment for me was the non-randomness and supposed linearity. I like things random and replayable. I am a guy who plays Arma2, as opposed to Modern Combat (or other scripted games).

Granted, there's replayablity in that you can do different choices, etc... but, I had to make a quick decision, and decided it was better for me to pass for now (and still be able to get it later), than spend the money and maybe be disappointed (and eat into the funds that could go towards something else). I actually DO want the slow, ponderous type gameplay.

I'm getting my fix with Silent Storm 2 (which I have only just started), so I'm good for now. I just wish it had a skirmish mode! Then, there's all the Total War games I own, which I've only played very little of. I have no idea how people play all these games, and still have time to have a life! I could go for years just playing something like Skyrim alone (...but, I tend to do a lot of exploring, and sneaking... rather than just blasting through the main storyline). But, I digress!

(All this talk is making me want to play one of them... but, I have to get back to working on my animations...)

[raziel1981]

XCOM: EU is a fun game all in all but it didn't have the gripping sense of terror that XCOM had on me (those night terror missions...just thinking of them makes me want to tear the power cord out of the socket).

Glad to say that Xenonauts is giving me back that old feeling of "Ohhh...s*%@#t, medic! we're under heavy crossfire! Where's Sgt. Teddy?! He'll know what to do !"

[Hosi]

EU is fun

I don't like the way missions work honestly tho

Can't play forever with the way they have it setup

[BugPowderDust]

My 2p- thought it was very slick, and quite tense in places. The music was fantastic, and really helped to build the tension. There was a lot of things to like, but felt certain things were dumbed down in order to make micro-management less necessary. For instance, grenade timers- the ability to drop nades that go off in a cpl of turns; the ability to pick up a fallen team-mates kit (med kit, notably); the ability to throw items to another teammate (notably inert grenades) etc etc.

All in all, very enjoyable but looking forward to Xenonauts release (not playing during beta very much, prefer to wait for the finished product)

[Jean-Luc]

It's worth it if it's on sale and you have a craving for turn based tactics. The game's quite forgettable though (imo).

[Sathra]

I enjoyed it. It didn't change my life, but I didn't regret making the purchase.

I still consider it X-com Lite though, since there wasn't much call for advanced tactics.

[Lightzy]

I really liked it! I really enjoyed how it breathed a lot of life into the xcom story, with all the cutscenes and characters. I also enjoyed the plot which I thought was very well done!

(it's really hard to justify aliens who are advanced enough to completely destroy the plant just.. kidnapping people, doing terror and killing lots of ppl and just generally causing mayhem, and this plot wrapped it up and explained it beautifully with a very clever twist in the end. I thought it was very good)

Also enjoyed the leveling up of my squad, enjoyed the flavor text and lore... I actually enjoyed every bit of it except the way aliens appear when you 'trigger' them by moving forward. good game. glad I bought it on sale. I can't afford games off sale anyway.

ps: If you want to play a REALLY good turn based tactical combat game, get jagged alliance 2 (gold edition)... AMAZING game, probably my favorite ever along with planescape:torment, master of orion 2 and space rangers 2

[ladlon]

Ya, I'm probably grabbing XCOM:EU next time it goes on sale again. I'm still disappointed that it's 'linear' and non-random, but I'm assuming I can play 'multiplayer' against AI, so at least there's that 'replayability'.

@Lightzy: I've definitely been looking at Jagged Alliance 2 for a while now. I only held off, as I thought it might be a bit overwhelming (the management part, as opposed to the combat parts). I got Silent Storm 2 recently, and totally love it, so now I'm even more inclined to grab JA2. Just waiting to see if it goes on sale (although it's not exactly expensive currently). A shame the new one (supposedly) is not very good. A shame that none of these have a skirmish mode. I like the management stuff, but sometimes you just want to jump into a combat session. At least there's Frozen Synapse, for that.

[ShadowFox]

I bought it when it first came out as a preorder. I loved it. I recommend you watch a few videos of it before you buy it if you go and buy it. That is what I usually do, for games that have already been released that is.

[ladlon]

I bought it when it first came out as a preorder. I loved it. I recommend you watch a few videos of it before you buy it if you go and buy it. That is what I usually do, for games that have already been released that is.

Oh, ya. I've been watching vids of it since it came out. I love the look, the atmosphere and detail. The cinematic camera (for me) really adds to the immersion and drama. I also love the 'character' of the various aliens... they feel evil, mischievious, etc.

Again, I'm turned off by games that are scripted, linear, etc... and although XCOM is not entirely so (unless I'm mistaken!), I just got temporarily turned off by reports of it not being the 'play several times, each time is different' type of game I was hoping for. I'm not banning it for life... I just decided to hold off, consdering that other alternatives (Xenoauts, Silent Storm2, etc) might fill the 'tactical turn-based' gaming I seek.

A shame there's not more mods for Silent Storm 2... (like a skirmish mode, and maybe an X-Com like mode). I love the engine and the resulting gaming experience. Pretty much perfect for my tastes.

Thanks for all the feedback, guys.

[Commissar Pancakes]

In my opinion, EU 2012 is something that you play through once, then leave alone for perhaps a year or two so you slightly get that "fresh" feeling back.

[windex]

Yes the tactics are very good and everything else you mention that you heard (I don't know from were-a loser of this game?) you are wrong about as well. The problem mainly is that you can only have one base and a few things missing or different about the strategy layer from the original.

With some of the nexus modes though it can be quite as good as they original (though not quite the same) and very challenging in a fair way.

Here is not the place to ask, as many in this forum feel they are too good for it. Even though they haven't played enough of it nor tired any of the mods.

That said xenonauts has the potential to be every bit as good and in many ways better especially if you like the original.

[ladlon]

Yup, I figure that even if it's not as complex or 'good' as X-Com (original), it's still probably a fun turn-based tactical experience. Frozen Synapse, for example, could be argued as simpler, but nonetheless, it's really excellent. I'm planning on grabbing Jagged Alliance 2, despite having Silent Storm 2 (and them being arguably 'very similar'), since it's always cool to have some variety, be it in game location, time period, graphical look, tone, whatever. Just a damn shame that it isn't more random (if what I am hearing is accurate). I generally avoid games that are 'play once', except for exceptional ones like the HalfLife series.

If the negative aspects of XCOM (2012) are more about the globe and base elements, then I could probably live with it (although I totally understand any disapppointment other gamers may have about that). The fact that there are mods certainly sheds a new light on it, too!

Meh, next time it goes on sale, I'll grab it. At worst, I'll get it just to have it in my library, like so many other games I grabbed (with the knowledge I may never play them)!

[Max_Caine]

With Steam, the next sale is never too far away. Summer sale off the starboard bow!

[ladlon]

With Steam, the next sale is never too far away. Summer sale off the starboard bow!

Ya, they have been tempting me for the last few months with new sales every day or so. Then there's Good Old Games as well, doing the same thing. I think I bought 10 games just this year alone (...which is a lot for me). I got wishlists active for both. Jagged Alliance 2 is definitely next on my list. Just waiting on a sale, although I could easily spend the current $10 price and grab it anytime. Xenonauts will also be an insta-purchase once it hits Steam.

Good grief... When am I actually intending on PLAYING any of these?!