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I am an XCOM veteran and have now played XCOM: Enemy Unknown.


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Yes, as the thread title says, I have now played XCOM:EU, and done it for several hours. And as I am of the old XCOM school (having played through all the two first games from the nineties and a greater part of the third) and also own the two first games. So what are my verdict? This:

In short: The game of XCOM:EU is very appealing to the eye, have the kind of graphics you've grown accustomed to these days. And it's certainly nice bling bling compared to the old games. But (and this is a BIG BUT): the game lacks the general atmosphere of the old games. Take the music* for instance, it's got nowhere near the suspenceful air of the music you had playing on the Geomap as well as on the menues and in building the base/ministering the XCOM soldiers. And the classic "burp" when you change the screens is important!

Though, I have not yet played for long, this general lack of dark feeling IS DISTURBING. I already get a "plastic" feeling from all the personas talking onscreen, before and between missions. The also look very artificial. No, I actually had to stop playing from getting nauseous. I don't know if I am in the mood of playing for a while now... Disappointed!

I will try it out some more though. Not giving up yet. But this makes me look forward to Xenonauts!

*The kind of music I'd like is more this:

Or this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URtn78-kzFg&NR

Or the more modern version:

Edited by dracopticon
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I don't agree with your assessment. I have played XCOM almost non-stop for the past 2 days, and it's really good. The problem is that it is a console game, and it's a 2012 game, so it is much simpler than the original XCOM or than Xenonauts, but the core gameplay is the same and it is really addictive.

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I think that XCOM is fun, but there are three things I don't like.

1. It doesn't play like X-COM, even though it's called X-COM.

2. You can't shoot random things (walls, doors, windows, etc.) with guns.

3. It's not worth $50.

I'll wait until it's selling for $10 on Steam, and then try to brainwash myself that I'm playing a totally new game called MOCX.

My money went to Xenonauts, instead. I voted with my wallet!

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but the core gameplay is the same and it is really addictive

The core gameplay is far from "the same". The concept of the game is, not the gameplay.

It is addictive, though. These kind of game always do.

And yes, it is an excellent game as long as we try to forget all the "Xcom feelings" we expect.

My money went to Xenonauts, instead. I voted with my wallet!

You can show it more clearly by claiming your Pre-Order badge xD

http://www.goldhawkinteractive.com/forums/showthread.php/145-How-to-claim-your-Pre-Order-forum-badge!

Edited by Shuichi Niwa
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And another really bad thing with XCOM:EU is: The soldiers can't change facing during battles (to use right in overwatch).

And another really bad thing with XCOM:EU is: The soldiers can't pick things from the ground (like dead comrades grenades).

And another really bad thing with XCOM:EU is: The soldiers can't throw things from one soldier to another (in shortages).

And to think that all those things were present in the old games but not in the new! Embarrasing!

Well that's it right now. I'll probably find other stuff as I play along.

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I think that XCOM is fun, but there are three things I don't like.

1. It doesn't play like X-COM, even though it's called X-COM.

2. You can't shoot random things (walls, doors, windows, etc.) with guns.

3. It's not worth $50.

I'll wait until it's selling for $10 on Steam, and then try to brainwash myself that I'm playing a totally new game called MOCX.

My money went to Xenonauts, instead. I voted with my wallet!

Since you didnt even play the new XCOM your oppinion is completely and utter irrelevant.

I love it so far despite obvious flaws like the annoying camera and consolish interface.

I do agree that it is not terrorfying like the old games but its still very tense and I love features like the cover system or when your soldiers panic.

Also the base management and economics is a whole lot more complicated than most of us would have thought before playing but I can tell that it really adds a lot of depth to the game that I love.

Its easy to nitpick like the OP but what it comes down to is that this new XCOM game is simply very fun to play.

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Im glad i saved my money. i beat the game at my friend's house and its a good game, but it's not xcom. call the game Alien Dawn Alien battlefront or Aliens on Earth i dont care but dont call it xcom. i own the rights to xcom so dont abuse the name hehehehe i wish!

Chris i dont care if you like the new xcom because i did too. just remember to keep xenonauts like the original X-COM: UFO DEFENSE with real 2012 gameplay ideas to push the game forward into the 21st century and not backwards like firaxis2kgames did. no bullshit trailer magic thanks. ill be waiting to buy xenonauts when i see for myself that the game is for me. i mean through the demo of the final game. i must know what itll play like in the end.

i never gamble on games because industry loves generic entertainment. i gamble on GOG though. so far i have to best experience playing a few games on the 90s when i was born.

OpenXcom is so far the only game i donated to. itll be the xcom i know and love but better! 100 percent bug-free and moddable to your hearts content. sign me up!!@

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Since you didnt even play the new XCOM your oppinion is completely and utter irrelevant.

This is a weak argument to use in the era when anyone can boot up any of the thousands of complete playthroughs of a game on YouTube and see and understand everything there is to know about a title. You can make informed judgements through watching these videos and reading other peoples' writings, especially in the TBS genre where player skill in control is not a factor.

The trouble with this stance is that you're essentially saying that people can't research a game purchase beforehand, and the only right to comment is gained by making unrefundable purchases of a game. Don't you see that you're saying people should gamble and spunk money on things they might hate?

My own policy remains that I will never gamble on pre-purchases or blind purchasing at these kind of prices, and I will watch the hell out of videos on YouTube or find a friend who has the game (as I did with this). Publishers would love everyone to gamble on games, lets not encourage that behaviour.

Edited by Harmonica
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This is a weak argument to use in the era when anyone can boot up any of the thousands of complete playthroughs of a game on YouTube and see and understand everything there is to know about a title.

It depends. If you've played the original (the real XCOM), then yes, you can understand sequels or remakes or "remakes" through videos.

If you haven't... Well, watch a video of someone playing Dwarf Fortress and then try the game yourself.

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after so many unfavourable comments towards xcom-eu, including mine, i started to sympathy on it.

since Firaxis owned the XCOM franchise, Jake Solomon and his team is capable to remake it 100%.

however, due the the market segment for old-school XCOM is less than current popular-cum-profitable market segment, they have no choice but forging XCOM-EU to comply. simple marketing rule, the company need profit, the board need to be pleased, and developers need to feed their family.

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Since you didnt even play the new XCOM your oppinion is completely and utter irrelevant.

I played the PC demo. That gave enough of an understanding of the game for me to make a judgement call on whether or not it was worth $50.

That's what demo's are for.

You did play the demo before you bought the game, right? You didn't just plunk money down on a game based on the title, without any research, did you?

If you did, that makes your opinion completely and utterly irrelevant. ::grin::

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One thread wouldn't do justice to the supertankerload of disappointment.

Well I'm not disappointed at all. It's fairly much what I expected and I'm enjoying it a great deal at the moment (as is my 10 year old son, mainly in multiplayer). I've bought Xenonauts for the faithful UFO: Enemy Unknown (proper title :)) experience and XCom for it's new take on turn-based strategy and higher production values. I will enjoy them both fairly equally for what they are, rather than focusing on what they are not.

This isn't aimed at HWP or anyone here (this is a haven of peace, sense and goodwill compared to the 2k forums) - I know internet moaning is all some people live for, but for god's sake - it's a game. If they don't like it they should go play something else, but it says bucket loads about them that all they seem to have the time and energy to do is bitch on forums rather than finding something more productive or worthwhile to do. It seems the internet gives almost everyone a sense of entitlement and self-importance that is beyond unrealistic.

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In that case you should do something fan instead, can't be good for your health :P

Well, I'm hanging around these boards trying to maybe help Xeno get improved, so there's that.

Disappointment doesn't come from me, I don't have high expectations for Firaxis and had even less for a possible XCOM remake.

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I agree with the OP. Lots of garnish but not much steak.

I also agree with the atmosphere not being anywhere near as spooky. The cutscenes when you find aliens on the map in XCOM: EU are like "Look at me! I'm a scary alien! RAWR! HISS!" and they are pretty, but they convey none of the feelings you got when you stumbled on one in the dark in the original and all you got was a little red blinky square and a faint outline in the wheat. Couple that with the spooky mission music (old-school MIDI no less lol) of the original and it really made you stop and think "Oh crap!"

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Both original and reimagining are tense, but original is tense in horror way while reimagining is tense in "Fast and furious" way. Though alien base was creepy as heck, but thats exception, not rule. Cutscenes are rather silly when aliens approach you and they act like they are surprised, they should have had different cutscenes for those...

But yeah, original game has that nice charm that games from 90s have. Dunno what to call it, retroness?

Edited by XenoMask
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Both original and reimagining are tense, but original is tense in horror way while reimagining is tense in "Fast and furious" way. Though alien base was creepy as heck, but thats exception, not rule. Cutscenes are rather silly when aliens approach you and they act like they are surprised, they should have had different cutscenes for those...
That's true about the horror vs. action. Good point.
But yeah, original game has that nice charm that games from 90s have. Dunno what to call it, retroness?
When I think retro I think 70's and bellbottoms. Man, am I really that old that the 90's are now retro? Hehe I sure don't feel like it :D
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