There have been mixed feelings concerning the 2K's upcoming take on the XCOM franchise, and the fact that it bears little resemblance to the original series. According to 2K's boss, the reason for this is simple -- strategy games just aren't relevant enough for these modern times.
"The 90s generation of gamers all love XCOM and we own the IP, so we thought okay, what do we do with it? Every studio we had wanted to do it and each one had its own spin on it," said Christoph Hartmann. "But the problem was that turn-based strategy games were no longer the hottest thing on planet Earth. But this is not just a commercial thing -- strategy games are just not contemporary.
"... That’s what we are trying to do. To renew Xcom but in line with what this generation of gamers want. The team behind it is asking themselves every day: 'Is it true to the values of the franchise?' It’s not a case of cashing in on the name. We just need to renew it because times are changing."
Hartmann said that if Ray Charles were to come back, his music would probably be "more in the style of Kanye West," which is one of the most hilariously offensive analogies I've ever considered. Nicely done!
INTERVIEW: Christoph Hartmann, 2K Games [MCV]
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
10:00 AM on 07.13.2011
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leave him alone, he's just a fan of retrostiled shooters
BETRAAAAAAAAAYAL!
Well yeah, X-COM is not meant to be on consoles. The original X-COM was one of the most well-made TBS of the 90's, thankfully one can play the new UFO games to get some sort of reminder of how good it was.
Also, learn to spell.
Despite what the old games "look" like, they were brilliant in terms of gameplay. It's a shame so many modern gamers will gladly plunk down $60 to rush thru a 3 hour, mindless, eye candy-fest and never even consider that atually having to "think" to play a game is something that might provide something more than just pure entertainment.
If they just wanted to ask what the modern gamer wants, then they didn't need to bring the name X-COM back at all because they won't understand what it is anyway. The whole thing is bullshit.
You're 12
I still like strategy games, and this is not strategic at all.
No, that's pretty much exactly what it is. You changed what the core of the game is because it's no longer the hottest thing on Earth.
Get off my lawn!
BETRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYAL
The more and more they show and talk about it. The less and less I care.
Had theyvATLEAST kept the space scifi I'd at least have that. But no they even had to change that WTH.
Your logic is sound. But I suspect that the developers didn't really think any of this through. They had the IP, and they thought they would make a fps game. Perhaps they got carried away with it and forgot the point of xcom. The point is, they really didn't think things through.
Valkyria Chronicles was too slow paced for plenty of console elitists. If it was more mainstream then the series probably wouldn't have moved to the handhelds. Maybe they'll make a traditional XCOM for the Vita.
Ah well, there's always the new Jagged Alliance and UFO games for the strategy fans among us right?
You're a sad person you know that? How could Sony have STOLEN it, if it's multiplatform?
BETRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYAL!
As a guy who owns no copy of the original X-Com and only 1 PS3 game I don't see your point of fanboys crying? Because I'm assuming you were responding to me.
VC + XCOM in first-person would sell tons. They should've gone in that direction.
XCOM will bomb.
There was no need to change it to that.
Honestly at this point why are they even calling it Xcom. All this can be over with a simple name change. It's not like the marketing has even really hit yet.
@Stardog
I agree, dude. Valkyria Chronicles was an excellent spin on the strategy genre and one of the best games I've played on the PS3. It has its faults, but if someone took that game play style and built on it, they could have on hell of a game on their hands. Too bad the industry's leaders are afraid to innovate.
Ah well, at least we will get a proper xcom successor via the gameXenonaughts.
Can you go away? Please? I own an Xbox, I love my Xbox, and whenever I see a comment of yours I don't love my Xbox so much any more.
So, yeah. Please go away. Somebody at Gamespot must have let you escape.
This is the first spin-off of the original concept I'll actually bother playing so, mission accomplished, publishers.
Trust me, when someone finds a "perfect formula" for strategy, it will become a "modern" genre again
Truly you must know nothing about music, generation gap, or culture shift. Why you would consider that offensive is beyond me. Wow.. I started reading Destructoid because of Jim Sterling's witty, no-nonsense approach to the game industry. Now I just find his articles to be more and more nonsensical and pointless.
Anyway~ better find something else to do before people start saying I'm flaming.
FPS are a dime-a-dozen. I'm sick to death of them. Sometimes I want a different experience beyond a generic FPS, whether that's a fantastical platformer like Alice: Madness Returns, a visceral fighting game like Mortal Kombat, or a RTS masterpiece like Starcraft...
But you don't see games like Zelda, Street Figher, Mario, Warcraft, or Mega Man betraying their roots and becoming yet another FPS just because Call of Duty sold some copies.
There IS a demand for strategy games from gamers. From XCOM fans. Or from gamers like me that never even played XCOM but wished to see what the big deal was by updating the core concepts for a new generation (not with a new genre though). Oh well... greed is good for business, and money speaks louder than logic at times.