The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

[Flawless]

Being turned into an FPS.


2K Games Announces XCOM® - Suspense and Mystery-Filled First-Person Shooter from Creators of BioShock® 2

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2K Games announced today that XCOM®, the re-imagining of one of gaming’s most storied and beloved franchises, is currently in development at 2K Marin, the studio behind the multi-million unit selling BioShock® 2. Currently in development exclusively for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC, XCOM combines the strategic core of the groundbreaking franchise with a suspense-filled narrative and distills it into a tense and unique first-person shooter experience.

“Players will explore the world of XCOM from an immersive new perspective and experience firsthand the fear and tension of this gripping narrative ride.”
.“With BioShock 2, the team at 2K Marin proved themselves as masters of first-person, suspenseful storytelling, and with XCOM they will re-imagine and expand the rich lore of this revered franchise,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Players will explore the world of XCOM from an immersive new perspective and experience firsthand the fear and tension of this gripping narrative ride.”

XCOM is the re-imagining of the classic tale of humanity’s struggle against an unknown enemy that puts players directly into the shoes of an FBI agent tasked with identifying and eliminating the growing threat. True to the roots of the franchise, players will be placed in charge of overcoming high-stake odds through risky strategic gambits coupled with heart-stopping combat experiences that pit human ingenuity – and frailty – against a foe beyond comprehension. By setting the game in a first-person perspective, players will be able to feel the tension and fear that comes with combating a faceless enemy that is violently probing and plotting its way into our world.

XCOM is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information on XCOM please visit www.XCOM.com.

[bhurst99]

Re: XCOM (360/PC)

The original XCOM was an all-time classic. Hopefully, 2K does it justice.

[Matt Diesel]

Re: XCOM (360/PC)

Holy crap. Favorite game of all time. Please dont ruin it.

Wait, an FPS? Already ruined....

[Defel]

Re: XCOM (360/PC)

I don't understand the point of reviving a series like X-Com for an FPS. You're not making any X-Com fans happy. Just announce an alien FPS from the creators of Bioshock 2 and you'll hit your target audience without making me sad.

[Flawless]

Re: XCOM (360/PC)

<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eNlC19Vcvrw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eNlC19Vcvrw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

...

IGN Preview

Gathering samples, evidence and information will be crucial to succeeding in this reboot of the XCOM series, as the enemies you'll face aren't the Greys you might expect, but an array of utterly alien life forms whose actions and motives simply aren't signposted the way enemies in first person shooters often are. In this game, shooting first and asking questions later won't always be a wise option.

Screens

[CaptainZombie]

Re: XCOM (360/PC)

Just announced earlier today, XCOM is going to be multi-plat now also releasing for the PS3 in 2012.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/117/1172491p1.html

[Flawless]

Re: XCOM (360/PC)

Sounding better than it did last year.


Shacknews Preview

QUICKTAKE: Back with a second test run at reimagining the classic XCOM game, developer 2K Marin promises an experience more true to the spirit of the originals. Like the prototype shown at last year's E3, the game remains a shooter, but now includes the tactical element of commanding two AI teammates in the field. A greater emphasis has also been placed on the RPG-like elements of assembling and developing your squad to fend off the aliens. It's not the turn-based tactical combat game of the old games, but what I saw came a lot closer to getting the XCOM "vibe."

THE DEMO: Beginning in the XCOM HQ, we got introduced to the player's character, special agent William Carter. Touring the facility, we moved on to the ready room to get a look at the squad system. AI teammates will take on roles based on classes. On display here were Master at Arms--a support class who provides ammo resupply, Commando--the heavy weapons specialist of the group, and Tactician--a class we didn't get to see in action, but likely provides new attack options in combat.

In the second part of the demo, Carter took a rescue mission with a Master at Arms and Commando alongside. One of the important elements of the game is capturing alien technology and figuring out how to use it in defense of the earth. The home of one of the leading researchers aiding the effort, Dr. Alan Weir, has come under alien attack and Carter's team is sent in to save him. The ensuing battles showed the squad command system. In a fight, the two pieces are telling teammates where to go and what skills to use, and then supplementing that with precision shots to defeat a superior alien force.

DETAILS: Although the format of the in-mission action has changed, the two-part approach of the game harkened back to the old XCOM. The options for developing the different squad members via skill trees showed a good range of choices that could allow for going down different routes of specialization.

Though it was not detailed in much depth, the base also serves as the hub for telling the story both on a large-scale level of how the invasion is impacting the country and at the human level of your fellow XCOM division members. In the main ready room, the XCOM division chief offers a variety of potential missions put together from emergency service calls and strategically important targets. Many of the latter will involve securing the fictional element "elerium," the heavy metal that alien tech depends on.

Once out in the field, I got my first glimpse at the new aliens. They're no longer just black blobs with electricity arcing over them (although those enemies still exist). Described as living tech, the aliens, also known as "the outsiders," take a variety of forms. The infiltrator class encountered in the demo possessed a doppelganger-like ability to take the form of humans they killed. But once exposed, they revert to their raw state of electrified black matter, in humanoid form.

The outsiders aim to not just take over the earth, but convert it into a more hospital planet for their kind. A black, electrical ooze covers occupied territory, and in areas they are attempting to terraform, massive black pillars erupt from the ground.

Once in position, combat settles into a rhythm of shooting, punctuated by issuing orders to the rest of the team both to get the directly and indirectly involved in the fighting. A risk-reward relationship to capturing alien technology adds another wrinkle to the action. Alien tech can be turned around and put right into service on the current mission, but that uses it up. It can, instead, be brought back to HQ to help further research. Tie that all back into the squad development system and it's starting to sound a lot more like XCOM than before.

[Flawless]

Re: XCOM (360/PC)

E3 walkthrough demo released.

<iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nAmvP4w2ts0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Goffs]

Re: XCOM (360/PC)

I never played the originals so the game looks good to me but i understand the nerd rage with the changes.

[Flawless]

Re: XCOM (360/PC)

It's alive:


The Bureau: XCOM Declassified Detailed And Described

The game still takes place during the height of the cold war during John F. Kennedy's presidency. Americans are braced for war, but with a nuclear Soviet Union, not an alien incursion. The titular Bureau was founded (in secret) to be the first line of defense. As William Carter, you'll have to fulfill your mission to protect the populace from physical threat and mass panic, but not in any way the American government could have foreseen.

Much like XCOM: Enemy Unknown, battles play out as a struggle for tactical advantage. High ground, choke points, and terrain are crucial to defeat an enemy that Gray calls "a superior force technically and in numbers."

Thankfully, each of Carter's squadmates (who are just as fragile as their XCOM: Enemy Unknown counterparts) can earn experience and learn new skills. Techniques can only be acquired after agents experience them on the battlefield. New technology can also be salvaged and equipped between missions, but research is handled more like an RPG than it was in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

The progress of the story, which details the founding of the XCOM initiative and how it was put in moth balls after accomplishing its first goal (so as to keep the events secret from the American people), is non-linear. Players choose missions from a map of the United States, and as real time goes by, so progresses the overarching narrative.

Once on the ground, missions do play out from point A to point B, though the tactical nature and constant threat of permanent death for seasoned agents forces smarter play. Along the way there are secondary objectives that will also broaden the missions. "It plays out like a combat puzzle," Gray explained.

Along those lines, Gray told us that they used titles like Rainbow Six and Full Spectrum Warrior as their inspiration for a more measured, cerebral approach. "It's about how smart you are," Gray clarified. "It's about how you use your tools and the landscape. There are consequences, which is unique in the third-person space."

When asked about whether The Bureau: XCOM Declassified would offer multiplayer, Gray offered a refreshing answer. "We wanted to focus on the single-player without distracting ourselves with multiplayer," he said. "We didn't want to screw over single-player by distracting ourselves, so we went all in. Hopefully the days of tacked-on, bullet point multiplayer are over for the industry."

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified used to be the game no one wanted. Now, we want to believe.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified arrives on August 20, 2013 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. It will retail for $59.99.

...

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3IsQOt8rarQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[bghost]

Re: The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

finally sounds like it has some promise.
I'm not of the belief that there is no room for an Xcom shooter... I just believe it needs to be done the right way and it can be as successful as EU was or UFO Defense was for that matter.

[DocHolliday]

Sounds like they took some solid pointers from EU.

I'm interested. Love the RPG elements and the perma death of recruited agents.

[redsrule]

Re: XCOM (360/PC)

Going to be keeping an eye on this. If this is anywhere near as good as XCOM: Enemy Unknown was, it will be a fun game to play.

[Flawless]

Re: The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PdHFjVW-dIg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[redsrule]

Re: The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

I'm happy it said they are keeping perma death in it. This is looking like a day 1 purchase for me, although I still am interested in seeing some more stuff on it.