X-COM Announced and it's an FPS

[King Crispy]

Another thing that sucks about this is that you know the title is not going to sell well (it should be obvious to any marketing pro, but it truly is obvious to us, the legitimately knowledgable in all things computer game-related) and by virtue of its failure the X-COM name is going to become severely tarnished, fairly or not.

Kind of like what happened with the whole Star Wars... thing.

Really a tragedy if you're at all nostalgic about the classics.

 

[Azrael the cat]

Another thing that sucks about this is that you know the title is not going to sell well (it should be obvious to any marketing pro, but it truly is obvious to us, the legitimately knowledgable in all things computer game-related) and by virtue of its failure the X-COM name is going to become severely tarnished, fairly or not.

Kind of like what happened with the whole Star Wars... thing.

Really a tragedy if you're at all nostalgic about the classics.

No, here's the thing: it WILL sell well because 2K has a solid fanbase from Bioshock. What is bizarre is that the X-Com name was applied at all - it simply has nothing to do with the game. It will sell well DESPITE the name, not because of it. Again, it's like they independently came up with it as a cool name, without ever knowing about the original games; it is so far removed that it can't even credibly used as a marketing tool. And yet 2K is just making the exact kind of game that it has most recently put out: a Bioshock-style shooter. They could have done better calling it 'Alienshock' or 'Futureshock' and leaching of the Bioshock name than the X-Com one.

It's too far removed from the originals to truly denigrate them in any way - it's like someone made a mario bros platformer but with TNO as the main protagonist's sprite - it's just so removed from the original genre that it becomes either a joke or an oddity or a really bizarre coincidence, rather than genre-rape.

That's it. It isn't genre-rape. It's FAILED genre-rape. Failed because when they got down to the horrible act, they realised that shit, they don't actually know what sex is, or how it all works, so lets just do something random and hope it turns out ok.

But hell, Bioshock was no SS2, but it beat the hell out of most FPS released around the same time. This might still be a good game. Weird title though, really weird title.

 

[Raghar]

They should hide that stuff from Malder, because Malder can't use rocket launcher properly if his life depends on it.

 

[denizsi]

This is all VD's fault. If only AoD had been released and ushered a new age of recovered respect for TB games.

 

[LusciousPear]

I'm not even sure if we can apply "good for what it is" bros

 

[Norfleet]

Another thing that sucks about this is that you know the title is not going to sell well (it should be obvious to any marketing pro, but it truly is obvious to us, the legitimately knowledgable in all things computer game-related) and by virtue of its failure the X-COM name is going to become severely tarnished, fairly or not.

I don't really think this is a realistic concern, given what has already been done to th X-COM name.

 

[Frau Bishop]

It's great they finally make a sequel! I really love the series and, sure, the gameplay could get a bit altered or even watered down in the process, but let's be honest: If we get the chance to play another X-COM game we shouldn't be all too demanding but open minded and ready for improvement! Just think about F3 and how good it turned out to be!

 

[Yeesh]

No, here's the thing: it WILL sell well because 2K has a solid fanbase from Bioshock. What is bizarre is that the X-Com name was applied at all - it simply has nothing to do with the game. It will sell well DESPITE the name, not because of it. Again, it's like they independently came up with it as a cool name, without ever knowing about the original games; it is so far removed that it can't even credibly used as a marketing tool. And yet 2K is just making the exact kind of game that it has most recently put out: a Bioshock-style shooter. They could have done better calling it 'Alienshock' or 'Futureshock' and leaching of the Bioshock name than the X-Com one.

It's too far removed from the originals to truly denigrate them in any way - it's like someone made a mario bros platformer but with TNO as the main protagonist's sprite - it's just so removed from the original genre that it becomes either a joke or an oddity or a really bizarre coincidence, rather than genre-rape.

That's it. It isn't genre-rape. It's FAILED genre-rape. Failed because when they got down to the horrible act, they realised that shit, they don't actually know what sex is, or how it all works, so lets just do something random and hope it turns out ok.

You really think a company of that size doesn't do some sort of marketing analysis or something before they choose to licence a franchise like this, or to make a new game in an IP they own?

I'm not saying I have an opinion one way or the other, but we all know that making games at this budget level is big business; indeed we decry it. So what makes you so sure that you or we have a better feel for what makes a shooter sell than these people who we've already established are not so much in the business of making good games as making games that sell lots.

I'm not making predictions, but I wouldn't be so quick to assume they're doing something stupid from an economic point of view.

 

[Vault Dweller]

You really think a company of that size doesn't do some sort of marketing analysis or something before they choose to licence a franchise like this, or to make a new game in an IP they own?

I work in marketing, as you may know. I have seen so much retarded shit (pretty much nothing but retarded shit) that I don't have any faith in humanity anymore.

My point is, I wouldn't count on this decision being well thought through, informed, or supported by marketing analysis. It was more like:

- let's make another shooter; what brand can we slap on the box?
- My Pretty Pony, XCOM, AlienShock.
- XCOM it is. The fans will love it.

I'm not saying I have an opinion one way or the other, but we all know that making games at this budget level is big business; indeed we decry it. So what makes you so sure that you or we have a better feel for what makes a shooter sell than these people who we've already established are not so much in the business of making good games as making games that sell lots.

I'm not making predictions, but I wouldn't be so quick to assume they're doing something stupid from an economic point of view.

Well, first, the industry IS known for making retarded decisions. There is a fucking reason why the XCOM franchise was abandoned and these reasons are: Apocalypse, Enforcer, and Interceptor. Another day, another challenger. I bet they think "WE can do it right, WE will prevail where others have failed". Maybe. Then again, maybe not.

It's possible to make a great shooter even with the XCOM name on it, but a shooter where you kill aliens and save the world is such a tired and done to death cliche that it would be quite a challenge to deliver a memorable and unique experience that doesn't feel like a game we've already played a hundred times.

BioShock, for example, was a mediocre (shitty?) shooter that was saved only by the atmospheric and unique retro world. They can't use it with XCOM (unless most of the game will take place inside aliens crafts and bases, which is unlikely), so we may end up playing a generic shooter with bad mechanics.

 

[Annonchinil]

I just want to say a few things

-After Bioshock and Fallout 3 old PC games seem to have some sort of appeal to gaming companies.

-It does not matter what these games were, but what they are marketed as being.

-This generation the console hardcore players seem to be an important market. They are much more likely to follow the media for the game and take it in.

-I do not think this game will be a huge seller just because it is X-COM, but I think that will help the advertising. Just like Fallout 3 and Bioshock would not have automatically sold huge do to their names either, but the media campaign built around those names.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Our buddies from StrategyCore can't wait for the game.

 

[GarfunkeL]

This is bad. And while Azrael makes good points, I just know that there's gonna be shitloads of retards who thought Biocock was the best EVAR!!! who can't stop gushing praise on these cuntfaces. Just like it was with F3. Fuck.

 

[Big Nose George]

They can't use it with XCOM (unless most of the game will take place inside aliens crafts and bases, which is unlikely), so we may end up playing a generic shooter with bad mechanics.

Setting doesn't matter if the art director is actually good.
Atmosphere is not created by the setting.
Of course you need a really good art director.

 

[Azrael the cat]

They can't use it with XCOM (unless most of the game will take place inside aliens crafts and bases, which is unlikely), so we may end up playing a generic shooter with bad mechanics.

Setting doesn't matter if the art director is actually good.
Atmosphere is not created by the setting.
Of course you need a really good art director.

I guess that's one thing that's puzzling me. If 2K announced they were putting out a 'shoot some aliens' FPS, I'd be curious because I'd be thinking 'what's the hook?' Because something that generic would HAVE to have a hook for a developer with a decent history (and to copy ZP, Bioshock is only crap until you play the Halo series) to be interested in it. I'd be thinking 'What's the twist?'...but also 'what's THE character' going to be - because I just couldn't imagine 2K trying that unless they had an Andrew Ryan or Shodan up their sleeves. But that requires strong thematic ideas, and I just can't see how something that could be on the same table as SS2's cold-individualist vs all-consuming-group, or Bioshock's Ayn Rand theme (though personally, I thought Andrew Ryan ended up much more like Nozick than Rand*) could fit into a 'defend the earth from aliens' game.

Putting X-Com on the box just seems to constrain them...but without giving them anything lore-wise to mine. Compare to FO3 - the Fallout licence gave Bethesda a rich universe to mine (or bastardise if you wish): BoS, Enclave, the various creatures, Supermutants, retrofuturism, dust-filled towns, ghouls and so on. And Bethesda used the lot of it - it gave Bethesda a ready-made set of lore that could stand on the same table as the lore from an extended series like TES. There was a clear advantage in appropriating that rather than creating a new world from scratch. It made commecial sense.

What on earth could anyone take from x-com into a FPS? Slightly cheesy aliens and agents (ok, they might have been 'deadly serious' to us as kids in the 80s, but...) - they'd have done better licencing 'Men in Black'. Seriously, that would have given them MUCH more to work with, and still a lot of freedom. The aliens in X-Com are pretty much increasingly powerful mooks. The fear is in the game mechanics, the music, the presentation...anything BUT the lore.

But they aren't using the mechanics. They're buying the lore.

But unlike FO3, the lore gives them virtually nothing for this kind of game. Bethesda paid for a licence and got a world. Good commercial business. 2K paid for a licence and got a cheesy name that has so little recognition that they can't even have their character called an X-COM agent. They paid for the right to get ripped at for contradicting the little lore there was in X-COM and having virtually nothing to show for it.

Again, it might be a perfectly good game. I'm not excited by the setting, but it might be. I just don't get the decision to use the X-Com licence.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it loses the x-com name by the time it goes to market.



* (pretty much every aspect of his personality and ideology that made him more sympathetic was pure Nozick 'Anarchy, State and Utopia' instead of Rand's objectivism)

 

[Sitra Achara]

[ Announcement ]

The new Planescape Torment announcement is finally here and yes, it's worse than you thought.

Windsor, UK – April 14, 2010 – 2K Games announced today that PlaneScrape Torment®, 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, PlaneScrape combines the core of the groundbreaking game (justified regen) with a suspense-filled narrative and distills it into a tense and unique first-person shooter experience.

“With BioShock 2, the team at 2K Marin proved themselves as masters of first-person, suspenseful storytelling, and with PlaneScrape 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 Carceri from an immersive new perspective and experience firsthand the fear and tension of this gripping narrative ride.”

PlaneScrape is the re-imagining of the classic tale of some rastafarian's struggle against an unknown enemy that puts players directly into the shoes of a hot succubus 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 fiendish ingenuity – and boobs – against more curst guards and gehreleths than you can count. 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 the outlands.

PlaneScrape is not yet age-rated. For more disinformation on PlaneScrape please visit www.planese.cx.

 

[someone else]

^
*save vs link click*

 

[Azrael the cat]

[ Announcement ]

The new Planescape Torment announcement is finally here and yes, it's worse than you thought.

Windsor, UK – April 14, 2010 – 2K Games announced today that PlaneScrape Torment®, 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, PlaneScrape combines the core of the groundbreaking game (justified regen) with a suspense-filled narrative and distills it into a tense and unique first-person shooter experience.

“With BioShock 2, the team at 2K Marin proved themselves as masters of first-person, suspenseful storytelling, and with PlaneScrape 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 Carceri from an immersive new perspective and experience firsthand the fear and tension of this gripping narrative ride.”

PlaneScrape is the re-imagining of the classic tale of some rastafarian's struggle against an unknown enemy that puts players directly into the shoes of a hot succubus 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 fiendish ingenuity – and boobs – against more curst guards and gehreleths than you can count. 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 the outlands.

PlaneScrape is not yet age-rated. For more disinformation on PlaneScrape please visit www.planese.cx.

See, whilst I'd rage MORE at that, it would actually be a really really intelligent business decision. PS:T has a great collection of lore and characters, really developed setting and (by that pseudo-release) they're taking the story. And the PS:T name still resonates strongly in the market. They'd be getting a LOT for that licence purchase. I'd hate it, but it would make a great business decision.

You see, the things that make genre-rape rageworthy are the same things that make it good business - i.e. the ability to mine the previous game's characters, history, setting, rumours and, if you like, its story (in a re-imagining rather than a genre-changing sequel). Buying PS:T gives you a lot in that department. Buying X-Com gives you a name.

 

[Zomg]

And the PS:T name still resonates strongly in the market.

Reconsider before you write something this marketing faggy again.

Edit - and I mean the style not the content. Think, "If someone in real life said this out loud, would I hit them until they died? yes"

 

[Azrael the cat]

And the PS:T name still resonates strongly in the market.

Reconsider before you write something this marketing faggy again.

Edit - and I mean the style not the content. Think, "If someone in real life said this out loud, would I hit them until they died? yes"

Maybe it's cultural (* I do have, amongst others, a commerce degree majoring in marketing, and when you're bilingual through being fluent in a language like 'marketing-[I don't use homophobic shite]' you do tend to occasionally mix up words between languages), but I certainly wouldn't have any problem with it.

 

[Araanor]

Fuck you, 2K Games and Take-Two Interactive.