YouTube - ‪Trailer - XCOM for PC and Xbox 360‬‏

I'm more interested in this game right now than any other. It's a reboot of the classic X-COM PC games, but- and here's the sticking point- it's a first-person shooter. For those of you who don't know, the originals were turn-based strategy games, a genre that has the most hardcore fans in existence. Most of whom are NOT happy about this.

Honestly, I think it could go either way. 2K is promising more than just shooting. Supposedly there are multiple tactical elements like research and squad management, and the story is open-ended, with you choosing what missions will be. Also, it sounds like there is no guarantee you will be able to handle a mission; sometimes your only option will be to flee before you are destroyed- something you don't see in most shooters.

The trailer itself is kind of weird; it reminds me of the Conduit, of all things. It does seem to be trying that authentic 90's cheesiness that the original X-COM had in spades. If you watch last E3's trailer of it, it seems like it can do horror effectively as well.

This could go either way. It might turn out to be a rather pedestrian shooter, and I certainly don't expect it to be much like the original. If it works, though, we might see a brilliant spin on the traditional shooter mold.

This is not the X-COM I know. Not buying another damned shooter, that genre is so oversaturated.

Well, no, it's certainly not going to be that same blend of real-time resource management and turn-based tactics. That's something most major studios would never try anymore. Maybe Firaxis, but they've done little besides Civilization for the past five or so years. Anyway, I just hope that it's a good game for what actually is, not what it claims to be.

If you are looking for a "real" X-COM remake, you might check out Xenonauts. That team seems to have a really good grasp of the X-COM "feel." Honestly, my only complaint is that it looks too similar.

And that saddens me. Very much.