[360/PC/PS3] XCOM: Enemy Unknown

[Doopri]

wow thanks tilt that sounds... exactly like what i was hoping for!  in a game like this id rather have near full up and down vs 360 (i think someone else in the thread pointed out the potential for problems with the world geometry and camera angles were the camera 360 degree rotation - this way the devs can just make maps that dont have conflicts with LOS and off camera angles)

[EddieA]

Designer Jake Solomon tries to sell people on the game 

[lex]

Looks like people who pre-ordered the game at greenmangaming will be getting the Civ 5 bonus!!!!!  TF2 hats, not so much.


http://blog.greenmangaming.com/2012/10/xcom-enemy-unknown-civilization-v-bonus.html

[Blackjack]

Designer Jake Solomon tries to sell people on the game  

Favorite Jake quotes in that:
"It's like a sandwich of gaming!"
"This game is sort of like the next step for shooters."
"You run a base. It teaches you management skills."

Jake: "You choose where to fight. You, like, direct the entire war. You..."
Customer: "I'm gonna get all my people killed."
Jake: "Yeah, you will."

"It's not eeeeeeeeeeeee (fiddles with hands), it's eeeeeehhhhh (points to the side of his own forehead). It's this... (taps side of forehead again) and then... it's this (taps on his own chest/heart)."

"You know they don't do those games on the big consoles very often."
"It's like chess with big guns against aliens. Which isn't like chess at all when I think about it."

Customer: "Say you gotta like storm a building. You don't know who or what's in there. So you split your group into two. And..."
Jake: "We're still talking about videogames now, right?"
Customer: "Right..."

Jake: "You ever hear about the guy who made this game? Jake Solomon?"
Customer: "No."
Jake: "No. Whatever. He's super handsome..."

Jake: "You guys like aliens?"
Customer: "Nooo."
Jake: "Right. You like shooting aliens, right?"

"I'm gonna convince you about aliens, man. You haven't played the right alien game."

"The thing about this videogame is your soldiers, they die. So like, none of that fake videogame bullsh*t. When your guys die in this game, they're gone for good."

"Your soldiers are out there. They're dying from the decisions you've made. You're crying. You feel terrible about yourself... Sound like a good time?"

"You can be playing for like 10 hours and lose this game. That doesn't sound like fun when I say it like that but uuuuuuh... but it is."

"I'll go half in on it, man. I'll buy this game for half. Like, this game goes for $120. All you have to do is pay $60, I'll pay the other $60."
*Customer slowly breaks into laughter*

Even in print, it's hilarious.  

[Caine]

those are pretty great.  sig worthy, in fact

[ATB]

Who is greenman gaming?

I've seen them referenced several places...

[MonkeyFinger]

Who is greenman gaming?

http://www.greenmangaming.com/

Kind of like a UK based version of Steam. They have a client you need to download and play anything not tied to "third party DRM" like Steam but unlike them you can trade games in. For anything Steam, I've just gotten a key from them (haven't installed their client) and then put it into Steam and away we go. They seem to be pretty good about having sales and/or discounts available...

[Blackjack]

Official Launch Trailer video: Our Last Hope
*It's 1min 38secs long. You'll have to login to YouTube or Google to watch because it's so scary.  

*And yes, you'll have to forgive 2K for doing everything in their video trailer power to make you think it's some sort of third person Mass Effect 3 wannabe. They don't want to scare the masses away with intimidating phrases like "turn-based combat"   or "base management"  ...

[skystride]

That wasn't scary at all!  I think X-Com can be a very suspenseful and scary game but that video doesn't do it justice.  That's fine, I'm not the target demographic they are going for with it.

[ATB]

I've never played  xcom. Is there something beyond aliens vs. humans that i need to know to enjoy this game?

[Roguetad]

The original was one of the best turn based strategy games ever made.  The demo for this one seems to capture a lot of the magic from the original.  If you like turn based strategy games, this one seems like a winner.

All you need to know is that the MF'ng aliens invading Earth need to die.  That's pretty much it.  Oh, and you can build your team of alien killers and lead them tactically into battle.  Did I mention it's turn based goodness?     

[ATB]

It being TBS is the only reason I'm interested.  Booyah!

[Blackjack]

When I crack about "the masses," I don't mean the GT forums. There are tons of games everybody loves here (including me) that nobody else buys, and that basically fail in the marketplace, and that cost too much to develop to settle for niche-game sales. I'm hoping XCOM doesn't fall into that crack. I hope it's enough of a hit on all three platforms.

I'll continue joking wise that publishers are terrified of saying the phrase "turn-based" in any sort of marketing. It's sad. And ridiculous right? This isn't 1994. You can do a millisecond search online and know what XCOM's about, so why do trailers that try desperately to make it look like something it's not (another shooter) and that try to avoid talking about what makes it special (turn-based tactical combat, deep base management, etc.). Oh well, doesn't matter now. Next Tuesday feels so close yet so far.  
===================================

Game Informer apparently posted the first review, fwiw (not that everyone sees GI as some great totem of tough reviews, but as seen below they have some complaints/concerns). A guy at forums shared some excerpts from his iPad copy of the magazine:
http://forums.2kgames.com/showthread.php?145756-GameInformer-November-Issue-on-iPad-XCOM-EU-Review&p=2043511#post2043511

Here are a few tidbits though:

- Direct quote - "Defending against XCOM's mysterious alien invasion is one of the most challenging, intense gaming experiences of this generation."
- Direct quote - "Firaxis' outstanding design strips away every last vestige of tedium from combat while maintaining the agency that makes the original such a classic."
- GI mentions that they saw maps repeat, with spawn locations changing.
- GI wishes there was more to research than upgraded guns and armor. They ask where are the flamethrowers, flashbangs, incendiary rockets, etc. [I believe Jake Solomon explained something to the effect that flamethrowers caused graphical problems and didn't add much to the game -- if only he'd played Blue Bye's 1997 game Incubation, he'd feel differently  ; imho, flashbangs belong in SWAT and Rainbow 6 games, not XCOM -BJ]

- Direct quote - "Occasional line-of-sight problems are the only blemishes on XCOM's otherwise rock-solid technical excecution."
- GI was not too impressed with the multiplayer option in the game. Direct quote - "Only a handful of maps are available, and there's no persistence or ranking structure. I don't see any appeal to the multiplayer other than playing a couple rounds with a buddy just to see what commanding mutons and chryssalids is like."

Final paragraph of review:
"Both of XCOM's layers present life-or-death conundrums to which there is no right answer. No matter what you pick, something or someone is going to suffer for it. This kind of tension and terror rarely occurs within mainstream gaming, and almost never with this level of skill in the execution. Don't let the "turn-based strategy" moniker scare you off; XCOM is a singular achievement that every gamer deserves to experience."

The lone disappointment was of the spoiler variety. If you want to know, check out the link, and then he made it so you need to highlight it to view (at the end of his post).

[Lockdown]

Agree with you on quite a few points.  Disagree on the flash-bang grenades!!  Anything they can do to add more options/tactics to combat, the better imo.  I would take flash-bangs, flamethrowers, psyker armor, bio-bombs, tangle-grenades, the kitchen sink, and anything else they can come up with.  Maybe someone will find a way to mod all that stuff in, so for people that feel "that doesn't belong in xcom" - they never have to worry about it.

Anyone know if Jake was ever asked the question on why they went with 'You-Go-I-Go' instead of an initiative system for combat?  It's not like they haven't deviated from the original in other ways, so I'm not sure why this would be a great point of contention.  Just curious if he's ever commented on it.

[lex]

word on the internets is that pre-load is up on steam!!!!  (how large is the download??)

People who pre-ordered the game from gmg is supposed to get their keys starting October 6th.  PLUS, they're offering a $10 game credit for anyone in North America who pre-ordered from them.  So, you get the game for 10% off, a free copy of Civ 5 and $10 game credit.  They are really trying to get people to try out their service. 

can't wait for the game to be released!!!

[Isgrimnur]

Sys reqs state you need 20 GB.

[lex]

I know it says you need 20gb to play, but I'm hoping the download size is smaller than that.  20gb is 1/3 of my monthly bandwidth limit

[EddieA]

I know it says you need 20gb to play, but I'm hoping the download size is smaller than that.  20gb is 1/3 of my monthly bandwidth limit

The demo alone is almost 6 GB, so I would assume the 20 GB size is what you'll have to download.

People who pre-ordered the game from gmg is supposed to get their keys starting October 6th.  PLUS, they're offering a $10 game credit for anyone in North America who pre-ordered from them.  So, you get the game for 10% off, a free copy of Civ 5 and $10 game credit.  They are really trying to get people to try out their service.

You also get the Elite Soldier Pack DLC - not bad for $37

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I wonder if the install on the consoles will also be 20 Gig. If so, that certainly makes the choice of which console to get it for easier...

[lex]

Looks like the download size is around 12 gb according to the 2k forums...

[Turtle]

I pre ordered on GMG, they also have a $10 credit deal right now if you pre-order through them. So not only do you get Civ 5, the pre-order packs, and $5 off the normal price, you also get $10 credit for a later purchase, and it's all still on Steam.

Oh, and I'm also pre-loading right now. Monday night can't come soon enough.

[jztemple2]

I know it says you need 20gb to play, but I'm hoping the download size is smaller than that.  20gb is 1/3 of my monthly bandwidth limit

This is one of those times I appreciate being lucky enough to have an ISP that doesn't even mention bandwidth limits in their contract.

[TiLT]

I know it says you need 20gb to play, but I'm hoping the download size is smaller than that.  20gb is 1/3 of my monthly bandwidth limit

This is one of those times I appreciate being lucky enough to have an ISP that doesn't even mention bandwidth limits in their contract.

This is one of those many times I appreciate living in a country where no ISP has bandwidth limits at all, and the speeds are excellent. I'm almost done preloading XCOM now. It's been downloading at a steady 7+ MB/sec.

[jztemple2]

This is one of those many times I appreciate living in a country where no ISP has bandwidth limits at all, and the speeds are excellent. I'm almost done preloading XCOM now. It's been downloading at a steady 7+ MB/sec.

I'm at 1.4 MB/s, I'm too cheap (or my wife is ) to spring for one of those Lightning/Turbo upgrades.

[Autistic Angel]

Game Informer apparently posted the first review, fwiw (not that everyone sees GI as some great totem of tough reviews, but as seen below they have some complaints/concerns). A guy at forums shared some excerpts from his iPad copy of the magazine:
http://forums.2kgames.com/showthread.php?145756-GameInformer-November-Issue-on-iPad-XCOM-EU-Review&p=2043511#post2043511

I haven't seen this posted since Blackjack's post, but for what it's worth, the full review is available on the Game Informer site.

Over the course of several reviews now, Adam Biessener has impressed me as a discerning PC reviewer whose tastes hew pretty closely to my own.  I'm looking forward to this game.

-Autistic Angel

[ATB]

One more question about steam.

I'm getting this game from amazon (i have credit so it's free).  When I install it from the disk, will it prompt me to login to steam or will i have to register it with steam after the fact.


Really really excited for this game. I hope we can all play together some time.

[Autistic Angel]

One more question about steam.

I'm getting this game from amazon (i have credit so it's free).  When I install it from the disk, will it prompt me to login to steam or will i have to register it with steam after the fact.

My experience is that beginning the install from the disc will immediately launch Steam and have you register the game.  If you're unlucky, entering the key will then cause Steam to begin trying to download the entire game from the internet rather than from your disc.  True story. 

If the installation will allow it, try cancelling out of Steam and installing as much as possible from the disc.

-Autistic Angel

[Calavera]

One more question about steam.

I'm getting this game from amazon (i have credit so it's free).  When I install it from the disk, will it prompt me to login to steam or will i have to register it with steam after the fact.

My experience is that beginning the install from the disc will immediately launch Steam and have you register the game.  If you're unlucky, entering the key will then cause Steam to begin trying to download the entire game from the internet rather than from your disc.  True story. 

If the installation will allow it, try cancelling out of Steam and installing as much as possible from the disc.

-Autistic Angel

Yes, what's on the disc is a Steam "backup" of the game. It's the same as if you click "Backup and Restore" in the menu and backup a single game. That said, it was kinda wonky for a long, long while. I believe this issue is mostly fixed these days, though. Partially because they changed the way the games are updated.

If you have that problem, just copy the contents of the DVD(s) to a directory on your hard drive and use the built in Steam restore from there. (Meaning, go to Steam->"Backup and Restore Games" in Steam. Don't run the executable in the directory.) It won't download as much/any data at all before it gets it off the hard drive.

[Caine]

I pre ordered on GMG, they also have a $10 credit deal right now if you pre-order through them. So not only do you get Civ 5, the pre-order packs, and $5 off the normal price, you also get $10 credit for a later purchase, and it's all still on Steam.

Oh, and I'm also pre-loading right now. Monday night can't come soon enough.

Damn, that's awesome.  It brings the price I paid down to half.  And that isn't counting the copy of Civ 5.

[CeeKay]

Looks like the download size is around 12 gb according to the 2k forums...

I can confirm that:

[davidrobots]

Man, this is what I get for preordering from Gamefly Digital...

At least I got a $10 discount and the pre-order bonus. But I wanna preload my game too...

[Caine]

If you pre ordered from gmg, check your mail.  Codes have been sent.

[The Rocketman]

Since I've read that the game I've been waiting for (for years... ) will not support Windows XP, I don't really know what the best course of action would be. Should I wait for Windows 8? I've read that you can cheaply upgrade XP to 8? But the general buzz isn't very good (don't know why), so maybe buy Windows 7? Is there a general consensus about this? I can't be the only person in this forum who's still (happily) using WinXP

[lex]

Woohoo!!! pre-loading now.  Can't wait to try this out

Since I've read that the game I've been waiting for (for years... ) will not support Windows XP, I don't really know what the best course of action would be. Should I wait for Windows 8? I've read that you can cheaply upgrade XP to 8? But the general buzz isn't very good (don't know why), so maybe buy Windows 7? Is there a general consensus about this? I can't be the only person in this forum who's still (happily) using WinXP

There is a demo available on steam, so you can see if it'll run on your system or not. 

I would say upgrade to windows 7.  I was very hesitant to move from XP too, but once you go 7, you won't go back....

Windows 8 is a BIG departure in interface (you don't get access to the desktop from what I've heard) and is designed more towards tablets/touch devices.  I'm waiting to see what hardware manufacturers do with it (ie come out with a touchscreen LCD).

[Punisher]

Windows 8 is a BIG departure in interface (you don't get access to the desktop from what I've heard) and is designed more towards tablets/touch devices.  I'm waiting to see what hardware manufacturers do with it (ie come out with a touchscreen LCD).

Win 8 was designed for touchscreens/tablets, so it works "better" on those type of systems.
You can sort of access the old desktop interface still, but it isn't running in the background or anything. it is an actual app that needs to be run.
The interface has totally changed from all previous versions of Windows and will have a learning curve... I am still undecided overall on if I will make this my main OS, but I will be getting Win 8 for learning purposes...

[jztemple2]

Since I've read that the game I've been waiting for (for years... ) will not support Windows XP, I don't really know what the best course of action would be. Should I wait for Windows 8? I've read that you can cheaply upgrade XP to 8? But the general buzz isn't very good (don't know why), so maybe buy Windows 7? Is there a general consensus about this? I can't be the only person in this forum who's still (happily) using WinXP

There is a demo available on steam, so you can see if it'll run on your system or not. 

I would say upgrade to windows 7.  I was very hesitant to move from XP too, but once you go 7, you won't go back....

I was happy with XP,  but my old rig was on it's last legs so when I got a new one I went from XP to 7 and am just as happy. Even more importantly, my wife went from XP to 7 on her office computer and hasn't complained at all about the interface.

[Blackjack]

Hey this is pretty cool news from the 2K community rep imho -- breaking with the midnight PST, 3 a.m. EST "unlock" tradition...

http://forums.2kgames.com/showthread.php?146216-When-exactly-does-the-game-unlock&p=2052196#post2052196

It'll unlock at 9pm Pacific, midnight Eastern.

Although for me, that probably just means I'll have time to play that same stupid tutorial again before I have to go to sleep. 

[jztemple2]

Although for me, that probably just means I'll have time to play that same stupid tutorial again before I have to go to sleep. 

I saw in an article a couple of weeks ago (sorry, can't find the link) that you can choose to skip the tutorial and jump right into the campaign.

[Blackjack]

Although for me, that probably just means I'll have time to play that same stupid tutorial again before I have to go to sleep.  

I saw in an article a couple of weeks ago (sorry, can't find the link) that you can choose to skip the tutorial and jump right into the campaign.

Well darn, I need to find something else to be upset about then.   While we impatiently wait for "the sandwich of gaming."  

[Turtle]

The game will also automatically skip the tutorial for any future games if you play through the tutorial once. But, you can still disable it on your first go as well. Pretty nice feature.

Watching a video, they do make the first mission pretty hard, to replicate the same feeling as in the tutorial though.