XCOM: Enemy Unknown

[bullethead]

Alidar Warlock wrote:

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As for the limits, I think that's why it's a demo. They don't want you to start thinking of it as a replacement for the game itself. And, while they could have cut out the cut scenes, the last cut scene was the perfect teaser for "buy this game."

The problem with the demo was that it wasn't even all of the tutorial stuff - there are 2 more tutorial missions in the final game, so it's not like there wasn't a bit more material they could use.

I'm starting to get really pissed with Amazon. Both my copy of XCOM and a Blu-Ray have been stuck in Shipping Soon hell, which is particularly infuriating because the blu-ray is supposed to be delivered tomorrow... and it's got 2 day shipping, so unless the distribution center is like within a day's drive, there's no way they can keep their promise to get my stuff to me on time no matter how long "Shipping Soon" is.

[FPAlpha]

bullethead wrote:

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The problem with the demo was that it wasn't even all of the tutorial stuff - there are 2 more tutorial missions in the final game, so it's not like there wasn't a bit more material they could use.

I'm starting to get really pissed with Amazon. Both my copy of XCOM and a Blu-Ray have been stuck in Shipping Soon hell, which is particularly infuriating because the blu-ray is supposed to be delivered tomorrow... and it's got 2 day shipping, so unless the distribution center is like within a day's drive, there's no way they can keep their promise to get my stuff to me on time no matter how long "Shipping Soon" is.

Which is why last time i cancelled my Mass Effect 3 order despite the promise to get it to me on release day.. bought it in the store at a very slightly higher price.

Very pumped for this game but unfortunately money is tight this month since i have to pay some bigger and more important bills but come November i'll be kicking some alien ass!

Only one thing to decide.. Xbox or PC (usually i'd prefer PC for strategy games but this one is a rare turn based game so i guess console would work too and the controls aren't that complicated.. have to check out the XBox demo to form a good opinion).

[bullethead]

FPAlpha wrote:

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Which is why last time i cancelled my Mass Effect 3 order despite the promise to get it to me on release day.. bought it in the store at a very slightly higher price.

Very pumped for this game but unfortunately money is tight this month since i have to pay some bigger and more important bills but come November i'll be kicking some alien ass!

Only one thing to decide.. Xbox or PC (usually i'd prefer PC for strategy games but this one is a rare turn based game so i guess console would work too and the controls aren't that complicated.. have to check out the XBox demo to form a good opinion).

Well, Amazon is apparently getting the game and the blu-ray to me by tomorrow, which is good. I just hope delivery happens at a time when I can actually get the damn packages.

Anyway, I say go with the PC version, since you can just plug in your Xbox controller if you want and you get mod support.

[FPAlpha]

A friend recommended me the Xbox 360 Demo and after an hour or trying and searching i finally discovered that the Xbox Demo is only available to Gold Live members.. and mine ran out quite a while ago (haven't really bothered since i don't play the box much lately).

Well.. i'll wait till the peasants get access too and then check it out and make my decision.

[Alidar Jarok]

You can play the PC demo if you're just curious about gameplay?

[FPAlpha]

Alidar Warlock wrote:

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You can play the PC demo if you're just curious about gameplay?

I'm not worried about gameplay but the controls.. i've never played a strategy game on a console and am curious.

As fate would have it i have the full game now.

First impressions after about 3-4 hours:

I'm very impressed. I hoped they would do the original justice and they did. They created a fast paced, intense game full of tactical and strategic depth.

They eliminated parts that bogged or broke down the original (laser rifle production spam for example or the ammo micromanaging) and have improved in other areas (i just love the cover system).

Strategically it's also quite good.. you'll never be able to build everything because you'll always be short on something.. engineers/alien alloys to manufacture advanced equipment/money (you can sell alien stuff but then you can't produce certain equipment because of the lack of certain stuff).

When the mission description says Very difficult it means that.. missions like these you'll be lucky to get out of with only 2/3 of your squad heavily wounded. I'm at the story part where you have to assault the first (?) alien base and i dread the prospect of what i have to go up against.

Graphicswise it is decent.. it is not state of the art but good and does the job well. Camera/area controls could have been a little better but that's only a minor gripe.

Unfortunately i'm no student anymore so i can't blow off attending university the next day to play all night.. work life sucks
But i'll be definitely enjoying this game in the next days/weeks (curious how close they have remained to the original story).

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, from the demo, camera and controls seemed the weakest (I had to fidget around to make sure I was clicking the right place for cover).

I also had the biggest scare in my life when I moved my promoted unit inches from the enemy and pushed fire only to be told I was out of ammo. The next turn, the alien pointed and hit a wounding, but non-fatal shot.

I'm unfortunately in law school, which is the worst of both worlds when it comes to free time. I'll try to check it out at some point, though.

[FPAlpha]

Alidar Warlock wrote:

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Yeah, from the demo, camera and controls seemed the weakest (I had to fidget around to make sure I was clicking the right place for cover).

I also had the biggest scare in my life when I moved my promoted unit inches from the enemy and pushed fire only to be told I was out of ammo. The next turn, the alien pointed and hit a wounding, but non-fatal shot.

I'm unfortunately in law school, which is the worst of both worlds when it comes to free time. I'll try to check it out at some point, though.

I've had close calls multiple times.. near the end of a story mission i had to capture a specific alien and have this stunner on 2 of my guys.. i rush both of them into the room because it only works on very close range but naturally i don't make it all the way in.

He takes out one of my guys and leaves him bleeding on the floor (depending on severity you have more or less time before he finally dies or you can stabilize him with a medpack) and the other one closes in and i pray that he doesn't miss.. luckily he hit and i got home with the trophy.

In only 3 hours of gaming i had multiple, hollywodlike actions when fighting the aliens.. i really like this game.

[timmy84]

I played the first Xcom game on the playstation, so getting the controls right doesn't bother me. I'm used to it.

I played the demo today and I can't wait. I can't afford the game right now but its on the way from Gamefly. Got so excited I booted the original game up on my computer and played it for almost 3 hours. I love that game.

[Rincewiend]

Found this:

Using certain soldier names in XCOM: Enemy Unknown will activate XCOM Heroes – pre-designed super soldiers such as Sid Meier and Ken Levine. Before activating a Hero, a pop-up will warn you that they’re too damn amazing to allow you to continue the game with achievements turned on, and you cannot modify a Hero character after summoning it. If you decide to use one, do avoid killing him with some bull-headed tactical screw-up — we’d kind of like BioShock Infinite to be finished.

The currently known XCOM Heroes are below – if there are more, someone will surely find them soon.
•Sid Meier
•Ken Levine
•Joe Kelly
•Otto Zander

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/10/10/ho...ame=0&ns_fee=0

[Jono]

Played it lastnight and I got a lot of soldiers killed...especially my snipers for some reason. The ant farm wasn't explained fully. I managed to run out of some resources and I didn't know where I got them from so I was far too gungho with using them. It might say in the manual but I haven't looked at it yet. Anyway after that and my horrible soldier death toll I decided to just roll through to see what happens when lose complete support from the shadowy council. Sorry about that humanity.

[Rincewiend]

Overall i think they did a good job updating the classic game to current standards.

[FPAlpha]

Jon-o'-lantern wrote:

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Played it lastnight and I got a lot of soldiers killed...especially my snipers for some reason. The ant farm wasn't explained fully. I managed to run out of some resources and I didn't know where I got them from so I was far too gungho with using them. It might say in the manual but I haven't looked at it yet. Anyway after that and my horrible soldier death toll I decided to just roll through to see what happens when lose complete support from the shadowy council. Sorry about that humanity.

In tactical battles it's prudent to move from cover to cover and not overextend. I found that the best approach would be to have a sniper on overwatch, 1-2 assault guys, 1 Heavy (love the rocket launcher) and whatever else is needed.

Move carefully and after a while when the Mutons appear be very careful as these suckers like to throw grenades when your guys are bunched up.

I think the game has a very good balance.. so far i haven't found any big exploits one can use.. everything has advantages and drawbacks so you have to choose carefully and inevitably you will end up a tone point wishing you'd have chosen differently but then you adapt and make the best of it.

Pretty good game design if you ask me.

[Base_Delta_Zero]

It's strangely addictive (I've put in 20+ hours over a dozen playthroughs at various difficulties), and yet, at the same time, hugely disappointing.

The story I have to tell in my head about the various missions my team of battle-scarred badasses go on, because the actual in-game story is practically non-existent outside a handful of cutscenes, is a plus and a minus. If you've played miniatures games like Warhammer, gameplay is similar, with a similar lack of enforced story from match to match. You have to imagine what is going on. OK, I guess. I can tell myself a story, but I'd really rather have an awesome campaign story with the option for free-play, not just a free-play campaign with a few crappy tacked on cutscenes.

I can't stand the monster closets they use for every alien encounter. They give you these auditory clues that aliens are moving around on the map, doing alien stuff, maybe hunting your team, but they're really not. It's a lie. On the Terror Attack maps, there are a few aliens that wander around killing civilians in the Fog of War to create a sense of urgency, but every other alien encounter on every other map is one of your squad tripping a spawn trigger, a "oh shit" cutscene of the aliens being stumbled upon, and then they get a free move, which usually puts them within evisceration range. If this happens at the end of your turn, your team is about to get manhandled by one or more squads of aliens getting two turns following your one. If they're Chrysalids, your elite, 15 mission veterans with top of the line gear can get 1-shotted.

The obvious way to dominate this mechanic and not constantly lose guys or have a total squad wipe every mission is to simply inch your way forward, constantly on Overwatch, so that when the aliens do jump out of their invisible closet and scurry towards you, you can cut a few down with attacks of opportunity.

There's never the risk of the aliens setting up an actual dynamic ambush as you make your way through the map, because they're invisible and rooted to the ground until you reveal their closet on the map. Similarly, you can't set up ambushes for them except to do what I outline above.

It would be nice, just once, to hear activity occurring in the distance, move towards it stealthily and not just stumble into the same exact make-up of aliens that pop into existence. Similarly, if I just blew the crap out of the first alien squad and practically dropped the building on them with my rockets and grenades, it would be nice if the other (non-revealed) aliens reacted to the insanely loud firefight happening twenty feet away from them by maybe, getting into cover, or moving to flank me or fall back or charge to their buddies' rescue. You know, do something.

The base-building is straight up boardgame mechanics. There is no political game at all. Every country you successfully run a randomized mission in likes you a little bit more, and a few you couldn't help at the same time get more panicked. You research tech based on when you are in the game plus what buildings (chambers) you built, and what you manage to salvage/capture outright each mission.

Once you actually get into the firefights, it's quite fun to have pew-pew lasers fights with the campy aliens, try to flank each other, use terrain and keep your squad (which you can individually customize somewhat in look and name) alive.

Again, it feels and plays like a miniatures tabletop game, with everything abstracted and relying on to-hit tables with dice rolls. Sometimes you can pull a miracle out of a disastrous situation with a lucky reaction shot from a panicked trooper. Alternately, your elite SpecOps alien-stompers can get wiped out in the blink of an eye despite extreme caution, careful route planning and good tactics/gear when that last Chrysalid manages to dodge everything, including the rocket your Heavy just misfired into your Sniper, and guts your medic for a 1-shot kill.

All-in-all, a decent time-waster you can play while watching TV, but will definitely need some help form either DLC or modders to keep lively.

Keep in mind that the "Normal" mode is actually the "I've never played a video game before" mode and the "Classic" mode is essentially a fatalistic grind towards eventual alien dominance of the world. I can't imagine what "Impossible" mode is like. All Chrysalids, maybe? I prefer Classic w/Ironman. Feels more like an alien apocalypse mini-series where the good guys don't really have a chance of winning without some great strings of luck/acts of god.

You should really be playing with Ironman on, regardless of the difficulty setting, so there is only ever 1 save that is automatic after every significant action. Otherwise, you'll just be tempted to reload after every wipe or really bad roll. Pretend you're playing a tabletop game where your friends won't let you mulligan your way through dumb moves and bad rolls, and the tension really ramps up.

[Roger Wilco]

Base_Delta_Zero wrote:

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Keep in mind that the "Normal" mode is actually the "I've never played a video game before" mode and the "Classic" mode is essentially a fatalistic grind towards eventual alien dominance of the world. I can't imagine what "Impossible" mode is like. All Chrysalids, maybe? I prefer Classic w/Ironman. Feels more like an alien apocalypse mini-series where the good guys don't really have a chance of winning without some great strings of luck/acts of god.

The way I remember, the original was insanely difficult, so "classic" sounds about right.