Firaxis and 2K unveiled some new details on Enemy Within, XCOM: Enemy Unknown’s recently announced expansion pack, at PAX Prime this weekend. But, the most significant new detail was probably the announcement of a new unit, the Seeker. The Seeker was described by Firaxis’ own personal as a blend between a shark and a spider that flies and that can become invisible on the battlefield. Yeah, that’s right, a stealth-type invisible new alien unit, which role is to hide and ambush your soldiers, particular aiming at lone ones. So, you better think twice on letting your sniper alone now.
Other than the new Seeker alien unit, there were no other big reveals at PAX Prime regarding Enemy Within that I was aware of, apart from what we already knew from their announcement at Gamescom a couple of weeks ago. In this new trailer, 2K presents the new cybernetic and genetically enhanced soldiers, and the new Seeker unit in action.
The XCOM: Enemy Within expansion is slated to release on 12th of November 2013. The expected price tag is around $30 for the PC and $40 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. For more details check out our announcement post or the XCOM official website.
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I will only buy this if the fix some of the core issues the first game had, simply adding new stuff isn’t enough. They better get rid of the AI getting an unfair extra move when it spots you, for example.
I agree about the unfair movement for the Aliens, but I do think “adding stuff” will help out alot. I thought that DLC was terrible tho… I’ll probally get this sometime.
The whole remake didn´t appeal to me. To restrictive in selecting missions, while forcibly dropping the others. The whole geoscape warfare and base management went wrong. That´s not X-Com anymore, it´s only a shallow combat focused clone that no addon can fix.
I didn´t even end the Storyline once, so disappointing was the experience.
I agree.
I know a lot of people liked this remake, but for me it was far too simplistic.
The alien spawns were so repetitive I could pretty much predict exactly when the aliens would appear while moving through a map, and exactly how many of them would spawn.
How bad is that?
I agree completely, X-Com EU didn’t even come close to living up to its amazing predecessor. It was so dumb and shallow it was just embarrassing.
I’d be very surprised if any number of patches or add-ons could fix it although Civ V has become slightly better over time, and if even Civ V can get better, I guess there’s hope for *any* game.
Still waiting patiently for Xenonauts. I’m guessing v1.0 release in spring/summer of 14, then another year of polishing before it’s really good.
So much waiting when you’re a gamer.
I remember snickering when Gold Hawk said they were aiming for a Q4 2012 release but even I was surprised it’s still where it is right now. Guess that proverbial last 10% really is gonna take up 90% of the time.
Too bad there isn’t an Indie studio trying to mash all the polish of XCOM with the freedom/choices of Xeno.
And no, I wouldn’t touch the XCOM DLCs unless the core gameplay becomes way less scripted.
I agree on the scripted feeling. They should make the progression less linear in the first third of the game. Hopefully, they have done something about it. They seem to have been listening to fan feedback, hopefully that’s one area where they invested some more.
From what I’ve read in various press releases, it seems to be a more fleshed out version of slingshot DLC. More content in terms of upgrades, units variety etc but the core gameplay remains the same – just 1 optional side-quest, some new maps and a bunch of gears.
Frankly, my only gripe with XCOM, apart from the bugs, was the linearity and minimal replayability so adding more toys to the pile isn’t gonna convince me to reinstall the game let alone fork out for the DLC.
A shame really; personally I find the 2-move combat-system overall superior to Xeno’s traditional TU.
personally I really liked the game. Been so long since I played the original that anything I had forgotten just didn’t matter. The extra move only bothered me toward the end but even that I could live with.
Ill be getting this one although I did not get the 1st expanstion as it didnt add enough to justify the cost.
If you mean Slingshot, it was a DLC, not an expansion pack as Enemy Within now is. But, I agree, Slingshot didn’t add enough to justify the purchase, at least if you’re not very serious about the game.
I would have bought it if the main game was replayable.
It is replayable, especially after the “Second Wave” options have been enabled, which tweak a few important things. Between the different difficulty levels, the Ironman mode and the second wave options you have enough to keep you busy in at least two to three good playthroughs, or even more if you want to try different squad combinations and are interested in going for achievements.
But, it’s probably not as replayable as the original X-COM game no, mainly due to the highly scripted first third of game, and the fact that the maps are not very big and are fixed. The expansion brings 50% more maps (not too bad) on top of the ones found on the original game. So, the game should be more replayable now.
But, as for the scripted feeling, I really hope they do something about it. Hopefully there will be changes on how the missions work on the Geoscape, with more variety, randomization and strategy, and not just abduction 1 followed by abduction 2, crash UFO 1, abduction 3, terror site, abduction 4, etc…
Pass. Had to choke back a lot of unlawful tendencies after purchasing @ full price (like an idiot) the first one. Not again Firaxis. Too many combat tactic related bugs that to this day are not fixed.
So the core game component, combat is hardly important enough to fix but they make time to spit out DLC’s and expansions. Nice money grab.
Regarding “combat tactic related bugs”, the teleport bug has been satisfactorily fixed on the PC. The flanking bug, although rare, still happens though.
A new Enemy Within video narrated by the lead designer (Ananda Gupta) showing off some of the new stuff on a new map: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buW1FtMOTwI
“This video may be inappropriate for some users”.
Seriously? Who gets offended by mech on alien fisty-cuffs?
It looks okay but so far it looks like a $5 or $10 DLC not a $30-40 expansion pack. The playable part of the new map looks almost the same as the bridge/road maps. The background and damn looked nice but didn’t seem to affect game play much. I’ll probably give it a run when it is $5.00 on a steam sale.
BTW, at first I really disliked the new XCOM because I kept comparing it to the original game. Once I stopped doing that and took it for what it was I enjoyed it a lot more. Except the ‘strategy’ part of the game. I found nothing to like about the base management at all. Too scripted and too puzzle like.
I kept comparing it to the original game too, and it kept coming up short in every single area except the least important part of the game – graphics.
That simply wasn’t acceptable, if I’m going to buy a remake of a very old game, I have a (hopefully reasonable) expectation that it will *improve* on the original, in at least some areas. Nope.
You don’t have to buy a remake of a very old game with the expectation that it will improve the original. That isn’t a requirement when you buy XCOM: Enemy Unknown you know? :) How about buying a game for what it is? It’s a choice really.
Then, after you’ve played the new game you can judge it for what it is. Perhaps you’d like it. It’s going to be ok Mark, trust me ;)
I don’t know. In my case, and I know for many others who also loved the original game, it’s a question of being a bit more flexible and letting go of some of the original game’s memories. Then, even taking into account all of the streamlining/accessibility or simplification (whatever you’d like to call it) of the new game, the X-COM feeling starts to grow in you in a different way.
The setting is the same, the secret and special organization thing is intact. The game is more “gamey” than simulationish, no doubt, as is Firaxis tradition. If you can look past that and embrace the new progression system and let yourself enter into the atmosphere of the game, I’m convinced that you’ll like it. The rest of how I feel about the game you can read in my review if you’re interested.
@ Adam,
But does Xcom EU do *anything* better than the original? if not then its a bit difficult to judge it for what it is because what it is – is ……. inferior. I mean both games attempt to provide a very similar type of experience and the original just seems to do a much better job.
So besides graphics, what does EU have to offer that the original doesn’t do better in every way? I’ve read all the reviews, including your very comprehensive one, I’ve played the demo, and I cant find a single thing.
Perhaps some of this new content will add something? If so I would probably be interested. But there has to be a better reason than graphics or whats the point?
@Mark
You start from a false assumption in my view. XCOM:EU doesn’t need to be better than another similar game as a requirement for you to play it and enjoy it. Didn’t you buy Civ5 and Civ5:G&K, even if they are generally considered inferior to Civ4:BTS? You, or any other Civ fans? Well, I’ll bet most have.
The original and the new XCOM games are different. They don’t need to be compared in order for you to enjoy more one or the other. What counts in the end is the experience. Not if a game is better in every aspect than the other or not. That’s a very subjective task, to judge which is better in every aspect. And XCOM:EU is and plays very different from UFO: Enemy Unknown.
In general, the new XCOM is more “RPGish” and “Gamey” and less “Simulationish”. Sorry to use such terms, but I think they transmit the idea better than a wall of text.
As for what I think the original game or the new game do better, we already have discussed this in the past, haven’t we? :)
The comparison is extensive but as you asked for what I think XCOM:EU does better in a nutshell, well, here it is:
7 things I think XCOM: Enemy Unknown does better than UFO: Enemy Unknowm:
– Squad progression
– Squad attachment
– Tactical part is or feels superior
– Cutscenes
– Superb animations
– Thrill feeling every time before mission (better in my view)
– Superb music at places
It is more than possible to love both games.
@ Adam,
Those terms are fine, I think we both understand what they mean and agree that they make communication much easier.
In the past, I think I indicated that if I want “Gamey” then I’ll play chess. In an Xcom game I’m looking for immersion, roleplaying and simulationism (if that’s a word) so I really don’t think that EU would offer anything that the original doesn’t do a much better job of satisfying.
I actually have a little money for games now and I’m considering either Xenonauts or Xcom declassified. I know you’re planning on reviewing Xenonauts but what about Xcom declassified, any plans to do at least a capsule review? The little I’ve read about it doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence, but it does look cool and I love the whole 60’s vibe.
Edit: Sorry, its actually called “The Bureau : Xcom declassified”
The simulation aspect was greatly reduced in the new game, no doubt. It’s definitely more “gamey” now, more abstract. But that doesn’t mean less deep (but we had that discussion before as well). So, since you’re more after that simulation fine-granularity, no, you’ll not find much of that in XCOM:EU. Clearly this isn’t a game for you in that case.
Yes, we’ll be covering Xenonauts. The last thing was the beta preview, but we’ll have a review when the game is officially out.
As for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, I thought about writing something about it, but then, something has to give, and The Bureau seems to be more of a shooter than a tactical/strategy game anyway. In the end it was an editorial choice, but that game clearly fell in the grey area of games to cover or not. So, we’ll probably skip that one.
No problem, I know you guys put an enormous amount of work into your reviews and appreciate the need to be selective in which games you choose. But I have a lot of respect for Spacesector, so I would have waited for the review if it was coming.
Yes I did catch the beta preview of Xenonauts and was left with a very positive overall impression. It may very well be just the sort of Xcom game I’m looking for. I might finally be able to retire DosBox and the original :)
Have you tried UFO:Extraterrestrials Gold or the UFO Aftermath? Not as good as the original XCOM (pretty much nothing is) but I thought both were enjoyable and I preferred them to the 2k/Firaxis XCOM game.
@ Alien JD
Actually no, I never tried them and only know the names in the vaguest possible terms. I might try to find out more about them, thanks for the heads up :)