XCOM creator calls FPS direction 'disappointing'

XCOM creator Julian Gollop talks about his disappointment with the shooter XCOM, and his hopes for XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

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Julian Gollop, creator of the original X-COM game, hasn't had a hand in the XCOM first-person reboot from 2K Marin, nor the more recently announced strategy game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown from Firaxis. It's clear which one he prefers though, sharing his thoughts on the strategy game and calling the shooter direction "disappointing" for its departure from the series' roots.

"I thought it was a great shame because it was going down the same route as some of the previous X-COM sequels, like Interceptor and Enforcer - in other words, going completely against turn-based combat," Gollop said.

"It was a bit disappointing from my point of view and for many fans of X-COM. When from out of the blue we heard that Firaxis are doing a turn-based version, it's as if 2K are trying to cover all their bets," Gollop told Edge.

He laments that turn-based games are being perceived as a "completely niche market," after real-time strategy games boomed in the mid-90s. He says games like Advance Wars and Valkyria Chronicles impressed him as good examples of modern turn-based strategy. "There's room for innovation there, but I don't know what Firaxis are going to do," he said. "How faithful it is to the original game, I don't know."

He certainly isn't shy about chiming in on what Firaxis should do, though. He shares a broad range of ideas, from teaching the player about tools through the game interface, to developing better AI and terrain generation than the team could accomplish in the original game.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is due in the fall, while the shooter XCOM is set to hit in fiscal 2013.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    January 20, 2012 10:45 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, XCOM creator calls FPS direction 'disappointing'.

    XCOM creator Julian Gollop talks about his disappointment with the shooter XCOM, and his hopes for XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

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      January 20, 2012 10:49 AM

      go back to making inferior xcom reskins for the DS, Mr Gollop!

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        January 20, 2012 10:50 AM

        He's right though

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          January 20, 2012 11:00 AM

          It's 2012 and I think gamers need to put on their big boy pants and just realize that everyone is adult enough to recognize when a game is a direct sequel, remake, or simpley inspired from an original series. Anyone who follows industry news should know that the modern market for games prefers brand recognition over new ones.

          So an FPS inspired by a previous brand of games that looks great isn't such a bad thing. They want it to sell, so what if they use the brand they own and where the game was inspired from? Why is it such a big deal if it isn't a direct remake but the game looks good?

          I don't get why everyone on the internet has to climb some sanctimonious pedestal to perverse a video game brand, it's just weird to defend a name. Judge the content, not the brand, because that's the market we've been living in for the past 5 years in film and games.

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            January 20, 2012 11:03 AM

            It's not that, it's that the game looks like utter shit.

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              January 20, 2012 11:33 AM

              he wasnt commenting on the quality of the FPS. he was commenting on the direction. he probably hasnt played the game

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              January 20, 2012 12:17 PM

              No. No it doesn't. I watched the 20 minute thingy and it looks pretty damn cool. You're just a fucking biased XCOM asshole.

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                January 20, 2012 12:21 PM

                lol

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                January 20, 2012 12:39 PM

                He's an asshole because he doesn't want to see a game that he liked made into a sucky FPS?

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                  January 20, 2012 12:47 PM

                  Yeah, basically. Look, I never played XCOM, so I don't give a shit what it's called, but from what I've seen, and heard, the game looks pretty damn cool. Nice graphics, cool setting, semi-open ended, interesting enemy, yadda yadda yadda, don't know what his problem is.

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                  January 20, 2012 12:49 PM

                  And on top of that, "the game he liked" is being made into exactly like the game he liked soooooo many years ago by Firaxes, so..... ??????

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                    January 20, 2012 1:36 PM

                    And is there something wrong with preferring a new version that actually plays similarly to the old game versus something that has nothing to do with the old game except in name? Also, this isn't the first time as there was a mediocre game called X-Com Enforcer that no one remembers because it pretty well sucked. No one wants a repeat of that.

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            January 20, 2012 11:06 AM

            I'm apt to agree with you that people need to keep an open mind about brand extensions/changes, but damn if I'm not super happy they are making a new strategy game and not just an FPS.

            The FPS might end up being good, but it just doesn't scratch the itch that xcom fans really want -- which is a squad-based tactical game with a strategic layer.

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            January 20, 2012 11:11 AM

            I agree with the chimes of "it looks pretty bad", but I think the real bitterness here comes from the fact that many people desperately wanted to see a true sequel to the game, as there haven't been a lot of games in its style lately - same deal when Fallout 3 was announced as an oblivionlike by bethesda.

            While brand recognition is good, brands come with expectations. Imagine if it was announced a that they were making a new Indiana Jones movie without spielberg, and then told people it's a motivational peice starring Indy's son, Flintery Jones, as we follow his dream to become a rock star in the 1970s. More than a few people would say "They're ruining a brand for the sake of a cash-grab", and that's what the XCOM "prequel" appeared to be to a lot of people.

            Now, certainly minds will change if it turns out to be an awesome game, but the fact is that when you build expectations and then don't meet them, there's going to be disappointment - especially considering how rarely series jump across genres in this industry.

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            January 20, 2012 11:42 AM

            You'd make a good point, if it wasn't built on a foundation of bullshit.

            To the laymen, I.E. the person who they are trying to sell millions of games to, the name X-Com doesn't mean anything. It wasn't a smash-hit, it was a cult classic. Same goes for Syndicate. Neither have large swaths of brand recognition, yet both are being bought so that their names can be applied to mediocre FPS they have nothing to do with. They might as well have called this game "Bioshock: Oil-Men Attack!" if they really wanted -brand- recognition, and it would have about as much to do with that series as it does with X-com.

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              January 20, 2012 11:47 AM

              no you are wrong. the strategy is to excite the fans to tell others about it. for example, the gaming press are fans and they want to write about it. i assure you that it would not have gotten a game informer cover if it was not xcom

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                January 20, 2012 1:39 PM

                It would if 2k paid for it to be, which they obviously did in the first place. If you think most mass-press has anything to do with actual fan hype, you're pretty naive.

                However, X-Com: Enemy Unknown looks like it actually might be pretty great, and is trying to be a modern X-Com. I wonder why 2K insists on both releasing a real X-Com game, and then an idiotic FPS?

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                  January 20, 2012 4:02 PM

                  they did but that doesnt refute what im saying. and im right. why do i insist on trying to teach the internet about being right? have fun being wrong

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                    January 20, 2012 5:26 PM

                    It does refute what you are saying. Because either they bought this IP to market it on the strength of brand-recognition (In which case they are FUCKING RETARDED), or they had the rights laying around and just slapped together a game and decided to use the name so it didn't fall out of their grasp.

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                    January 20, 2012 7:41 PM

                    It sounds more like the idea of a new shooter game was made before any new or existing IP was tied to it.

                    Similar to how the Caprica TV show wasn't even supposed to be tied to BSG in any way before it was. It was supposed to be it's own thing. Adding existing IP gives it more legs, coattail effect.

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            January 20, 2012 12:11 PM

            You didn't really justify why gamers "need to put on their big boy pants". You just kind of described the situation that Godhatesfatpeople is complaining about.

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            January 20, 2012 12:25 PM

            The X-Com FPS is like making a Blade Runner movie about teenage angst in the future. It might share a few things with the original, but the link is so tenuous as to be ridiculous. That's the problem here. I've seen nothing in this FPS that evokes anything like X-Com at all. On top of that it looks like a pretty mediocre game so far as well.

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              January 20, 2012 12:26 PM

              And also, it's perfectly valid to judge it in the context of the brand considering they are using it for marketing and that's about it.

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                January 20, 2012 12:30 PM

                I'm judging it on that last 20 min gameplay video which confirmed my "utter shit" rating.

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                  January 20, 2012 12:31 PM

                  Exactly. If you want to use a brand don't expect it to carry a lacklustre game.

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            January 20, 2012 12:31 PM

            This is the exact attitude that brought us such movies as Max Payne and Hitman (and everything Uwe Bol has done). Some things can be diluted so much with awfulness that the original is worth less (see also: Hip Hop).

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              January 20, 2012 12:34 PM

              Vanilla Ice and Snow probably also fit here.

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              January 20, 2012 12:34 PM

              Hitman was entertaining. They stuck pretty well to his character, especially his extreme discomfort with any sort of intimacy. Also Uwe Boll's Postal movie was pretty funny, and Rampage was entertaining in its own way.

              I'll agree with you on Max Payne though. The only good part of that movie was the cgi demons.

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                January 20, 2012 12:47 PM

                Hitman as a rescuing hero? CGI Demons unrelated to anything Max Payne-ish? And dude, you just defended Uwe Boll!
                My point is using those properties lead people to false conclusions as to what the movies would be like.

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                  January 20, 2012 1:11 PM

                  Hitman rescued an asian prostitute in Hitman 1. Totally within his character to rescue someone, regardless of them being important on a grand scale or not. CGI Demons were cool in and of themselves, Max Payne wasn't a good movie. And yes, I enjoyed two of Uwe's movies, but other ones i've seen snippets of were terrible.

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                    January 20, 2012 1:36 PM

                    I don't recall the rescue, but I can accept that it may have happened and I forgot it. I will never forgive Max Payne for showing each ESSENTIAL Max Payne-ism once each. And the straight bullet-time was JUST WALKING FORWARDS.
                    I tried to watch Dungeon Siege twice the other day. I wound up watching a Law & Order: CI I'd seen 3 times already.

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                      January 20, 2012 1:39 PM

                      Yeah, the rescue is in the mission where you can infiltrate the brothel. You don't have to rescue her, but you can, and it led to one of the most memorable moments in the franchise for me. She kisses you on the cheek before she leaves and the camera does a close up on 47's face as he cringes and shivers. Great character moment imo, so when he tazed the girl in the movie for trying to seduce him that was an awesome touch.

                      Also, like I said, I agree with you about the vast majority of Boll's movies. I'm not going to stick up for tripe like House of the Dead, Bloodrayne, Dungeon Siege, etc. He deserves backlash for how terrible those are, but Postal and Rampage entertained me, even if they aren't for everyone. I know Dognose for example liked Rampage a lot (iirc anyway)

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                        January 22, 2012 1:52 PM

                        The Hitman movie's portrayal of the character wasn't accurate at all. Firstly, 47 doesn't rescue anyone just for the sake of rescuing them. In Hitman 1 and 2, he rescues the Chinese prostitute because she can help him complete his mission, not because he actually cares about her. Also, 47 doesn't smile or make jokes, both of which he did in the movie. 47 showed signs of empathy in Hitman 2 but those were snuffed out pretty soundly in Contracts and Blood Money, where he shows a total lack of empathy for Diana and the fact that she's being hunted down. He even kills his pet bird without hesitation when it won't shut up.

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            January 20, 2012 1:03 PM

            [deleted]

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            January 20, 2012 2:53 PM

            it devalues the brand, and damages the nostalgia effect that draws in the very audience who will recognize the name.

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            January 22, 2012 12:17 PM

            When I saw SLK Kompressor do you see a people mover? How about if I say Dodge Viper... do you see a small hatchback car? What if Ford released a new Mustang except that it was a pick up truck?

            You obviously know jack about branding and what it's there for.

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        January 20, 2012 10:53 AM

        At least Ghost Recon for the 3DS was good. The X-Com FPS looks kind of weak.

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          January 20, 2012 11:11 AM

          I really need to pick that up now that I have a 3DS

    • DM7 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      January 20, 2012 10:51 AM

      *Pours one out for Valkyria Chronicles* It should be on consoles, not handhelds. :'(

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      January 20, 2012 10:55 AM

      Ha, he mentioned Incubation in the last Q&A answer. I loved that game back in the day. I mentioned that to Mercfox during his xcom stream.

      4 player multiplayer in a turn-based squad tactical game = A+. iirc it even had support for 2v2 and FFA.

      I really wish a developer would have the guts to make a truly awesome and well designed real-time/pause squad tactics game like X-Com Apocalypse without the terrible UI and grinding (ie. Temple of Sirius runs x10000) aspects.

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        January 20, 2012 11:00 AM

        (my last statement is in response to what I perceive as him lamenting RTS's dominance over TBS games.) Even JA3 from Sirtec was supposed to be real-time with pausing.

        You can definitely have that kind of system without sacrificing any of the depth of a TBS game. In fact, there can be even more depth because you can do simultaneous coordinated movements among squad members. Also, you can avoid the core issues he talked about like levels having to be small and focused so as to avoid empty turns. All of this is proven by Apoc's real-time system. A hybrid that included DoW2's cover mechanic and firing arc setup for machineguns would be excellent imo.

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        January 20, 2012 11:19 AM

        Always enjoyed doing Temple raids. Those douchebags had it coming.

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          January 20, 2012 11:24 AM

          I really enjoyed them too...the first 100 times. But then once you realize how important it is to your income (selling captured tech and weapons) to constantly raid them multiple times a day, it becomes more work than fun.

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            January 20, 2012 11:52 AM

            Not sure how you had to rely on them. I would do them to build up some initial cash earlier in the game, but once you star shooting down UFOs, all your money should come from selling researched alien tech. I've played through xcom:apoc a half dozen times I don't recall doing more than 50 raids on any single playthrough.

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              January 20, 2012 11:54 AM

              Maybe I just personally put too much emphasis on it to my own peril. Although the payoff seemed to scale over time. The best loot was the psionic loot that sold for a nice chunk of cash.

              Don't get me wrong, I loved Apoc, especially how well done the real-time mode was. Maybe I'll give it another go and ignore Sirius more than I have in the past and see how it progresses.

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        January 20, 2012 11:42 AM

        Incubation was awesome.

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          January 20, 2012 11:45 AM

          Yep. The only game I ever made a fan-site for when I was growing up other than Die by the Sword.

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            January 20, 2012 11:51 AM

            I loved DBTS, but I never got very far in it. the mechanics were... wonky.

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              January 20, 2012 11:59 AM

              It was very wonky, but you know the charm was that there was nothing else like it. It was possible to get proficient with the mouse-based sword, it just took practice...a lot of practice. Multiplayer was very fun too. I actually ran the only multiplayer ladder for it (~13 years ago 0_o). good times.

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        January 20, 2012 12:08 PM

        hmm that UFO online game he mentioned looks interesting http://ufo-online.gamigo.com/

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          January 20, 2012 12:15 PM

          Wow, that does look really cool (from the screenshots). I really like the art direction from the little I've seen, especially that alien. Going to have to look up videos for this.

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            January 20, 2012 12:58 PM

            only saw that prerendered trailer - looks like its in beta still

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              January 20, 2012 1:03 PM

              There are some videos up on youtube. Looks alright. I'd be up to try it. Apparently you can sign up for the closed beta on their site and wait for entry.

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      January 20, 2012 12:33 PM

      [deleted]

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        January 20, 2012 2:48 PM

        both XCOM games are being made by 2K - they are part of our overall studio family.

        don't know if that changes your view of the question.

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        January 20, 2012 3:19 PM

        [deleted]

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        January 20, 2012 3:43 PM

        you know that Firaxis is owned by 2K and didn't somehow decide to make this game based on an IP their parent company owns in a vacuum, right?

        Firaxis: oh shit you guys are making an XCOM?
        2K: uhh, yeah, it's an FPS being made by 2K Marin! why?
        Firaxis: oh man, this is kind of awkward but, uhh, we... kind of made an XCOM game too...
        2K: Jesus christ! okay, um, well... shit... okay nobody panic, we can figure this out
        Firaxis: I mean, I just feel really bad... we can just scrap it and make Railroads 2 or something
        2K: No, no, it's fine, we'll just release it I guess. Two XCOM games is better than one, right?
        Firaxis: Man, I had no idea you guys were making an XCOM game. My bad, seriously.
        2K: Nah, it's cool, I think everything will work out.
        * They both start making out *

      • reply
        January 20, 2012 7:48 PM

        Bioshock and Dead Space were kind of children of System Shock

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          January 21, 2012 1:03 PM

          You're outta your mind. Dead space has got nothing to do with system shock

          Dead space is doom3 on spaceship with all that occult and gore stuff.

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            January 21, 2012 1:05 PM

            That's doom3 in spaceship!! (tm)

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