Planet of fear. Xcom

WHAT? The new chapter in the legendary series of tactical games, which unexpectedly turned out to be a shooter. From the authors of Bioshock 2.

WHERE? Moscow, Russia, the editorial office of Gamemany-Novato, USA, headquarters 2K Marin.

The ninth episode of the sixth season of the animated series South Park is devoted to how George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg undertook to remake his own classical tapes to tighten them to modern technological standards, and at the same time made a number of dubious innovations: so, in the revised version of “save the ordinary Ryan” the word “Nazi "Replaced the" man with other political views ", and all the guns were replaced by the walkie -talkie. The result turned out to be deplorable: at the premiere of the “improved” version of the film “Indiana Jones: in search of the lost ark”, all the audience were destroyed by the rays of death, which suddenly began to proceed from the screen.

If you remember this episode well, you will probably understand our feelings when we first saw the announcement of the new Xcom : a two-dimensional tactical game with elements of a global economic strategy suddenly turned into a shooter, and the “near future” was replaced in the 50s of the last century. If you rely on the experience of the "South Park", it is quite obvious that this cannot end in any good. But at 2K Games There is a main trump card in hand – developers. The first shooter in the history of mankind in the XCOM universe is being developed 2k Marin , Authors BIOSHOCK 2.

E.T.

To understand the whole depth of our horror, you need to know which game we are talking about. Since its founding in 1994, the X-Com brand has gone through so many suffering and abuse that if it was a 17-year-old teenager-he would surely live on the street and traded with a small robbery (difficult childhood, you understand).

Original X-Com: Ufo Defense She was, without exaggeration, a brilliant tactical strategy about the invasion of aliens, which had everything: the construction of bases, research, autopsy of aliens and even role -playing element (hired fighters grew up in ranks and characteristics, respectively, successes on the battlefield). But the main thing is that there were amazing tactical missions: with the destroyed (yes, yes!) by environment, with multi -level locations, with the possibility of using tanks. The soldiers knew how to squat, conduct aimed or runaway fire on the enemy, and as a final argument they could throw the enemy in the face of their own rifle – all this, by the way, a year before Jagged Alliance. Closer to the middle in the game, tasks appeared to free cities from invaders, and in the last task, the developers proposed to go on a counterattack and go with a punitive mission to Mars.

Over the next four years, everything seemed to be good: a sequel (under water) came out, a tricel (in real time). And then troubles began. Shortly after the output of the shameful space simulator X-Com: Interceptor The company-publisher Microprose People from the giblets bought Hasbro , which three years later released no less shame X-Com: Enforcer , on which the official history of the series ended. The only attempt at a full -fledged revival is the game The Dreamland Chronicles: Freedom Ridge from Mythos Games , authors of the original X-Com-was canceled under rather strange circumstances.

The deadly game was eventually resolved by Czech straprechera and somehow reanimated in 2003-the project changed the name to Ufo: aftermath and gave the beginning of a new line of games that copied all the formal signs of the series, but raised a lot of uncomfortable questions to the quality of performance. In 2007, this side branch was also interrupted, but at about the same time it became known that the rights to the X-Com brand got 2K Games, after which a timid hope for its revival appeared on the series fans of the series.

Battle of Titans 3D

Meet the titanium – a deadly structure of two flying rings and the main contender for the title "The most informal opponent of the year". Where did this creature come from, whether it is alive at all and how to deal with it – you have to find out in the game, but for now it is only known that this creature can do this with people.

American graffiti

And literally a month and a half ago, it turned out that this same hope is a shooter with gadgets and Febeers on the patch, created by the forces of the authors of Bioshock 2. Such a turn of events can be called unexpected at best, so the first question that we asked the developers was this: “But what, in fact, will remain from the previous X-Com in your game?"

2K Marin began their answer unexpectedly: “The X-Com was always based on the story of the horror and despair of people who were attacked by a mysterious aggressor. In our opinion, we managed to convey this oppressive sensation ". It is difficult to argue with this: as a rule, the missions in Ufo Defense began on a landing ship, which arrived at the place of landing of another flying saucer. Around – nobody, dead silence. But the player always knew: somewhere around the corner (in a dark corn field, in a barn with grain, on the second floor there are enemies. They are not visible, but there are almost certainly many of them, they know about our presence and open fire, if we stick our nose out of the ship. They can sneak up from either side, can slam the heroes when they enter the unlit room, they can put the commander-in-law with sniper shots on the ladder … It was a truly terrible game.

About the same emotions hope to call us 2k marin. But they will have completely different scenery: in order to emphasize how tragically quickly the usual human way of life can be destroyed, the developers chose as a time period for XCOM (the new game got rid of the hyphen in the name) American fifties. This setting does not seem to need to be presented: see. Fallout , The series Mad Men and, of course, BIOSHOCK.

Mindful of the horrors of the two world wars, representatives of the nascent consumer society sought to equip their own life as reliable as possible and acquire formal signs of well -being. Each American had the right to Hamurgger, a bottle of Coca-Cola, a spouse and a house in a suburb with a garage for two cars. These people managed to build a small world for themselves, in which it was very comfortable – and even more dramatic, according to the developers, there will be its unexpected and swift collapse in XCOM.

Chronicles of the invasion

Brief History of the X-Com series

X-Com: Ufo Defense (1994)

The classic and pillar of the genre, Ufo Defense was loved by millions not only thanks to its (impeccable) gameplay. Although there, of course, there was something to love: a mixture of global strategy and tactics, hiring teams, opening aliens, mission at all points of the globe, non -linear structure, and so on. But besides all this, in the X-COM there was a unique, little with a comparable atmosphere-a sort of amazing cross of post-apocalyptic science fiction with a cheap “safai” in a soft cover (especially this concerns the design of aliens).

X-Com: Terror from the Deep (1995)

The absolute clone of Ufo Defense was worked out as soon as possible https://spintime-casino.co.uk/ and went out a year later. Which, however, did not prevent millions of fans again sit down for planning the base. This time-underwater (the case took place at the bottom of the seas and oceans of the Earth, where the aliens by some miracle survived and grew their gills). Leaving the ingenious mechanics and balance of the first part untouched, the authors of Terror from the Deep strengthened the very unique “B-Movie effect”: a webial clawed paw was on the box, and among the aliens appeared in a natural Kntulhu.

X-Com: Apocalypse (1997)

In Trikvel, the basic values ​​of the X-Com were seriously reviewed. Firstly, there was no trace of the weakly tasteful fiction, everything was seriously. Secondly, the scale decreased: we controlled the affairs of not a whole planet, but a separate metropolis. Thirdly, the city lived its life: cars fussed, plates flew, street battles were going on. And finally, tactical landings have also changed: real time has appeared. All this was fervently played, but the atmosphere of the real X-Com has irrevocably disappeared.

X-Com: Interceptor (1998)

The tragic diversification of the brand has begun. A significant part of the first two games made up air battles: it was necessary to intercept flying saucers, invest in the study of advanced armor, on -board lasers, and so on. Interceptor was completely devoted to this routine. Simply put, this is cosmosim with a strategic component screwed to it. The idea, in general, is quite viable, but as the Interceptor space simulator could not withstand any competition with Wing Commander.

X-Com: Enforcer (2001)

The new copyright holders, Hasbro, made from X-Com what they can best-a rost figure with a giant blaster. Enforcer is a third -person shooter (worked on the engine of the first Unreal), which had nothing to do with the thoroughbred universe, except for the corresponding letters in the name. The notorious tactical element was presented in the form of a primitive upgrade system. Hand on the heart, this is what should be expected from the new xcom. But – with the preservation of the original atmosphere and a decent basic mechanics.

… and the last crusade

And you know, this technique may work: we all remember how sad the fragments of the perfect life in the middle of the nuclear desert in Fallout looked sad. And 2k Marin seems to be going to perform in a similar way: empty gingerbread towns, neat streets, on which children played a few days ago, comfortably equipped rear courtyards and houses, in which something nightmare lurked.

The main character Xcom is an FBI employee named William Carter. Until recently, he, along with his army friend Charles, built a successful career in the organs, but suffered a crushing failure during the next task. As a disciplinary sanction, both agents were entrusted with the investigation of a ridiculous seemingly case, investigating which the heroes discovered an unknown artifact (“Enigm”), apparently somehow connected with the invasion of aliens.

Another significant similarity with the original game is the structure of the narrative. As in the X-Com model of the 90s, we will have our own base and a complete set of technical services: scientists, technicians and other maintenance staff. At the beginning of the game, only traditional types of weapons will be available, but as we collect new samples of alien fabrics and technologies, experts will be able to develop more and more advanced and bizarre types of gadgets.

And they, gadgets, are very useful: another branded feature of the former X-Com is the need to study their own enemies, to recognize their habits and opportunities. Fighting the aliens and regularly supplying their corpses and samples of technology by scientists, we found out more and more details about the mysterious civilization and made up “Ufopedia” – thus, by the end of the game, the unknown enemy became quite understandable and vulnerable. Approximately the same will be in XCOM – for this, developers borrow a system of photography from BIOSHOCK. And of course, it is proposed to search each location for new artifacts.

To study, as promised, there will be someone: while 2k Marin was told only about two types of enemies, and believe me – there are hardly such bastards in other video games. So, a monster named “bubble”: an ominous black sphere endowed with primitive (whether primitive?) Consciousness and capable of moving along the walls and ceiling. The usual weapon against it is ineffective: from the shot, the bubble is scattered into pieces and immediately gathers from them again, like mercury. The second opponent we managed to find out about is called “Titan”: the developers prefer to keep silent about its properties, but keep in mind-most likely, people who decay into molecules, whom the developers depict on concept arts, is a matter.

In general, the game is at an early stage of development, so the authors give new information literally bit by bit, explaining that they still did not decide which of the ideas will fall into the final version.

And we had a lot of questions. For example, it is known that at each mission of the player will be accompanied by FBI officers. Will it be possible to give them orders and generally somehow tactically manage the operation? "We do not know yet". We were informed that the player, as a rule, has a choice, which location to go – and the choice of this mutually exclusive. Does this mean that the development of our technologies will be non -linear? "We will not say yet". And what gadgets will you have? “We have not decided yet, wait for E3, but for now, look at our miracle compass, improved with alien matter”. Well, thank you.

* * *

One thing is clear for sure: 2K Games clearly does not intend to revive the X-Com in its original form, at least while. It's a little sad, but don't despair. 2K Marin shooters are certainly able to do, and in addition, they promise to carefully preserve the basic principles of the series: the atmosphere of horror-cosmos-kotor-hate-no-and-on-one, the opportunity to plan operations, develop technologies and Gradually, step by step, to recognize your enemies, learn to win them. So so far everything seems to be in order-the main thing is that the developers at some point do not decide to replace all the weapons in the game in the radio.