XCOM: Enemy Unknown Single-Player Demo Leaves Me Feeling Lukewarm

[FleshEatingZipper]

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Single-Player Demo Leaves Me Feeling Lukewarm

Hmmm. Look, you already know my position on X-COM. As of E3, you even knew what my feelings were about the new XCOM: Enemy Unknown, at least in video form. But now that I've been a...

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[N]

Now nearly a day after playing it and I want to play it again. I'm not gonna plow through the demo because I REALLY don't want to run through tutorials again.

[AgentNXS]

Apparently you haven't read this in one of the many reports on other websites, but you're able to skip the tutorial in the full game, so the first few missions will be completely different. Also, if you haven't seen some of the media(non 2k/Firaxis) gameplay preview videos, a lot of the people playing are really, really bad at squad based tactical games. They needed every bit of hand holding they could get, and still barely made it through the first few hours. It's actually kind of sad that some of these people are supposed to be video game "experts", but can barely understand strategy, cover, and line of sight.

[Kelly]

But you think it's going to suck? Weren't you trying to convince us at E3 that it would be awesome?

[N]

Apparently you haven't read this in one of the many reports on other websites, but you're able to skip the tutorial in the full game, so the first few missions will be completely different. Also, if you haven't seen some of the media(non 2k/Firaxis) gameplay preview videos, a lot of the people playing are really, really bad at squad based tactical games. They needed every bit of hand holding they could get, and still barely made it through the first few hours. It's actually kind of sad that some of these people are supposed to be video game "experts", but can barely understand strategy, cover, and line of sight.

Oh, I don't doubt that some people need the help, but this robs the game of so much of the freedom that made X-COM X-COM. I don't want to say it's like what Spector and Smith did with DX2: Invisible War, where they tossed out the baby with the bathwater, but I'm getting that sinking feeling from this demo.

@Kels, I didn't know it was going to be this restrictive, but I also don't know how restrictive the full game will be.

[B0B]

So many years ago playing these games as young teen they were such a great games. To be able to play a modern version will be absolutely awesome. Hoping that this version does the orignal games justice. I have every faith in Firaxis the makers of some the best strategy, and I am really looking forward to this, even on my console. I watched a video of this games gameplay of a level and it is consistent of the orginal games. The combat was both tactical and grasping, turn based. While leaving movement points for counterattacks, or partially moving and providing fire or grenades, and using cover. While I don't know much about this games story progression through its gameplay. I am sure it has had quite few changes, like not being able to build mutiple bases, or so I have heard? This is to give different strategies and story while not impacting that same gameplay.

Overall I am really looking forward to this pre-ordered, and I do hope it is as good on the console. Unlike the civilization console version which struggled.

[AgentNXS]

Oh, I don't doubt that some people need the help, but this robs the game of so much of the freedom that made X-COM X-COM. I don't want to say it's like what Spector and Smith did with DX2: Invisible War, where they tossed out the baby with the bathwater, but I'm getting that sinking feeling from this demo.

@Kels, I didn't know it was going to be this restrictive, but I also don't know how restrictive the full game will be.

I actually somewhat agree with you on DX2, it just didn't have the same feel as the original nor was it nearly as in-depth, and the "boss battles" should have just been scrapped from the get go. Other than that I still enjoyed DX2, although I wish I would have waited till it dropped below $30, instead of paying full price on launch day.

I've played the original X-COM for at least 100 hours, and I do see some of your concerns in videos and other preview articles that I've read. I've also seen a lot of people complain about the single base format, squad size, etc. and I understand their concerns as well. Hopefully Firaxis' changes to these areas will make sense and instill a new experience in an enjoyable way, without taking too much away from the original X-COM feel.

One main area that concerns me though, is the overall length of a single playthrough. I've heard Jake Solomon say before that you could "technically" play a single game forever, as long as you maintain enough nations and don't progress too far in certain alien research trees(like the original X-COM). Then agan, I've also heard him say multiple times that a single playthrough "can be" completed in 15-20 hours depending on your skill/dificulty level. I guess for casual players who just want to complete the game, 15-20 hours isn't bad at all, but hopefully hardcore players who want to max out(as much as realistically allowed) will reach the 30-40+ hour range. If you're able to have 6 squad members with plasma weapons, the best armor, psionics, a fully excavated/upgraded base, etc in just 15-20 hours, then I'm going to be awfully disappointed.

Lastly, after watching Jake and Garth on a live stream with Ryan from Giant Bomb yesterday, I don't think your concerns about the game holding your hand/being linear will be as apparent in the final product. They said the tutorial was specifically made for players completely new to the franchise, and that after a few hours in, the advisors and feeling of linear direction will start to back off.

[N]

I think one thing's for certain: you won't quite have the same experience building X-COM here as you do in the original. We'll see on 10/9!

[JoeGuy]

The demo was pretty much an on-rails tutorial akin to learning what buttons do what in an action game and featured practically none of the features you know from XCOM so why try to take much of any impression from it? The demo seems completely aimed at XCOM noobies and the casuals with lots of flash and no substance. While we all know from gameplay previews, videos, interviews and the tactical/strategy side of things it'll be far better and more in-dept than what is on show here.

[N]

Two points:

1) I'm not judging the whole game on the demo, but it fills in a lot of my expectations of it.

2) I've talked to Firaxis and they've explained in no murky terms that even though the demo is an extremely cut off portion of the game, the full game isn't going to allow the exploration or strategy that the original games did. They have about 30 missions you can do, period, and you won't even see them all before you complete the game. That means you'll only play twenty or so before the game becomes impossibly hard or you win.

I'll have a review up when I get the game.

[AgentNXS]

Two points:

1) I'm not judging the whole game on the demo, but it fills in a lot of my expectations of it.

2) I've talked to Firaxis and they've explained in no murky terms that even though the demo is an extremely cut off portion of the game, the full game isn't going to allow the exploration or strategy that the original games did. They have about 30 missions you can do, period, and you won't even see them all before you complete the game. That means you'll only play twenty or so before the game becomes impossibly hard or you win.

I'll have a review up when I get the game.

That's why I was also conflicted about the length of an overall playthrough. Jake Solomon answered a fans question on one of Firaxis' streams about 3-4 weeks ago, saying that you could technically play the game forever if you didn't progress research wise to the very end game content(like the original X-Com). Then about a week ago in another video, he said the game can be completed in 15-20 hours on Normal difficulty. That sounds awfully short, and if what Firaxis told you personally is true, this game in terms of length will be nothing at all like the original.

One of the great things about the original game was that you could decide when you wanted to finish it, whether it be a quick playthrough, or drag it out and build up 5-6 bases with fully maxed out soldiers/weapons/etc. I know there are only 5-6 missions "types" in Enemy Unknown, downed UFO, grounded UFO, bomb defusal, VIP rescue, Terror, etc...but from what Jake said originally, it sounded like you could keep playing downed/grounded UFO/Terror missions for as long as you could survive(as long as you have 8 countries supporting you), and the Bomb defusal/VIP/etc missions would still be sprinkled in here or there until you decided to finish the game.

If the game is literally only 20-30 missions long, and that's as far as you can progress before becoming unbeatably hard/being forced to finish the game, then I am going to be INCREDIBLY disappointed and will probably pass on it. I'm not even sure how you could research plasma weapons, ANGEL/TITAN armor, psionics, or reach the 3rd/4th level of your base excavation with only 20-30 missions. You're also not going to be able to pump out Laser Cannons for extra cash like in the original, so I'm not sure how you would have the money to afford any of that higher end gear/improvements in only 20-30 missions either.

I've seen the loadout for one of the dev's soldiers when they said they beat the game(I think this was at PAX), and his top 6 soldiers had the best armor/plasma weapons, pretty sure all of them were at or near Major/Colonel rank, and one of them was a high level psionics user. I just can't believe that he was able to get all of that in only 20-30 missions, but if it's proven to be the case, then apparently you must progress in manufacturing/technology MUCH, MUCH faster than the original.

[Cipher_8]

If the game is literally only 20-30 missions long, and that's as far as you can progress before becoming unbeatably hard/being forced to finish the game, then I am going to be INCREDIBLY disappointed and will probably pass on it. I'm not even sure how you could research plasma weapons, ANGEL/TITAN armor, psionics, or reach the 3rd/4th level of your base excavation with only 20-30 missions. You're also not going to be able to pump out Laser Cannons for extra cash like in the original, so I'm not sure how you would have the money to afford any of that higher end gear/improvements in only 20-30 missions either.

I've seen the loadout for one of the dev's soldiers when they said they beat the game(I think this was at PAX), and his top 6 soldiers had the best armor/plasma weapons, pretty sure all of them were at or near Major/Colonel rank, and one of them was a high level psionics user. I just can't believe that he was able to get all of that in only 20-30 missions, but if it's proven to be the case, then apparently you must progress in manufacturing/technology MUCH, MUCH faster than the original.

I agree with all of your concerns about how long one can play in a single playthrough but I just feel why would they release a broken game? They've had to have play tested it so much and I think they would know if 15-20 on avg-30 missions is enough to reach end game content and play for awhile or not. Not just for the elite but for the average player to accomplish that too. If not and it proves to be too short I surely hope they can release something post-launch or through a DLC campaign or something to give us more play time or something to fix it. Though I trust the launch version will be fine.

I guess this XCOM is a lot like Civ Rev in a way. In regards to the length of a single playthrough being shorter but where you'll want to play it again and again and again. It's going to be a lot quicker than I had expected. I thought it was more of a long single player campaign sort've game that you could "technically" play forever, (I've never played the original but have done some research) as long as you maintain enough nations and don't progress too far in the story but from what I've heard and what I've read here it's not.

Instead it sounds as if it's a medium-to-short length type of game, just like Civ Rev was designed but probably a bit longer.

Not a bad thing because it's still fun each time choosing and doing different things and playing on harder difficulty levels plus the amount of missions isn't everything in a playthrough as a lot of time and gameplay is sitting at the HQ doing micromanagement stuff like research, weapons development, and base construction which is half the fun, not just the battlescape side of XCOM. I just hope the average player can get to the end game stuff and then still have enough time to have fun with it, play around with it. The worst thing that could happen is you work all the way up to the good stuff and then you only use it for one mission... End of game. Start over. There would be almost no point to playing over again then.

But let's not forget the multiplayer mode looks pretty fun too (to me anyways) and that could be where we truly get to play with all the end game gear over and over again. That mode will add some replayability to the game overall but if worse comes to worse maybe some of them talented PC modders will fix it so you and I can play the game longer if the launch build feels too short to us. I'm just a little bit concerned not too worried though...