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XCOM: Enemy Unknown invades iOS devices on June 20th
The world is under attack once more, and it's up to your squad of elite, turn-based soldiers to keep humanity safe. We've just gotten word that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is headed to a wide variety of iOS devices come this Thursday, June 20th. Everything from the iPad 2 to the fifth-gen iPod touch is getting a taste of Firaxis' XCOM effort -- should users choose to fork over the $19.99 asking price, that is. Aside from multiplayer (which is coming via free update post-launch), the iOS version is just about the same as its console and PC counterpart -- you build up resources and strike back against the alien menace threatening to tear apart Earth, with the occasional break to torturously study the enemy via "dissection." Whether the enemy is still alive at that point, well, that's a question for your science team. For a full list of supported iOS devices, head below the break. As for Android and Windows Phone 8 support? "We've only announced plans for iOS devices at this time," was all a 2K Games rep would tell us. Not exactly a hard no, but not a confirmation either.
Being a Bureau dude in XCOM Declassified
You always remember your first alien invasion. The Bureau: XCOM Declassified puts you on the ground in 1962 as William Carter, a crucial member of what will eventually become the planet-guarding, all-caps organization known as XCOM. The game brings it own brand of agency to the revitalized strategy series, though not in the drastically simplified form you might expect from a third-person shooter. Once Earth becomes unwilling host to "The Outsiders," a race of aliens that have enthralled other extraterrestrial creatures, Carter and a crew of two are ordered to investigate the fate of a fallen agent in New Mexico. The Outsiders have a few slaves up their sleeves, including XCOM's classic sectoids. To compensate, Carter has a dapper vest that effectively says, "Everyone, listen to me, I am going to use some tactics on these aliens." %Gallery-187991%
XCOM shooter re-reveal expected this week
2K Marin's XCOM shooter recently had all its official assets removed from the internet, which now appears to have been prep work for a new reveal of the game later this week. According to a 2K Games post, the XCOM "squad-based tactical shooter in development at 2K Marin" will be shown again.It was a little surprise back in February when Take-Two (2K Games' parent company) announced during its financial call that the XCOM shooter was still in production and expected before March 31, 2014.Firaxis' refresh of the original strategy game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, launched last year to "critical and commercial success." It seems we're about to live in a world where two genres of XCOM live in peaceful coexistence (for a time, anyway).
2K Games pulls XCOM shooter site, trailer from the internet
2K Marin's XCOM shooter seems to be in trouble, based on how thorough 2K Games has been about erasing it from the internet. The XCOM shooter website and even all trailers uploaded to 2K Games' official YouTube channel have been removed.Last month, a piece from Superannuation posited that 2K Games is looking to rebrand the XCOM shooter, based on some domain registrations for thebureau-game.com, thebureau-game.net, whathappenedin62.com, and whathappenedin62.net. The XCOM shooter, if you'll recall, takes place in 1962.As of February, XCOM is still in production at 2K Marin for parent company Take-Two's fiscal 2014, which means it's due before March 31, 2014. We've contacted 2K Games for comment and will update when we hear back.
Firaxis' Haunted Hollow combines monstrous fun with some serious strategy
Hearing that Firaxis Games (the famous studio behind great games like Civilization and XCOM -- which itself is coming to iPad very soon) is making an original game for iOS is very exciting. That game is Haunted Hollow, and I got to see it in action this week at GDC. Lead designers Will Miller and David McDonough have overseen the game's development for about a year. The group hopes to release Haunted Hollow later this spring. The game is surprisingly complicated, and though it definitely follows the Firaxis tradition of very well-crafted and complex strategy games, it also makes you wonder how the typically casual iOS audience will take to it. Miller told me that Haunted Hollow has always had a haunted house vibe to it. He showed off a picture used in the initial pitch, featuring two different haunted houses dangling over the edges of a town in the middle. The game contains online Game Center multiplayer, a pass-and-play mode and a single player vs. AI mode, so the title always pits you as the caretaker of one house against another house-building opponent, with a town of unsuspecting civilians lying in the middle. Each turn tells you which kind of room to build, and provides action points (called "fear points"), with which to perform various actions. Building a room allows you to create monsters, which you can then send with a movement into the town below. You pick up to five monsters to play with per game, and they all are of three types: Scary, "Fighty" or Special. Scary monsters can be used to scare townspeople, and scaring a house wins it to your side, with more fear points coming to you if you can scare a whole block. Fighty monsters can be used to fight and kill other monsters, and Special monsters offer a blend of those, or other different abilities. Ghosts, for example, are very scary but they don't survive long. Werewolves are very fighty, but can't be used to scare very well. Special monsters each have their own abilities: Wendigo can freeze the opponent, and zombies can raise an army to join the battle. As the game progresses, each player claims houses in the town by scaring them with various monsters, and the eventual goal is to claim the whole town for your color. Managing the monsters is fairly deep in terms of strategy, and other mechanics build to further complicate things. The rooms you build onto your house can be doubled up and upgraded, if you build them in the correct layout and order. There are different types of houses to choose from at the beginning of the game, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Scaring people in the town can rile them up into an angry mob, which is a completely neutral unit that can not only kill monsters on either side, but even tear down houses completely, which means not as much territory to conquer. While the graphics on the monsters and houses may be cartoony and colorful, the strategy is definitely not playing around. Miller told me that the game should work for children, but I can't imagine anyone but the very smartest of 7-year-olds really figuring out the mechanics and best strategy. Matches are supposed to last as long as a short game of Civilization Revolution, which means this game will likely be the length (and have the depth) of a fairly serious board game. Still, for strategy junkies like myself, Haunted Hollow sounds terrific. The model may give some gamers pause: The title will be free to play, with only five monsters available for free. Firaxis plans to charge for other monster types, up to 12 different monsters at a rate around US$1.99 per monster. That would make the entire game about $24.99, which isn't a bad price, but which isn't cheap for an iOS title, either. Especially if one of the monsters is unbalanced (not likely with Firaxis at the helm, but still), the model could backfire on them. But Miller did say the team was considering a "pay-once-for-everything" price, so hopefully that will work out right. Outside of the payment model, Haunted Hollow seems like an iOS game that fits perfectly with the great Firaxis tradition and reputation, and a solid entry on the platform for the studio. I'm very excited to dive into its fascinating strategy mechanics when it arrives on the App Store this spring.
Firaxis bringing Haunted Hollow to iOS
Firaxis is one of my favorite game developers -- they're the group behind the Civ series as well as the recent (and excellent) XCOM: Enemy Unknown reboot. Today, they've surprise-announced a game called Haunted Hollow, which is coming to iOS later on this spring. As you'd imagine from Firaxis, it's a strategy game, but it's a little more colorful and fun than Civ or XCOM -- you'll be building up a mansion full of monsters, trying to scare townspeople and slowly take over the town you're in. Each monster can be powered up, and there are even some multiplayer modes, either over Game Center or with pass-and-play. It sounds really great. The game will be available for free from the App Store, with the title supported by microtransactions (probably for currency, though extra themes and architecture are mentioned as well). We'll watch out for a release, and let you know when we spot the game available for download.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown headed to Mac in Elite Edition
Strategy game fans got some great news today with the announcement that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is coming to Mac (can we please call it "OS XCOM" now?) this spring. The highly rated game from Civilization developer Firaxis is being ported to OS X by Feral Interactive from last October's PC release. Dubbed the Elite Edition, the Mac version will include three DLC add-ons: Slingshot, Elite Soldier and Second Wave. Pricing and an exact release date will be confirmed closer to launch. A reboot of the classic X-COM: UFO Defense, which was released in 1994 by MicroProse, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a turn-based title that sees players commanding a squad of elite soldiers in combat against extraterrestrial threats. The game also includes a base building element where players expand their secret XCOM headquarters, research alien technology and train their forces before sending them into battle. [Via MacRumors]
XCOM, the shooter, still alive and set for FY 2014 launch
XCOM, the shooter from 2K Marin, is still a part of Take-Two's future launch plans, scheduled for fiscal year 2014. Take-Two's fiscal 2014 runs from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014. This is the same release window XCOM received in May 2012, which is also the last time we heard any significant news about the game."2K Marin continues to make progress on XCOM," Take-Two said today during a financial call.XCOM has been delayed twice, from an initial launch date of March 6, 2012, and now past its second window in FY 2013. Developer Firaxis launched XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the strategy game, last year also under 2K Games, and we thought it was quite a boon to the franchise, even without any first-person alien-gunning.
Julian Gollop reviving 1985's 'Chaos: The Battle Wizards'
Father of all things X-COM, Julian Gollop, has revealed that his next project will revive the 1985 ZX-Spectrum game, Chaos: The Battle Wizards.Gollop revealed the game's revival on Twitter, saying, "OK it's official! I am working on a sequel/remake to my classic ZX Spectrum game 'Chaos' – for iOS, PC, Mac – maybe more." Despite one fan pleading for a PS3 release, Gollop said extending the revival to that platform (and presumably other consoles) would only be possible if the current planned platforms see a profit.Gollop noted the game "will be 3D for sure," revealing it will be powered by the Unity3D engine. Work has only just begun, so we aren't likely to see a finished product for "about a year or so."The original turn-based game was written by Gollop and published by Games Workshop, garnering enough of a following that a sequel, Lords of Chaos, was developed by Gollop's Mythos Games, which went on to make 1997's X-COM: Apocalypse.
The Daily Grind: Are you into squad-based MMOs?
With the recent releases of XCOM Enemy Unknown and Pirate101, we've seen the rebirth of enthusiasm for turn-based squad strategy titles. While conventional MMO wisdom says that you bond most strongly with an individual avatar, there seems to be plenty of folks who really dig being in charge of entire teams. Personally, I love squad-based games and always have. I think they allow for the possibility of permadeath (of a single team member) while not hitting the reset button on everything, and that feels like a good compromise. Plus, I usually assign personalities to each member and enjoy feeling that they're growing together through all of these adverse circumstances. So what about you: Are you into squad-based MMOs? Is this something you'd like to see more of in the future? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
PSN Tuesday: Dishonored, Sherlock Holmes, Retro City Rampage, tons more
Today's PS Store dump includes a barrage of full games as part of Sony's Day 1 Digital promotion and its ongoing indie focus. For full games, we have Dishonored, Birds of Steel, Devil May Cry HD Collection and The Testament of Sherlock Holmes.PSN gets Retro City Rampage, The Walking Dead Episode Four: Around Every Corner, Derrick the Deathfin, Machinarium, Worms Revolution and more. Retro City Rampage is also hitting Vita, alongside Dr. Who: The Eternity Clock, Spy Hunter and Sunflowers.Vita is getting three new PSOne Classics, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 4, Destrega and Saiyuki: Journey West. There's also a free demo for this week's big release (that isn't Dishonored), XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and the Mechromancer DLC for Borderlands 2. Check out the complete lineup here.
XCOM delayed again, beyond Q1 2013
XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the strategy game, is still coming on October 9, but XCOM the shooter is growing ever more distant. Take-Two's latest earnings report gives the game a "fiscal year 2014" date, which puts it between April 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014.The previous release window announcement put it in the previous fiscal year – and that announcement was, itself, a delay from a proposed March 6, 2012 release date. At this point, 2K is racing against science; if engineers of the future develop a method to contact and interact with alien life for real, this game will suddenly seem less exotic.
Xcom Global opens international MiFi rental / service center in New York City
Serving jetsetters at LAX just wasn't enough for Xcom Global. Engadget's personal favorite when it comes to snagging international data before leaving the States is now opening up shop in the Big Apple -- a wise move for increasing its presence in a market where loads of humans are doing business in nations other than the United States. Xcom's calling its new venue a "satellite customer service center," enabling flyers to swing by before they depart JFK (or LGA, we guess) and pick up a global MiFi. Rather than being positioned within an airport, this one's located near Grand Central Station at the offices of Amnet New York on Madison Avenue, and in case you've forgotten, $12.95 per day (and up) can snag you a wireless data device capable of connecting in some 195 countries. Oh, and you can return the device to the same store or via your carrier of choice. Still trying to wrap your head around it? Have a look at our review.
Three ex-BioShock devs form The Fullbright Company
Three of the developers behind recent BioShock games have started their own studio, called The Fullbright Company, with the simple goal to "make a great game." The Fullbright Company is Steve Gaynor, Johnnemann Nordhagen and Karla Zimonja. As Gaynor describes it, perhaps their goal isn't so "simple" after all:"A memorable experience that you'll be drawn into, and keep thinking about after the game's turned off, and want to come back to again someday. An experience that gets away from the constraints of ossified game genres, while relying on what we're good at as a team: creating immersive places to inhabit, and a deep, personal story to explore at your own pace. A nonviolent game in an unfantastical locale; an experience that not many games provide, built out of techniques that only video games can employ."The trio have worked on BioShock 2, Minerva's Den, BioShock Infinite and XCOM. Gaynor wrote and was design lead on Minerva's Den, if that gives anyone confidence in this new studio. Fullbright promises more updates and information on its site "soon."
2K Marin co-founder, BioShock artist lists unannounced IP on his resume
2K Marin is busy busting some alien assignations with the first-person version of XCOM, but apparently it has plenty of artillery to throw around. J.R. Hogarth de la Plante, one of the founders of 2K Marin in 2007 and the lead artist/level architect on the BioShock series, lists an "Unannounced Title" for which he is the art director, right on his resume.Hogarth de la Plante doesn't describe the new title itself, but does explain that it's a brand new IP that he and four other directors are inventing and pitching internally. If it's still open to improvisation, Mr. Hogarth, may we suggest a stylized, top-down 2D adventure, played as a Little Sister as she fights her way through the terrifying realm of 1980s high school? You're welcome.
XCOM delayed beyond Q1 2012
A tired but resourceful former cop delays an alien invasion. It sounds like the eventual outcome of the never-ending Die Hard franchise, but for now it's the picture of Take-Two's first quarter of 2012. We didn't think there'd be room for Max Payne 3 and 2K Marin's overhauled XCOM in the same month, and now the latter project has been bumped into the publisher's fiscal year 2013. Originally scheduled to launch on March 6, 2012, the promising tactical shooter is expected sometime between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013. XCOM's public invasion has moved ahead in jolts since it was first announced, but has grown quiet in recent months following rumors of layoffs at 2K's Australian studio. At least it's a chance for humans and aliens to agree on something: these things are never easy to plan.
Rumor: 2K Marin in Australia hit by layoffs
2K Marin's studio in Canberra, Australia, has allegedly gone through a round of layoffs. Kotaku AU reports that the studio, previously known as 2K Australia, cut 15 employees. The studio is currently assisting in the development of XCOM, which is scheduled to launch March 6, 2012. Requests for 2K to reconfirm that date, especially in light of recent announcements that would have titles from the same publisher competing against one another, have gone unanswered. We contacted 2K to confirm the layoffs, but were informed it's company "policy not to comment on rumors or speculation" If true, this is just the latest in a string of bad news for Australia's troubled development scene.
XCOM developer diary discusses game world
If you couldn't find the patience to watch the 22-minute XCOM E3 demonstration, you'll find the game's first developer diary trailer covers the basics of XCOM's world in about six minutes.
XCOM's E3 demo declassified
XCOM version 2.0 was revealed at E3 this past June. The tweaked demonstration we saw kept the setting of socially and politically turbulent 1960s America, but took a significantly different approach to the gameplay. Gone was the clearly BioShock-infused game we'd seen the prior year, twisted into something more strategic with many more gaming influences, not the least of which was Mass Effect. The demo video has everything we saw at E3, covering squad selection, use of skills in combat and alien technology reclamation. XCOM will supposedly be ready to hire new recruits on March 6, 2012. %Gallery-126032%
Xcom Global's Euro SIM solves your European data conundrum: $13 per day, works in 40 countries
Say it with us: Hallelujah! It's a problem that BMW European Delivery owners (not to mention gap-year backpackers and generic business travelers) have had for eons, and while the EU seems to have the whole "one currency" thing under control, the lack of a "one data plan" has continued to break the backs of connected travelers. No more. Xcom Global -- the company that revolutionized the art of staying connected abroad -- has just done the same thing for those planning their next Eurotrip. The newly-launched Euro SIM enables US-based jetsetters to rent a single device that'll provide unlimited data access in a staggering 40 nations across the pond. Everywhere from Iceland to San Marino is covered, including 20 extra countries that weren't covered even last week. Folks can pick up a MiFi for $14.95 per day (and yeah, that covers all 40 countries!) or a USB WWAN model for $12.95 a day, and if you happen to scoot over to a locale in Europe that isn't covered, you'll still be able to get online at a cost of one cent per KB. Hit the source link to find out more, and ping your best friend's travel agent to set those long-backburnered plans in motion.
