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'XCOM 2' delayed until February 2016
XCOM 2 was supposed to launch in November, but apparently planet-wide alien invasions are tricky to schedule. Firaxis has pushed XCOM 2's release date back to February 5, 2016, noting that the game isn't up to the studio's standards quite yet. "We've set a high bar for the sequel and the entire team has been working hard to make sure we deliver a great follow-up to Enemy Unknown," a short blog post reads. "We just need a little more time to make it the best possible game."
Sid Meier's 'Starships' blasts off this year
The house Sid Meier built, Firaxis, will send out an "interstellar strategy game" for PC, Mac and iPad in early 2015. According to 2K's initial announcement, players will research new technologies and spaceship designs, pierce through the unknown reaches of the galaxy and fight in turn-based combat, all hinged on "distinctive" maps and dynamically created combat missions. "My goal was to create an experience that focuses on starship design and combat within a universe filled with interstellar adventure, diplomacy, and exploration," says Meier. Publisher 2K is also teasing cross-connectivity between Starships and last year's turn-based Civilization spin-off, Beyond Earth.
Metareview: Civilization: Beyond Earth
Joystiq's Alexander Sliwinski gave 2K's interstellar strategy game Civilization: Beyond Earth four stars in his review, alternately praising it as "a good game in the context of the Civilization franchise" while also framing it as "a cut-rate disappointment" compared to its inspiration, Alpha Centauri. While some feel that it comes up short compared to its predecessors, Civilization: Beyond Earth still has a lot to offer for fans of the strategy genre. Here's a small sampling of what critics are saying.
Civ: Beyond Earth lands on Mac, Linux this holiday season
Mac and Linux users won't have to wait long to micromanage the cosmos as Civilization: Beyond Earth will reach the two non-PC platforms in time for the holiday season. "Players anxious to take a turn at the Mac and Linux versions may pre-order Beyond Earth right now through Aspyr's online store at GameAgent.com," reads 2K Games' official announcement. "All pre-orders through GameAgent.com will include the Exoplanets Map Pack as a free bonus. Additionally, any customers who are established GameAgent members will find a note on the Beyond Earth product page that will grant them a special 15% pre-order discount. This offer expires once the Mac and Linux versions of Beyond Earth have launched." According to 2K, the Mac and Linux games will feature all the same content as the PC version which is slated to launch on October 24, and all versions of Civilization: Beyond Earth will feature cross-platform multiplayer functionality. Of course, that's still months away, so while you wait to build your fledgling intergalactic empire, you can bide your time by reading our four of five stars review. [Image: 2K Games]
Civilization: Beyond Earth review: Buy-in Alpha Centauri
Viewed through the idea that it's a standalone expansion to Sid Meier's Civilization 5, Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth streamlines gameplay in the long-running strategy series to enhance the pace of the historically-strapped franchise. As a spiritual successor to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, however, it's a cut-rate disappointment. Beyond Earth is best described as an epilogue to the events of Civilization 5. Humanity has ruined the planet and must commit itself to starting all over again on another rock and potentially making the same mistakes. And so, various nations make conglomerate factions and shoot for another spherical mass to strategically explore, expand, exploit and exterminate (4X) one another. Why I wish Firaxis had never mentioned Beyond Earth as a spiritual successor to Alpha Centauri is that this game doesn't look like it was given the financial resources to kick off a new franchise. It feels like it had the budget of a Civ 5 expansion, where asset creation went into making a visually interesting game world, but not its overall presentation. The characters are painfully dull and inarticulate. The tech and wonder voiceovers are all done by one person, but in many cases are attributed to faction leaders within the game (who do have their own voices). The experience doesn't feel luxe. Firaxis has been the benchmark in accessible strategy games and it's owned by triple-A publisher Take-Two Interactive, but I've seen stronger production values from independent European competitors.
Watch Civilization: Beyond Earth's intro cinematic race skywards
Alpha Centauri. Not the final frontier. This is the intro to the voyages of the starship Civ: Beyond Earth. Its October 24 mission: to explore space-based strategy. To seek out new life in a new Civlization. To boldly go where no Firaxis has gone before, except that one time. [Image: 2K Games]
Watch Civilization maestro Sid Meier discuss his storied career
While you wait for the October 24 debut of Civilization: Beyond Earth you can pass the time with this lengthy presentation from Civilization creator Sid Meier, in which the legendary developer offers insight into his impressive career and the strategy games that have made him such a revered figure. [Image: 2K Games]
Civilization: Beyond Earth before planetfall 10-minute trailer
Civilization: Beyond Earth is all set to begin colonizing retail and digital distribution channels on October 24. Here's a deeper look at many of the strategy game's initial features. Key tactic: Don't attack the aliens (at least, not at first)!
Stories we tell in quiet houses and alien invasions
Video game experiences aren't wholly relegated to what designers have deliberately laid out for you; through gameplay, a unique narrative emerges. We all have our own stories: a car chase in Grand Theft Auto V, a battle within a hidden cave in Skyrim, an ore-rich chasm in Minecraft. These discoveries highlight the promise that, if we just keep looking and keep testing a game's boundaries, we might find something that's uniquely ours. Thanks to franchises like BioShock, Fallout and Grand Theft Auto, the idea of player-driven narrative is being explored in different ways. From collectibles to character customization and sprawling open-worlds, video games today are littered with tools people can use to manufacture stories that belong only to them. But that doesn't mean the role of the developer has been in any way diminished. On the contrary, designers now have more work to do than ever, subtly and precisely tailoring their games so that players can get a full experience without feeling like they're being led by the nose.
Civilization dev launches Firaxicon fan conference
Following in the footsteps of Blizzard and Mojang comes Firaxicon, an upcoming conference dedicated to Civilization developer Firaxis Games. According to Eventbrite, fans attending Firaxicon will enjoy "unique Firaxicon swag," a tour of the Firaxis offices, a chance to meet the developers and an early opportunity to play Civilization: Beyond Earth. Firaxis co-founder Sid Meier is also scheduled to host a presentation dubbed "An Evening with Sid Meier." There are no details on what Meier plans to discuss, but after three-plus decades of developing the most addictive games in history he's probably got some great anecdotes. Tickets for Firaxicon are available for $40 and can be purchased from Eventbrite. The event itself is scheduled to kick off on September 27 at 10 a.m. and run until September 28 at 10 a.m. Though events are only scheduled through Saturday evening, the organizers plan to keep the gaming area open all night for boardgames and PC gaming. [Image: Firaxis Games]
Civilization: Beyond Earth trades pre-orders for exoplanets
Accepting your late-night Civilization: Beyond Earth fate before the game launches on PC is beneficial, depending on your perspective: A post on Civilization's official site notes that pre-orders for both physical and digital copies of Beyond Earth will be rewarded with The Exoplanets Map Pack, a six-planet offering that uses scripts to randomly generate geography and is "inspired by real exoplanets." Green Man Gaming shoppers can sweeten the pre-order deal further though: Siliconera has spotted a 25 percent discount code (01S6ZC-JVSB28-JRW7X4), knocking the price for Beyond Earth down to $37.50 for anyone who orders before August 29. If you'd like a glimpse of the game in action, News Content Director Alexander Sliwinski interviewed Firaxis Games' Pete Murray on camera after previewing the game at E3. [Image: 2K]
Civilization: Beyond Earth enters orbit on October 24
Civilization: Beyond Earth will launch October 24, Firaxis Games announced today. Those that preorder the PC game will receive the Exoplanets Map Pack at launch, which features six maps that were inspired by real exoplanets, such as the Earth-like, forest-filled Kepler 186f, the arid Rigil Khantoris B and Tau Ceti d, a "planet of seas and archipelagos" that has a "wealth of resources." Beyond Earth was first announced at PAX East in April, and breaks free from history by having its roots in space exploration. The game is deemed a spiritual successor to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, as Firaxis Games discussed with Joystiq at E3 last month. It's also inspired by sci-fi authors such as Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. [Image: 2K Games]
Civilization Revolution 2 announced
Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution 2 was revealed this morning ... for iOS. Sneaky, sneaky, we know, but had we noted the platform in the headline you wouldn't have even read this far and jumped straight to the comments with rage. Well, now that we do have your attention, the game will be playable on all relatively current iOS devices beginning July 2 (next week!). It is "coming soon" to Android devices, according to publisher 2K Games. No word yet on Windows phones, Ouyas or NGage.
Civilization: Beyond Earth not just the new Alpha Centauri
Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth is unabashedly the spiritual successor to Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, which Electronic Arts retains the licensing rights for, keeping it safe deep within Yucca Mountain for never use. We spoke with Pete Murray of Firaxis Games about how Beyond Earth will balance what Alpha Centauri fans expect with delivering a new experience for the uninitiated.
Asimov, Heinlein among inspirations for Civilization: Beyond Earth
Unlike its predecessors, Civilization: Beyond Earth is set among the stars instead of firmly on Earth's verdant soil. Why? Because you screwed it up. Well, not you in particular, but all of humanity. According to a new Q&A with lead designer David McDonough and Will Miller, the game's story is one of redemption. After destroying our planet through wanton greed, pollution and just generally being a ravenous, bipedal blight, humanity has decided the only way to continue our species' existence is to blast itself into space. Specific details of this mass diaspora are scant, though the Q&A does mention something called "The Great Mistake" which the designers describe as "a mysterious event that is partly interpretive to the player." Based purely on the name, we're guessing this Mistake wasn't a choice to pair red wine with fish. As a result of this wholly new setting, the Civilization: Beyond Earth design team had to create a new universe of technologies, lifeforms and extant cultures. The designers cite both modern and classic sci-fi as inspirational to the project, and specifically name such genre luminaries as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein among key influences. [Image: 2K Games]
XCOM: Enemy Unknown gets acquainted with Android, out now
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is out now on Google Play, commander. The new Android port is priced $10/£7.14, and according to a message from XCOM HQ, an advance on the Amazon Appstore is expected "soon." Despite claiming the lives of many of our best friends - or at least a bunch of soldiers named after them - we ranked Enemy Unknown as our second-best game of 2012. The good news: Firaxis transitioned the console and PC release into a "slick, portable package" on iOS, and hopefully that'll pan out the same way on Android. [Image: 2K Games]
Watch Firaxis boldly bring Civilization to space from PAX East
Missed the PAX East panel that revealed Civilization: Beyond Earth to the world? Maybe you just want to relive the magic you already witnessed live in Boston? Firaxis has you covered either way, uploading its panel from the show, complete with a peek at the future of the Sid Meier series. Civilization: Beyond Earth takes the addictive franchise into space this fall, though the developer has some experience with space exploration. The developer's decision to boldly go into space allows its designers and artists to free themselves from a "historical context," Firaxis designer and programmer Anton Strenger told Joystiq at PAX East. "We, as designers, were free to come up with really fun new gameplay systems that didn't really make sense in a more historical game, or even like a fantasy game." In Beyond Earth, Strenger said for example, players may launch satellites over a planet, influencing the events below. [Image: Firaxis]
Civilization: Beyond Earth breaks free from history, heads to the final frontier
When I ask Firaxis lead designer why the studio decided to take the Civilization series to space with Civilization: Beyond Earth – just announced at PAX East – his answer is simple: "Why not?" Designer and programmer Anton Strenger offers a little more meat. "I think that one of the things that space allows us to do as designers, and for the artists as well, is to get free from a historical context." Civilization has always been tied to human history, but Beyond Earth allows it to branch out in a fresh new direction (even if that direction isn't completely new to Firaxis). "We, as designers, were free to come up with really fun new gameplay systems that didn't really make sense in a more historical game, or even like a fantasy game." Specifically, Strenger mentions one of Beyond Earth's new tactical elements, the orbital layer, which allows players to launch satellites over a planet, influencing the events below. Firaxis' artists had a field day creating satellite designs, says Strenger. Producer Lena Brenk chimes in, "Yeah, that was amazing to see the artists. Usually we have historic reference that they're working from, and right now they get to invent a world, basically, an alien planet in the future." That's not to say, however, that Firaxis is just making everything up. "It's really important to us that the player be able to draw a line of plausibility through the entire experience," says lead designer Will Miller, "we want the suspension of disbelief maintained throughout." Beyond Earth begins around 200 to 250 years in the future, he says, and science-fiction fans will recognize plausible concepts like ships that fly at sub-light speeds and cryogenic stasis. "But where you end up is quite different, so we're going to draw that line from where we are now to these sort of post-human evolutions." You won't be starting NASA from scratch, in other words, but Beyond Earth starts in a believable place: Humanity travels to a new planet. The question is how you choose to master it.
Civilization: Beyond Earth announced, ready to colonize this fall
Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth was just announced at developer Firaxis' panel at PAX East. It's not a sequel to Alpha Centauri (those rights are owned by EA), but 2K Games is finally giving fans the spiritual successor to the sci-fi strategy game they've been constantly nagging Firaxis about for over 10 years. The elephant in the room has been tackled right up front at the PAX East panel happening right now. Firaxis' Will Miller, who is co-lead designer on the Beyond Earth project, said, "The heart and soul [of Alpha Centauri] lives at Firaxis. For all the fans of Alpha Centauri, this is the game we've made for you." "The biggest systematic change for Civ 5 is that tech is a web, not a tree," said David McDonough, the other co-lead on the project. "By the end of the game you've got 70 percent of the web." He notes this leads to two cultures having radically different techs, where genetically modified aliens can fight sentient robots. Beyond Earth will have players assembling their cultural identity and craft their colony before exploring their new world. The game will also add a quest system (something very new to the series,) for players to learn more about their new planet. We've got more details here. The game is set to land this fall.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Complete Edition lands on PC, Mac
The XCOM: Enemy Unknown Complete Edition is available now for PC and Mac in North America, and it launches worldwide on March 7. Most game retailers carry the Complete Edition, but for those with an itchy trigger finger, check it out on Steam. Also, buy some Gold Bond or something. The new bundle comes with XCOM: Enemy Unknown, XCOM: Enemy Within, the Elite Soldier DLC, Slingshot DLC and Second Wave DLC. This pack is desktop-only, no console versions planned. Speaking of XCOM: Today we hosted a livestream with franchise creator Julian Gollop and his latest strategy game, Chaos Reborn. Check out the replay of our live gameplay and chat here. [Image: 2K Games]
