Firaxis Returns To The Classics With XCOM: Enemy Unknown

I’ll never forget what I was doing when I first heard that XCOM was being reborn back in 2010. When I first heard those words I was at the edge of my seat. To think that someone would be rebooting one of the greatest strategy games of all times, it made me feel that there is a chance that something good would be coming out of this industry that has had its share of disappointment in recent years.

And then the disappointment returned. The new XCOM was going to be a first person shooter set in the 1960s, best described as ‘less Starship Troopers and more X-Files.’

I’m sure you all know about the long torrent of obscenities that came from my mouth after hearing that. Once again, another beloved franchise of mine would end up damaged beyond repair in order to appease the mindless shooter market. To think that gamers don’t care about strategy titles anymore and only about blowing stuff up; it made me sick to my stomach.

Was I wrong in feeling this way? Did the industry decide to move on and forget those who love sitting at their screens for long periods of time, wanting to get just one more turn in? Uncover that new research project? Gun down that one last Sectopod and save a city from an alien terrorist attack?

That was the way I felt until getting ready for MAGFest this year. I didn’t see it coming, but upon getting to my hotel room, the news hit me. A turn-based strategy XCOM would be coming out this year. I never thought that anyone, especially 2K Games, would listen to all the cries of the XCOM faithful and release a product that they lusted after these eighteen years.

The wait for me has since been frustrating. Since XCOM is a game I had waited a long time for, any information I could find was not enough to quench my thirst. I even went as far as watching video playthroughs of early builds to see how the game would turn out, and with the exception of some elements that caught a nerve (such as the lack of base defense missions) I wanted to play the game so badly.

Finally, after waiting for so long, a copy of XCOM: Enemy Unknown for the 360 shown up at my front door, it was finally here. I guess you all are not surprised at how quickly I popped it into my Xbox and how excited I was to play it. And even with having to go through the staple tutorial mission (which I admit helped increase the tension of the plot and how the invasion began) I was instantly hooked. As I went through the typical XCOM functions: research, manufacturing, adding facilities to my now anthill style base, intercepting UFOs, inspecting crash sites, repelling terrorist attacks, and who knows how what else I have encountered, I found that seven real time hours had passed.

It was an experience I used to only enjoy when playing classics such as the Civilization series. Go figure that Firaxis, who developed Civilizaton, would end up working on XCOM as well. They seem to specialize in killing time by making such great games.

Needless to say, I am enjoying XCOM a lot. Though I still have to face those dreaded Ethereals, and relive all the nightmares I had facing them back in 1994, I will keep coming back to it, and XCOM will be in my Xbox for a very long time.

Expect a detailed review in the coming weeks, and I guarantee you, that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is worth the full retail price.

Possible Game of the Year material as well? We’ll have to see about that one.

Currently Playing: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (360)

Waiting For: Black Ops II