X-Com, I mean -- XCOM -- is in the news again. This time, however, its not mere rumormongering. Last week, 2K officially announced the classic series re-imagined as a first-person shooter. The studio's new direction shocked many fans of the older games -- this one included. X-Com holds a special place for us, and to mess with that iconic formula is to raise an eyebrow or two.
The year is 1995. My dad, always interested the latest PC game demos, hands me a floppy disk adorned with a sticker of a vicious-looking, aquatic hand reaching upward. The text reads, “X-Com: Terror from the Deep.”
He assured me that this would be worth my time. I was skeptical but interested. You see, my dad liked to install all kinds of demos onto my computer during my childhood, and many of them were just plain crap. I played them anyway -- maybe to humor him, maybe because of the rare gem I would sometimes stumble upon.
I booted up the game and clicked through a series of static introductory screens -- something about an underwater threat that I needed to investigate. Next, I’m dumped into an equipment setup. I click through my soldiers, who are already locked and loaded. I’m ready to go.
Little did I know what was about to happen. The troops stood in a submarine, awaiting my command. I ordered the first to exit the craft and search around. Wphoosh! Wphoosh! He crumbles to the ground as two off-screen rounds from a sonic blaster cut through his flimsy, aquatic suit and tear him to shreds.
The next several soldiers attempt the same maneuver, only to meet the same demise. Morale drops quickly, and the remaining crew begins to panic. I’m informed that the wimpy meat bag cowering in the back corner has gone berserk. I watch intensely as he guns down his brothers- and sisters-in-arms.
I played that demo over and over, until I could successfully overcome the superior alien force. With only jet harpoons and wussy, underwater hand grenades, I took advantage of tactical exploits and terrain cover to outsmart my foes. I’ve rarely achieved such a satisfactory feeling of accomplishment in a video game.
I subsequently picked up the full version, and shortly thereafter, the first entry in the series -- X-Com: UFO Defense. I’ve been hooked ever since. 2K’s press release announcing the new, hypen-less XCOM doesn't mention the elements that drew me to X-Com, though. I’m a little worried, and here’s why....
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