Saturday!
Remember X-Com? “Mindless Diversion’s Game Of The Year 2012“? No? Well, it was, pretty much, “Independence Day” the game (except less dumb). Aliens invade, we have no idea how to fight against them, through little more than brute force (machine guns, sniper rifles, shotguns) we manage to kill a few of the weaker ones and then start reverse engineering.
The combat was surprisingly good: You’ve got a squad of four squaddies and each of them have two “things you can do” in any given turn. You can move and shoot. You can shoot and move. You can shoot twice. You can reload and move. You can move and reload. And so on. The turn-based tactics made the game a lot of fun and made this a game for people who might not have the reflexes they boasted 20 years ago.
So when I heard that they were making a first person shooter based on X-Com, I was a hair apprehensive. They’ll mess up the combat! They’ll mess up the squad stuff! They’ll ruin everything!
Well… I’ve been playing The Bureau and, so far, they haven’t messed everything up. Yes, it’s first person and, sigh, it’s real time. With that said, they’ve done some interesting things… for one, the maps *FEEL* like X-Com maps. Crates set up in warehouses just so, laboratory tables set up providing partial cover, fallen debris creating a straight line of chest-high junk… you’re just looking at the maps from soldier’s eye view rather than bird’s eye.
Additionally, you call out moves to your squaddies (which slows down time to the point where it almost pauses the game), go there, then target that particular alien (or throw a grenade, or take the time to do a critical shot, or build a turret, or… well, you’ll know the moves when they are shown to you). This part of the game feels ripped from X-Com. It doesn’t feel clunky at all and it was second nature to me by the end of the first fight.
As for the story, it’s set in Kennedy’s America. Mad Men fighting space aliens. The aliens invade, communications are cut off, and it’s down to the folks in the Bureau to put together a response in time to save the USA. And, I suppose, The World. It feels like an interesting nostalgia trip while, at the same time, being a surprisingly competent first person shooter.
If you like FPSes and you can’t wait for the next chapter in the X-Com universe proper? This will tide you over for a spell.
So… what are you playing?
I’ll look into the Bureau. I just finished The Last of Us which I didn’t enjoy. I’m back to MW3 and feeding my OCD.Report
Didn’t enjoy the story? Didn’t enjoy the gameplay? Didn’t enjoy the ethic?Report
@jaybird I liked the story and writing. I was a bit concerned with the opening sequence where he loses his daughter and later on with her friend. I get teary pretty easy and hurt kids isn’t something I can stomach.
The ethic didn’t bother me. It made sense in the context or was palatable in a way that the airport scene in MW2 isn’t.
It was the game play. I found it clunky. I love the feeling of the game being an extension of yourself. When you’re continually fighting static to move the way you want or have the screen orient the way you’d like it’s frustrating.
On the bright side the next Gran Turismo is supposedly coming out. Though the historic release dates are kind of a joke around our house.Report
Shadowrun Returns, which isn’t brilliant, but is worth the price.Report
I am looking forward to the Berlin campaign, but it looks like it will not get here until 2014. Does anyone know if there are any completed player made modules worth trying yet?Report
Still having fun with DDO. Last week was they released a premium expansion, and it was accompanied by a reworking of one of the character customization systems, so I got to redo a good chunk of my character. I should have gone back to this game much earlier.
On the ipad, I have been playing Plants vs. Zombies 2, which is about what you would expect. So far, it looks like free to play done right. I will see what I think when I get further into it.
Also on the ipad, I have been playing Ultima Forever. I do not know that it really captures the Ultima feel, but it is enjoyable nonetheless. Most of the dungeons are short, around 15 minutes or so, though I believe there are some long ones. It is an MMO, so you can form parties. I have only played it about an hour, but it might keep me entertained at the hotel on my trip to Houston next week.Report
Working my way through Bit.Trip.Runner 2, which is a great way to kill a few minutes.. and then a few more minutes… OK, just a few more… It’s kind of a perfect game for me, as a fan of both rhythm games and platformers. Though my wife is concerned about the recent uptick in the incidence of profanity emanating from the family room.Report
weirdly enough i decided to give skyrim another try. it’s still a great environment. not sure about the rest.Report