X-COM What genre is XCOM?

[Citizen]

RPG game.

 

[SymbolicFrank]

XCOM is not a genre but a simplified and streamlined "UFO: Enemy Unknown" clone, which was renamed to "X-COM: UFO Defense" for the US market.

The genre should be: "UFO clones", except in the USA, where they don't know better and call them: "XCOM games". On this forum we would call those "nuXCOM games".

The middle ground would be to call them "X-COM games".


Interestingly enough, "XCOM" is not the same genre as "X-COM" in my book. The first is a simplified RPG, while the latter is a complex strategy game with tactical combat.

 

[Cael]

UFO:EU/XCOM is a rape simulator for newbies, isometric shooting gallery for veterans (until blaster bombs and psionics, which it then reverts back to rape simulator).

nuXCOM is a piece of trash that has no semblance to UFO and is nothing but a cash grab aimed at UFO fans.

 

[Norfleet]

X-Com characterized as a rape simulator makes me wonder what the game would be like if it were made in Japan, so it would probably involve actual rape, the aliens would have a lot more tentacles, and the defense of the Earth would instead fall upon some flavor of schoolgirl.

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

So basically GANTZ? You pretty much described GANTZ. In fact, I think one of the characters might be a young woman who goes to university.

 

[Norfleet]

I don't know what that is because I'm not a Weeaboo. WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED THIS GAME ALREADY EXISTS, THOUGH?

 

[CthuluIsSpy]

Its not a game, its an manga turned anime. Its...not really what I'm into. The underlying concept is fine, it just reeks of edgelord, and the English dub doesn't help matters. Everyone is a piece of shit, holy crap.

 

[Endemic]

X-Com characterized as a rape simulator makes me wonder what the game would be like if it were made in Japan, so it would probably involve actual rape, the aliens would have a lot more tentacles, and the defense of the Earth would instead fall upon some flavor of schoolgirl.

Japanese-developed strategy games tend to focus on historical settings, although there have been exceptions like Schwarzschild.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

the *IDEA* of gantz could have been intriguing, "average joes get (limited) superpowers to fight impossibly lethal monsters", but that's it, it's not realistically possible to expand much from that, and in fact the manga quickly goes from fighting monsters to buddha statues shooting lasers from eyes and thunders from ass. and believe me, it even goes much, much, MUCH worse than that from there. MUUUUUCH worse.
also not enough tits. it would have needed a massive bigger amount of them to distract from the general retardation.

 

[Norfleet]

WHY DO YOU KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT THIS? FUCKING WEEBS.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

it's called "having a culture". some people are naturally curious about everything. and everything with big tits is worth to be investigated u_u

 

[Norfleet]

I HAVE A CULTURE, TOO. That's why I'm NOT A WEEB, because I have MY culture. It's weebs that are a cultural void into which vile Nipponese filth can be poured.

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

It's a turn-based tactics game. I guess you could say it's a turn-based tactics game with base management but that's a fucking mouth full, and really after X-Com what the fuck are you doing if your turn-based tactics game doesn't have some level of management.

It is not however a strategy game, which is stuff like Steel Panthers, Panzer General, Heroes of Might and Magic, Nobunaga's Ambition, and Nintendo's Wars games. For whatever reason, I guess because they're turn-based, I've been seeing these two genres used interchangeably for years now.

It also isn't a RPG.

 

[Horvatii]

Is base management a game if nothing is impeding your progress? I say it isnt, since there are no constraints on you like in normal management games.
You have money, you build stuff that you want or need. Your upkeep is irrelevant and base layout just shortens the defense missions.
So what is it if not a waste of time and clicks?

 

[somewhatgiggly]

It does deserve a more unique moniker. Especially because 'Turn Based Tactics' is becoming so vague it's worthless with games far, far away from X-com and others close.

I think the blending of a bigger picture, planet or city or country size, with a bare plot (or even a big plot) but procedural generated units and events on that map, a base building aspect, along with the turn based tactic battlefield is key. Blending these three things (or even up to five - research and industry).

There's a nice word for this already, isn't there?

Theater of war? Front? Battlespace? 'Battlespace' sounds good, rolls off the tongue and is different from 'Wargame' which other games fill in.

 

[Darth Canoli]

It's a turn-based tactics game. I guess you could say it's a turn-based tactics game with base management but that's a fucking mouth full, and really after X-Com what the fuck are you doing if your turn-based tactics game doesn't have some level of management.

It is not however a strategy game, which is stuff like Steel Panthers, Panzer General, Heroes of Might and Magic, Nobunaga's Ambition, and Nintendo's Wars games. For whatever reason, I guess because they're turn-based, I've been seeing these two genres used interchangeably for years now.

It also isn't a RPG.

You don't need base management to make a good UFO-like, just good tactical combat and squad management.
Besides the lack of real goals, Battle Brothers almost did it.

Besides, base management in UFO only worked because :

• It was simple, yet interesting enough
• It worked in perfect synergy with the research system.

Most recent devs wanting to do the same will just butcher it because their construction system is retarded (not UFO-like but Kingmaker city building is a great example of modern retardation) or because they would just forego the necessary research system.

 

[Grotesque]

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

it's a hybrid between TB tactics and economic management/strategy

 

[Mazisky]

It's the only genre nobody in the industry has been able to match in over 20 years, other than that lonely Ja2 gem.

 

[somewhatgiggly]

It's the only genre nobody in the industry has been able to match in over 20 years, other than that lonely Ja2 gem.

...Yea. Xenonauts, UFO Afterlight/Aftermath/Aftershock, UFO Extraterrestrials, and...what's the other one....UFO AI? All fall short some way or another. Man, we needed Genesis.

I need to try JA2, I have it.

 

[Mazisky]

It's the only genre nobody in the industry has been able to match in over 20 years, other than that lonely Ja2 gem.

...Yea. Xenonauts, UFO Afterlight/Aftermath/Aftershock, UFO Extraterrestrials, and...what's the other one....UFO AI? All fall short some way or another. Man, we needed Genesis.

I need to try JA2, I have it.

It's the only game in 25 years of PC gaming that gave me Xcom vibes and fun. Try it

 

[CaffeineConquistador]

It's a turn-based tactics game. I guess you could say it's a turn-based tactics game with base management but that's a fucking mouth full, and really after X-Com what the fuck are you doing if your turn-based tactics game doesn't have some level of management.

It is not however a strategy game, which is stuff like Steel Panthers, Panzer General, Heroes of Might and Magic, Nobunaga's Ambition, and Nintendo's Wars games. For whatever reason, I guess because they're turn-based, I've been seeing these two genres used interchangeably for years now.

It also isn't a RPG.

You don't need base management to make a good UFO-like, just good tactical combat and squad management.
Besides the lack of real goals, Battle Brothers almost did it.

Besides, base management in UFO only worked because :

• It was simple, yet interesting enough
• It worked in perfect synergy with the research system.

Most recent devs wanting to do the same will just butcher it because their construction system is retarded (not UFO-like but Kingmaker city building is a great example of modern retardation) or because they would just forego the necessary research system.

Curious, but what was wrong with BB? I got burned out on OpenXCOM and started a campaign. I’ve been having a blast with it so far.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Curious, but what was wrong with BB? I got burned out on OpenXCOM and started a campaign. I’ve been having a blast with it so far.

It's a sandbox, UFO has a goal to end the game, BB doesn't, imagine keeping on playing after the final fight in UFO, for some reason, the aliens have another base on a different planet and they keep on sending UFOs but you can't stop them, that's exactly how Battle Brothers works.

Don't get me wrong, it's fun and the Legends mod even turn it into a legit game but it's seriously lacking real goals and a lot of QoL improvements like being able to start multiple quests at once, having the locations of the cities / objectives before you accept them, selling multiple items at once, a better itemization ...

 

[sullynathan]

Just got XCOM 2. Does the codex have reviews for The reboot series before I dive in?

 

[J1M]

Just got XCOM 2. Does the codex have reviews for The reboot series before I dive in?

First one is better.

 

[Norfleet]

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

And all of that without logistics is how all of your tanks run out of fuel, rendering all of your plans worthless.