What Might have Been

This article was a great read. I always thought the ending to SS2 was great, but mainly because it hints very strongly at a sequel…

This just isnt right….

Oh, never mind, I not read so good.

I’m generally not someone who you could describe as a ‘fanboy’ in any manner. Not like a friend of mine, who’s been positively gushing about Dante’s Inferno (the game, not the book) for the past six months. I’m frankly sick of hearing him go on about it.

The one exception is System Shock. Both versions. I’ve already posted that I suspect Project Icarus to be SS3. I still have copies of 1 and 2 sitting here, and I re-run SS2 once in a while. Just found a way to get SS1 running on my computer this evening. So I’ll be busy for a little while…

Incidentally, the first time I played SS2 and got to the dead Polito scene, my reaction was literally “Oh shit.” My wife was sitting there too; she’d seen SS1 and said the same thing.

I love the insights and hidden workings of my most loved games.

Spoiler warning would’ve been nice, but hey, that’s what I get for reading a SS2 article. i guess I’d have to play first, but still, some of this stuff sounds really cool. Zero-G back then would’ve wowed a lot of people, too bad there weren’t enough resources to make it happen. Still, it looks like the end-game didn’t suffer for it.

Okay, I’ve registered here just to post this comment, because i came across a rumour from a source i trust re computer games stating that Irrational are in fact working on the next XCOM.

I know Mr Levine claims he is the biggest XCOM fan ever but he is quite wrong about that. I am !

Because this blog is about “what might have been”, i wanted to draw peoples attention to Bioware’s Mass Effect 2 in relation to how the mechanics of a new XCOM squad based game might turn out, whether Irrational is working on this or not.

I’m sure some of you at Irrational have probably been playing ME2 from either a personal enjoyment perspective or from a professional “keeping an eye on the competiion” perspective.

In any case, i have to say i am sorely dissapointed with ME2, considering that ME1 was actually a very interesting game with some new innovations in mixing RPG mechanics into a sci-fi squad based game which did not start with the words “Star Wars”.

If anyone has noticed they scratched almost all complexity and RPG type mechanics from ME2 in order to create a much smoother level-level shooter. Okay so perhaps that is where the money is but there are a lot of mature gamers like myself, who grew up on classics such as Xcom Ufo Enemy Unknown/terror from the deep, both System Shocks, Deus Ex, and other mid 90s to early 2000s games. We are sorely dissapoined with ME2 because it could have been far better from a game depth point of view. Unfortunately ME2 plays like a shooter with some nice cut-scenes, but is otherwise a mindless point and shoot game. ME1 was far better in that the ME universe was somehwat open ended and non-linear, and at least its mission maps did not close after you have pass through. There is just something really annoying about playing a game where you feel there is always a big pointy hand telling you where to go next.

So where does XCOM fit into this?

My view is that XCOM, developed as a squad based RPG, with the PC playing the commander/leader from a thrid person perspective as in ME1, could be absolutely the perfect sequel to the great XCOM franchise.

While the oroginal Xcom was not your typical RPG and some would argue it was not RPG at all, i would argue with that.

One vital aspect of playing on high difficulty levels in the first XCOM was getting the right squad with fast reaction times for those wonderful opportunistic shots when the aliens were moving around the map. If we remmeber corently there were a load of statistics for each soldier which would only imrpove on surface mission if they used their skills. That is a very RPG mechanic and one which could be ever better implemented today.

Anyways, i dont know if anyone at Irrational will read this but i wanted to put my thoughts down about just hopw great a modern RPG based XCOm could be. Look at how successful the first ME game was, and imagine you could drag all that crown over, plus the army of old XCOm fans like myself.,

All i beg is that you dont make a dumbed down shooter game, which lacks intelligent complexity. Please 🙂

mcwizardry,

Well thanks but it seems i have won an achievement for most voted down post 🙁

By the way, i was thinking about how one can program the “reaction” stat into a non-turn based combat system.

For instance in ME2, one of the few cool things in my opinion is that the baddies try to flank you. However your NPC squad members dont appear top notice so its up to the PC to keep checking his radar to make sure no enemies are flanking.

Would it not be relatively simple to base the XCOM “reaction” stat on your squad mate’s ability to notice the flanking move? So its not about opporunistic fire reactions by based on their ability to notice the falnking and cover your left, right or rear?

I wish they could do a System Shock 2: Director’s Cut with redone graphics and fleshing out everything they meant to do the first time around.

You guys are amazing. As a sort of creative director myself, I always find it difficult when my ideas about plot and character development clash with either the team’s views or the limited budget we have to work with. It’s inspiring to see how you’ve dealt with the same things without losing all your hair. 🙂 Keep up the good work!

Shock2 is good as it is. Its still better then most games i play nowadays. Wish there was a remake of some sort.

What a beatiful forgotten classic. I still remember seeing Hybrid and Midwife for the first time. 🙂 Those were some creepy, long and scary nights. Sad I can never be immersed like that anymore. Long live Ken Levine’s brains.

Ken, you need to make System Shock 3 now!

A remake of the Systemshock series would be highly recieved!
There is a whole generation of gamers who have never heard of Shodan or any of the great twists this series has become famous for.