Kotaku: X-com

New Fray Trailer Channels the Spirit of X-COM

Jason Schreier — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:45:00 EST

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Strategy buffs should get a kick out of this trailer for Fray, which French developer Brain Candy officially announced for pre-order today. I saw this simultaneous turn-based strategy game last year at an event in New York and thought it looked pretty damn neat, so it's good to see that things are progressing nicely. More »

X-COM Creator Rips Reboot Efforts

Owen Good — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST

X-COM Creator Rips Reboot Efforts" alt="Click here to read X-COM Creator Rips Reboot Efforts" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2012/01/small_44ade7a92b8b61ea881f926c170e034f.jpg"/>

As intrigued as I am by what 2K's doing with X-COM—and I freely admit I'm in the minority there—the publisher's recent move to delay that game another year, and release a more traditional turn-based strategy reboot meantime, reek of please-everyone panic. Fans of the original can read between the lines and see an expression of low confidence in the first-person perspective game that has everyone up in arms. More »

XCOM FPS Pushed to 2013, Firaxis Strategy Reboot Still Set for 2012

Dave Oshry — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:30:00 EST

As someone who was quite fond of what we saw of the re-imagined XCOM at E3 this past year, but who's also excited about the Firaxis strategy reboot of the franchise, I am somewhat conflicted by this news. More »

X-Com: Enemy Unknown Will 'Re-imagine' Classic X-Com. First Screens Prove It.

Stephen Totilo — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:30:00 EST

X-Com: Enemy Unknown Will 'Re-imagine' Classic X-Com. First Screens Prove It." alt="Click here to read X-Com: Enemy Unknown Will 'Re-imagine' Classic X-Com. First Screens Prove It." src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2012/01/small_aeb0af89bd7d15a866022e169c2035a9.jpg"/>

X-Com Enemy Unknown, the first shock gaming announcement of 2012 will be a "re-imagining" of the original X-Com game and will play as a mix of real-time and turn-based strategy, according to the first tantalizing details revealed by Game Informer magazine today. More »

2K Wants to Have their XCom and Eat it Too

Evan Narcisse — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:30:00 EST

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Maybe you're a fan of the original X-Com and met today's news of the upcoming XCom: Enemy Unknown strategy title with great joy. Maybe you don't know anything about the X-Com legacy and don't know what the hubbub about either game is about. Which XCom is for you, then? More »

X-Com Returns to Turn-Based Strategy with Enemy Unknown

Evan Narcisse — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 11:15:00 EST

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Legion of old-school X-Com fans groaned in frustration when 2K Games revealed that their upcoming re-imagination of the beloved strategy game would be a first-person shooter. But now, the publisher's revealed a second title that goes back to the franchise's roots. Per Game Informer, X-Com: Enemy Unknown will be a turn-based strategy game developed by Sid Meier's Firaxis studio and is due out this fall. More »

XCOM's Development Presses On, Says 2K—With One Less Studio

Brian Crecente — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:00:00 EST

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Earlier this week, 2K Games announced that its Canberra, Australia studio was being shifted from helping with development of XCOM to working on Bioshock Infinite. More »

XCOM Delayed past March 2012

Stephen Totilo — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:28:21 EST

The first-person shooter reinvention of PC classic X-COM has been delayed past its March date to some time in publisher Take Two's 2013 Fiscal Year. It will be out between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013, on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. More »

The Four Stages of Reboot Grief

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Today's Total Recall won't be about video game history. It's about dealing with what happens when video game history is dredged back to the present and coated in bright pink lipstick. More »

Here's Why the New XCOM is Nothing Like the Old X-COM

Brian Crecente — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:40:00 EDT

XCOM is Nothing Like the Old X-COM" alt="Click here to read Here's Why the New XCOM is Nothing Like the Old X-COM" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/09/small_c1j-iy4pc2k.jpg"/>

XCOM is no X-Com. More »

Remembering The House That Civilization Built

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

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I don't tend to truly miss many video game studios. Businesses come and go, their developers move on, make new stuff, the world keeps spinning. More »

XCOM Has the Freakiest Display At PAX Prime 2011

Stephen Totilo — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:30:00 EDT

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This XCOM display, which features no real human beings, is a head-turner here at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle. More »

Is the New XCOM a Shooter? Judge for Yourself

Owen Good — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:30:00 EDT

XCOM a Shooter? Judge for Yourself" alt="Click here to read Is the New XCOM a Shooter? Judge for Yourself" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/08/small_namvp4w2ts0.jpg"/>

2K Games has just now gotten around to posting its 20-minute E3 demonstration of XCOM; the voice-over script is the same that I heard in 2K's booth, so you may judge for yourself what this game really is, what it isn't, and what it really stands for. I stand by my original impressions, and I'm still intrigued enough to want to see the final product. XCOM is due for a March 6 release. More »

Terrifically Tactical Frozen Synapse Gets Demo, Half-Price Weekend on Steam

Kirk Hamilton — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:40:00 EDT

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I'm only just now getting around to Frozen Synapse, which was released back in May and about which a bunch of people I know have had only nice things to say. So far, it's like some glorious combination of X-Com and Tron with maybe a touch of Rainbow Six and Ubisoft's fantastic 3DS game Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars. (Which is still my favorite 3DS game—Crecente agrees.) More »

Why Is The New XCOM A Shooter? Because 'Strategy Games Are Just Not Contemporary'

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:30:00 EDT

XCOM A Shooter? Because 'Strategy Games Are Just Not Contemporary'" alt="Click here to read Why Is The New XCOM A Shooter? Because 'Strategy Games Are Just Not Contemporary'" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/07/small_xcom.jpg"/>

The beloved but dormant X-COM series, the strategy game franchise created by Mythos and Microprose, is getting a revival in the form of a first-person shooter next year, offending the sensibilities of old-school PC gamers. Why would 2K Games do such a thing? More »

The Struggles of a Gay XCOM Scientist

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 02:30:00 EDT

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It's hard enough finding enough major characters who aren't white in games, let alone people who aren't straight. So it's interesting to see how 2K is handling the inclusion of a homosexual character in upcoming shooter XCOM. More »

If XCOM is a Shooter Then So Is Mass Effect

Owen Good — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:40:00 EDT

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The news that 2K's XCOM reboot would handle combat as a first-person shooter sent longtime fans of the PC strategy series on a gamer's tour of the Kubler-Ross stages of grief, rage, of course, lasting the longest. A year after it was first shown at E3, and about a year before its release, we might be seeing a game that can sway some of them into acceptance? More »

XCOM Dated For March, Not Referred To as a First-Person Shooter

Stephen Totilo — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:00:00 EDT

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XCOM, The first-person sequel to classic strategy game X-Com, will be released on March 6, 2012, for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, that last platform being newly-confirmed by publisher Take Two. More »

There's A Little Bit Of X-Com In This Ghost Recon Game

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:30:00 EDT

X-Com In This Ghost Recon Game" alt="Click here to read There's A Little Bit Of X-Com In This Ghost Recon Game" src="http://cache.kotaku.com/assets/images/9/2011/03/small_wop2bxkcws4.jpg"/>

The new Xcom game isn't really X-Com at all. There's no turns and certainly no isometric combat. For those upset about this, maybe you should look into, of all things, a Ghost Recon game for the 3DS. More »

A Week of PC Gaming on Kotaku

Brian Crecente — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 10:00:00 EDT

One might think that Kotaku Tower is a place bereft of computers, or at least gaming on computers, judging by how infrequently we write about them. But that couldn't be further from the truth. More »

What Came First, The XCOM Or The Game?

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 02:30:00 EDT

I paid a visit to 2K Marin's Canberra offices last week to have a chat with the developers of the upcoming XCOM reboot for the 360 and PC. And there was really only one question I wanted to ask. More »

XCOM By Any Other Name Could Be Great

Brian Crecente — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:20:00 EDT

The reason I love XCOM so much, why I'm so worried about its future has likely more to do with a stolen car and an obscene amount of hoagie sandwiches than it does the Sci-Fi strategy game. More »

Oh Hello, Do You Have Some XCOM Screens For Us?

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EDT

Whatever stage of grief "acceptance" is, that's where I'm at regarding the new XCOM game. So it's with acceptance that I can appreciate the good things in these new screenshots of the game. More »

Our First Look at XCOM in Motion

Brian Crecente — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:22:29 EDT

XCOM, the bastardization of everything I love and hold dear in the fabled 90s game series, looks like it could be worth some attention. More »

First XCOM Screens: Mad Men vs Gray Men

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 08 May 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Though we've seen OXM's coverage of the upcoming XCOM reboot, PC Gamer also have a piece on the game, and it's now online. There's not much new in the way of info, but there's now some screenshots for you to...enjoy? More »

XCOM Details: A Little Bit Of This, A Little Bit Of That

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 03 May 2010 02:30:00 EDT

The Official Xbox Magazine got the first look at 2K's upcoming XCOM title this month, with the first details on the game revealing that there's cause for both hope and concern among fans of the original's strategic twist. More »

Do Video Games Shape Who We Are?

Brian Crecente — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EDT

Can video games have a Western canon? More »

X-Com Homage On Intercept Course With iPhone

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:30:00 EDT

If there's one thing 2K's announcement of a shooter-focused XCOM remake has done, it's open the door to a slew of games cashing in on the company's seeming abandonment of the series' turn-based roots. Games like this iPhone title! More »

2K Studio Name Madness Continues With New XCOM Game

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:30:00 EDT

Thanks to a confusing set of press releases and an even more confusing name change, most people aren't sure who to thank/blame for the development of the new XCOM game. So let's set the record straight. More »

Another New "X-Com" Game, And It's Not A Shooter

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EDT

The new XCOM game isn't the same as the old X-Com games. Some people are cool with this, while others are not cool with this. If you're in the latter group, you should check out Xenonauts, an upcoming indie PC game. More »

What's The Big Deal About A New XCOM?

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:30:00 EDT

Yesterday, 2K jumped out from behind a bush, wearing a bloody clown suit, and surprised the crap out of us with a press release revealing a new X-Com game was in development. I was happy! Many of you, however, are not. More »

X-Com Is Back!

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:05:00 EDT

X-Com, the classic 90's turn-based strategy game pitting mankind against alien invaders, is set to make a comeback as a first-person shooter, courtesy of the 2K studios behind BioShock 2. More »

BioShock Creator Working On An "Original Title"

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:00:00 EDT

We still don't know what BioShock creator Ken Levine is working on, but we know what he's not working on, and it's not a new X-Com game. More »

X-COM Comes To Steam (And Wicked Cheap Too!)

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:40:07 EDT

There's nothing quite as humiliating as being outed at a weekend dinner party as the sole attendee who hasn't played X-COM UFO Defense. You've been there, stuffing your mouth with canapés while the group swaps X-COM strategies and pleasantries, excluding you from the conversation. More »

Ken Levine And Co. At Work On New X-Com Game?

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:00:00 EDT

The latest Official Xbox Mag is running a rumour that's been quietly - oh so quietly - doing the rounds for a few months now. That rumour concerns just what, exactly, 2K Boston (and I presume 2K Australia as well) are up to these days. With 2K Marin confirmed as the team behind BioShock 2, what could Ken Levine and the rest of the guys behind BioShock 1 be working on? Maybe a new X-Com game. Yes, X-Com. 2K quietly bought the rights to the series in 2007, so the rumour's at least got a solid footing, though we're still going to recommend you increase your daily intake of salt. If only because the thought of a new, official X-Com game is too awesome to mess around with. More »

Armchair Designer: Zombies!

kotaku.com — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 18:00:58 EDT

By John Brownlee More »

Pocket UFO: X-Com for Pocket PCs!

brownlee — Tue, 21 Mar 2006 09:40:57 EST

We love X-Com. Ten years after release and no one's been able to top it as the definitive government forces versus alien invasion strategy game. Oh sure, there've been pale imitations: the execrable UFO, for one. And the Gollop Brothers — the geniuses who gave us X-Com to begin with — have made a couple of similar games, like the amazing PBEM strategy game Laser Squad Nemesis and their X-Com for Retards title on the GBA, Rebelstar: Tactical Command. More »