PC Gaming XCom: Chimera Squad

[Husky_Khan]

A stand alone game will continue the X-Com saga apparently and will drop on Steam on April 24th.



I did love the original X-Com: UFO Defense and the new XCom game... and XCom2... though I never finished that sequel. I might be interested in this though, really depends though. The main reason I didn't finish XCom 2 was largely because the story actually didn't keep me interesting or invested enough in finishing the game... which is sad because I love that sort of gameplay and adored the original games but I guess I loved their settings even more.

Still, new X-Com for Quarantine and this time it looks like you can recruit even more wacky characters (without mods) since apparently this is a city where some humans, hybrids and aliens all live together. Cautiously optimistic about this one, gameplay wise I'm sure it'll be great. As long as the conspiracy nemesis isn't some sort of right wing red herring, it might convince me to dive back into the game series.

 

[f1onagher]

Alright, did the rounds and here's what I got:

Chimera squad is a unit of actual characters for your story, so you can't lose any of them. Bit iffy on that one, but it promises story rewards so I'll go along with it. We're doing the usual strategic level map, tactical fights, back to base for kit cycle from the old games, so it's still functionally Xcom in terms of gameplay. It's also dirt cheap. I'm willing to pay out $10 on a mediocre game with no problems, so there's no real risk to purchase. Its also definitely a spin-off since Solomon apparently had nothing to do with it, so its not a detriment to the upcoming XCOM 3.

Now for the story issue because of course its already a thing. City 31 is apparently an experiment in aliens and humans co-existing and you have to keep it from falling into anarchy. It's actually a good premise and interesting story idea, but I live in 21st America and instinctively wince at the prospect of themes about race and bigotry in games. The usual suspects are already out in force on both sides, but I have just enough faith left in Xcom that I'll sit back and wait to see how they handle it. Still, avoid the SB thread because half of every page is them bitching about the 'Purge Xeno' people. Because a planet that just suffered under 20 years of Alien rule isn't allowed to be bitter at their former occupiers.

 

[King Krávoka]

Still, new X-Com for Quarantine and this time it looks like you can recruit even more wacky characters (without mods) since apparently this is a city where some humans, hybrids and aliens all live together. Cautiously optimistic about this one, gameplay wise I'm sure it'll be great. As long as the conspiracy nemesis isn't some sort of right wing red herring, it might convince me to dive back into the game series.

You are in the stage of grief known as DENIAL because you already saw the dog whistle haircuts. Please do a speedrun of the next 4 so my eyes are slightly less polluted by conservative salt

Still, avoid the SB thread because half of every page is them bitching about the 'Purge Xeno' people. Because a planet that just suffered under 20 years of Alien rule isn't allowed to be bitter at their former occupiers.

>anything to do with SpaceBattles, ever

 

[MrBirthday]

Still, avoid the SB thread because half of every page is them bitching about the 'Purge Xeno' people. Because a planet that just suffered under 20 years of Alien rule isn't allowed to be bitter at their former occupiers.

That's the thing though; what touched that off originally wasn't the prospect of people in-universe (understandably) holding some grudges, but people in the real world unironically spouting idiotic Warhammer 40K memes, and treating said memes as the only proper way for humans to deal with aliens in all situations whatsoever.

 

[Spartan303]

Im not really sure what to think, to be honest. I was expecting a more grandiose XCOM game. This is certainly surprising.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Yeah the more I read about it seems rather limited then as open and broad as the previous games. Like customizing my own X-Com squad and making them my own characters was a real fun part of the game experience for me. It was almost like world building or RPG'ing lite to a degree. Having a premade squad and characters... as all of the playable squaddies... a bit more frownworthy if it is true.

But yeah, ten dollars is just ten dollars. But if I wasn't interested enough to finish XCom 2... I dunno if I'll make even the small investment in a game like this which has even more limited gameplay in some respects. At least right off the bat.

 

[Urabrask Revealed]

I will be honest: I'm not a fan of the diversity hires. The alien look kinda ill in a bad way, with the Muton- and the Viper-character having caught the brunt of it. The gameplay itself should be fine, especially with the focus on downsizing and finetuning on a select few soldiers rather than using cannonfodder. I like the element of aliens having different ways to enter a room, like simply smashing through a way or entering through a vent.

On an amusing note, the sight of the viper on a ladder made me chuckle. I mean, she's just hanging there.

EDIT: I mean, look at their motto: "Diversis Viribus", Strength through Diversity. Yeah, I doubt I will enjoy the story.
EDIT 2: Unless it's human men dominating female aliens.

 

[Urabrask Revealed]

Turns out, Fireaxis is selling preorders to the game at 9,99 already. They have a discount going on until 5/02/2020, about 50%.
I guess that shows how much faith they have in the story of the product.

 

[PsihoKekec]

 

[King Krávoka]

EDIT 2: Unless it's human men dominating female aliens.

[Judgmental unhappiness intensifies]

 

[Husky_Khan]

Turns out, Fireaxis is selling preorders to the game at 9,99 already. They have a discount going on until 5/02/2020, about 50%.
I guess that shows how much faith they have in the story of the product.

Well at least then I'll be able to read and watch reviews and gameplay before judging whether I wanna drop ten bucks on the deal. Having such a low price is rather appealing. Even if I'm 50% sure I might not play it regardless since I didn't even finish the sequel.

 

[Doomsought]

The forced humor in the trailer gives me no hope for the quality of writing behind the game.

 

[King Krávoka]

The forced humor in the trailer gives me no hope for the quality of writing behind the game.

The first positive thing I'll say in this thread is, that I personally find it charming.

 

[commanderkai]

I might take the risk at $10. The whole lockdown stuff has been a huge pain for doing much of anything outside of gaming, and the various chores around the house are almost done..

I'm a bit split on the story idea, but I'm fine with humanity "deprogramming" the various alien puppet races of the Ethereals left behind after their defeat. I do hope there's some semblance of tension between human and alien populations in the general story, even if the team itself is a unified force.

I'm going to guess this will be a taste of a future XCOM game. Earth unified with humans and deprogrammed aliens fighting against the Ethereals or whatever enemy the Ethereals have been afraid of throughout the series.

 

[Husky_Khan]

XCom has been releasing character profiles the past few days... nine of the eleven or so characters have been released so far... I'm guessing they are leaving the Snek for last. All of the profiles are like thirty seconds long.



Most of them are pretty blah at best or cringey at worst. The only profiles I found mildly interesting were Patchwork, and the Hybrid (who was characteristically bland) and the Sectoid who seemed mildly interesting (despite the forced humor bit he had in the trailer). The Muton character was pretty blah too... though there is a picture of him wielding a Chrysalid limb as a melee weapon and facing off against a Chrysalid.

 

[Urabrask Revealed]

The Muton character was pretty blah too... though there is a picture of him wielding a Chrysalid limb as a melee weapon and facing off against a Chrysalid.

Either the creators were lazy, or the Elders already started creating these fish-faced mutons long before they fell.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Christopher Odd uploaded his first hour of gameplay today... and then some more in subsequent videos.

 

[bullethead]

Been playing the game for a bit and it's fine mechanically, although I don't think you can do this kind of initiative based system with player controlled groups of more than four and more than 8 or so enemies, as HBS Battletech proves, especially when this game doesn't allow you to "reserve" and put your entire team down towards the end of the turn order. Also, having to evac is fucking miserable, because there is no automation of the process.

The writing is fine, but I think the real problem is that the voice acting and directing are super all over the place. I get the feeling that a lot of the lines in the trailer (which is basically the first cutscene) wouldn't come across as cringey if characters like Cherub and Terminal had a little sarcasm or something to balance out the peppiness of the banter. Torque (the team's Snek) is great because she's a huge, sarcastic bitch and has a good voice. In contrast, the 31PD chief has good lines, but they cast the wrong person or didn't tell them to rough up the voice enough to be convincing.

That said, whoever the fuck decided to make all the nonhumans sound human fucked up. Maybe it was a time/budget thing, but they could've at least given the Hybrids a bit of voice modulation.

 

[King Krávoka]

I get the feeling that a lot of the lines in the trailer (which is basically the first cutscene) wouldn't come across as cringey if characters like Cherub and Terminal had a little sarcasm or something to balance out the peppiness of the banter

This affirms what the internet has been telling me about the concept of "cringe", that it's just an indoctrinated wish for all people to have the same defense mechanisms.

 

[f1onagher]

It's definitely worth the $10 for those that are hemming and hawing. The gameplay has been distilled until there's nothing left, but it works for the SWAT-style fights in the game. The turn method is atrocious though and only really works when your team is on the offense. Trying to withdraw is a gordian shit fit, especially with fresh enemies spawning in randomly and screwing up any plan you made based on previous turn order.

I'm a little more forgiving of the story's shortcomings, it's obvious that this is Firaxis squeezing a few more bucks out of XCOM 2. The character voices are more hit than miss and the dialogue in-game never gets all that bad. It's very obvious that they want people to replay this game due to context-based chatter and how taking down the gangs in different orders changes gameplay and narrative content, but I don't think the gameplay is good enough to warrant that.

Again, its a fun game and definitely worth the cost, especially now, but it is most definitely a spin-off game.