XCOM announced… it’s an FPS. Hmm.

After the success of both Bioshocks, in which a loosely FPS-based structure with more in-depth environmental interaction (System Shock) was successfully converted into a straight shooter, it looks like 2K’s getting bolder with its ‘if in doubt, FPS it’ philosophy.

So, the rumours are true, but what should we make of this development decision? Personally, I always enjoyed the UFO/X-Com universe as a concept, but couldn’t always get to grips with its turn-based, relatively hardcore gameplay. The idea of experiencing this gritty alien invasion narrative on the ground through the eyes of somebody in the thick of the struggle is a pretty gratifying one. We’d perhaps have preferred that the rumours had been true, and it was Ken Levine’s Boston team at the helm, but then it’ll be rather interesting to see what 2K Marin does with its own, original franchise revamp rather than clinging to Levine’s coat tails as with Bioshock 2.

2K has also stated that gameplay will feature “risky strategic gambits coupled with heart-stopping combat experiences”, so it sounds like there’ll be some kind of higher element at play than simply shooting. We’ll save the Command and Conquer: Renegade jokes here (in the interests of keeping down our breakfasts), but we will say that Westwood’s black sheep is a fine example of how not to blend FPS and strategy.

Early days, of course, but all in all, it’s surely no bad thing to explore another rich science fiction universe through the eyes of such a skilled developer.