Xenonauts at Eurogamer Expo

By: Derek Yu

On: October 4th, 2011

Goldhawk Interactive showed off their X-COM inspired strategy title Xenonauts at the Eurogamer Expo last week. Above is a short interview with TotalBiscuit and one of the developers as they play the game on the expo floor.

Posted in Previews, Strategy, Windows | Tags: GoldhawkInteractive

YetanotherguyIam

First comment.
Noneofyourbusiness

I am still amazed at how the developer has decided to put his life savings into this.

I like X-COM and I even like the game shown here, but I sincerely doubt that anyone outside the hard-core X-COM fanbase is going to buy it. The game would have been very impressive after a few years from Apocalypse’s release, maybe even by the late 90’s or early 00’s, but in 2012? At best, I can imagine that it MIGHT go well on the portable markets (smatphones, tablets) but as a PC game? I have doubts whether this was a sound financial idea.
Guest

To be honest it looks a bit TOO much like the original, would like to get that “fresh” game feel when playing something. On its own that isn’t too much of a problem, however combined with a high price point it suddenly becomes something I think I’ll pass up which I feel is a damn shame.
eld

Stranger things happen every day when it comes to the pc market and niche titles that reality shows not being so niche.

There’s a big market for people longing for a new xcom game, and as it goes now everyone will be hearing about xenonauts.
pnx

Actually, the art style kind of looks a little… cheesy to me.
And the narrative on the teaser was rather dry, but it looks like an interesting game. I’ll be curious to see how it turns out.
Waffles

I’m excited for this, the graphics are fine to me just the environment seems so… lacking. It’s just a concrete jungle that looks like it was opened yesterday. No wear, trash, debris, basically like there never was a human presence.
James Edward Smith

It looks super cheesy to me. Why make a new X-COM game that looks WORSE than the old one? Am I alone here or would everyone rather look at the comicbooky charm of the original than at these bland flash cartoon looking swat team guys?

I don’t understand why there have been so many X-COM remake projects in the last 15 years that have all resulted in games that look like piss on the screen. Is there something innate about the original game that makes no decent artists interested in working on these projects?

Like, I love X-COM a LOT and so I’m always intrigued when I see a cool turnbased squad tactics game on the horizon and I hate how they are plastering the X-COM name on that dumb AAA attempt that’s coming out that just looks like every other FPS ever, but if you are just going to copy X-COM’s formula verbatim and not even attempt to introduce anything new mechanically other than “The vehicles are now more customizable”, can you at least not make a game that looks less graphically interesting than a 15-20 year old game?
James Edward Smith

It looks super cheesy to me. Why make a new X-COM game that looks WORSE than the old one? Am I alone here or would everyone rather look at the comicbooky charm of the original than at these bland flash cartoon looking swat team guys?

I don’t understand why there have been so many X-COM remake projects in the last 15 years that have all resulted in games that look like piss on the screen. Is there something innate about the original game that makes no decent artists interested in working on these projects?

Like, I love X-COM a LOT and so I’m always intrigued when I see a cool turnbased squad tactics game on the horizon and I hate how they are plastering the X-COM name on that dumb AAA attempt that’s coming out that just looks like every other FPS ever, but if you are just going to copy X-COM’s formula verbatim and not even attempt to introduce anything new mechanically other than “The vehicles are now more customizable”, can you at least not make a game that looks less graphically interesting than a 15-20 year old game?
Guest

Currently priced at 29.99

“The pre-order price is also going to be cheaper than the release price
by $5 or $10. If it’s the sort of game you’ll buy anyway, you may as
well just buy it now!”

Might be 40 bucks at the end of it all.

I would consider 10, maybe 15. Is it just me being a cheap bastard or have they completely missed their price market? The game looks and plays like something that could have been released 15 years ago, I can’t manage to justify the price of a full studio game.
Guest

I really like the art direction personally, definitely will buy this.
YetanotherguyIam

Face it.. you’re just angry I beat you to it.

Jealousy is a b’tch
YetanotherguyIam

I’d redo the whole graphics into something more interesting…
Foppy

I think it looks very good. Nice video too.
Foppy

I think it looks very good. Nice video too.
Guest

I’d really rather see a finished UFO:Alien Invasion than this game :X
Though I guess it tells you a lot about the nature of open source development when a cool game like UFOAI appears much better than a commercial game, but is never finished and has all sorts of little problems :X
Guest

I’d really rather see a finished UFO:Alien Invasion than this game :X
Though I guess it tells you a lot about the nature of open source development when a cool game like UFOAI appears much better than a commercial game, but is never finished and has all sorts of little problems :X
http://laserbrainstudios.com Christian Knudsen

“Though I guess it tells you a lot about the nature of open source development when […] UFOAI […] is never finished”

Yup! :D

(Sorry!)
Waffles

Destructible terrain is one of the reasons I loved x-com. So UFOAI is off
Waffles

Destructible terrain is one of the reasons I loved x-com. So UFOAI is off
Wrongtriad

Idiot. it’s not jealousy, it’s the fact that the only intelligence you can muster are the words “first comment”.
Nektonico

it looks ok, but i honestly would expect more in this day and age, on the technical side at least
Ahmed B.

*psst* He/she is trolling.
designatedpiledriver

I’ve always seen X-Com as the closest thing to a board game in video game form that I’ve ever played.

Whenever people try to make a sequel to X-Com, it always feels like someone trying to make a sequel to Chess or Monopoly. I don’t see the point. The game is so standalone that it doesn’t lend itself to a sequel.

Plus due to the procedural generation of the game, each time you play it, it’s completely different. I don’t really need more X-Com when X-Com gives me enough of it (and with enough variation for me to play it even to this day). It’s like trying to make a sequel to DF or Nethack. Why bother?
designatedpiledriver

I mean, you can make other rougelikes, sure. You can make other games that are like X-Com and borrow elements from it. But a sequel? With a game like this, it just feels like reinventing the wheel.
Zlarp

I think it’s more like making another wheel out of the new material instead of wood after discovering rubber.