If you feel like doing more X-COM do it. Maybe find out what happened to the comics they were going to make. 🤔 I think Left for Dead was going to have a comic to.
I’ve seen claims that the cut resistance faction was repurposed into Julian and the SPARK units. Their opposing chosen might’ve used weapons for the grenadier and specialist classes, reportedly with some form of “missile overwatch”
Did I miss the mention of X-COM: email? It was a two-player competitive turn-based tactical skirmish game of humans v aliens, set during the original game, and played by sending automatically generated emails back and forth between the two players.
No, you didn't - I didn't touch on it outside of the picture of all of the XCom titles. Honestly, I wasn't aware of it until I found it deeper in the video process and couldn't really find much on it outside of it being shut down. Good catch, and one I did not expect many people to mention
@@GridCommander There wasn't much to it, as I recall - I played it a few times, but it was only ever of interest as evidence that Hasbro was still interested in the franchise...
Overlord company: that game sold fantastically. You have 4 months to make the 2nd one. Developers: we need two years for it to be good. Overlord company: 4 months with reduced budget.
From what i understand, the unused 4th resistance faction in xcom 2 were going to be Androids lead by either Julien Shen himself, or a copy of him, with a fourth Heavy-weapons Chosen as their opposition. You can find an unfinished Android cutscene here on youtube if you look around. Think i also saw some billbords in-game depicting Androids as a purchasable thing, not sure if those would be the same Androids or not though. The Androids would have had a "Mind Vs Matter" rivalry with the Templars similar to the rivalry we see between the Reapers and the Skirmishers, giving both of them a bit of much needed story and interactivity. For the chosen, personally i really like the idea that they are the "Furies" from Xcom Enemy Within, the super-psychic people the Aliens used to assault the Xcom base after you attack the Alien facility. The Furies are: Matthew "Alecto" Hawkens, American Sniper, Male = The Hunter Said "Megaera" Tariq, Egyptian Support, Male = The Warlock Fatima "Tisiphone" Tariq, Egyptian Assault, Female = The Assassin Which would then theoretically leave Annette Durand, French Female = the 4th "Heavy Weapons" chosen. Her class is randomized in-game, but with the other Furies being locked in, then it makes sense for her to be the Heavy class. And it would make sense why those four specifically would be chosen to become the Chosen, because they're the four most powerful psychics on the planet, and in this timeline they might not have burned through a majority of their psychic abilities with the base assault, since Enemy Within isn't canon, and the base assault is from Enemy Within. But that doesn't mean they themselves aren't canon. I wish someone would mod-in the Android faction and the Heavy chosen. it'd be nice to see that scrapped idea added back into the game.
I've heard bits and pieces of this throughout the years - personally i really like the idea that the chosen are the people that were rescued. It really does make sense in the grand scheme of things, even within the weird dissected timeline. A heavy weapon chosen would be such a pain in the butt though 😆 I'm going to look up that cutscene, I had no idea that was a thing. The android faction would have been really cool. Different from the others and a standard in scifi storytelling really. I'm actually surprised nobody has modded them in yet.
@@GridCommander Yeah, I'm wondering if maybe it's a more obscure fact then i think it is. People have modded in other resistance factions before, so it's certainly possible. They got the Asari from Mass Effect in there at least, not sure how difficult it'd be to mod in a new chosen. I'd do it if i had the time, funds, and ability, but alas i have none. Android video is under the title "XCOM 2: War of the Chosen - Cut Ending ~ Android Faction" on youtube.
I would imagine modding in a new chosen would be difficult, but with the amount of enemies and elites that have been modded in maybe not. Same boat: only if I had the time, money, and ability 😆 thanks for giving me the title to the android video
Yeah, growing up I just called everything a sitcom so I tend to think of it as network tv show as opposed to "situational comedy." Didn't even think about it until after I had the video up 😆
Think they might take it to multiple worlds where you have to fight an invasion at home, but invade other planets? They did say some of the soldiers were from conquered planets. You liberate one planet and no longer have to fight that species and they wind up being your allies.
As i understood it, the Elders also had the goal in mind to build a force against a way bigger threat they were running away from. They even talk about you bringing danger to earth by fighting them as you weaken the forces ment to stall that approaching bigger threat. Maybe one has to attempt to convince the eldars on those other planets to cooperate against this new, bigger threat.
I would adore basically Empire at War or Total War style strategic map conquests, with the battle phases of course being the XCOM turn based squad missions we know and love. The combination would be so strong.
The Bureau: I like it, but only because we rarely see anything SciFi take advantage of eras such as the Cold War or the World Wars. And it reminds me of Star Wars: Republic Commando, a FPS with tactical elements that I have yet to see replicated elsewhere. I wouldn’t mind if it got a sequel or had its existence acknowledged in future games, but I completely understand why it probably wouldn’t. Enemy Unknown/Enemy Within: These are fun games, even if the RNG is bullshit. One thing I wish remained from the original game, however, is multiple Skyrangers. I’d like to have more than one team capable of responding to attacks (and it’s one piece of realism that’s actually needed). I love the additions made by Enemy Within, too. Rogue Humans who want to join the aliens, exploring how much more powerful a soldier can become in areas other than Psychic Powers, the SHIV tanks which can act as cover if you build them for it. It’s great! 2/War of the Chosen: The implication I got is that XCOM 2 is from a timeline where you lose the mandatory base defense mission during the first game, and all scenarios where you win (as well as XCOM 2 without DLC) are simulations the aliens ran through your brain. As for EU being the real canon and EW being non-canon? I know what Firaxes has stated, but I beg to differ. Enemy Within seems like the canon option for the first game. The rogue humans are perfect to explain why the nations of the world would join forces with the enemy so soon after XCOM’s defeat, Dr Vallen’s research on Genetically Modified soldiers via Meld feeds _perfectly_ into Alien Hunters, and the MEC troopers of EW perfectly fit as a predecessor to Dr Shen’s SPARK robots and Advent’s Mecs (Dr Shen _was,_ after all, reluctant to perform the steps necessary to make a human capable of becoming a MEC Soldier; so it makes sense that he’d work on making that technology be just as effective without such a direct human interface). And, oddly enough, the late game plot twists of 2/WotC fits almost perfectly with The Bureau. The changes and additions made for the sequel (including DLC) felt like such a natural continuation of EW, and I really like that. Chimera Squad: I haven’t finished the story in its entirety, but I do have enough experience that I have some opinions. First, I’m glad they specifically stated that this was a smaller spinoff to experiment with and not actually XCOM 3. Secondly, I appreciate the idea of choosing where and how my units enter an engagement and would love to have a version of that idea in XCOM 3. Third, while I appreciate having a lot of unique units to give the idea of a team of specialists, I’d much rather have all of them on the field at once, or (like EU/EW) have more than one team operating. I understand the scenario calls for the team to be underfunded and understaffed, but sacrificing my full utility to perform mundane tasks just felt bad; as did having new characters come in and being SEVERELY underleveled. Why give me such a vast and varied tool kit if it’s going to be more of a detriment than a boon? When a veteran is out for medical treatment and needs to be replaced, I have to bring a lvl1 newbie to an engagement balanced for lvl4+ characters! Fourth, concerning the alien species, I like them. They add unique variety to the tool kit, and if I was capable of actually using them more often instead of sidelining them for more experienced units, I would have more to say. But for what it’s worth, having a Sectoid, Shield Bearer, Muton, and Viper on _my_ side for a change is really nice! I do honestly hope they explore this idea more in XCOM 3, should it ever come.
A lot of great points here! I agree completely - multiple skyrangers really would be a HUGE help and quality of life change. It is pretty interesting how well it all fits together with Enemy Within and The Bureau being included (EXALT is actually a playable hero faction in XCom Legends I believe)...and I like that storyline much more personally. I also agree with your assessment of Chimera Squad, giving ONE APC and ONE team seemed a little counter intuitive to the initiative and goals they were pursuing for such a large and troubled city. I think they will continue with us having those handy aliens on our side if/when we get XCOM 3 - just means we'll have to fight even bigger, badder threats and I'm okay with that 😏
While still only having one sky ranger (probably just due to limitations in modding), I really like covert infiltrations idea of having lots of XCOM units out doing stuff and some of those being actual operations that you can control from infiltrations to taking control of ambushed squads. I just wish the infiltrations played more like chimera squad and the full on assault stuff via sky ranger was like it is. Combining both within one game would be nice, I think.
I'm a fairly new fan, currently playing War of the Chosen and Chimera Squad, and I had no idea that XCOM traced back to the 90s. I think it has the potential to reach the same level of prestige as Halo, Fallout, or Killzone, and honestly, I'd love to see the franchise expand into other forms of media. I'd 100% watch an XCOM series. It's very unlikely, but if Secret Level does well on Amazon Prime Video, it would be awesome to see an XCOM episode in the future
love your channel. big fan of turn based combat focused tactics games. I also love your review style. Please make reviews for more tactics games like: Hard West 2, King Arthur: Knight's Tale, Lost Eidolons Veil of the Witch, Front Mission, Battletech, Mechwarrrior, Wartales, Showgunners, Mutant Year 0 and Miasma Chronicles.
Thank you, its much appreciated! I've played a few of those games but not all of them - I'm actually interested in King Arthur but have hesitated to jump in up to this point. I'll have to look into it and some of those other games as well!
I actually heard that the reason they chose humanity lost the war in the 1st (reboot) was due to the percentage of players who had the achievement for beating them, or more accurately did not have the achievement. I didn't remember the underwater one releasing so quickly. I do remember it felt like the exact same thing, just underwater. I'm still genuinely surprised it never showed up in the reboot series. Chimera Squad was ok, but I could never get into it like the previous games. Being based on hero units that would only get knocked out, as opposed to random soldiers you had to carefully rank up, just didn't feel like it had any tension or stakes to me. It was just like 'well, try to keep them alive, but if they are booped out it's not really a big deal,' so I never really felt invested in it. I both really hope we eventually get another XCOM game (feels like it's been forever) and it's a return to the squad based style with random soldiers like the previous games. I was really hoping Phoenix Point would be good, but even though I never played anything but the demo I just couldn't handle it. I'd take my guy, move forward, be like 2 squares from an enemy with like a 90% success chance, miss, then they'd get a reaction move, hit my guy and one shot him. And that somehow kept repeating for EVERY soldier. After half a dozen tries with the demo and one or two random enemies seemingly having endless reaction shots I noped out and never went through with a purchase.
I actually did play xcom legends. It was a mobile game. Generic hero collection game, had turn based actions and a lite version of base mechanics. From my brief playing the lore appears to be set in a world. Continuing after the end of XCOM 2 and XCOM chimera.
I think if they went all in on the game as opposed to having it be more of a side project like it was, it could be really good. Kind of like a modernized Apocalypse
Yeah, i really enjoyed Chimera Squad with it's higher varity of characters and more bitesized missions. Esecially liked the change from team based turns to the initiative one where you have to pay attention of enemies and allies turn order instead of just alphastriking for the win. The closest i found to it so far is the Indiegame Troubleshooter : Abandoned Children which also comes with hero characters instead of custom ones, has the smaller strategic layer (you're also a sort of mercenary police force for a city) and the initiative based turn order. Though the missions can get more repetetive (as you can repeat most of them to you farm certain enemies for drops) and get increasingly large scale, having you fight army sized enemy forces with your squad (and sometimes NPC police force allies). It also comes with a way deeper skillsystem and most of the characters are teens in a more persona style fashion.
I felt more “free” in the other xcom games.. the story and characters seems very “strict” Its not that i dislike the mechanics (or story) it just dosent like feel xcom to me..
Civ5 was my first introduction to XCOM is the sole reason I found this amazing game. I had to figure out what those insane soldiers were in reference to and stumbled upon this glorious franchise.
I just hope we get XCOM 3 and its like an evolved version of Apocalypse. Although now that Jake Solomon left Firaxis I’m curious what will happen now, since those are some big shoes to fill in
that would be fantastic! I was thinking about how they could spin City 31 into this thriving megacity deal and turn it into a modernized Apocalypse to keep that storyline going... But all we can do is hope
I like that UFO Defense was developed in secret, then deployed when it was needed the most. Just like XCOM itself! Anyway, I'm a late-90s-early-2000s kid, so PS2, Xbox, GameCube and Dreamcast were my forte. Trying to play anything from before that era is pretty uncomfortable for me. But I loved Enemy Unknown (if only it loved my PC...) and I loved XCOM 2 even more, so I'm going to try my darndest to play and beat the original! ... As soon as I'm done reading the 130+ page manual! I will never talk bad about in-game tutorials ever again!
I'm around that same era, and was introduced to XCOM with XCOM 2 actually. Going back to the original the first time was pretty rough, but once I got into the flow of things I really enjoyed it! Maybe I should have read the manual first 🤔
man i loved the way "the bureau" game played, the mechanics workd great, had no issues, unlike enemy unknown and enemy within which were so buggy you NEEDED mods to make them work right.... the OG pc game tho "ufo defense" is still the BEST, its base building was more fun anyways. the fan made varient x factions? x force? somethinglike that was very well donem buthad bugs too...
9:01 Just want to say this part is technically slightly incorrect. This is because the expansion version of XCOM and XCOM two have alternate settings that does allow the seed to be re-rolled after loading a previous save. But without that setting yes you cannot save scum.
I think Apocalypse should get a remake. It sounds really cool, and seeing how games like Total War and City Skylines are popular, taking a city sim and implementing geopolitical warfare mechanics would make for an interesting game!
It is implied that the Furies from XCOM:EW became the Chosen. They were kidnapped specifically for their psionic potential. Another thing, Verac here on TH-cam made a video on why Chimera squad's lore and storytelling is horrendous.
Huh.... what about the UFO Aftermath, Aftershock and Afterlight games? Since they have roots in the unfinished Dreamlands Chronicles, I feel like they at least deserve an honorable mention.
I wonder how many people outside CZ know those games :) at the time of release, I liked all of them a lot. Recently I tried to play Aftershock again, and I have to say, that it is pretty tough.
So i actually started playing X-com legends just months before it went offline. I didn't get to finish the story, but if it's events, were Cannon, then exalt was real as many of the characters were from exalt and all had a back story of why they now work with xcom. There was a lot of cool stuff to like the failed chosen who work for you.
I saw that it had EXALT and a Chosen that worked with XCOM, I thought that was interesting. I'm not sure, but the story for it leaned into the multiverse and time travel stuff didn't it?
@GridCommander not exactly, something to do with shadow clones born from psi gates, if you ever walked through 1, the enemy could summon an infinite amount of evil versions of you. Another cool thing I liked about the story was that Russia didn't go quietly into the night as they created the "white sky incident" where they detonated fusion nukes all across Russia so that Advent would gain nothing from them while not turning it into a nuclear waste land. It was named this because the sky turned completely white for several seconds across the whole planet when they detonated.
Honestly I'm glad, time travel multiversey stuff is just a little too much of a cop out. And that Russia story is awesome! Maybe I'll dig into the XCom Legends lore a little and see what I can find
@GridCommander I was getting into it and really trying to rush to see it because I couldn't find anyone who had recorded the story online so I don't know how it ended.
Modding also helped the oldcoms, one big mod is filez which really, really changes things up. Personally if they did make another game i want the meat-grinder feel back. Where you can lose whole squads but ultimately prevailing by getting tech and stuff to make your guys stronger. However bad your soldiers are is ofset by how many you can coordinaye at once
True, modding has become ingrained in the XCOM DNA at this point. I didn't really realize how much mods there were for the oldcoms until I was going through things making this video. The meat grinder feel I think makes the strategic process much deeper...sacrifice for the greater good and whatnot. One game coming out next year that is talking about that kind of approach is Mars Tactics - I'm cautiously optimistic
I tried XCOM Legends once. I don't remember a thing about it, other than that it was boring. I hope Declassified doesn't get delisted or anything though, as from what I've seen, it looks like it could be fun!
I looked up some gameplay of Legends and it was not very enticing 😆 I don't think the Bureau is going anywhere anytime soon - in fact I'm thinking of trying it out myself!
I recommend The Bureau... I got it cheap for my PS3 and wish I still had it... It is a good little game! Just the right level of challenging (I played on Normal Difficulty and despite a nice amount of Save Scumming, I mean - Who doesn't - I was more than satisfied with the story and gameplay. I dont think I ever completed it ... Will have to check that! But I did get quite far! (I Know I never got a Platinum on it!) It added nicely to X-Com Lore... A Shame its no longer Canon!
I love Xcom2 but sadly my game hasn't been launching with mods active anymore. I've tried uninstalling and the alt launcher, but neither worked. Idk why it all of a sudden stopped but it's really sad...
Oh wow that's awful! Maybe a certain mod or mods conflicting is causing the issue? Time consuming but going through and disabling them one at a time might help?
@GridCommander Yeah I did a mass delete and install once. Maybe one is bad. I think I'll have to actually just clear the cashe and cloud in case of bad files, but I will try the mod thing again.
@@GridCommander It's still a work in progress but they've been rolling out updates constantly with a large one on the way right now. The game plays great already, and there's mod support too.
I am 100% positive that the avenger is the alien ship from the enemy unknown operation slingshot (at least I think that’s the right dlc name) that gets shut down by xcom over China. The chosen are from an alien ship that had three humans phonic powers.
I played UFO enemy unknown, Terror from the deep (re-skin of the first), xcom apocalypse(first real time-pause i played) and then.....i played ufo aftermath which i honestly thought it was the same franchise for a long time and something bothered me until i started using internet :P
I'd like to see an xcom game in the same style as enemy unknown that takes place in the past like the aliens visit while we still hav armor or bows and hav to fight them guerrilla style with those weapons while learning to use sum of there technology over time
@@GridCommander TBH I grew up with games that you cant google now, some you can , like PP, Jill Of The Jungle, desert/jungle strike, LHX/Desert Fox/Enemy Uknown, XCom TFDT, X:Apocalypse. At the time - no idea if it was release, us buying it or DD(another archaic) - X:Interceptor was still viable. It was kind of hibrid between base/Xcom and fragile alliegance game. It was challenging and fun back in the day. In essence it memory it kind of feels like early day Freespace 2 with base builidng to cover planets AFAIR.
Yep, he has a radio show in Chimera Squad and XCOM Legends after the humans and aliens have been integrated. Maybe he's Mind controlling the listeners 😆
You're probably thinking of a club DJ. This is more in line with the original idea of a DJ. Basically a radio host, kinda like Howard Stern. TL:DR A Podcaster
in my mind, thye should restart it AGAIN, but by a small developer. give it the classic style, let the story go balistick crazy. and just see what the series can bring. just to have some fun with it again
As lazy as chimera squad feels, i like the idea. Breach missions would be great in an actual xcom game. Felt like a full game based around what should have been like a guerilla op or something
@GridCommander could even be something that's usable during a mission. Like your out of combat, send a squaddie to a locked door and all squaddies within a certain distance can take part
Lol I've got this comment multiple times. Growing up I just called every show a sitcom so I think of it more as "network tv show" vs "situational comedy" it didn't even occur to me until after the video was up 😆
@@GridCommander Seriously, if you ever get the chance to watch it do. It was ahead of its time. Some interesting ideas, it wasn't afraid to have episodes where the aliens won, and having some very deep stories. Shame it only lasted 26 episodes.
Unfortunately 😕 the Game Director Mark Natua is still there though, and he seems passionate about the XCOM franchise when he's discussed it. There's still a glimmer of hope
Why Xcom 2 was had humanity lossing The war, was based off every players frist ending results It turns out only a quarter of people won first attempts in Xcom enemy unknown A interviewer in ign asked why Apparently, they thought the game was easy for new players So the worse ending is the cannon one
Yeah I've gotten this comment a few times.. misspoken on my part. Growing up I just called everything a sitcom so I think of it more as "network tv show" as opposed to "situational comedy." Didn't even think about it until the video was up 😆
@@GridCommander there actually a very cool trend if you take the Xenonauts games into account.. the first attack was during the Bureau 1962, the second attack was while xenonauts , 1979, and the third attack was during Xcom unknown /within 2015, my "theory" is that the old Xcom team got corrupted/ taken care off by the goverment , until 2015 , that's why in Xenonauts and new xcom you start all over again .. the Exalt Cell kept underground until gaining support .. it a shame they don't connect those games .. and it is also a shame enemy within isn't canon .. i feel it was the plan to connect the bureau with the enemy within but then they needed to make a whole new game in between xcom 1 and 2 so they just made an add on ..
I like that, actually a pretty clever way to put it all together! As far as the "canon" goes I feel like the original plans were much different and connected as you said. Things happen, staff and vision changes, etc. And we get a jumbled mess 😆
A Real Shame as it would fit well... Everywhere has a beginning! Yeah... I owned it! I played it and I really liked it! I highly recommend it to anyone who has not tried it... Just dont expect a traditional X-Com Experience!
@GridCommander X-Com Legends was Shut Down? AH SHIT! I have that still installed... I actually kind of enjoyed it for what it was... And The Beureau - X-Com Declassified... Not actually a bad game! I enjoyed it! I also LOVED X-Com Interceptor! Its a bit of a sit to play on modern hardware - Runs too fast... But I still enjoy it!
The Bureau actually seems like a decent game, I'm sure the backlash was mostly due to the change from familiarity. Legends was shut down recently, I believe I saw an article that it had only made a few hundred dollars the last month or so it was up 😬 I actually played interceptor for the first time when I was making this video - as someone who played a decent amount of flight sims when I was younger, I think it would have been solid for the time! Even enforcer has the B movie cheesy horror charm to it😆
@@GridCommander It was... Its still damn fine now in my view, but again on newer PC's runs a bit too fast! I used to play a great deal of ELITE so it was an easy Transition for me... Once I remapped the keys... And yeah, The Bureau is not bad at all! I do feel that traditionalists did indeed hate it, I was new to X-Com so when it came out I was happy to try anything... I had a crack at teh OG games on PlayStation back in the day, Loved them but GOD THEY WERE HARD! So the Bureau was a refreshing change...
I'll probably end up picking it up and playing through it at some point, going over the gameplay while I was making this video actually got me pretty interested 😆
Yeah, had my fun with Declassified too and there seem to even be some easter eggs in the new X-com games mentioning something about that game but i don't remember the actual lines. I played Legends too for a bit, mostly for the story (though got stuck after a while as f2p player and got bored at the artificial wall that required a long grind or paying up to get further due to the inflating stats.). The story felt kinda off and even further away from the main games than chimera squad (which i actually liked a lot despite some canon changes) though so i wasn't to set at giving up due to that wall.
Yes, that's a good way to describe it. I think that is a part of what really turned people off to some of the characters and writing - the "modern audience" slang and style feels out of place and forced at times.
Unpopular opinon: The reboot and its sequels are far inferior to the orgininal game in every way. As stand alone products they're decent games and fairly fun, but as entries in the XCom franchise they're trash.
I've heard that opinion a few times. The modern XCOMs introduced me to the franchise so it has a special place to me, but I've seen a lot of players say it is a more casual, arcadey take that doesn't compare to the original games. Ive been playing them and enjoying them just as much
@@GridCommander The original games suffered from the limits of the time. They were far from perfect, but they had a significant depth in both strategy and tactics that the reboots just don't have.
I played the original one way back, it was fantactic at the time. I played all of them. TFTD was the hardest and scariest. Assaulting an alien base was creepy and dangerous. Apocalypse was a disaster. Interceptor was garbage. The new Xcoms, enemy unknown was good. The chosen are a pain in the butt, and they monologue way too much. ANd look stupid. Chimera squad was a DEI embarassment. You were stuck with pre made characters, the size of the squad was fixed, the maps were too small the weapons were garbage and the XCom was just 4 diversity hires playing cops in a car.
I wish they had took the time to make Apocalypse right or remade it. I feel like it's got some potential. Terror From The Deep really was it's own vibe, I liked the underwater setting way more than expected
@@GridCommander well, they massacred plasma weapon to beam goes whoosh instead of good old green blobs of plasma. Also they removed MECs and changed it to damned SPARKs. Not to mention we fight not the real aliens, but peacekeeping force+puppets (sectoids going psi-necromancy? what the actual?!) called ADVENT... And yeah - changed aliens. Sectoids suddenly become psi-necromants and going size as human, killing the "typical gray man" thingo. Thin man throwed under the bus, when they would still be useful instead of that scary grey hulks that mimicred humans. And yeah - vipers, added just for r34 and furfilling sexual fantasies.
Actually understandable reasons and not what I expected. The entire feel and vibe of XCOM 2 is completely different from enemy within. I liked the darker more intense themes
More XCOM lore videos??
If you feel like doing more X-COM do it. Maybe find out what happened to the comics they were going to make. 🤔 I think Left for Dead was going to have a comic to.
@@cell718 I've heard about the comics but never really followed up on it. Maybe something to look into
EXCUSE ME!!
The UFO TV series was never a sitcom 🤬
You know I didn't even think about that until you brought it up. I mispoke it definitely was not a comedy lol
Yes, please and thank you
I always saw it as "Vigiloconfido" which could be translated as "I trust the watchmen" which always fit really well for me
I think that's the most straightforward and fitting translation
I’ve seen claims that the cut resistance faction was repurposed into Julian and the SPARK units. Their opposing chosen might’ve used weapons for the grenadier and specialist classes, reportedly with some form of “missile overwatch”
An explosive Chosen would be such a pain 😆
Did I miss the mention of X-COM: email?
It was a two-player competitive turn-based tactical skirmish game of humans v aliens, set during the original game, and played by sending automatically generated emails back and forth between the two players.
No, you didn't - I didn't touch on it outside of the picture of all of the XCom titles. Honestly, I wasn't aware of it until I found it deeper in the video process and couldn't really find much on it outside of it being shut down. Good catch, and one I did not expect many people to mention
@@GridCommander There wasn't much to it, as I recall - I played it a few times, but it was only ever of interest as evidence that Hasbro was still interested in the franchise...
Apocalypse really holds a special place in my heart. Good video, my guy!
Honestly I would love to see a modern adaptation of it - thanks for the compliment and taking the time to comment!
Same. I loved the game, the feel of the living city, the corporations. The graphics were a bit weird, but this weirdness had also its charm.
What an incredible deep dive, as someone who loves the series this really brings it all together! Need more of this
Much appreciated! It's definitely got an interesting history
Overlord company: that game sold fantastically. You have 4 months to make the 2nd one.
Developers: we need two years for it to be good.
Overlord company: 4 months with reduced budget.
AAA publishers in a nutshell
This was an incredibly well-made video. I like the pace and the info, everything just flowed smoothly from beginning to end. Keep it coming!
Thank you very much! I tried to keep it informative but also not too slow. Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment
Just gonna leave out that the motel room from The Bureau is in the final level of Enemy Unknown?
Didn't know that! Nice piece of information
From what i understand, the unused 4th resistance faction in xcom 2 were going to be Androids lead by either Julien Shen himself, or a copy of him, with a fourth Heavy-weapons Chosen as their opposition. You can find an unfinished Android cutscene here on youtube if you look around. Think i also saw some billbords in-game depicting Androids as a purchasable thing, not sure if those would be the same Androids or not though.
The Androids would have had a "Mind Vs Matter" rivalry with the Templars similar to the rivalry we see between the Reapers and the Skirmishers, giving both of them a bit of much needed story and interactivity.
For the chosen, personally i really like the idea that they are the "Furies" from Xcom Enemy Within, the super-psychic people the Aliens used to assault the Xcom base after you attack the Alien facility.
The Furies are:
Matthew "Alecto" Hawkens, American Sniper, Male = The Hunter
Said "Megaera" Tariq, Egyptian Support, Male = The Warlock
Fatima "Tisiphone" Tariq, Egyptian Assault, Female = The Assassin
Which would then theoretically leave
Annette Durand, French Female = the 4th "Heavy Weapons" chosen.
Her class is randomized in-game, but with the other Furies being locked in, then it makes sense for her to be the Heavy class.
And it would make sense why those four specifically would be chosen to become the Chosen, because they're the four most powerful psychics on the planet, and in this timeline they might not have burned through a majority of their psychic abilities with the base assault, since Enemy Within isn't canon, and the base assault is from Enemy Within. But that doesn't mean they themselves aren't canon.
I wish someone would mod-in the Android faction and the Heavy chosen. it'd be nice to see that scrapped idea added back into the game.
I've heard bits and pieces of this throughout the years - personally i really like the idea that the chosen are the people that were rescued. It really does make sense in the grand scheme of things, even within the weird dissected timeline. A heavy weapon chosen would be such a pain in the butt though 😆
I'm going to look up that cutscene, I had no idea that was a thing.
The android faction would have been really cool. Different from the others and a standard in scifi storytelling really. I'm actually surprised nobody has modded them in yet.
@@GridCommander Yeah, I'm wondering if maybe it's a more obscure fact then i think it is. People have modded in other resistance factions before, so it's certainly possible. They got the Asari from Mass Effect in there at least, not sure how difficult it'd be to mod in a new chosen. I'd do it if i had the time, funds, and ability, but alas i have none.
Android video is under the title "XCOM 2: War of the Chosen - Cut Ending ~ Android Faction" on youtube.
I would imagine modding in a new chosen would be difficult, but with the amount of enemies and elites that have been modded in maybe not. Same boat: only if I had the time, money, and ability 😆 thanks for giving me the title to the android video
Im from latinoamerica, and every time i read "vigilo confido" i translate as "vigilo confiado"/"im confident watchman"
Minor correction: the UFO tv series was a drama, not a sitcom.
Yeah, growing up I just called everything a sitcom so I tend to think of it as network tv show as opposed to "situational comedy." Didn't even think about it until after I had the video up 😆
Think they might take it to multiple worlds where you have to fight an invasion at home, but invade other planets? They did say some of the soldiers were from conquered planets. You liberate one planet and no longer have to fight that species and they wind up being your allies.
That sounds like it would be a fun and natural way to work it in - chasing down the larger threat while liberating planets one at a time
As i understood it, the Elders also had the goal in mind to build a force against a way bigger threat they were running away from. They even talk about you bringing danger to earth by fighting them as you weaken the forces ment to stall that approaching bigger threat.
Maybe one has to attempt to convince the eldars on those other planets to cooperate against this new, bigger threat.
I would adore basically Empire at War or Total War style strategic map conquests, with the battle phases of course being the XCOM turn based squad missions we know and love. The combination would be so strong.
The Bureau:
I like it, but only because we rarely see anything SciFi take advantage of eras such as the Cold War or the World Wars. And it reminds me of Star Wars: Republic Commando, a FPS with tactical elements that I have yet to see replicated elsewhere. I wouldn’t mind if it got a sequel or had its existence acknowledged in future games, but I completely understand why it probably wouldn’t.
Enemy Unknown/Enemy Within:
These are fun games, even if the RNG is bullshit. One thing I wish remained from the original game, however, is multiple Skyrangers. I’d like to have more than one team capable of responding to attacks (and it’s one piece of realism that’s actually needed). I love the additions made by Enemy Within, too. Rogue Humans who want to join the aliens, exploring how much more powerful a soldier can become in areas other than Psychic Powers, the SHIV tanks which can act as cover if you build them for it. It’s great!
2/War of the Chosen:
The implication I got is that XCOM 2 is from a timeline where you lose the mandatory base defense mission during the first game, and all scenarios where you win (as well as XCOM 2 without DLC) are simulations the aliens ran through your brain. As for EU being the real canon and EW being non-canon? I know what Firaxes has stated, but I beg to differ. Enemy Within seems like the canon option for the first game. The rogue humans are perfect to explain why the nations of the world would join forces with the enemy so soon after XCOM’s defeat, Dr Vallen’s research on Genetically Modified soldiers via Meld feeds _perfectly_ into Alien Hunters, and the MEC troopers of EW perfectly fit as a predecessor to Dr Shen’s SPARK robots and Advent’s Mecs (Dr Shen _was,_ after all, reluctant to perform the steps necessary to make a human capable of becoming a MEC Soldier; so it makes sense that he’d work on making that technology be just as effective without such a direct human interface). And, oddly enough, the late game plot twists of 2/WotC fits almost perfectly with The Bureau. The changes and additions made for the sequel (including DLC) felt like such a natural continuation of EW, and I really like that.
Chimera Squad:
I haven’t finished the story in its entirety, but I do have enough experience that I have some opinions. First, I’m glad they specifically stated that this was a smaller spinoff to experiment with and not actually XCOM 3. Secondly, I appreciate the idea of choosing where and how my units enter an engagement and would love to have a version of that idea in XCOM 3. Third, while I appreciate having a lot of unique units to give the idea of a team of specialists, I’d much rather have all of them on the field at once, or (like EU/EW) have more than one team operating. I understand the scenario calls for the team to be underfunded and understaffed, but sacrificing my full utility to perform mundane tasks just felt bad; as did having new characters come in and being SEVERELY underleveled. Why give me such a vast and varied tool kit if it’s going to be more of a detriment than a boon? When a veteran is out for medical treatment and needs to be replaced, I have to bring a lvl1 newbie to an engagement balanced for lvl4+ characters! Fourth, concerning the alien species, I like them. They add unique variety to the tool kit, and if I was capable of actually using them more often instead of sidelining them for more experienced units, I would have more to say. But for what it’s worth, having a Sectoid, Shield Bearer, Muton, and Viper on _my_ side for a change is really nice! I do honestly hope they explore this idea more in XCOM 3, should it ever come.
A lot of great points here! I agree completely - multiple skyrangers really would be a HUGE help and quality of life change. It is pretty interesting how well it all fits together with Enemy Within and The Bureau being included (EXALT is actually a playable hero faction in XCom Legends I believe)...and I like that storyline much more personally.
I also agree with your assessment of Chimera Squad, giving ONE APC and ONE team seemed a little counter intuitive to the initiative and goals they were pursuing for such a large and troubled city.
I think they will continue with us having those handy aliens on our side if/when we get XCOM 3 - just means we'll have to fight even bigger, badder threats and I'm okay with that 😏
While still only having one sky ranger (probably just due to limitations in modding), I really like covert infiltrations idea of having lots of XCOM units out doing stuff and some of those being actual operations that you can control from infiltrations to taking control of ambushed squads.
I just wish the infiltrations played more like chimera squad and the full on assault stuff via sky ranger was like it is.
Combining both within one game would be nice, I think.
Honestly sounds amazing - I think it would work really well if done right together
I'm a fairly new fan, currently playing War of the Chosen and Chimera Squad, and I had no idea that XCOM traced back to the 90s. I think it has the potential to reach the same level of prestige as Halo, Fallout, or Killzone, and honestly, I'd love to see the franchise expand into other forms of media. I'd 100% watch an XCOM series. It's very unlikely, but if Secret Level does well on Amazon Prime Video, it would be awesome to see an XCOM episode in the future
I would absolutely watch an XCom series!
It's pretty ancient. If I recall I installed those early games on 3.5" floppies.
love your channel. big fan of turn based combat focused tactics games. I also love your review style. Please make reviews for more tactics games like: Hard West 2, King Arthur: Knight's Tale, Lost Eidolons Veil of the Witch, Front Mission, Battletech, Mechwarrrior, Wartales, Showgunners, Mutant Year 0 and Miasma Chronicles.
Thank you, its much appreciated! I've played a few of those games but not all of them - I'm actually interested in King Arthur but have hesitated to jump in up to this point. I'll have to look into it and some of those other games as well!
I actually heard that the reason they chose humanity lost the war in the 1st (reboot) was due to the percentage of players who had the achievement for beating them, or more accurately did not have the achievement.
I didn't remember the underwater one releasing so quickly. I do remember it felt like the exact same thing, just underwater. I'm still genuinely surprised it never showed up in the reboot series.
Chimera Squad was ok, but I could never get into it like the previous games. Being based on hero units that would only get knocked out, as opposed to random soldiers you had to carefully rank up, just didn't feel like it had any tension or stakes to me. It was just like 'well, try to keep them alive, but if they are booped out it's not really a big deal,' so I never really felt invested in it. I both really hope we eventually get another XCOM game (feels like it's been forever) and it's a return to the squad based style with random soldiers like the previous games.
I was really hoping Phoenix Point would be good, but even though I never played anything but the demo I just couldn't handle it. I'd take my guy, move forward, be like 2 squares from an enemy with like a 90% success chance, miss, then they'd get a reaction move, hit my guy and one shot him. And that somehow kept repeating for EVERY soldier. After half a dozen tries with the demo and one or two random enemies seemingly having endless reaction shots I noped out and never went through with a purchase.
There is still hope for an underwater reboot! I'd love to see it.
I heard that too about the achievement stats somewhere now that you mention it...
Chimera Squad was great, but I'm really craving for a new proper XCOM game already, the fact it's been almost a decade since OG XCOM 2 release is wild
I remember loading it up on my PS4 years ago like it was yesterday
I actually did play xcom legends. It was a mobile game. Generic hero collection game, had turn based actions and a lite version of base mechanics. From my brief playing the lore appears to be set in a world. Continuing after the end of XCOM 2 and XCOM chimera.
I have found some bits and pieces of gameplay and the story here and there. Maybe I'll look into it a little more and see if I can piece it together
@GridCommander also the characters had backstory to themselves as well. Lore tidbits.
I always wished they would add SG-1 team members as hero units
Would be a nice Easter egg
I'll speak up in favor of Chimera Squad, and I hope it gets a sequel some day.
I think if they went all in on the game as opposed to having it be more of a side project like it was, it could be really good. Kind of like a modernized Apocalypse
I will echo you on that! Not played it for along time but I also enjoyed it!
Yeah, i really enjoyed Chimera Squad with it's higher varity of characters and more bitesized missions.
Esecially liked the change from team based turns to the initiative one where you have to pay attention of enemies and allies turn order instead of just alphastriking for the win.
The closest i found to it so far is the Indiegame Troubleshooter : Abandoned Children which also comes with hero characters instead of custom ones, has the smaller strategic layer (you're also a sort of mercenary police force for a city) and the initiative based turn order.
Though the missions can get more repetetive (as you can repeat most of them to you farm certain enemies for drops) and get increasingly large scale, having you fight army sized enemy forces with your squad (and sometimes NPC police force allies). It also comes with a way deeper skillsystem and most of the characters are teens in a more persona style fashion.
Troubleshooter is an underrated gem, glad to see someone mention it
I felt more “free” in the other xcom games.. the story and characters seems very “strict”
Its not that i dislike the mechanics (or story) it just dosent like feel xcom to me..
Civ5 was my first introduction to XCOM is the sole reason I found this amazing game. I had to figure out what those insane soldiers were in reference to and stumbled upon this glorious franchise.
That's awesome! Civ 5 is my favorite Civ
I just hope we get XCOM 3 and its like an evolved version of Apocalypse. Although now that Jake Solomon left Firaxis I’m curious what will happen now, since those are some big shoes to fill in
that would be fantastic! I was thinking about how they could spin City 31 into this thriving megacity deal and turn it into a modernized Apocalypse to keep that storyline going... But all we can do is hope
Great video. All spot on.
Well, except that the UFO TV series is definitely not a sitcom.
I'll be coming back to see you when the game I am working on is ready to play. It's an occult themed turn-based survival-horror
That sounds fantastic! Not enough horror themed games in the genre
Amazing video.
I appreciate it! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment
Well done, very nice and informative
Thank you! Much appreciated
I like that UFO Defense was developed in secret, then deployed when it was needed the most. Just like XCOM itself! Anyway, I'm a late-90s-early-2000s kid, so PS2, Xbox, GameCube and Dreamcast were my forte. Trying to play anything from before that era is pretty uncomfortable for me. But I loved Enemy Unknown (if only it loved my PC...) and I loved XCOM 2 even more, so I'm going to try my darndest to play and beat the original! ... As soon as I'm done reading the 130+ page manual! I will never talk bad about in-game tutorials ever again!
I'm around that same era, and was introduced to XCOM with XCOM 2 actually. Going back to the original the first time was pretty rough, but once I got into the flow of things I really enjoyed it! Maybe I should have read the manual first 🤔
man i loved the way "the bureau" game played, the mechanics workd great, had no issues, unlike enemy unknown and enemy within which were so buggy you NEEDED mods to make them work right.... the OG pc game tho "ufo defense" is still the BEST, its base building was more fun anyways. the fan made varient x factions? x force? somethinglike that was very well donem buthad bugs too...
Bureau legitimately looks like its a fun game, I'm thinking about picking it up and playing through it next time it's on sale
9:01 Just want to say this part is technically slightly incorrect. This is because the expansion version of XCOM and XCOM two have alternate settings that does allow the seed to be re-rolled after loading a previous save. But without that setting yes you cannot save scum.
Thanks for the information!
I think Apocalypse should get a remake. It sounds really cool, and seeing how games like Total War and City Skylines are popular, taking a city sim and implementing geopolitical warfare mechanics would make for an interesting game!
I agree 100% - it would be a nice change of pace for the series and has a ton of potential
It is implied that the Furies from XCOM:EW became the Chosen. They were kidnapped specifically for their psionic potential. Another thing, Verac here on TH-cam made a video on why Chimera squad's lore and storytelling is horrendous.
Good video recommendation 😆
Huh.... what about the UFO Aftermath, Aftershock and Afterlight games? Since they have roots in the unfinished Dreamlands Chronicles, I feel like they at least deserve an honorable mention.
You're right, I dropped the ball there 😬
@@GridCommander idea for a new video.... "the xcom games that never bore the title" ... or something like that. ^^
Good idea! There's a decent amount of them including a few very much XCOM but not named XCOM games lol
I wonder how many people outside CZ know those games :) at the time of release, I liked all of them a lot. Recently I tried to play Aftershock again, and I have to say, that it is pretty tough.
Would be fun if you could make Bill Stealey an interceptor pilot in X-Com.
So i actually started playing X-com legends just months before it went offline. I didn't get to finish the story, but if it's events, were Cannon, then exalt was real as many of the characters were from exalt and all had a back story of why they now work with xcom. There was a lot of cool stuff to like the failed chosen who work for you.
I saw that it had EXALT and a Chosen that worked with XCOM, I thought that was interesting. I'm not sure, but the story for it leaned into the multiverse and time travel stuff didn't it?
@GridCommander not exactly, something to do with shadow clones born from psi gates, if you ever walked through 1, the enemy could summon an infinite amount of evil versions of you.
Another cool thing I liked about the story was that Russia didn't go quietly into the night as they created the "white sky incident" where they detonated fusion nukes all across Russia so that Advent would gain nothing from them while not turning it into a nuclear waste land. It was named this because the sky turned completely white for several seconds across the whole planet when they detonated.
Honestly I'm glad, time travel multiversey stuff is just a little too much of a cop out. And that Russia story is awesome! Maybe I'll dig into the XCom Legends lore a little and see what I can find
@GridCommander I was getting into it and really trying to rush to see it because I couldn't find anyone who had recorded the story online so I don't know how it ended.
There's that one russian book "Х-ком Враг неизвестен" actually pretty readable on par with original Doom books
I'll have to check it out! Im reading Ressurection at the moment
Modding also helped the oldcoms, one big mod is filez which really, really changes things up. Personally if they did make another game i want the meat-grinder feel back. Where you can lose whole squads but ultimately prevailing by getting tech and stuff to make your guys stronger. However bad your soldiers are is ofset by how many you can coordinaye at once
True, modding has become ingrained in the XCOM DNA at this point. I didn't really realize how much mods there were for the oldcoms until I was going through things making this video.
The meat grinder feel I think makes the strategic process much deeper...sacrifice for the greater good and whatnot. One game coming out next year that is talking about that kind of approach is Mars Tactics - I'm cautiously optimistic
I tried XCOM Legends once. I don't remember a thing about it, other than that it was boring. I hope Declassified doesn't get delisted or anything though, as from what I've seen, it looks like it could be fun!
I looked up some gameplay of Legends and it was not very enticing 😆 I don't think the Bureau is going anywhere anytime soon - in fact I'm thinking of trying it out myself!
I recommend The Bureau... I got it cheap for my PS3 and wish I still had it... It is a good little game! Just the right level of challenging (I played on Normal Difficulty and despite a nice amount of Save Scumming, I mean - Who doesn't - I was more than satisfied with the story and gameplay. I dont think I ever completed it ... Will have to check that! But I did get quite far! (I Know I never got a Platinum on it!)
It added nicely to X-Com Lore... A Shame its no longer Canon!
I love Xcom2 but sadly my game hasn't been launching with mods active anymore.
I've tried uninstalling and the alt launcher, but neither worked. Idk why it all of a sudden stopped but it's really sad...
Oh wow that's awful! Maybe a certain mod or mods conflicting is causing the issue? Time consuming but going through and disabling them one at a time might help?
@GridCommander Yeah I did a mass delete and install once. Maybe one is bad. I think I'll have to actually just clear the cashe and cloud in case of bad files, but I will try the mod thing again.
@emilysmite9356 good luck, I hope you can get it working
@@GridCommander Thanks ^^
I remember Alf.
I liked Chimera except for the overwhelming DEI influence
Honestly I really liked the breach mechanic, maybe not constantly but it could be cool to use here and there.
Well, now we have Terra Invicta from the team that previously made the Long War mods
Haven't played it yet but I've been keeping an eye on it.. Hear a lot of positives
@@GridCommander It's still a work in progress but they've been rolling out updates constantly with a large one on the way right now. The game plays great already, and there's mod support too.
I feel like it's one I will inevitably check out. I feel like I have time because it's in EA but I can't lie the itch to try it is growing 😆
@@GridCommander there's already an (in progress) total conversion mod based on a Spacebattles quest :D
@@red_cosplay a total conversion mod of an early access game is wild 😆 but i would expect nothing less considering the origins of the game
I am 100% positive that the avenger is the alien ship from the enemy unknown operation slingshot (at least I think that’s the right dlc name) that gets shut down by xcom over China. The chosen are from an alien ship that had three humans phonic powers.
Yes!
I played UFO enemy unknown, Terror from the deep (re-skin of the first), xcom apocalypse(first real time-pause i played) and then.....i played ufo aftermath which i honestly thought it was the same franchise for a long time and something bothered me until i started using internet :P
Haha I'm sure you're not the only one! It definitely looks (and named) like same franchise
@@GridCommander And the greys have that homing bazooka
Would love to see a modern UFO aftermath game now thinking about it 😆
@@GridCommander that i concur!
I remember ALF and I remember playing laser squad 2
Nice! I've only played the "abandonware" versions of laser squad
@@GridCommanderI didn't know it was a early version of xcom though, that's down to your detailed video. Good work 👍
Thank you! Much appreciated
I'd like to see an xcom game in the same style as enemy unknown that takes place in the past like the aliens visit while we still hav armor or bows and hav to fight them guerrilla style with those weapons while learning to use sum of there technology over time
Ooo I like that idea. Alien invasion in tribal times. It is very sci Fi and possibly unrealistic but it would be amazing
You forgot the UFO Aftermath and UFO Aftershock series
That is true! I should've added those in there as well.
I kind of enjoyed X: interceptor back in the day.
I never played it but the look reminds me of a lot of the older flight sim style games with a space theme. Was probably not bad for the time
@@GridCommander TBH I grew up with games that you cant google now, some you can , like PP, Jill Of The Jungle, desert/jungle strike, LHX/Desert Fox/Enemy Uknown, XCom TFDT, X:Apocalypse. At the time - no idea if it was release, us buying it or DD(another archaic) - X:Interceptor was still viable.
It was kind of hibrid between base/Xcom and fragile alliegance game. It was challenging and fun back in the day. In essence it memory it kind of feels like early day Freespace 2 with base builidng to cover planets AFAIR.
Actually sounds pretty good! I thought about giving it a try through GOG - only costs a few bucks
@@GridCommander unless you are into a challenge. Freespace 2 is better choice. X:I just nostalgia.
19:00 Sectoid DJ ?!?
Yep, he has a radio show in Chimera Squad and XCOM Legends after the humans and aliens have been integrated. Maybe he's Mind controlling the listeners 😆
You're probably thinking of a club DJ. This is more in line with the original idea of a DJ. Basically a radio host, kinda like Howard Stern. TL:DR A Podcaster
in my mind, thye should restart it AGAIN, but by a small developer. give it the classic style, let the story go balistick crazy. and just see what the series can bring. just to have some fun with it again
They might as well, it's kind of been left in an odd spot where it's at now. I'm all for crazy and seeing what sticks 😆
Gordon Shumway from the planet Melmac, where cats are a delicacy!
😆
As lazy as chimera squad feels, i like the idea. Breach missions would be great in an actual xcom game. Felt like a full game based around what should have been like a guerilla op or something
For sure! I liked the breach mechanic a lot, just not every mission, multiple times a mission.
@GridCommander could even be something that's usable during a mission. Like your out of combat, send a squaddie to a locked door and all squaddies within a certain distance can take part
I think that would be a good way to do it. A nice alternative to sprinting across maps kicking in doors and jumping through windows 😆
gods im hoping for an xcom 3.
Same! 🤞
2:19 Did you seriously refer to Gerry Anderson's U.F.O as a sitcom?:
Lol I've got this comment multiple times. Growing up I just called every show a sitcom so I think of it more as "network tv show" vs "situational comedy" it didn't even occur to me until after the video was up 😆
@@GridCommander Seriously, if you ever get the chance to watch it do. It was ahead of its time. Some interesting ideas, it wasn't afraid to have episodes where the aliens won, and having some very deep stories. Shame it only lasted 26 episodes.
Sounds great, I'll have to find a way to watch it
A horror game xcom would be fun actually. Like x files with more guns
I agree. I'm surprised there really aren't any deep horror games in the genre.
It seems the most of the XCOM team has moved on and are not working on XCOM 3... 😕
Unfortunately 😕 the Game Director Mark Natua is still there though, and he seems passionate about the XCOM franchise when he's discussed it. There's still a glimmer of hope
Why Xcom 2 was had humanity lossing The war, was based off every players frist ending results
It turns out only a quarter of people won first attempts in Xcom enemy unknown
A interviewer in ign asked why
Apparently, they thought the game was easy for new players
So the worse ending is the cannon one
Now that you say that, I do think I read that somewhere years ago. Good piece of info!
you really skipped over the first two games giving more credit to spin offs and prequels... why not start with the OG....
UFO Defense and Terror From The Deep are talked about
That's right. Cute, hot viper girls are canon. Especially Torque, my waifu
I mean technically they always were, just you were shooting them instead 😆
@GridCommander well yeah, but now you can give them a hug and survive.
Ever heard of this XCOM knockoff for gba called Rebelstar Tactical Command?
I've heard of it but never played it, didn't know it was an XCOM knockoff. It's got pretty good reviews from what I can see
@GridCommander I regret never seeing it back I was heavy into the GBA, probably would have played it for entirely too many hours.
Agreed! It looks pretty good - honestly I'm surprised I hadn't heard more about it years ago
Thank you for this video, but I have to say, that UFO show was not sitcom.
Yeah I've gotten this comment a few times.. misspoken on my part. Growing up I just called everything a sitcom so I think of it more as "network tv show" as opposed to "situational comedy." Didn't even think about it until the video was up 😆
the thin man were meant to resemble men in black
That is a cool little reference. They do look a little like an unhealthy Agent Kay 😆
Um, did you just call Alf a "much less threatening Alien"? The local cat population may disagree with you, if they're still alive...
😆 Fair point. Whisker omelettes for breakfast
For Me Exalt is the remnant of the old Xcom force that was in the bureau.. corrupted by the ethereal
I like that angle
@@GridCommander there actually a very cool trend if you take the Xenonauts games into account.. the first attack was during the Bureau 1962, the second attack was while xenonauts , 1979, and the third attack was during Xcom unknown /within 2015, my "theory" is that the old Xcom team got corrupted/ taken care off by the goverment , until 2015 , that's why in Xenonauts and new xcom you start all over again .. the Exalt Cell kept underground until gaining support .. it a shame they don't connect those games ..
and it is also a shame enemy within isn't canon .. i feel it was the plan to connect
the bureau with the enemy within but then they needed to make a whole new game in between xcom 1 and 2 so they just made an add on ..
I like that, actually a pretty clever way to put it all together! As far as the "canon" goes I feel like the original plans were much different and connected as you said. Things happen, staff and vision changes, etc. And we get a jumbled mess 😆
I cant STAND Chimera Squad, I have been waiting for XCom 3 anxiously v.v It gets really old having to keep up with 100+ mods everytime I want to play.
I enjoy the modding but it can absolutely be time consuming
Xcom the Bureau consider non-canon for Fitaxis Xcom.
Yep, random side game
A Real Shame as it would fit well... Everywhere has a beginning! Yeah... I owned it! I played it and I really liked it! I highly recommend it to anyone who has not tried it... Just dont expect a traditional X-Com Experience!
@GridCommander X-Com Legends was Shut Down? AH SHIT! I have that still installed... I actually kind of enjoyed it for what it was...
And The Beureau - X-Com Declassified... Not actually a bad game! I enjoyed it!
I also LOVED X-Com Interceptor! Its a bit of a sit to play on modern hardware - Runs too fast... But I still enjoy it!
The Bureau actually seems like a decent game, I'm sure the backlash was mostly due to the change from familiarity. Legends was shut down recently, I believe I saw an article that it had only made a few hundred dollars the last month or so it was up 😬
I actually played interceptor for the first time when I was making this video - as someone who played a decent amount of flight sims when I was younger, I think it would have been solid for the time! Even enforcer has the B movie cheesy horror charm to it😆
@@GridCommander It was... Its still damn fine now in my view, but again on newer PC's runs a bit too fast! I used to play a great deal of ELITE so it was an easy Transition for me... Once I remapped the keys...
And yeah, The Bureau is not bad at all! I do feel that traditionalists did indeed hate it, I was new to X-Com so when it came out I was happy to try anything... I had a crack at teh OG games on PlayStation back in the day, Loved them but GOD THEY WERE HARD! So the Bureau was a refreshing change...
I'll probably end up picking it up and playing through it at some point, going over the gameplay while I was making this video actually got me pretty interested 😆
Yeah, had my fun with Declassified too and there seem to even be some easter eggs in the new X-com games mentioning something about that game but i don't remember the actual lines.
I played Legends too for a bit, mostly for the story (though got stuck after a while as f2p player and got bored at the artificial wall that required a long grind or paying up to get further due to the inflating stats.). The story felt kinda off and even further away from the main games than chimera squad (which i actually liked a lot despite some canon changes) though so i wasn't to set at giving up due to that wall.
I played x on legends
Was it any good?
Chimera Squad is just such an insult to the spirit of the series and the fans.
I don't mind some of the mechanics, but man it just feels half baked. And to make it harder to mod basically made it unfixable lol
I don’t care what the devs say but my X-COM exterminated the Xeno scum left on earth after the second game.
Damn right 🫡
But Enemy Within was so cool :(
It really was..sad they didn't do more with EXALT
except for Microprose's X-com EU and X-com 2 TFTD this is all herasy and fanfiction. DOS versions FTW ,
Chimera Squad just had AWFUL writing. The characters dialogue was fantastic fiction writing at BEST.
Very "modern audience" kind of stuff.
Yes, that's a good way to describe it. I think that is a part of what really turned people off to some of the characters and writing - the "modern audience" slang and style feels out of place and forced at times.
Unpopular opinon: The reboot and its sequels are far inferior to the orgininal game in every way. As stand alone products they're decent games and fairly fun, but as entries in the XCom franchise they're trash.
I've heard that opinion a few times. The modern XCOMs introduced me to the franchise so it has a special place to me, but I've seen a lot of players say it is a more casual, arcadey take that doesn't compare to the original games. Ive been playing them and enjoying them just as much
@@GridCommander The original games suffered from the limits of the time. They were far from perfect, but they had a significant depth in both strategy and tactics that the reboots just don't have.
I can agree with that. It would be great to see a modernized version that is true to the originals mechanics and systems
I played the original one way back, it was fantactic at the time. I played all of them. TFTD was the hardest and scariest. Assaulting an alien base was creepy and dangerous. Apocalypse was a disaster. Interceptor was garbage. The new Xcoms, enemy unknown was good. The chosen are a pain in the butt, and they monologue way too much. ANd look stupid. Chimera squad was a DEI embarassment. You were stuck with pre made characters, the size of the squad was fixed, the maps were too small the weapons were garbage and the XCom was just 4 diversity hires playing cops in a car.
I wish they had took the time to make Apocalypse right or remade it. I feel like it's got some potential. Terror From The Deep really was it's own vibe, I liked the underwater setting way more than expected
For me, Chimera Squad was a completely flat and repetitive game with annoying characters and dull story.
I thought the breaching was a nice touch at first, but doing it constantly every mission took that feeling away fairly quickly.
@@GridCommander Was the same for me.
Dude you need to learn how to speak slower.
I have that problem sometimes 😆
Chimera squad is NOT canon, idc what anyone says
XCOM 2 and chimera is bruh and non-canon. And if i could partially accept XCOM 2, i cant chimera. Its just cringe...
Chimera I can get, what didn't you like about XCOM 2?
@@GridCommander well, they massacred plasma weapon to beam goes whoosh instead of good old green blobs of plasma. Also they removed MECs and changed it to damned SPARKs. Not to mention we fight not the real aliens, but peacekeeping force+puppets (sectoids going psi-necromancy? what the actual?!) called ADVENT...
And yeah - changed aliens. Sectoids suddenly become psi-necromants and going size as human, killing the "typical gray man" thingo. Thin man throwed under the bus, when they would still be useful instead of that scary grey hulks that mimicred humans. And yeah - vipers, added just for r34 and furfilling sexual fantasies.
Actually understandable reasons and not what I expected. The entire feel and vibe of XCOM 2 is completely different from enemy within. I liked the darker more intense themes
huh, where my comment go?
I don't have any from you other than the two that are already here