X-COM Creator: 2K Marin’s FPS A ‘Great Shame’

We now have two titles raiding the treasures of the X-COM IP — a first-person shooter by 2K Marin and a turn-based one more in tune with the original at Firaxis. One has to wonder, with all this strategic alien arse-kicking going on, has anyone thought to talk to Julian Gollop, the guy responsible for it all?

Well, Edge did! In this forthright interview, Gollop explains his feelings towards the new games. He’s lukewarm regarding Firaxis’ approach, but downright cold when it comes to 2K Marin’s stab. From the chat:

How did you feel when the firstperson XCOM game was announced in 2010?

I thought it was a great shame because it was going down the same route as some of the previous X-COM sequels, like Interceptor and Enforcer — in other words, going completely against turn-based combat. It was a bit disappointing from my point of view and for many fans of X-COM. When from out of the blue we heard that Firaxis are doing a turn-based version, it’s as if 2K are trying to cover all their bets.

That’s an interesting conclusion, that 2K’s trying to please everyone. Alternatively, it could be it’s found another way to milk the IP. It’s likely die-hard fans will try both games out of sheer curiosity (I’m sadly in this category), while the shooter fans will yum up one and the strategy guys the other.

Gollop mentions that publishers have cooled to turn-based games. There’s Heroes of Might and Magic series and Civilization, but beyond these, the genre is fairly anaemic compared to FPS and even RTS.

Anyway, it’s a great interview from one of gaming’s legends, so full credit to Edge for getting Gollop to open up.

Julian Gollop on XCOM [Edge]

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