News

by **recoil** » 14 Apr 2010 06:25

http://www.bhpress.co.uk/link.asp?i=1862&r=8510&r2=6471

Windsor, UK – April 14, 2010 – 2K Games announced today that XCOM®, the re-imagining of one of gaming’s most storied and beloved franchises, is currently in development at 2K Marin, the studio behind the multi-million unit selling BioShock® 2. Currently in development exclusively for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC, XCOM combines the strategic core of the groundbreaking franchise with a suspense-filled narrative and distills it into a tense and unique first-person shooter experience.

“With BioShock 2, the team at 2K Marin proved themselves as masters of first-person, suspenseful storytelling, and with XCOM they will re-imagine and expand the rich lore of this revered franchise,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Players will explore the world of XCOM from an immersive new perspective and experience firsthand the fear and tension of this gripping narrative ride.”

XCOM is the re-imagining of the classic tale of humanity’s struggle against an unknown enemy that puts players directly into the shoes of an FBI agent tasked with identifying and eliminating the growing threat. True to the roots of the franchise, players will be placed in charge of overcoming high-stake odds through risky strategic gambits coupled with heart-stopping combat experiences that pit human ingenuity – and frailty – against a foe beyond comprehension. By setting the game in a first-person perspective, players will be able to feel the tension and fear that comes with combating a faceless enemy that is violently probing and plotting its way into our world.

XCOM is not yet age-rated. For more information on XCOM please visit http://www.XCOM.com

by **MrPattywagon** » 14 Apr 2010 09:58

My initial elated surprise was smothered before I had a chance to celebrate.

There were obvious guideposts like references to 2K Marin ("Marin? Why?" I thought to myself), Xbox ("uh oh"), and "immersive new perspective" (*eye twitch*). I still had some hope that I was reading into the shady language and console choice too heavily but then I caught the explicit mention of the game's genre (which I somehow missed) and that died, too.

"experience firsthand the fear and tension of this gripping narrative ride.”

lol. Well, this news piece was certainly a tense and anxious narrative experience for me. But I think I've had my fill, 2K, thanks anyway.

Whether or not this turns out to be a decent first-person shooter, I am still disappointed with the direction this revived IP is going. I doubt I'm alone on this one.

by **Dolt** » 27 Mar 2013 22:46

http://kotaku.com/ghost-recon-breakfast ... Socialflow

Last week, Take-Two registered the domains thebureau-game.com, thebureau-game.net, whathappenedin62.com, and whathappenedin62.net. These domains seem to hint at a rebranding of 2K's beleaguered XCOM shooter, which places players in the shoes of an FBI agent in 1962. Given the success of Firaxis' XCOM: Enemy Unknown, I wouldn't be surprised if 2K thought having two very different games in different genres could dilute the franchise's brand.

The XCOM shooter has been in off-on development since 2005 and gone through a number of iterations at several studios, including 2K Australia, Irrational Games and current developer 2K Marin. Recent information suggests that 2K dropped the first-person perspective in favor of SOCOM-esque third-person tactical shooter possibly for downloadable distribution platforms.

by **Dolt** » 27 Mar 2013 23:06

Let's flesh out the thread a little:

http://www.xcom.com/xcom/

Featuring a bold new origin story told from a first-person perspective, XCOM pits Special Agent William Carter and his team against the threat of human extinction from an insidious otherworldly force. But every enemy is an opportunity – players will strike surgically against the alien menace, capture their technology, and by the science of desperation – turn the invaders' weapons against them.

Armed with these lethal new tools of war, players will command their squad on XCOM's front lines: Main Street, USA.

FEATURES
Recruit the Finest: The player leads an elite field team of specialized government agents into battle – combining deep, visceral gunplay with powerful sci-fi abilities. A special tactical mode lets you see the "battlescape" where all possible actions the agents might take are revealed for your command.

An Elite Division: Plan and equip your missions from the underground XCOM base: the center for researching the alien technology, building out your weapon cache and choosing the agents to accompany you on each adventure.

Capture and Harness Their Technology: Strike surgically against the alien menace, capture their technology and turn the invaders' weapons against them. Equip your team with an arsenal of powerful weapons utilizing modified alien tech.

Feel the Weight of Mankind's Last Stand: The American Dream is crumbling all around you as the invaders corrupt the country, one town at a time. How do you stop a force that acts without conscience, a force whose sole desire is to corrupt and consume all that it touches? How do you stop an enemy with no weaknesses, an enemy that cannot be harmed by conventional technology? How will you react to the loss of your perceived reality, and the corruption of the world around you?

E3 2011 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8otmMpaIdQ

E3 2011 Playthrough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAmvP4w2ts0

by **Dolt** » 27 Mar 2013 23:29

Newer (rubbisher) screens imply the game may now be a third person shooter:

http://kotaku.com/5947737/the-other-xco ... on-shooter

First seen by the public as a uniquely retro first-person shooter, these screenshots sent in by a Kotaku reader - part of what we're told was a recent marketing survey - suggest the game has gone back to the drawing board, coming back as a third-person shooter.

...

The survey suggests the game is still in development at 2K Marin (it was originally being led by 2K's Canberra team before all the delays), as it tells the user that "it is being developed by the same people who created BioShock 2".

If that's not interesting enough, the survey takers are also being told the game would be for PS3 and Xbox 360 (with no mention of PC), and are being asked how they'd feel if it was made available as a $30 downloadable title, as opposed to a $60 retail game.

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by **Dolt** » 19 Apr 2013 23:24

http://www.videogamer.com/news/is_2k_ab ... xcom.html#

2K Games' XCOM-based tactical shooter may be preparing for a re-announcement.

VideoGamer.com received a package this morning that alluded to many aspects of the game which was recently rumoured to have been re-branded 'The Bureau'.

See all the evidence we pieced together in our video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3xqroeWX44

by **Dolt** » 26 Apr 2013 18:48

http://www.thebureau-game.com/us/

The Bureau XCOM Declassified Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7TQsezZsvU#at=24

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/04/26/t ... -announced

2K has officially announced The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. Due on August 20th in North America and August 23rd in Europe, The Bureau will hit Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC for $59.99 and is a tactical squad-based third-person shooter in development at 2K Marin.

The Bureau is set in 1962 against the backdrop of the Cold War. Players will take on the role of agent William Carter, an intelligence operative recruited into The Bureau who soon finds himself leading teams against aliens that have invaded the United States. Through Carter, players will see the cover up that takes place, as well as the “secret story” behind the XCOM initiative.

IGN had a chance to talk to creative director Morgan Gray and associate producer Andrew Dutra about The Bureau and how it fits into the XCOM universe.

“At a high level, what we were attempting to do was find a third-person tactical squad-based interpretation of the classic XCOM gameplay tenets,” Gray told IGN. Those include Team, which Gray explained as “no Rambos, no one-man army. It’s me leading my soldiers in battle to success against numerically superior and technologically superior forces.” The Bureau also focuses on tools and tech, allowing players to gain access to additional technology as the fight continues.

The Bureau also features a heavy focus on tactics, and Gray explained that “our mission statement here is to move beyond the turn-based isometric God’s Eye View on the battlefield and to put you into the boots of this squad leader, where the bullets are flying in the middle of the mix, having to basically direct your squad and keep your own head from being shot off all at the same time.” Players will be able to move agents using an interface called Battle Focus.

“The Battle Focus interface allows you to do things like maneuver and position your squadmates around the battlefield in real-time,” Gray said. Players will also be able to focus on features like “target prioritization, utilizing different powers and abilities that [your squad] is able to rank up and obtain that you customize them with, and controlling squadmates as the battle happens, building tactical plans and then watching them get executed in the field. Things like leapfrog maneuvers, looking for flanks, height advantages, that sort of thing.”

In classic XCOM fashion, The Bureau will also feature permanent death for agents. “As agents rank up, you customize them. You’re going to get used to them,” Gray told us. “A couple hours into the game, you make a poor decision in the fight. In any other game, that’d be like ‘oh, something happened.’ In our game, he’s dead. He’s gone. You’re going to have to get a new recruit. He may not be as powerful, but the fight goes on.”