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[Neonivek]

You could just as easily say that the hidden concept is Freemasons/Illuminati/Zionists/Reptloids

Actually no. The original game had elements of that if you were well studied enough. For example the Snakemen and the Sectoids were both modeled dirrectly off of alien mythology (Sectoids being Greys and Snakemen being shapeshifting lizards). Mind you the Crysids MAY have been designed after the alien in alien...

This one is just "Scary alien monsters!" (AKA: Space Marine). They are LONG since divorsed from the original's alien design concept.

Unless of course the aliens are supposed to be in the style of Videogame aliens... which to admit COULD be the case.

Edit addition: I just know the creators are aware of my love for Sectoids and are going to include them as a Easter egg somewhere as a bad natured parody that makes fun of the people who follow this... Just like Diablo 3 did...

The aliens seem to be just as powerful

It isn't so much that as it is that the Xcom units are sort of no longer similar to a specialist team and are more Grunt-like... like Space Marines.

Medium sized aliens that can walk through full on gunfire when you have "The Gunner" would be odd in a Space Marine squad.

To be fair, the sectoid grunts weren't a huge threat past the early game in the original either.  I got the impression that they were a race designed for piloting/navigation/maintenance rather than combat whose only advantage was starting with a tech advantage over the player.  Psionics are the only thing they have going for them past that, and we haven't seen gameplay demonstrations of that yet.

Sectoid Grunts were never dangerous at any point of the game. Their abilities started to shine when they actually planned against you and used their psionics.

Also yes one of the reasons why Sectoids tended to be fodder is because for the most part they were scouts and weren't really combat built.

[Shadowlord]

It isn't so much that as it is that the Xcom units are sort of no longer similar to a specialist team and are more Grunt-like... like Space Marines.

Medium sized aliens that can walk through full on gunfire when you have "The Gunner" would be odd in a Space Marine squad.

In the original XCom, I sent in 8-12 guys and deployed them either in squads of 4 or in a line which swept the map.
Early in the game I would equip virtually everyone with heavy cannons or automatic cannons with a mix of HE ammo and incendiary ammo (since some aliens are more vulnerable to one than the other, but in practice HE worked fairly well and I mostly used that). Did any aliens survive that? Not really. It saved a lot of XCom lives, and the only problem was using it during terror missions (and preservation of UFO resources, of course).

Later on everyone would have laser rifles or heavy plasma weapons, once those were available, along with armor, but my point is that everyone was "The Gunner" (if I understood your meaning correctly), everyone was the same class, using the same weapons, and everyone was using overwhelming firepower. It would be like if SG-1 went out with 2 other SG teams on all their missions, all equipped with something more destructive than grenade launchers, and able to fire more rapidly - instead of rifles.

I don't really see how you get 'space marines' from the game having "scary aliens." If you don't think the chrysalid, cyberdisk, or psionic aliens were scary in the original game, I'm a bit puzzled.

I don't have any issue with the game limiting you to what I'd consider one squad (or one large squad of more than 4 people) instead of 3 squads, or much of an issue with the classes - maybe it will actually be worth it to have variety in the squads, who knows. Or maybe not and everyone will all be one class still.

(Sectoids were dangerous at the very beginning if your troops were dumb or unlucky, or badly equipped, or if they refused to come out of their UFO, etc, as they were capable of killing unarmored rookies with crappy weapons, despite being weak. Even if you hire and fire a ridiculous number of troops and select only the ones with the best stats for your squads. Lack of armor is a killer.)

[Neonivek]

I don't really see how you get 'space marines' from the game having "scary aliens." If you don't think the chrysalid, cyberdisk, or psionic aliens were scary in the original game, I'm a bit puzzled

Dang it man... Thematic THEMATIC! (Also... the only alien that was scary of what you listed was the Chrysalid. Psionic Aliens were subtle and gave you a time crunch panic attack)

Think of it this way... If you had an Alien in the original Xcom that wasn't scary but was sufficiently alien... it would still work since the concept was replicating aliens.

If you had an alien in THIS Xcom and they don't look Scary and vicious enough... it doesn't work since the concept is vicious monsterous alien killers.

Though I will say it does sort of... makes me feel sad. The original Xcom aliens often felt like they had a whole culture that simply didn't revolve around killing you (excluding the obvious living weapons aliens).

Even if you hire and fire a ridiculous number of troops and select only the ones with the best stats for your squads. Lack of armor is a killer

Even with good armor getting hit with a full auto attack was to me more dangerous then having a alien grenade thrown under your feet (they were oddly non-lethal to even the lighest armors)

I don't have any issue with the game limiting you to what I'd consider one squad

Good for you!

By the way, once again... I wasn't making value judgements. I was just stating what it seems like the game is going for.

my point is that everyone was "The Gunner"

Yes everyone certainly was. There was a strong sense that the Xcom were more like soldiers as well as a sort of specialised Alien swat... or rather... Special forces

The difference however between Original Xcom squad and Current Xcom squad is like the difference between a highly specialised and trained team of soldiers specifically hired to deal with alien threats... and a bunch of Space Marines with big guns who shoot at aliens and make them blow up each in their own way.

They both do the same thing... but they just have different styles.

The ONLY reason I can say this is because they are missing a rather important specialist type. Who isn't going to be in this game because that person wouldn't have skills that include BLOWING ALIENS UP HARDER! or "The medic". Come on guys lets take some STEROIDS and BLOW UP ALIENS! WOO! Yes the inclusion of that one specialist would disprove my entire observation.

[Shadowlord]

Obviously the medic is back at your base. This isn't Team Fortress 2.

... and one hopes that you will have trained all your soldiers in basic field first aid, if that's possible.

[Neonivek]

Obviously the medic is back at your base. This isn't Team Fortress 2.

... and one hopes that you will have trained all your soldiers in basic field first aid, if that's possible.

There isn't a medic? Odd... that wasn't even what I was refering to.

I REALLY just assumed there was going to be a medic.

and one hopes that you will have trained all your soldiers in basic field first aid, if that's possible

and get in the way of their HUGE GUNS!?! blasphemy.

Unless I guess... the first aid was also a big gun... (Calling it now... Medical gun)

[Xotes]

(Calling it now... Medical gun)

Hey, don't knock guns that shoot medicine. They're pretty intimidating.

[Mech#4]

I believe in the live stream they mentioned that one of their troopers couldn't use a grenade because he had a medpack equiped instead. I'm probably not remembering that correctly, but they did at least mention medpacks.

[Dohon]

If anyone wants a Youtube link to the hour of gameplay they recently showed, here it is.

I believe in the live stream they mentioned that one of their troopers couldn't use a grenade because he had a medpack equiped instead. I'm probably not remembering that correctly, but they did at least mention medpacks.

It depends on the armour you are wearing, I think. I do know that you get a limited amount of slots and that you'll have to choose between items. Perhaps you can have grenades and a medikit with better armour / research. That is not something I've read about. A valid question, though!

[LoSboccacc]

I don't have any issue with the game limiting you to what I'd consider one squad (or one large squad of more than 4 people) instead of 3 squads, or much of an issue with the classes - maybe it will actually be worth it to have variety in the squads, who knows. Or maybe not and everyone will all be one class still.

In the original ufo defence, nearing endgame, I used to reduce squads to 4 to 6 elements, with the higher count used for landing sites.
After they were trained enough, laser rifles and the occasional launcher where more than enough to level anything on the map.

[Endymion]

Wasn't there a half-revealed psionic specialist that you'll be able to get some soldiers to become later on in the game? I seem to recall them having mentioned that in some corner of an interview a few months ago. And with that being mentioned back then I'm sure there is probably a few other specialists that haven't been discussed... not to mention the other sorts of specialists one would end up able to build by proper choosing of skills/equipment. I'm sure the idiot running around with electroflares and motion sensors who can't actually hit anything will still be somewhat viable.

Mostly it sounds like you're complaining that the visual style is a more modern camp sci-fi as opposed to a 50s camp sci-fi. Which I would say is a problem that is mostly a result of them choosing to do this game in 3d instead of isometric with sprites. That whole sort of visual doesn't work very well in 3d.

[Neonivek]

Mostly it sounds like you're complaining that the visual style is a more modern camp sci-fi as opposed to a 50s camp sci-fi.

I'm not complaining!

Well... except the Sectoids... I am complaining about that...

But everything else no. There is nothing wrong with the new Xcom team having a Space Marine feeling, nothing wrong with "Scary alien monsters", where did I ever say "They changed it so it sucks!" (EXCEPT Sectoids...)

[Virtz]

Mostly it sounds like you're complaining that the visual style is a more modern camp sci-fi as opposed to a 50s camp sci-fi. Which I would say is a problem that is mostly a result of them choosing to do this game in 3d instead of isometric with sprites. That whole sort of visual doesn't work very well in 3d.

What are you talking about?

How is 50s sci-fi something that doesn't work with 3d? Just... explain, please.

[Sergius]

I don't know, I think there are so many times one can say "this game is a bunch Spees Mareens! Ho-hah! Kickin' scary alien ass!" before it starts to sound like complaining.

[Neonivek]

I don't know, I think there are so many times one can say "this game is a bunch Spees Mareens! Ho-hah! Kickin' scary alien ass!" before it starts to sound like complaining.

No... really... that was never even within the realm of complaining.

You just imagined it because for some reason the idea of "Space marines killing scary aliens" seems like an insult to the game because it sounds like I am calling it brainless.

[Sergius]

I don't know, I think there are so many times one can say "this game is a bunch Spees Mareens! Ho-hah! Kickin' scary alien ass!" before it starts to sound like complaining.

No... really... that was never even within the realm of complaining.

You just imagined it because for some reason the idea of "Space marines killing scary aliens" seems like an insult to the game because it sounds like I am calling it brainless.

"is like the difference between a highly specialised and trained team of soldiers specifically hired to deal with alien threats... and a bunch of Space Marines with big guns"

Well, yes, it sounds like that, I don't know how anyone could interpret it as anything other than that.