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[Neonivek]

"Why do they look like musclebound bruisers? So unrealistic! You're killing XCOM!"

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

http://gamerinvestments.com/video-game-stocks/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Xcom_1.png

We've all played the original game, right? It's not expensive. Our XCOM units are all good looking fellows with primed bodies which frequently survive plasma hits to the unarmoured chest. To give you perspective, if the plasma hit had missed, it would blow a man-sized hole in the wall behind our heroes.

That picture makes them look WAAAAY more muscled then they actually were... Mind you the guy on the left has a oddly tiny head in that picture.

[Domenique]

The armor in that final still picture of the operatives?  Completely present as the first level of personal armor you can research.  Those aliens in green spandex?  Completely in the game.  Do we need to post screencaps of the actual game to remind ourselves of how cartoony the actual game's art was?  Comparing youtube videos of classic XCom vs the demos from the new one, can anyone honestly argue that the original had a more realistic look to it? 

The "aliens in green spandex" (Mutons) are in the game, but the one in red isn't, nor can the be killed with a rifle (without emptying the whole clip into one), (and who the hell has tier 1 weapons at this point on the story?), nor do they carry plasma pistols, nor do they teleport, nor can they fly away from a terror mission (only you can do that- anti-AI discrimination FTW!).

The first game had a very cartoony skin (to help you dissociate from all the GENOCIDE going on) but the game itself was quite grimdark.

Cartoons can be grimdark. Actually, some cartoons I find much scarrier than actual movies.

[Werdna]

[quibbles snipped]
The first game had a very cartoony skin (to help you dissociate from all the GENOCIDE going on) but the game itself was quite grimdark.

a1s, it would help if you read my posts in the actual context they were posted in (as a response to Neo's ongoing complaints about how 'unrealistic' the art style of the new XCom is) rather than irrelevant details in the opening cut-scene.  I highlighted the portion of your text that is actually within the context of my responses.  I'm not criticizing the original, I loved it.  I'm just pointing out that calling the new one "...(not) trying to even have a hint of reality" compared to the old one is wearing some pretty rose-tinted glasses.

Opening cartoon = within context of discussion comparing the "realism" of the two game's art styles
Green-spandexed muton = within context of art style
Skin-tight blue armor operatives = within context of art style, specifically the 'realism' complaint about armor
Jumping operatives, angry red muton leader, teleporting aliens, weapon lethality, etc = not within context of the art style

[Neonivek]

(as a response to Neo's ongoing complaints about how 'unrealistic' the art style of the new XCom is)

No... I have long since came to the conclusion that I know what art style it is going for. It isn't going for anywhere close to the ball park of real.

I'm just pointing out that calling the new one "...(not) trying to even have a hint of reality" compared to the old one is wearing some pretty rose-tinted glasses.

Do you know when I played it?

Skin-tight blue armor operatives = within context of art style, specifically the 'realism' complaint about armor

In the original there was a strong sense that they were making due. That they were developing new technologies and thus it often delved into the scifi of the time but not nessisarily videogames (afterall the heavy suits looks like classic reality heavy sci-fi). Even the Autocannon to me looked like a weapon that they made just for handling aliens.

This actually helped give it a more natural feel. I never felt like the body armor was them "Trying to look cool" I got the impression that they took a new alien material and turned it into armor. It is helped by the fact that it actually had its own style as well and the armor even had reasons for its appearance as well.

THIS game however is as strongly inspired by videogames and Hollywood blockbusters as it is by alien mythos. It isn't hurt by this fact but it means it isn't going for, intentionally or unintentionally, the same ideals that the first pulled off.

It couldn't pull off the same ideals as the original Xcom anyway because the first game could pull it off because of when it was made (when that kind of sci-fi wasn't considered silly). In otherwords the new Xcom is cheesy but only so far as the original if taken in today's context would be cheesy... Thus the new Xcom doesn't make secret that it is a videogame. It is its idealised form that it be like a videogame with aliens taken from many videogames, movies, and other forms of fiction against idealised protagonists with skills and abilities.

[GlyphGryph]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

At no point did I say the old games handled this admirably. I don't think, technically, they could.

And the opening movie there only had two guys, but note - those guys have different body shapes! One is well-muscled but fairly slim compared to the bulk of the other guy!

[a1s]

a1s, it would help if you read my posts in the actual context they were posted in (as a response to Neo's ongoing complaints about how 'unrealistic' the art style of the new XCom is)

You do know you're the only one still talking about how the art style is unrealistic, right?

[Shadowlord]

I continue to look forward to actual discussion on the merits of the gameplay once the game is released, assuming that the thread hasn't been locked for rampant flamewarring by then.

[timferius]

I wonder, if you peg a sectoid dead on with a rocket, will you vaporize them completly, blow them into giblets, or just knock them down?

[Mephansteras]

Probably just knock them down. I didn't see any excessive gibs in the streams except for the Chryssalid's attack.

[Neonivek]

I continue to look forward to actual discussion on the merits of the gameplay once the game is released, assuming that the thread hasn't been locked for rampant flamewarring by then.

The issue is that I don't know too much and what I do know I could be confusing for something else.

For example right now I believe that there is a class that is able to drop a automated gun turret

But that is so gameish that I believe I am mistaken. As once again, I do give this game SOME credit for trying to give us its premise of "Alien combating task team" without delving too far into the fact that it is a videogame. In fact I am waiting on information about the aliens outside "How effectively they can blow you up" since it was really one of the stronger reasons why Xcom was great (because the aliens were beings).

Also there has been now flaming in this thread so far. Even when we have strongly disagreed we have been rather civil about it.

[Sergius]

I'm just pointing out that calling the new one "...(not) trying to even have a hint of reality" compared to the old one is wearing some pretty rose-tinted glasses.

Do you know when I played it?

If he had said "looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses", time would be a factor.

The rose-tinted glasses can be used to look at other things, not just the past. One can be wearing rose-tinted glasses and looking at something this instant. The expression is valid.

[Microcline]

a1s, it would help if you read my posts in the actual context they were posted in (as a response to Neo's ongoing complaints about how 'unrealistic' the art style of the new XCom is)

You do know you're the only one still talking about how the art style is unrealistic, right?

There's definitely a tendency to forget that the original artstyle was 90's in the most X-TREME way.  I think the "GI Joes" artstyle of the new one is perfectly fitting with the gameplay.

I wonder, if you peg a sectoid dead on with a rocket, will you vaporize them completly, blow them into giblets, or just knock them down?

I'd be fine with anything as long as it's different from what happens in the original.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[Mephansteras]

What? They're sectoids. That was obviously a psionic illusion making your guys shoot where the sectoid wasn't. He was actually about two steps to the right.

[Tellemurius]

Rockets now have a visible AoE so even if you miss you can still damage your target and now the surrounding.

[Neonivek]

If he had said "looking at the past through rose-tinted glasses", time would be a factor.

The rose-tinted glasses can be used to look at other things, not just the past. One can be wearing rose-tinted glasses and looking at something this instant. The expression is valid

In denotation but not in connotation.