Just watched a "let's play" on Youtube and no, I'm not impressed by this product. This is not Xcom, this is a crippled, dumbed down clone for casual console players. The UI feels like Xbox, the maps are tiny corridors and full of cover, the squad size is limited for four! men who can suck up plasma burn damage and fully heal in 3 seconds like an fps protagonist. At least they have no self regenerating health yet in this version. No inventory, no customability, less stats than Diablo, no complex time unit management anymore, instead a primitive run&shoot system which allows no tactical flexibility and forces the player to wait for enemy fire wherever he used a weapon last. Very disappointing.
Can't imagine truly epic fights in this game. Too simple, too linear, the engine just sets too many limits. Without the brand name it would be just another generic squad strategy title no one will remember in half a year. Even the UFO:Afterbla line allowed the player way more freedom.
Yes, I expected an accurate remake which uses the game design developments of the last 20 years to improve and fine polish the underdeveloped parts of the original, like the equipment handling, the base troop organization and the geopolitics. Instead I got a cheap, dumbed down clone with far worse UI and gameplay. No, not impressed. And no, I don't care about the pretty graphics and action sequences.
Fuck it, i'll give it a go arguing this from shit i've just seen in the 30 or so hours of gameplay i've watched in the last couple of months. Aside from UI, that's personal taste and honestly, when you know the keyboard shortcuts it really doesn't feel like that. But fuck it, learning is for noobs right? Lets just jump in!
OHWAIT
http://www.gophoto.it/view.php?i=http://www.wikinoticia.com/images2//ecetia.com/files/2011/06/x-com-ufo-defense.jpg#.UHlVacXA_cwIs that 14 unlabeled UI buttons? That you had to take the time to learn before you could use them effectively? Well hot damn, I guess it is. In case you can't be bothered to google it, here you go.
http://i.imgur.com/A9841.pngThe maps are tiny and full of coverYou've clearly only seen the maps at the beginning of the game, small ships and the like. Later on there are maps that do take about 30-40 minutes to play though. The preview's didn't want to spoil anything for everyone though, so they stuck to a small selection of maps that offer condensed gameplay for demo purposes. Anyone familiar with how marketing works should understand why they do this.
Other than that, have you seen gameplay videos? Full of cover at the start, sure. By the end of a match the battlefield is using a smoking crater where you have to dash to the next piece of cover if you don't want to stand in the open waiting to get shot (Which, the original xcom had you doing a lot. Positioning really didn't matter aside from "Can he see me? Yes? Move after I shoot")
Squad is limited to four men who can suck up damageAre you serious? You start with four, you can go up to six and even when you get to the end of the game, with a fully pimped out squad using fuck you guns and armour, you can still get one shot if you play like an idiot. Sucking up damage? Please. If you played the original xcom you would know that even jumpsuited rookies can survive plasma shots.
Can heal plasma burns in 3 seconds like an fps protagonistNope. If they're burned, they're burned. The medikit gives them the ability to keep fighting even though they're wounded, they still have to sit out in the medbay after the mission. Another mechanic is that if only your hp that was added by armour gets damaged, they don't go to medbay (At least, they said that during the preview, has anyone got a confirmation on that?). If anything, complain that the medkit can seemingly fix armour.
No inventory, no customizationThey have a system in place that sped everything up because equipping your soldiers with ammo and other such stuff took forever and was a pain to do for 14 or so guys every mission. They have tradeoffs so you can't buff the crap out of your soldiers to the point where they do become neigh unkillable.
Primitive run and shoot system that leaves you open to enemy fireTime units is a personal thing, but you're wrong about leaving you open to enemy fire. Play smart and you won't have to take return fire if you place your units right. It also feels less "gamey" than walking a guy out, shooting and running back out of sight for the 6 or so rookies you have stacked up against a door.