(These reactions are based on the single player campaign of StarCraft II.)

In case you are not aware, StarCraft is very popular; it is not jokingly called the national sport of Korea for no reason. When the original game arrived in 1998, it was, in many ways, a huge step forward for the RTS genre.  Three well-balanced factions, intriguing characters and storyline, and a slick interface all combined for a game that was accessible, fun, and an instant classic.  Having excellent competitive multiplayer didn’t hurt either, and that alone has kept the title alive for the past decade plus.

Everyone knew that a StarCraft II was inevitable.  Most of us did not realize it was going to take twelve years to get one.  So now that it has finally arrived, the obvious question is: was it worth the wait?

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Gamasutra released an interview today with Jonathan Pelling, creative director at 2k Marin, about the upcoming reboot of the X-Com franchise.  Now, as someone who looks upon the original game as something akin to a masterpiece, I am perhaps a little biased towards the conversion into an FPS.  That said, when I read things like this:

I think once the fans start to realize that this is a game that adheres to the core XCOM tenets — it may not be aesthetically the same, and of course it’s not a turn based tactical game anymore, it’s a first person shooter — but it still maintains that essential vibe, that fear and tension of going up against an unknowable enemy and being in charge, and running an organization, and making all the big choices.

…it can’t help but reinforce my feelings that these guys really have no clue what X-Com is actually about. To say that they are stripping away everything about the game – the setting, the overall story, and most especially the mechanics – and then claiming that they are going to “maintain the essential vibe” sounds like nothing more than weak marketing mumbo-jumbo.  Sure, if you view the “essential vibe” of X-Com as being about fighting an enemy and making choices, then, yeah… your new game will probably have that.  You know what other games have that?  LOTS.  If I distill Modern Warfare down to its “essential vibe” of fighting bad guys with guns, then please allow me to offer you my new Modern Warfare design: I’ve changed the setting to WWII, and made the whole thing turn based, from a “grand strategy” perspective.  I call it Panzer General, but that’s just a working title.

At any rate, this interview has done little to encourage me that 2k Marin are going to hit a home run here, but as the game isn’t out, I will have to reserve final judgment.  It may, in the end, turn out to be an excellent game; but that doesn’t mean it’s X-Com.

I am, relatively speaking, a newcomer to the Megami Tensei world.  My first entry into the series was Persona 3, but since then I’ve tried to branch out into some of its other forms.  Most of these journeys have been fruitful; SMT: Devil Survivor was my pick for Best of the Year last year.  My most recent trip, however, did not end so well.

I picked up Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, a few months back, but didn’t get to crack into it right because (appropriately enough) I was busy trying to finish another playthrough of Devil Survivor.  When I wrapped that up (following my man Gin’s advice this time), I eagerly moved on to Strange Journey.

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