XCOM Shooter May Now Be Third-Person, Downloadable

A new rumor suggests that 2K’s XCOM shooter may have changed perspectives. According to a tip sent to Kotaku, the long-delayed title may now be a third-person shooter instead of the first-person game originally revealed.

 

The information comes from a survey allegedly sent out by 2K to gauge interest in the title, reporting that XCOM is still “being developed by the same people who created BioShock 2" – namely, 2K Marin. The survey includes a few screenshots – some of which can be seen above – and suggests that the game would have players commanding a team of agents, “which you can order around the map to perform various actions.”

The survey also asks players how they’d feel about the game being released as a $30 downloadable title instead of a $60 retail game, and refers to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions but does not mention PC. The shift prompts comparisons to Ubisoft's I Am Alive, which similarly transitioned from a retail title to downloadable late last year.

Not to be confused with XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which will hit stores this week, XCOM was originally announced in 2010 as a “re-imagining” of the strategy franchise, putting players in the shoes of an FBI agent “trying to wipe out a mysterious threat.” It was said to be coming in 2011 during E3 2010 and was shown off at the convention, looking promising.

XCOM was later assigned a release date of March 2012 and shown off once again at E3 2011 with a “changed formula.” It was later delayed to 2013, and after months of radio silence, 2K once again delayed the title in May of this year, pushing it to “fiscal 2014,” which means any time between April 2013 and March 2014.

The change to a third-person downloadable title hasn’t been confirmed, but we’ve reached out to 2K and will update with any comment they provide. In the meantime, XCOM fans can look forward to the more traditional, strategy-based XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which hits Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on October 9th. For more on what Enemy Unknown has to offer, read our hands-on impressions and keep an eye out for our review very soon.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Report: Final Fantasy Versus XIII Cancelled

Reports are surfacing that Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which has been in development since 2006, has been cancelled.

Kotaku is claiming that the planned PS3 exclusive has been canned quietly by Square Enix after it hasn't been seen in some time.

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The company has allegedly made the decision to let the game fade away rather than officially announce its cancellation due to concerns over stock prices.

The company has allegedly made the decision to let the game fade away rather than officially announce its cancellation due to concerns over stock prices. There has been much speculation over the past year that the writing was on the wall after the title was conspicuously absent from conventions.

In fact, the last time the game was mentioned was back in May when designer Tetsuya Nomura told Game Informer that "We would like to ask for your patience on an official announcement for this title. It always takes time when tackling the challenge of doing something completely new, but we are doing our best to bring information to the fans as quickly as we can. Your patience is greatly appreciated."

Kotaku also reports that resources used to make the game were folded into working on what will become Final Fantasy XV a few months back.

We've reached out to Square Enix for comment. Whether true or not, an official cancellation would be better than simply letting the game become "vaporware", where it's existence is never referenced again.

Final Fantasy Versus XIII was originally announced in 2006 as part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series of games. The other games two games in the series announced at the same time, Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Type-0 have both been released, and Final Fantasy XIII-2 has also been announced and launched in that time.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant, and was really looking to Final Fantasy Versus XIII. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com