Obviously, 2K Marin's "XCOM" series reboot is drastically different from its predecessors. Actually, drastic is an understatement. It's difficult to find too many similarities between the '90's tactical games and what is now a brightly colored first-person shooter.
During an E3 demo, however, 2K insisted that strategy will still play a role in the game.
Players will take on the role of William Carter, an FBI agent tasked with saving the country from an onslaught of black-goo slinging aliens. Carter has access to a secret underground base, complete with a command center and weapons fabrication. In addition, the headquarters features a map of the United States showing real-time emergencies and alien encounters.
So, where does the strategy come in? The decisions the player makes during "XCOM" -- researching new weapons, deciding which map-denoted emergency to attend to, etc -- will have consequences later in the game.
During the demo, Carter arrived in a vibrant '50s neighborhood being attacked by roving, black blobs. While the majority of the gameplay during this sequence involved blasting the aliens with a shotgun, Carter also discovered the body of a citizen who had been brutally murdered. Should he investigate the corpse or keep chasing the aliens? In the case of the demo, the player snapped a photo which opens the door for research that may lead to a new weapon, for example.
While 2K seems very adamant that gameplay choices such as these represent a strategy element within "XCOM", it's not that convincing. Based on what was shown in the demo, it never felt as though strategy was a primary feature. Plenty of games allow the player to make choices that affect the game without somehow claiming to be a strategy title. In reality, it felt more like 2K was looking for a way to tie the game to its tactics-heavy roots.
Strategy elements notwithstanding, "XCOM" is looking extremely promising. Running through a stylized, '50s setting and blasting alien goo with a lightning gun just looks like great fun. Whether the game deserves its moniker or not, "XCOM" is shaping up to be an exciting first-person shooter.