XCOM’s own China syndrome

Posted by on October 23, 2012 in Games

2K has announced the first DLC for XCOM.

In this new set of linked Council missions, gamers will meet an enigmatic Triad operative, divert an alien ship’s course, and do battle with the aliens in the skies over China. The Slingshot Content Pack includes three new maps tied to the Council missions, a new playable squad character with a unique story and voice and new character customization options. The release date and pricing of the Slingshot Content Pack will be announced soon.

Linked Council missions? Like a mini story arc on pre-set maps? Do you play it on its own, or does it just drop into your ongoing game? A new character for your squad? A character they’re making instead of me? It sounds to me like someone at 2K doesn’t get XCOM.

On a related note, you can now buy the option to customize your soldiers’ armor for $5. This was previously only available to folks who pre-ordered XCOM.

  • Jacob Heid

    I love the ’2k doesn’t get…’ references, it was certainly something stupid on their part, and its great to see you having a sense of humor about it.

    I think though your right on this account…why the devil would we want pre-made characters in Xcom with voices and stuff? Its not going to make me care more about this special character than say, if he was just a random dude who survived over 4 missions. Not really what I want to see in Xcom dlc, mini story arcs and pre-made characters with voices and what not.

    I say this, but there is like an 80% chance I’ll buy it anyways, because I’m enjoying the game too damn much to ignore more content for it.

  • tgb

    It depends on what they mean by “pre-made character”. It may just be a variation on the officers you get as mission rewards, and the player will still be able to select the perks. As to the story arc, XCOM already has one, so a little side story isn’t the end of thw workd

  • Nightgaunt

    Hint to 2K Games: In a strategy game, “downloadable content” means NEW SYSTEMS.

    A new class. A new facility. A new gun with new stats. A new creature with new behaviors. It does NOT mean new story. New levels are okay, as long as they’re just thrown in the random mix. If you script them into an experience, you’ve missed the point.

    But don’t listen to me. Listen to Firaxis, who probably already tried to explain this to you.

  • Eschatos

    How about a new old weapon unlocked earlier than usual? Disappointing much?

  • praestlin

    While I’d just have appreciated even more customization options for the armor and whatnot, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this.

    Now that XCOM has actually captured what made X-COM cool, this might be a decent opportunity to see how some other ideas, ones that haven’t yet been applied to a game that has successfully captured what makes X-COM cool will work if applied.

    If nothing else, it’s more potential council missions to diversify what’s already on offer. Nothing wrong with that. I just hope we have the opportunity to rename the “new” squaddie, and that his/her voice will be usable for the rest of my people.

    You know what I REALLY want, though? New voice packs with national accents. It sounds a bit racist, I know, but having everyone speak American drained a lot of flavor from games like Dishonored and Mass Effect.

  • Mygaffer

    Then be prepared for a lot more of this type of content. They will give you what you pay for.

  • peterf

    I was wondering why XCOM featured such a limited amount of American voices for an international team. I can see a globalization DLC pack in the future.

  • lesslucid

    How about fixing the damn bugs in the game *before* you start on the poorly-thought-through DLC?

  • Shifteer

    $4.99 for the ability to change my guys’ armor colors is the new horse armor.

  • Simguard

    I think DLC is the appropriate way to experiment more with the XCOM formula. I would be interested in seeing if they can pull it off, since if nothing else I feel they have earned my trust. At the same time I wonder if this DLC is structured like this because it is easier to develop so they can release it relatively soon to the actual game, or if it was chosen because someone there really has a vision and it will be awesome.

  • http://www.facebook.com/matthew.roosevelt Matthew Roosevelt

    Three words: Mass Effect Two.

    Done.