XCOM has in many ways been one of the most controversial games announced this year.  2K Marin, the team responsible for the excellent BioShock 2 experience we were gifted with in January, is taking a classic strategy franchise and giving it a first-person perspective.  This has caused outrage among the more vocal XCOM devotees, but probably more interest among the rest of the gaming community — particularly after a few screenshots showed the general aesthetic of the game.  At E3 last week, we were shown a behind-closed-doors demo of XCOM and while I have no knowledge of the games of yore from which it was derived, I can now say that XCOM is on my radar, and shooting blobs of black goo with a shotgun has never looked so… pretty.

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Going to be honest, I’ve never even heard of the original XCOM, which now that I do a little research on the series seems like outright blasphemy.  It’s been featured on several “best games of all time” lists and apparently had a four-game long history.  The first three games threw players into tactical situations while the fourth was an action-based strategy game in space.  I blame my space radar, which usually steers me away from anything involving starships and troopers.  The point of this meandering is that 2K games is bringing this business back to the Xbox 360 and PC platforms, and they’re turning it into a first person shooter.

I was just saying to myself last night, “I wish there were more sci-fi oriented first person shooter games to play.”  Honest, I was.  The story of XCOM sounds engaging enough.  There is an unknown, mysterious threat (that sounds like aliens) hovering over the heads of all humanity.  Players take the role of an FBI agent who sets out to solve some mysteries.  Coming from the same guys and gals who crafted BioShock 2, the game promises to blend first person action with high tension situations and some strategy.  That certainly sounds within the capabilities of 2K Marin, and coming from them it’s almost a given that it’s going to have all the fantastic production values and gameplay that they’re famous for.

The direction is kind of odd, particularly given the series’ roots as a tactical strategy game of sorts.  Also odd is the handing of the reins to 2K Marin after years of rumors that Ken Levine himself would take this project and make it swing.  It reminds me quite a bit of the Fallout transition, which was maybe not quite as drastic but still jarring to long-time fans.  Regardless, I’m guessing we’ll all win from this little project, and I for one am eager to see it unfold.  No word yet on release dates and no pretty screenshots to gawk at, aside from the OXM cover shown above.  We’ll keep our eyes open though.

The word “rapture” has several connotations. Its most popular usage is to describe those who are wrapped up in a state of bliss or overwhelming ecstasy. To devout Christians, it’s the second coming of Christ. To the thriving community of gamers who eagerly devoured the critically acclaimed (and smash commercial hit) BioShock, the word’s meaning is absolutely concrete. “Rapture” is synonymous with the bizarre yet profound adventure that continues to push the bounds of what gaming can accomplish; Andrew Ryan’s obliterated utopia — the fully realized dream of one man who believed in the power of the power of the self. Rapture. The name sends chills down one’s spine.

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This Friday we’ll be joining some of the 2K Marin development team to poke and prod them about anything BioShock 2. We’d love to give our readers a chance to send in any questions they’d like us to cattle prod or stump the team with, that way we get the information you all would actually take interest in hearing about. BioShock 2 being only one week away from its February 9th release date, would you kindly share your curiosity and interest in BioShock 2?