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Long-Awaited XCOM Shooter Undergoing Major Changes?

Ben-Dutka 2 Comments

It was first announced in 2010, and was last showed to the public at E3 2011. Then, amid multiple rumors concerning major project shifts, it essentially disappeared.

The XCOM first-person shooter, an apparent reboot of the classic franchise by 2K Marin, has been delayed multiple times. The latest issue (as spotted by Digital Trends ) is that the official site for the game in question has been taken offline. Furthermore, any official videos released to YouTube have been now marked as private.

It could be that the 1960s-themed shooter is being re-branded, as Take-Two Interactive has most recently said the game would still release between April 2013 and May 2014. The game might now be called "The Bureau," as evidenced by new registered domains, and some have claimed the title will emerge as a third-person shooter rather than a FPS. Either way, we're perfectly willing to wait; what we saw a few years back wasn't even remotely impressive, if I remember correctly.

If you want a great XCOM experience now, just pick up the award-winning XCOM: Enemy Unknown .

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Source Reports Gearbox Lied To Sega, 2K About Aliens Game

Ben-Dutka 16 Comments

After the horrid debacle that was Aliens: Colonial Marines , there has been an awful lot of finger-pointing going on.

And according to an inside source talking to Destructoid , it seems Gearbox was continually putting the ill-fated game on the back burner. Sega accused the developer of doing this shortly after the negative reviews had piled up.

The developer in question worked on Aliens between 2007 and 2008 and said that Gearbox routinely sidelined the project for "more important projects." Said the source:

"Gearbox was taking people off the project to put them on Borderlands 1. This was before the big art style change happened on Borderlands. Our team was getting smaller by the month, making it very difficult to get the game made. Ironically several of the team members were ex-3D Realms people who were saying [paraphrasing] 'Finally, we're going to Gearbox to make Aliens, and we're going to ship a fu**ing game!' Hah."

It also seems that at one point, Sega canceled the game. They apparently caught Gearbox shifting resources around and "lying to Sega and 2K about the number of people working on each project." That led to layoffs at Gearbox in late 2008, by the way. The developer also said Gearbox didn't expect the game to ship in February, given the fact that its current state was…well, deplorable.

Whatever. The whole thing is a mess. I say we let it go.

Thanks, BikerSaint!

Related Game(s): Aliens: Colonial Marines

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Borderlands 2 Proves Wicked Popular: 5 Million Shipped

Ben-Dutka 11 Comments

Hey, you know that Borderlands 2 is a pretty good game. Okay, really good.

And a whole lot of people have responded to that quality. Take-Two has posted up their latest financial earnings , and it's obvious that Gearbox's critically acclaimed title has helped the company's bottom line.

The well-received sequel has shipped 5 million copies since its launch in September, and Take-Two has reported $10.2 million profit on $273 million in revenue for the three-month period that ended September 30. The publisher also revealed that digital sales were up 108%. The really cool part is that Borderlands 2 is one of the most successful releases in 2K's history, and that's always good to hear. By the way, Take-Two reminded us again that Grand Theft Auto V is set for Spring 2013. Don't worry, guys…we really won't forget. 😉

Related Game(s): Borderlands 2

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Why The Irrational Exodus?

Ben-Dutka 11 Comments

Yes, I get that there may be a pun in the title, but it's (mostly) unintended. Developers and designers leaving a company for potentially greener grass is nothing new.

But something strange seems to be going on at developer Irrational Games, which is preparing to give us all the highly anticipated Bioshock Infinite in February. Back in August, art director Nate Wells and director of product development Tim Gerritsen left the team, which was followed by the almost immediate hiring of Rod Fergusson, formerly of Epic Games. We also heard they were forced to get rid of the intended multiplayer modes, and there were rumored reports of AI problems with your partner-in-crime, Elizabeth.

Now, as reported by Kotaku , two more key members of the Irrational team have left: AI lead Don Norbury and combat design director Clint Bundrick. Both have apparently taken new positions at Microsoft, which may or may not have any significance. Toss in producer Joe Faulstick's departure back in May and one just has to ask: What's going on at Irrational Games? Maybe Levine's vision has gotten a little too ambitious, or maybe something else is going on behind the scenes…

We're not necessarily worried about Bioshock Infinite , as a new trailer is headed our way soon . Still, we wouldn't be surprised to hear some concern from various industry analysts over this issue.

Related Game(s): Bioshock Infinite

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NBA 2K13 Sets Franchise Sales Record

Ben-Dutka 6 Comments

There will be no shortened NBA season this year; everything is primed and rarin' to go.

Maybe that's part of the reason why NBA 2K13 is breaking sales records. 2K Sports announced today that the recently released title is currently the "top-selling and top-rated" installment in the esteemed b-ball series.

In its first week at retail, the game sold 49% more copies than the franchise's previous record-holder, NBA 2K11 . 2K partially attributed this performance to the "expanding global popularity of the NBA 2K brand," which enjoyed a 66% international sales increase. Furthermore, the number of online players has doubled since last year's iteration, as growth there is registered at 127%. The review scores have also been stellar, as many major sources awarded the fantastic basketball simulator scores of 9+ across the board.

Said 2K Sports marketing vice president Jason Argent:

"Our early sales figures are a validation of our ongoing efforts to push this franchise to new heights. We owe it to our great fans to continually improve our title – year in and year out – and that’s exactly what we’ve done with NBA 2K13."

For the record, I'm sorry we don't have a review of NBA 2K13 but I never saw a review copy from 2K. Not sure what happened there but…well, you know it's good. You don't need me to tell you. 🙂

Related Game(s): NBA 2K12

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Detroit Pitcher Justin Verlander Lands MLB 2K12 Cover

Ben-Dutka 7 Comments

Justin Verlander had a fantastic year. He was one win shy of the 25 plateau and very nearly led his team to the American League pennant.

And although he didn't win the World Series and he wasn't the first pitcher since Bob Welch in 1990 to record 25 wins in a season, Verlander has a different sort of honor.

2K Games has announced that the Detroit Tigers pitcher will be featured on the cover of MLB 2K12 . It'll go nicely along with his Player of the Year and American League Outstanding Pitcher wins (Player's Choice Awards). He'll probably be named the Cy Young winner, too. But hey, you're on a video game cover!