XCOM, The first-person sequel to classic strategy game X-Com, will be released on March 6, 2012, for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, that last platform being newly-confirmed by publisher Take Two.
The game's got a new E3 trailer, of course, but even more revealing are the lengths Take Two appear to be going to not call this game a first-person shooter. An attempt to mollify the frustration of mortified fans of the old top-down, tactical X-Com game? Or an effort to adjust the expectations of those who believe a game with first-person shooting is a first-person shooter?
You can decide, after watching the trailer and examining the way Take Two describes the new XCOM in a press release today:
XCOM is a gripping tactical action experience set in mid-century America, where the player leads an elite field team of specialized government agents into battle – combining deep, visceral gunplay with powerful sci-fi abilities
and
Featuring a bold new origin story told from a first-person perspective, XCOM pits Special Agent William Carter and his veteran team against the threat of human extinction. But every enemy is an opportunity – players will strike surgically against the alien menace, capture their technology, and by the science of desperation – turn the invaders' weapons against them. Armed with these lethal new tools of war, players will command their squad on XCOM's front lines: Main Street, USA.
I do believe the trailer above even includes some first-person-pointing! Looks cool.