So I've been hearing about great things about this game and I might just pick it up some time. I'm just curious, to the purists/old-school gamers who got the chance to play the original XCOM how does this game measure up to the original?

I haven't played the original since it first came out, but it was definitely more complex than this modern version. You could loot dead bodies (both aliens and humans), the maps were randomly generated, you could place your base wherever in the world, and so on. But this new game is highly addictive and awesome in almost every way, so I would certainly like to see more from the team. Maybe a Terror From the Deep sequel / DLC one day?

Not really a sequel, but a reboot/reimagining.

Depends just how anal of a purist you are.

This is still much better and truer to the original and it's spirit then stuff like Fallout 3 or the Syndicate FPS. And a better more entertaining reimagining of the old game in a modern format when compared to what Jagged Alliance: Back in Action was relative to JA2. If I had to peg it on a scale for appropriate and relatively well handled revival of old great game franchises, it would be comparable to Deus Ex: Human Revolution how it stands relative to the original Deus Ex. It's pretty much impossible to compete with a glorious memory of the original, but set the rose tinted goggles aside and look at it from the perspective that it also has to work in a modern marketplace and it's fine.

2c

It is a reboot. The flow of the game/story is pretty much the same. I played the original and terror from the deep.

@Cincaid: It's not more or less complex then the first. They pretty much removed complexity in the annoying parts and added some at different parts. Yeah, you had the movement points in the first, but you basically always only moved as far so that a reaction shot was still possible. Similar what you can do now in the 2-step model. You now have the concept of satellites & coverage bonuses, abilities of soldiers & classes and building placement matters now. With the Foundry and the Training School there are probably also more upgrades. In total I would say it might even be more complex, you only have this base choice so upfront, so people might get this impression.

It a better sequel than Terror from the Deep...because that game was a bitter disappointment.

No, because it's not a sequel. Is it a worthy addition to the series? YES!

Listen to the three moves ahead podcast (strategy games) they go deep into reviewing this game. They also discuss each major design decision and compared to the original, and what does that mean to the tactical/strategic layer of the game. They propose there are less decisions to be manage in the new version, but each decision is more meaningful-impactfull to the game, which actually make it a better "strategy" game at core. Micromanagement is not necessarily strategy.

Personally I think XCom EU is game of the year.

Yes. It's basically the perfect example of understanding what made the original great while having its own identity.

It has some major failings. The massive amount of bugs run the gamut from minor to game ending. The lack of base defense is tragic. The upgrade paths are linear, and the game really isn't that hard unless the UI or game decides to fuck you.

I think it's incredible.

As many others have said, this is not a sequel. What is IS, however, is one of the best games of this genre. Not one of the best reboots, not one of the best re-imaginings, but one of the best games. Buy it. You won't regret it.

It a better sequel than Terror from the Deep...because that game was a bitter disappointment.