That new X-Com first-person shooter thing

Okay, look. When I was... I think it was eight? Six?

Really young, anyway.

When I was really young I remember, vividly, watching television and seeing a commercial for some Consumer Reports type thing, I'm pretty sure it wasn't actually Consumer Reports, but something that lists products by quality. And I remember a tagline, "We sort products by the most reliable something something whatever... by brand name."

It didn't actually say something something whatever. It used coherent language. But "...by brand name" was the tagline.

I remember this vividly because I remember hearing that, and even at six, or eight, or whatever, thinking "That's bullshit. There's no way sorting by brand name is going to make for a sufficiently accurate quality metric. Different companies excel in different areas. You're selling me something." I didn't use those words exactly, but that's what I thought.

My parents were hippies. They taught me at a young age that anyone trying to sell me something is my enemy.

(Growing up a bit more I've come to realize that's not the best way to look at the world in all contexts, but it's still my default filter.)

2K is making an X-Com FPS. I am supposed to be excited by this because X-Com was great, so X-Com as an FPS should be great. But there's no reason why that should hold true! Just because X-Com was a great isometric base-building-and-squad-tactics game at some point in the past doesn't mean it'll make a great FPS now. 2K marketing guys, whichever one of you wrote the press release you have to know that you're insulting my intelligence by presenting such a facile argument. And, I mean, I know, you're a press release writer. You have to write something. Drawing on the power of established brands to pitch your new product is a tried-and-tested marketing technique and it works. I get it.

None of that matters. You're selling me something. In particular you're selling me bullshit and absent logic. I'm not buying it.

I will give this FPS a fair shake. I'm sure the people who actually are making it want to make a good product. I won't hold the stupid, insulting press release against the game. But it is a stupid and insulting press release and it's not exactly making me better-disposed towards the products.

At least put a picture of a Chrissalid in there.