Throughout the decades of video game history, science fiction remains one of the most popular genres among gamers and enthusiasts. A Quantic Foundry survey indicates that 58% of gamers who prefer the strategy genre rated sci-fi as a “very” or “extremely” appealing thematic setting for a game. Many surveyed cited destruction, strategy, and fantasy as core motivations for this preference.
Of course, game developer studios are well aware of this preference, with giant entities like Star Wars and Star Trek investing in video game installments for loyal fans of each franchise. Even outside of these established properties, lots of popular video game titles over the years have come from the sci-fi genre. Two of these, though not seemingly related initially, include Blizzard Entertainment’s Starcraft and 2K Games’ XCOM.
In this post, we’ll try to explore the two games and where they intersect, as well as whether or not avid Starcraft gamers can enjoy or excel at XCOM:
Starcraft and XCOM
In 1998, Blizzard began its military sci-fi franchise with the release of the first Starcraft game. Set in the beginning of the 26th century, Starcraft is a real-time strategy game where players aim to defeat opponent alien groups by destroying their structures. Starcraft quickly rose to critical acclaim, won awards, and was labeled “the best real-time strategy game ever made.” Despite its last installment and update being released in 2017, Starcraft remains a popular esports staple today, joining the ranks of 21 other games announced for the 2024 Esports World Cup.
Another aspect of the game’s thriving esports scene is its dedicated fan- and playerbase. Nowadays, avid gamers in the Starcraft community still engage in Starcraft betting as a way to support their favorite players and teams. Aside from the ongoing Esports World Cup, which hosts Starcraft tournaments, the World Team League 2024 Summer season also runs on Starcraft’s Legacy of the Void expansion. This provides ample opportunities for fans of the esports title to place their bets on players as they beat their opponents using complex strategies and microeconomics. It helps to use a reputable platform that offers bonuses and benefits to fans, such as first deposit bonuses, monthly gift cards, and even an invite-only VIP club for active customers, which allows them to enjoy high withdrawal limits, bonuses, a personal VIP manager, and other promotions.
Meanwhile, XCOM’s franchise started slightly earlier with the release of XCOM: UFO Defense in 1994. Unlike Starcraft, however, XCOM’s first installment took on a turn-based format with players upgrading their weapons as the game progresses, hoping to defend Earth from an alien invasion. Later installments in the franchise aimed to combine other strategy genres, including Apocalypse which introduced an optional real-time combat system, while Interceptor combined strategy with a space combat flight simulator.
As opposed to Starcraft’s competitive 1v1 setup, the XCOM games are more commonly played for their singleplayer campaign modes than multiplayer. As such, there isn’t much of a competitive XCOM esports community. Below, we’ll take a look at where the two games differ and which game will suit you more depending on your preferred playstyle:
Science fiction genre
As detailed above, Starcraft and XCOM are almost worlds apart in terms of gameplay and playstyle among players. However, one overlapping and unifying theme between the two games include extraterrestrial warfare and, well, aliens.
So, if sci-fi is your primary reason for enjoying Starcraft’s gameplay, then you’re likely to enjoy the XCOM games’ sci-fi settings, even if the two franchises vastly differ in how the games are played and how you can achieve your objectives.
Another point to consider, due to the two games’ similar release years, is that they have a familiar retro-futuristic aesthetic in terms of design. As such, if you’re looking for a break from the photorealistic look of modern sci-fi titles like Starfield from developer Bethesda or the more colorful Astroneer, XCOM is a great setting to shift from Starcraft. In fact, while most modern sci-fi games may focus on space and interplanetary exploration, Starcraft and XCOM are similar in that they are combat-focused, even if executed differently.
Different takes on strategy
Finally, where the two franchises abandon intersection is their vastly different gaming subgenre and gameplay. While both genres contain “strategy” as the keyword, any avid gamer would know that real-time strategy plays nothing like turn-based strategy.
In a previous post dissecting XCOM-like games, we highlighted how, unlike Starcraft’s symmetrical structure where players and warring parties start at a perfect balance and rely on strategy and quick-thinking to outwit each other, XCOM and the many XCOM-like games rely on a “pretty unfair,” asymmetrical basis. That is, XCOM-like games are infamously merciless in their handicapping of players, leaving you always outnumbered and outgunned, and challenging you to fight your way through in spite of it all.
Aside from difficulty level, the pacing of a real-time strategy game is also different from XCOM-like games. As mentioned previously, many Starcraft players play competitively against each other despite there being singleplayer campaigns, whereas the XCOM playerbase moves the opposite, preferring singleplayer modes over PvP multiplayer. As such, players accustomed to the fast-paced, competitive aspect of Starcraft may find XCOM’s more strategic and turn-based structure challenging to get into.
Ultimately, while the two games may sound or look similar to the uninitiated, they will feel very different if you have a preferred playstyle and pace of play. Still, the XCOM games are still one of the best in terms of sci-fi turn-based titles, and will serve as a nice change of pace from the competitive nature of Starcraft.
