New XCOM Strategy Game Gets First Details, Screenshots

Posted 01/10/2012 at 1:02am | by Nathan Grayson

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Back when XCOM's FPS revamp was announced, the Internet pretty much reacted like earth had taken an apocalyptic probing from an actual extraterrestrial menace. Even optimists slumped their shoulders while suggesting increasingly improbable what-ifs – for instance, “What if Civilization creator Firaxis made a new XCOM strategy game? But that'll never happen, because the world is a miserable place that deserves to be invaded by aliens who specifically exploit the fact that its citizens don't play enough strategy games.” But then it happened. And now we have photographic evidence – of the game, not the aliens.

Game Informer brings us the full (read: extremely truncated with promises of more “all month long”) scoop, which mostly gives us the warm 'n' fuzzies for the X-Com classics of yore. There's plenty of talk about recruiting, leveling, managing things on a global scale, and turn-based ground-level tactics in “a seemingly hopeless war against extraterrestrial forces with far better technology and capabilities.” Less encouraging, however, are a couple nondescript mentions of “streamlining,” which could mean anything at this point. 

But, if you'd like to send your fears packing back into that dark corner of your mind that also sort of begrudgingly enjoys Justin Bieber music, watch this video. In it, Enemy Unknown's lead designers gush about old-school X-Com until they're basically one big goopy puddle, but they absolutely nail what makes the series so special. Long story short, XCOM is in good hands.