Despite all of the effort players put in to saving the world in the XCOM reboot when it came out in 2012, clearly, by the introduction we saw to XCOM 2, things did not go to plan. In a brave new world where the aliens are in charge, XCOM still exists, but it’s underground. That means a whole new type of war to fight. While the gameplay will retain the same turn based formula, there’s an armory of new tools, weapons and soldier types to get accustomed to. Many of which feature in this E3 gameplay video.
Since the game takes place 20 years after the successful alien invasion, players have lots of new alien tech to play with, acquired through salvage and reverse-engineering. Perhaps more distinctive, though, is the game’s change in approach. Instead of preventing invasions and defending civilians, sabotage and guerilla tactics will be employed, to harry the alien forces in a bid to one day retake the planet.
Related: XCOM 2 and Beyond Earth: Rising Tide show why Firaxis is the king of strategy gaming
The game also takes a much more cinematic swing at the idea of an alien invasion, bringing in news broadcasts and a more reactive camera system, which zooms in to highlight moments of action. As members of your team take note of their surroundings, perspectives can shift to give you an idea about what they’re talking about.
Overwatch in particular looks much more visually impressive, with slow motion kills.
XCOM 2 is currently being developed as a PC exclusive and is expected to release in November of 2015.
