New trailer for XCOM: Enemy Unknown released

2K Games is going to be releasing a game any kid who grew up playing games in the 90s will be instantly familiar with – XCOM: Enemy Unknown. The game is the latest in the XCOM series, a series of turn-based strategy games where you play humans fighting off an alien invasion. 2K Games has released a trailer for the upcoming strategy game, titled “Casualties of War”.

The game, showcased at E3 this year and other gaming conventions, is being developed my Firaxis. Gamers might recognise the name as the same studio responsible for the Civilization series of games. Here is a description of the game according to the website for the game: “Threatened by an unknown enemy, the Earth’s governments unite to form an elite paramilitary organization, known as XCOM, to combat this extraterrestrial attack. As the commander of XCOM, you control the global defense team in a battle against a terrifying alien invasion by creating a fully operational base, researching alien technologies, planning combat missions, and controlling soldier movement in battle.”

XCOM: Enemy Unknown was announced earlier this year as a result of Game Informer’s cover for the month of January. Unlike the X-COM first person shooter being developed by 2K Marin, this one will be an out and out a strategy game, something that should get unanimous approval from fans of the franchise.

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There will be many casualties in this war

Firaxis are obviously huge fans and their love for the franchise has been reflected in what Steve Martin, president of the studio had to say, “It’s been a dream of ours to recreate X-COM with our unique creative vision. We’re huge fans of the original game and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to re-envision a game that is as beloved as X-COM. We were careful to keep XCOM: Enemy Unknown true to the elements that made X-COM such a revered game while delivering an entirely new story and gameplay experience for both die-hard X-COM fans and newcomers to the franchise.”

Here are some of the main features of the game:

• Global Threat: Interact and negotiate with governments around the world to combat the alien threat.
• Strategic Base of Operations: Build and expand your XCOM headquarters, recruit and develop unique soldiers to take into battle and research alien technology to expand your weapons and capabilities.
• Tactical Multiplayer: Mix and match aliens and soldiers and combine abilities to outsmart and overpower your opponent.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is available for pre-order on places like Amazon and has some goodies for pre-ordering, titled the Elite Soldier Pack DLC (Downloadable Content), which includes:

• Classic X-COM Soldier: Players will instantly receive a new recruit in their Barracks inspired by the original X-COM: UFO Defense. The blonde, flattop hairstyle will return in its full glory, modernised with the rest of the XCOM universe.
• Soldier Deco Packs: Players can customise their soldier with several aesthetic upgrades to armour suits including the new Hyperion and Reaper soldier armour kits.
• Complete Color Customisation: A variety of colours and tints for all armour sets provides complete customisation of your squad’s appearance.

According to Amazon, the game is set to be released on October 9, 2012.