Ah well, not a full sequel then. But a hefty expansion, nonetheless – Firaxis style. (Actually, it’ll be a standalone game on consoles, but not PC, oddly.) Rather obviously XCOM: Enemy Within will have new maps (40 of them), and new soldier class (stompy mech) and multiplayer stuff (cuddles), but also introduces a rather significant new mechanic, changing how you approach the game.

In development since last October, the idea here is to create something that’s not just a bunch more content, but rather rethinking the game and changing how it plays this time out. So this time, rather than just taking on alien tech for your team, you’re taking alien tech in your team. Augmenting your soldiers. Genetically.

Each soldier will have new upgrade slots, for brain, skin, chest, legs and eyes, with an array of genetic additions to enhance them – transhumanist boosts and tweaks, such as health regen and blocks against enemy psi attacks.

Mech troopers are interesting, too. Once you’ve built the facility, any of your current soldiers can abandon their current class and step into the suit, along with a new set of abilities to progress through. And they’re countered by a new alien class, the Mechtoid.

We’ll have lots more detail about the game soon, when Adam speaks to the team to demand every scrap of information. Meanwhile, here’s the pointless teaser trailer:



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