XCOM 2's release is only a week away, and fans everywhere are scrounging for details about the latest incarnation in the venerable sci-fi strategy franchise. We've had a chance to go hands-on with a preview version of the game, and loved it.

Recently, the good people at Insight Editions sent us a copy of their new book, The Art of XCOM 2. As we count down the final days until everyone gets their hands on XCOM, here are five of the best quotes, pictures, and design tidbits we found in the book.

#5 Easter Eggs

The Art of XCOM 2 is full of great quotes from the game's designers, including this bit on the subject of "Easter Eggs and nods to the previous installments of the series" from lead technical artist Zeljko Strkalj that's sure to please old-school X-COM fans:

"You might see some familiar faces in a holographic poster, or an enemy sprite might pop up on an arcade cabinet. It's all part of the playful, creative spirit we try to maintain as we work on these challenging games."

#4 Propaganda

Propaganda plays a major role in the setting of XCOM 2, as the underground resistance force battles against the alien-backed government now running the planet. In the image above you can see "explorations of the propaganda signage used to draw humans to the City Centers" on the left and top right, while the other images on the right page depict "Resistance and XCOM graffit and symbols rendered in black spray paint."

These resistance symbols also point to a clear evolution of what would become the official XCOM logo:

Some very nice #xcom swag at the 2K booth #e32015 #videogames A photo posted by @gamecrate on Jun 16, 2015 at 9:53pm PDT

#3 Alternate faceless designs

In the image above you can see concept art for the Faceless, some of the most frightening enemies of XCOM 2. The Faceless possess the ability to mimic the appearance of humans. Ordinary civilian rescue missions can turn deadly in a hurry when your soldiers approach an innocent bystander only to have them turn into a 12-foot-tall mass of ugly pain.

#2 Alien weaponry

Here we have depictions of the alien assault rifle wielded by enemies like the Muton. That nasty-looking bayonet-style bit on the front is every bit as brutal in practice as you might imagine, allowing aliens to perform devastating close-range attacks.

#1 Horror movie inspiration

Along with these striking images of the ADVENT Sectopod comes this quote about enemy concepts from cinematic designer Andrew Currie:

"So much of what we do is take the camera away from over-the-head strategy view and bring it down as if you're witnessing the action. Many of our aliens are based on monsters seen in horror genre—and it's not very scary psychologically to look down on something, so our goal is to allow the player to experience the battle the way the soldiers do."

The Art of XCOM 2 is available now from Insight Editions.

XCOM 2 releases on February 5.