XCOM 2 [PC] - War of the Chosen expansion out 29th August

[Medicine Man]

Yep turns out that site they were using as a teaser was for a new XCOM after all...

http://www.adventfuture.org/



Developed by Firaxis, XCOM 2 will take place 20 years from now on an Earth where aliens have already conquered humanity, as opposed to Enemy Unknown’s attempt to fight off the invading threat from space.

New gameplay features in XCOM 2 will include procedurally-generated levels, as well as a greater level of modding support.

Five new player-character classes, expanded soldier customisation, a greater number of enemy types and improvements to XCOM’s turn-based combat will also be introduced.

The title is currently only confirmed for release on PC this November, with Mac and Linux releases to follow. Console editions of XCOM 2 are yet to be detailed.

[Tichinde]

I'm down for more XCom

[Wolfy]

I will day-one the shit outta that.

YASSS.

[Quietman]

Yeah same, was slow coming to the first and really loved it, the expanded stealth options sound interesting.

[Wolfy]

I like the idea of melee. Especially since that's what my assault classes were. I used to just run them up close to an enemy and point-blank face-shot 'em.

[Sly Boots]

I quite like the premise (small group of rebels fighting to free the world from alien occupiers), but it's a bit weird how plot of the second game completely negates your efforts in the first one. Ie, you win but seem to end up losing the war anyway. Unless it's a different game world altogether?

[Wolfy]

I want a savegame check that brings the unit you sacrificed at the end of the first to come back in some form.

Also, there's not nearly enough chatter around the webs about it.

[DjchunKfunK]

I was surprised to hear it was PC only. I guess it didn't sell terribly well on consoles last time out.

[Jez]

Not really bothered about this the last one was ok I guess. Not really my sort of game maybe. This is a review based decision for me.

[DjchunKfunK]

The fact it isn't coming to consoles may be why there hasn't been a huge amount of talk about it online.

[Vykromod]

it's a bit weird how plot of the second game completely negates your efforts in the first one. Ie, you win but seem to end up losing the war anyway.

I've seen a few people joking that it's a sequel to their last attempt at Classic Ironman mode. Aside from that, I can see three ways to continue into this plot without ignoring the last game.

Option 1: Enemy Within
Every month in the base game you get a report from someone who really needs to turn a light on. XCOM seems to be overseen by a group that might as well be called The Secret Council of Shadowy Figures. It's implied that they're representatives of the 16 funding nations, but news reports suggest that nobody really knows XCOM exists other than hints dropped by the string of crashed UFOs with small-arms calibre bullet holes and a mysterious lack of alien bodies. It's a setting where hypersecret manipulative Illuminati-style groups can apparently exist.

Meanwhile, the expansion featured EXALT, the odd alien-happy human group working against XCOM. It's not a huge stretch to retcon this into being much bigger than what you took down in Enemy Within, maybe turning that into one cell. Then it's a matter of manipulating things until the war is recorded as a horrible misunderstanding where mistakes were made on both sides and if we'd only tried to talk to the aliens none of the death would have happened.

Option 2: Second Wave
SCENE: The 5th anniversary celebration of the day the alien mothership mysteriously lifted into the upper atmosphere before exploding violently and ending the invasion. The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is finishing a speech to an assembled crowd in Washington DC.

POTUS: In closing, let us all be thankful for the small group of unknown volunteers who defended us all from the alien menace. I speak for all Americans, all humans, when I say: WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?

The crowd looks up where the POTUS is now pointing. It's another mothership decloaking. Gasps and fainting occur.

BOOMING ALIEN VOICE FROM MOTHERSHIP: HELLO, EARTH. THOUGHT WE'D HAVE ANOTHER GO.

POTUS: I... well... humanity beat you once. And now we've got your plasma guns and scary mindreaders. We'll beat you again.

BOOMING ALIEN VOICE FROM MOTHERSHIP: OH,

BOOMING ALIEN VOICE FROM PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN SECOND DECLOAKING MOTHERSHIP: IS

BOOMING ALIEN VOICE FROM PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN THIRD DECLOAKING MOTHERSHIP: THAT

BOOMING ALIEN VOICE FROM PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN FOURTH DECLOAKING MOTHERSHIP: RIGHT?

POTUS: And to finish my speech properly, I speak for all Americans, all humanity, when I say: Welcome back, guys! Which state would you like first?

Option 3: I can't find a title that's a reference to the games for this one
SCENE: The 5th anniversary celebration of the day the alien mothership mysteriously lifted into the upper atmosphere before exploding violently and ending the invasion. The PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA is finishing a speech to an assembled crowd in Washington DC.

POTUS: In closing, let us all be thankful for the small group of unknown volunteers who defended us all from the alien menace. I speak for all Americans, all humans, when I say: WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?

The crowd looks up where the POTUS is now pointing. It's another mothership decloaking. Gasps and fainting occur.

BOOMING ALIEN VOICE FROM MOTHERSHIP: HELLO, EARTH. WE HAD REPORTS OF A BUNCH OF WANTED CRIMINALS IN YOUR UPPER ATMOSPHERE. THEY'D HIJACKED A SHIP MUCH LIKE THIS ONE. HAVE YOU SEEN THEM?

POTUS: Uh... yes?

BOOMING ALIEN VOICE: DO YOU KNOW THEIR CURRENT WHEREABOUTS?

POTUS: Um... scattered across the Pacific Ocean. We kind of, um, blew them up.

BOOMING ALIEN VOICE: OH. HOW NICE. YOU MUST BE A CUNNING SPECIES. WELL THEN. WELCOME TO THE INTERGALACTIC COMMUNITY. LET US COOPERATE FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE.

POTUS: ... you know what? As long as you don't put me in a room with any of those things that lay eggs in people's faces, I'm okay with this arrangement.

BOOMING ALIEN VOICE: MUAHAHAHA, THEY FELL FOR IT. UH, WAIT, IS THE MIC STILL ON? HUMANS! DISREGARD THAT LAST COMMENT!

[Lee]

I want a savegame check that brings the unit you sacrificed at the end of the first to come back in some form.

Also, there's not nearly enough chatter around the webs about it.

I'd say it from not being that a great of a game the first time to be honest. Crippling bugs etc aside it was overly simple compared to the originals so it lacked depth for me personally. I love the micro managing of all the little details in the originals.

[Wolfy]

Absolutely adored it, meself. But that's horses for courses or whataveyou.

[Lee]

Yep pretty much Wolfy

I have my buggy Xenonauts for my fix

[DjchunKfunK]

Gameplay footage.