E3 2015 Preview: XCOM 2

Aliens dictators. Nazi space monsters. Googly eyed, green-skinned overlords. In XCOM 2, the aliens have won and now control the population. Humanity has mostly gotten on with life despite its new dictators, but a resistance remains. Its name? XCOM, of course.

In the hands-off demo of the upcoming PC-only XCOM 2, the resistance is tasked with a stealth mission on the 20^th anniversary of the aliens’ victory. By sabotaging a statute commemorating the victory, the resistance can gain morale and turn the tide of the battle.

The most immediate and outstanding thing about the gameplay demo was the fluidity of movement, turns and the transition between cutscenes and gameplay. Everything happens quickly and smoothly and it all appears as though it’s occurring on the fly; right then and there as it’s being played. It gives the gameplay a sense of urgency. It feels as if each play through could be different with branching and wildly different outcomes. Whether this is accurate remains to be seen, but watching it unfold in front of me I couldn’t help but feel as though anything could happen.

Each unit in the demo was a definite individual with a distinct personality. Nobody seems expendable, but this is XCOM so they are of course. The smoothness of the gameplay and the transitions between that and dialogue help to emphasise the drama and desperation of the situation, making it even more heart breaking when a comrade falls to the alien might.

Aesthetically, XCOM 2 is somewhat cartoony, but without being over the top. It’s bright and colourful, but in an oppressive, almost depressing way. It’s an odd juxtaposition, but it works perfectly, especially with the overall science-fiction tone and after school, teen drama plot. Overall, it’s graphically polished and quite slick, but nothing that would push the limits of the current-gen consoles, so not the reason for the PC exclusivity.

Prior to the demo, we were told that Firaxis had chosen to work exclusively with PC as its roots lay there, but also because of the ease with which modding can be accomplished. Whether this will change now that Fallout 4 is moddable on Xbox One has not been touched upon. Fingers crossed, hey?

The enemies in the demo were suitably benign yet terrifying to begin. It makes sense that an occupying force would attempt to pacify and subvert those being oppressed, however as the battle started to turn in favour of the resistance some truly nightmarish aliens appear. The Viper, for example, would put the fear of God into anyone and her appearance was a total game changer.

XCOM 2 is not too far away and it’s looks like a very worth successor to Firaxis’ recent revamp. Fans will be thrilled with it and newcomers may just find something to sink their teeth into. Just don’t let the Viper sink her teeth into you.

XCOM 2 will be available on Windows PC this November.