The upcoming alien shooter "XCOM 2" was first announced at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, and developer Firaxis Games followed it up this week with a 10-minute gameplay teaser.
Set 20 years after the events in original title, "XCOM 2" pits players against alien enemy forces, in a setting where the alien conquerors triumphed – very different from the original game. This sets the players up as part of the resistance movement that works in the shadows to liberate humanity from the invaders.
The video shows off the updated gameplay mechanics and the visual aesthetics of the upcoming "XCOM 2" title. The single player mission takes place in an urban setting where members of the Advent, the military arm of the alien invaders, are protecting a press conference commemorating the Unification Day, the anniversary date when the alien invaders conquered humanity. The guerilla's subject is to sabotage the statue in the square.
Part of the video shows how combat and weapons are featured and used in the game. Familiar weapons include melee items and flying drones. Also shown is the new feature of the game, wherein players don a new stealth system that they can use to sneak into good vantage points and ambush enemies. The new stealth system also allows players to move about without drawing attention to themselves.
The video also showcases the fluidity of the graphics, and how the cutscenes are integrated into the gameplay, doing away with loading screens and heavy transitions. Indeed, the 10-minute video flows seamlessly between cutscenes and player gameplay that it looked like a cinematic trailer for a movie rather than a preview video of a game title.
"XCOM 2" will be released for the PC in the latter part of the year. There are no details yet if the exclusivity of the title will remain or if the publisher will also be launching console versions of the title.
