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XCOM 2 Revealed, Coming to PC First in November

Check out first details, a new trailer, and gallery.

600 Comments

Publisher 2K has revealed XCOM 2, the sequel to its acclaimed turn-based tactical action game, which is set to ship on PC first in November.

According to 2K the sequel "transports players 20 years into the future, where humanity lost the war against the alien threat that has established a new world order."

"The secret paramilitary organization known as XCOM is largely forgotten, and must strike back to reclaim control of Earth and free mankind from the aliens’ rule."

Check out the trailer below.

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Here's a story overview provided on the official XCOM 2 website:

"Twenty years have passed since world leaders offered an unconditional surrender to alien forces and XCOM, the planet's last line of defence, was left decimated and scattered. Now the aliens rule Earth, building shining cities that promise a brilliant future for humanity on the surface, while concealing a sinister agenda below and eliminating all who dissent from their new order.

"Only those who live at the edges of the world have a margin of freedom. Here, a force gathers once again to stand up for humanity. Always on the run, the remnant XCOM forces must find a way to rise from the ashes, expose the insidious truth behind the occupation, and eliminate the alien threat once and for all."

In the game, the XCOM is now the invading force and must manage dwindling resources while evading the alien threat in a new mobile headquarters.

"Players must use a combination of firepower and stealth-like tactics to help XCOM recruit soldiers and build a resistance network, while attempting to expose the evil alien agenda and save humanity."

2K is touting procedurally-generated levels, which it says "will make each experience unique to the player," along with a "deeper level of modding support." The game will also feature five updated soldier classes, increased soldier customisation, a variety of new alien and enemy types, evolved tactical combat, "and more."

XCOM: Enemy Unknown designer Jake Solomon returns for the sequel as creative director. According to Solomon, the feedback from players has had a big part to play in the development on XCOM 2.

Click image to view in full screen
Click image to view in full screen

"The feedback from the passionate XCOM community played an important role in the development of XCOM 2," he said.

"We're thrilled to implement long-time fan requested features such as procedural levels and modding support, as well as adding more of what makes XCOM great like new aliens, enemies and soldier classes."

Other noteworthy elements of XCOM 2 are the new Advent enemies that "offer a distinct tactical challenge".

Here's a feature list of XCOM 2 features:

  • XCOM On The Run: Take command of the Avenger, an alien supply craft converted to XCOM's mobile headquarters. Guide your strike force around the world, build popular support and expose the aliens' sinister plans.
  • Recruit Resistance Fighters: Five soldier classes, each with its own skill tree including new class abilities like Momentum, let you create specific soldiers for your tactical plan.
  • Tactical Guerrilla Combat: New gameplay systems offer more tactical flexibility in combat. The state of the world affects each combat mission's environment. Use concealment to ambush enemy patrols. Loot enemies for precious gear and artefacts. Rescue VIPs and save fallen comrades by carrying them to the extraction point.
  • A New Breed Of Enemy: A diverse cast of enemies from powerful new alien species to the Advent, enforces of the alien regime, offer a distinct tactical challenge.
  • Research, Develop and Upgrade: Configure and build rooms on the Avenger to give XCOM new capabilities on the battlefield. Use your Scientists and Engineers to research, develop and upgrade weapons and armour to fit your preferred tactics.
  • Each Mission is a Unique Challenge: Go on missions around the world, from wildlands to the heart of the alien-controlled megacities, to the depths of alien installations. There are virtually infinite combinations of maps missions, and goals.
  • Create Custom Mods: Community-focused tools allow you to create your own campaign, tactical gameplay, aliens, classes, strategy game features, and share within the Steam Workshop.
  • Engage in Head-to-Head Multiplayer: Mix-and-match squads of humans and aliens battle head-to-head on randomly-generated maps.

Check out a screenshot gallery of the game above.

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Avatar image for KaptenHaddock
KaptenHaddock

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They really could have come up with a better explanation for the setting than "everything you did in the first game was completely inconsequential! Alternate universe huehue!".


Either way... More mod support hype! Warhammer 40k total conversion, anyone?

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Argle

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@KaptenHaddock: I thought the first games ending was more - "This ship is only the vanguard" - so fast forward 20 years: if we struggled that much with the vanguard, seems reasonable the actual armada would dominate us

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Thanatos2k

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@KaptenHaddock: What, you wanted "Aliens invade.....again!" as the plot?


Because that also makes everything in the first game completely inconsequential.

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Minishdriveby

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@KaptenHaddock: I like the idea that everything you did was inconsequential and the earth was still invaded. It makes it feel more plausible. It's a better explanation than having a one man army end the alien threat like in most games.

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CatAtomic999

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@Minishdriveby@KaptenHaddock: It works for me if you think of the original fight almost as an audition for whether or not the Earth was *worth* occupying, rather than just destroying. So we 'win', and the overlord alien guys are like, 'ok, they're bad enough dudes, let's invade for real'.

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swiftshadow666

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@Minishdriveby@KaptenHaddock: I just hope that they don't change the end of the last one to fit with this. If I recall correctly we had to leave our psionic behind to sacrifice himself to stop the aliens. I hope that still happened and it just wasn't enough.

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Avatar image for Ninives
Ninives

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@swiftshadow666@Minishdriveby@KaptenHaddock: And if the bad guy now turn out to be this psionic that we left behind?

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KaptenHaddock

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@Ninives@swiftshadow666:

Actally good ideas, in my opinion. See how easy that was? Action and reaction. Consequenses!

<< LINK REMOVED >>

Also a good point, in keeping with the tradition that your situation is hopeless against alien might. It is also a very plausible outcome, humanity managed to fight off a run-of-the-mill, by alien standards, invasion (of which they have many more active at any one time) - and when that happens you suddenly have the eye of the entire empire upon Earth.

<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >>

Good points, but still; see above. The attachment of having the hope of mankind be corrupted by the power of alien technology, their world view and morals warped and turned against their race... There's potential for many stories using the psychic soldier as an antagonist, perhaps even some completely Lovecraftian twist.

And simply having faught off the vanguard of an empire controlled by something far greater than the Outsiders is also plausible, a being or empire that does not let a conquest slip by so easily.


Look, all I'm saying is really that it might work for the company but on the other end it is a weird move.

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Snowx1

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So far 2015 is shaping up to be an amazing year for gamers:). Loved the first XCOM: Enemy Unknown, also have loved the franchise as a whole (X-COM terror from the deep comes to mind). Good to see that a franchise like this gets reimagined for a newer generation. Can't wait:).

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adro191

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can't effing wait!! Now I'm wishing summer was shorter

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hishamramzan

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I loved XCOM enemy unknown, cant wait to try out XCOM 2

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owlcoholic

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Well I guess I'll have to hold off committing suicide until next year.

(Spoken by Al Bundy)

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simc1

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Living in a world under an alien race's reign is probably the best thing that could happen to hummanity - would surely help sustaining ourselves (last five words added for console users)

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deactivated-5da4c0387991d

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@simc1: Kinda like if the U.S. took all of Mexico back in the day instead of just Northern Mexico.

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countofwilfore

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We lost the war? So, how does that explain the ending? Hmmm...

We will be watching..

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BabeNewelll

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Yulaw2000

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PC first from a mainstream publisher? Now that's something I've not seen for some time. Interesting.

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nigel15

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@Yulaw2000: It is actually exclusively on PC - the reasoning for which will be explained this week on IGN by the creators of the game. No idea how Gamespot can get it so wrong with PC stuff:


"And, later this week we’ll go in-depth with Solomon and DeAngelis on the reasons behind the bold move to take XCOM from a multiplatform series to a PC exclusive, and how XCOM 2 will be tailored to take advantage of that single platform’s strengths – followed by Firaxis’ exciting plans to support modders and their work."

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Yulaw2000

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@nigel15@Yulaw2000:

Interesting. Hopefully this means they will push the game more and tailor it specificity to PC's.

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Halo2-Best-FPS

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@Yulaw2000: It's actually quite common for PC genres.

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Yulaw2000

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@Halo2-Best-FPS@Yulaw2000: << LINK REMOVED >>

Yeah but turn based strategy games tend to be more console friendly than real time strategy games. I'm not complaining though.

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dkdk999

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@Yulaw2000: Well, it's a traditional strategy game, strategy games,MMO's, and turn based RPG's tend to be PC focused.

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Tabarnaque

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If they actually learned from the past game, this could push strategy/tactics games ever further, imagine if when losing a mission, instead of losing 100% of it you lose some but still win some, I wonder if they can work up the logic to make it work. In the rebooted one, if you retreated from a mission you just lost all but the surviving squad, making the game significantly harder for those who failed, inciting people to just reload, imagine if failure states were not complete failure states, so you don't have to reload, tension will remain instead of just plain frustration having to redo the same part.

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Avatar image for deactivated-5d762a7e1423c
deactivated-5d762a7e1423c

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Come on 2K, put some actual money into it and release it on consoles; LOVED Unknown; Within was a rip-off.

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Thanatos2k

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@Daelusca: Within was just an updated version of the game, you're dumb if you bought it again.

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Scarab83

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@Daelusca: Within was awesome.

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deactivated-5d762a7e1423c

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@Scarab83@Daelusca: Yup, Within was awesome IF you didn't play Unknown....same game...you just had to pay full price to figure it out.

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CDsmasher

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@Scarab83@Daelusca: No it wasn't. It was just the base game with 5% more missions and "mechs".

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herminio01

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Wait... How did humanity lose the war in the first game? I remember the game ending with humanity destroying the mother ship which = winning. Did I miss something?

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Thanatos2k

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@herminio01: No one on their team had the physic potential, so their game was unwinnable.

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simc1

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@herminio01: We will find out in the prequel of the sequel to be out in 2016 I guess

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OldDirtyCR

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@herminio01: It's a retcon or potentially another big bad guy came out of the woodwork right after.

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ECH71

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I would have been all over this game if it wasn't turned-based. To me, it's like chess... Zzz.

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Tabarnaque

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@ECH71: "Chess is boring"


It's more entertaining than esports

<< LINK REMOVED >>

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deactivated-5bda06edf37ee

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Sequel to original Xcom and Castlevania SotN? Am i dreaming? I dont want to wake up.

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kyle756

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@groowagon: sequel to enemy unknown

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deactivated-5bda06edf37ee

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Wich was the original xcom. Recently remade successfully.

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demondogx

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Loved the 1st one, hope this one will be even better, hope the second one also will make its way to consoles. because screw exclusivity, good games should be played by everyone no matter what platform you prefer.

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deactivated-64efdf49333c4

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Blarg. I still need to play the first.

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System4Ever

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Awesome! as long as it's just as deep strategy wise as the first game and has even more in-depth character customization and overall customization, I'm sold!

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CapnXtraObvious

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Glad they're sticking with systems that form unlimited replay value.

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silversix_

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OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Pyrosa

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EXCELLENT.

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