A new kind of enemy demands a new kind of soldier.
The big giggle in XCOM: Enemy Within, the “standlone expansion” to last year’s hit XCOM: Enemy Unknown, appears to be the addition of a new resource called Meld, a kind of pseudo-magic “stuff” that allows players to biologically or cybernetically enhance their soldiers to give them a better chance against new and even deadlier enemies. Basically, it looks like you’ll turn your guys into a bunch of giant fighting robots or load them up with telepathic mojo – always handy in a fight.
The trailer doesn’t say much about what Enemy Within will actually be like and viewers unfamiliar with the franchise could be forgiven for thinking that it’s a third-person shooter, or perhaps an RTS. But no worries – we have that base covered, as Josh Vanderwall spent some time with the game at PAX and wrote all about it here. It has fewer explosions but more information, which I think under the circumstances is a good trade.
Completely different games though they may be, the whole thing gives me a real Deus Ex vibe: Gunther Hermann and JC Denton together again, but this time without all the existential angst – unless that’s in there too. Now that would be cool.
XCOM: Enemy Within comes out on November 12 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
