Back in 1994, whilst Mulder and Scully were wading through Black Oil conspiracies, a PC strategy game about a secret military organisation called XCOM (Extraterrestrial Combat Unit) whose job it was to protect earth against alien invasions garnered a similarly huge and loyal fan base. One such fan is Jake Solomon, lead designer on Terror From the Deep, the sequel to the original masterpiece XCOM: UFO Defense. So much so that he is taking up the reigns again for the latest in the series, XCOM: Enemy Unknown which SFL had a preview of last week, watching it on the big planetary screen at the Royal Observatory.

Chatting with Enemy Unknown’s Associate Producer Pete Murray, it seems impossible to talk about this game without mentioning how faithful it is to the original. Murray revealed that if there was a member of the Firaxis development team who hadn’t played the original, Jake would put them on an immediate crash course so that everyone was working on the same page; “It was really important that we all knew what worked with the original” said wide-eyed Murray. “We talk all the time about what happens in our game, what we enjoyed in the original and what we wanted to bring forward to include in this game. We hope that somebody who is experienced with XCOM is immediately going to have that “I recognise this game” moment when they play the new one.”

Yes it has a strong SF heart and already fans are buzzing about this re-imagining, but will XCOM: Enemy Unknown appeal to new audiences with no or little frame of reference? Our initial impression would suggest so, as the balance of combat against planning was equal during the demo. Set in the late 1960’s, we viewed a burly XCOM squad as they prepared to engage in battle around a petrol forecourt with the stereotypical, skinny, grey, black almond-shaped eyed aliens known as Sectoids. It was instantly refreshing to see that care has been taken with the presentation. The rigid grid layout seen so often with other turn-based strategy games is replaced with a scene that offers intricate detail, depth and destructible surroundings including car windows and walls. As the squad moves out, shielding behind vehicles, gaining vantage points on rooftops and flanking the trio of Sectoids busily feasting on a corpse, I was lulled into thinking this would be an easy job and the squad would be tucked up in their space beds in no time. With a good isometric overview of the entire scene, surely all the planning and tactical moves would pay off…? That was until a new meaty group of Beserkers were discovered hiding in the shop. Suddenly, responding to the new threat, instructions are barked out and a squad member takes up position against the wrong wall as a Beserker smashed his way through and fist pounded the life out of him. If one of the team dies, they are never coming back. Being able to name team mates after loved ones, pets or best friends didn’t quite have the same appeal once this realisation kicked in. This emotional investment to the characters was something I didn’t expect whilst the surprise element – which as those people who did play the original will tell you, often makes an XCOM game fiendishly difficult – installed tension and sadness as I know my squad will probably die very quickly and horribly when the game is released later this year. Back on the forecourt, as soldiers make a dash between two vital points of cover as bullets splash from both sides, the camera sweeps in for some up close, slow motion action. It’s rather slick and cinematic which should help break up that tension that XCOM is famed for. “This is very much a game about the feeling it evokes for you and how you respond to that” Pete Murray goes on to explain. “That feeling from the original game; the dread of going into a situation where you don’t know if you’ve got the gear, skills or right people is a key hook for fans and new players.”

The ability to generate plans and carry them out is the most addictive and attractive aspect of XCOM though there is the possibility to fail in the grander scheme of things. If one of the key hooks is character involvement then the bonds made back on the base are vital to success. I can see why when that soldier, the one you’ve been levelling up for ages, who has become an essential part of your strategy, the one you play pool with back on base, when THAT soldier is dead, never to return, how a whole smug masterplan could quickly keel over. We’re assured that Enemy Unknown won’t have the difficulty of the original PC game so newcomers to the series will find plenty to enjoy, like the other activities that takes place on the base – also known as the Ant Farm.

In a seemingly hopeless war against the unknown extraterrstrial enemy who have far superior technology and abilities, during battle when an alien dies, collecting its weapon fragments is vital to technology research back on at the Ant Farm. Salvaging raw materials to use to the squad’s advantage is important; in fact Murray revealed that taking live alien hostages or carrying out Sectoid autopsies will unlock certain narrative threads in the game. The Ant Farm itself also has an art and science to it. Rather than simply guessing or plonking sections together, certain areas will work more effectively depending on how you build, like placing a thermal plant over a steam unit or stacking power plants on top of one another. At the heart of the Ant Farm is a giant globe where you can respond to alien threats as they are reported. Apparently it’s possible to do two whole run-throughs of the game without there being a mission duplication so games will vary from player to player which the developers hope will create a dialogue away from the screen in a “guess what happened in MY game last night???” sort of a way.

So, fans of the series, start getting excited now. Everyone else, keep your eye on this one as it’s shaping up be a new sci-fi classic.