Preview: 10 Things To Look Forward To In "XCOM: Enemy Unknown"

Plenty of fans of the classic PC strategy franchise XCOM were peeved when 2K unveiled that their new take on the franchise, despite maintaining some elements of the originals, would be a first person shoote.

So those fans must have been thrilled when 2K announced they'd also be rebooting the series in the form of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, a tactical strategy game that will feel much more familiar. At PAX East I got to see the game in action, both during a mission and in the command center, a hub where you'll do research and outfit your squad members.

Even the diehard fans in the audience during the demo seemed appeased by what we saw.

One of the hallmarks of the series is fear of the unknown; the aliens you'll be fighting come in numerous forms, mysterious, hulking and of indiscernible motivation.

Although the camera in Enemy Unknown sits at an isometric perspective, visibility is still limited. You often won't known what's behind the next door or around the next corner, and barreling through without stopping to consider your next move will often get you killed.

With enemies so unknowable, you might think that you'll be spending the game defending against their forces. On the contrary—2K said during the demo that the game is about taking the fight to them, using the tools at your disposal to launch a full offensive against the alien army.

And considering the game is set in the present, unlike its first person shooter counterpart, those tools should prove interesting indeed.

Speaking of tools—one of the best parts of the original games was capturing alien technology and using it against the enemy. That feature remains largely unchanged; requisitioned tech can be used by your scientists for research purposes, and your engineers can then apply that research to their creations.

In short, you'll be giving the enemy a taste of their own medicine.

The troops in the PAX East demo came in four flavors: assault, sniper, heavy, and support. Support provided augmentations and buffs for the other members, and laid down supressing fire so enemies stayed pinned down. The heavy weapons specialist carried a rocket launcher to take out large enemies and even walls.

The assault class sported a shotgun and could take loads of damage, and the sniper had a grappling hook to reach high ground and get a better shot, though he had to choose between moving or shooting in a single turn.

In the demo at PAX East, two hulking Mutons (enemies familiar to fans) and an even deadlier Berserker waited inside a gas station as the soldiers battled Sectoids outside. As the assault trooper crouched on top of the building, the heavy took out the outer wall with a rocket, allowing the sniper an easy shot at the aliens inside.

2K also mentioned that you won't be able to count too much on cover, as most elements of the environment are destructible—as long as there's a big enough gun in play.

While Enemy Unknown maintains the isometric perspective of the originals, it'll also zoom up close to your soldiers and enemies when it's appropriate—as the sniper lines up his shot, as the assault character blasts a Muton in the back with her shotgun, or as a Berserker destroys one of your characters with a barrage of powerful punches.

It lends a cinematic and personal quality to the game that others in the strategy genre are often lacking.

2K and Firaxis claim they're being careful to preserve the elements that long time fans will love, and there was plenty of evidence of that during the demo. "It was traditional in the original XCOM to name your soldiers after your friends and family, so that it was that much more poignant when they died horribly," just one element among the dozens that's carried over to Enemy Unknown, a 2K rep said.

The loading screen, menus—even the command center itself—all pleased fans in the audience, who let out approving grunts at regular intervals throughout.

Speaking of the command center—the Ant Farm, as 2K called it, will greet you after every mission. It's got "all the attraction of that big G.I. Joe aircraft carrier that your friends had but your parents never bought you," they said.

It's also where you'll prepare for the next mission, and it's got all the amenities modern soldiers need: a bar, an infirmary, a gym…an alien containment facility. Next slide!

I already mentioned that you'll be able to requisition alien tech for research purposes, but when one fan couldn't resist asking whether you'll still be able to capture aliens themselves and bring them back to base, the answer wasn't as cryptic as I expected it to be.

"Today, for your delight, we're going to kill them," the 2K rep said, just before he pointed out with a wink that one of the rooms in the "Ant Farm" is for "alien containment".

While 2K was willing to all but answer the question about alien containment, there were several more that they was simply unable to comment on. "Oh my gosh, the universe is full of horrible things," they'd say. "We're not ready to talk about that yet."

What I took away from that is that there are countless more things yet to be revealed, but that the questions of diehard fans—the ones willing to wait hours in line to watch a seven minute demo—were hitting home. And that's definitely a good sign.