The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

Talk to any X-COM fan and they'll probably tell you that the franchise should have ended in 1997. After a trilogy of stellar turn-based strategy games, the only two follow-ups to the series were an underwhelming space combat sim and a mindless first-person shooter. Now after nearly a decade-long hiatus, a new XCOM is under development, unhyphenated and re-imagined by the talented developers at 2K Marin. And although the newly announced title is returning to the FPS formula, the team looks to bring back some of the game's strategic elements while capitalizing on their ability to create a rich ambiance and suspenseful narrative.

The new XCOM trades the futuristic setting of the franchise for the idyllic America of the 1950s. A retro art style and slightly exaggerated characters are reminiscent of 2K Marin's recent adventure in Rapture, albeit with a less gloomy tone. Instead, the game juxtaposes a Leave It To Beaver atmosphere with the horrific nature of human-devouring amorphous blobs and ultra-destructive death rays.

You play the role of William Carter, an agent working in the FBI's XCOM unit, located in a secret bunker beneath an undisclosed U.S. Air Force base. Like the original trilogy, XCOM's mission is to identify and defend the planet from alien threats. But don't expect to be facing any Sectoids or Floaters; the developers have stated they're ditching the franchise's established species in order to surprise players with new creations. Two enemy types have been revealed: a tar-like blob creature that latches onto and engulfs its victims, and a levitating ring structure capable of raining down widespread destruction from above. So far it seems 2K Marin has made the right call. The novelty of encountering and investigating new, terrifying life forms far outweighs the nostalgia of rehashing old ideas.

As far as dead ladies go, this one's pretty dead

While most games forget what the 'I' in FBI stands for, investigation is your primary task in XCOM. Reports of strange phenomena from across the country are funneled into your base, and it's up to you to decide which case to embark on. These events can happen simultaneously, so while you're tracking down a lead in Kansas, an important piece of evidence in Maine may disappear.

The missions themselves are equally open-ended. Upon entering one of the large maps, you and two agents will comb the area for clues that are relevant to your investigation. XCOM employs a photo mechanic similar to BioShock's, and every picture you snap of a menacing alien or disintegrating co-worker edges you towards a solution for dealing with your alien invaders. Other evidence, as well as a valuable alien element called Elerium, are also ripe for the taking should you find them. But limited resources and the urgency of the alien threat means the longer you stay in a location, the less likely your chance of survival. You'll have to decide whether it's worth it to stick around and see what else you can find, or if it's time to flee the scene and return to your base with your collected evidence - and hopefully your fellow agents.

Like the early X-COM games, that evidence you collect is important. Not only will it move the story along and provide valuable information on the threat you're up against, it's also vital for your research team to create alien-based weapons powerful enough to overcome your extraterrestrial adversaries. So far 2K has revealed two of these inventions, based on the oily blob species. The "Blobatov" is designed to torch the pesky enemies, in light of the fact that a shotgun blast will only temporarily separate them into smaller pieces, allowing them to eventually reform. The second invention takes advantage of this rejoining property. By trapping a small slice of one of the blobs in a jar and connecting it to an electronic compass, the device will lead you to other creatures in the vicinity. Having weapon and gadget designs based on your research bolsters the game's science fiction appeal, and given the creativity behind BioShock 2's arsenal, we can't wait to see what else Carter will eventually have at his disposal.

Will these agents be as memorable as your soldiers from the original X-COM games?

We're also hoping your NPC cohorts can tap into the franchise's strategic depth, and 2K Marin has expressed an interest in making these secondary characters matter. Whether that means you'll be managing their resources and actions like the space grunts of the original series is something we'll have to wait to find out, but so far the game's direction is promising. 2K also isn't commenting on whether XCOM will feature multiplayer yet, but the prospect of teaming up with a few fellow humans to fend off an alien invasion is a tantalizing possibility.

Between the unusual mechanics, the 1950s setting, and the new cast of alien species, this XCOM reboot may be unrecognizable to longtime fans of the series at first glance. So far all the markings of a tense first-person shooter are coming together - let's hope a deeper look will reveal a layer of strategy befitting the franchise's name.

[This preview was originally published in issue #207 of Game Informer]