14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Firaxis and publisher 2K Games have confirmed that they are working on Enemy Within, an expansion for the core XCOM strategy experience. They are now ready to offer more details on the improvements that gamers will be able to experience on November 15.
The big change for the expansion is that a new Mech class is available once a special building is created, allowing any sort of soldier to be converted.
He loses his abilities but can gain new ones, required in order to face the tougher opponents that Enemy Within introduces, including the ability to offer cover, ground attacks and a damage reduction system for one turn.
Mechs can also use new weapons including railguns and flamethrowers, which many fans requested to see in XCOM, according to IGN.
At the same time, 40 new maps will be introduced, with more diversity and the chance to battle an UFO crash that happens in an urban environment.
Players will have to balance the need to have some heavy firepower with the ability to add genetic enhancements to normal soldiers, making them more effective in the field, and can eliminate the problems of psy control.
A resource labeled Meld will be required to create many of the new soldier enhancements and weapons.
Firaxis is also working to rebalance skills from Enemy Unknown in order to give players an entirely new way to experience the game.
The Second Wave options are also being re-designed in order to give experienced gamers more of a challenge.
Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K, states, “Firaxis Games is renowned for delivering massive, highly immersive PC expansions in the Civilization series, and XCOM: Enemy Within builds on that lineage and expands the experience for console gamers as well.”
XCOM: Enemy Within will be offered for 30 dollars or Euro as an expansion on the PC and as a standalone package on consoles for 40 dollars or Euro.