14 DAY TRIAL // After a few different leaks and speculation, 2K Games and Firaxis have officially confirmed XCOM: Enemy Within, a full-fledged expansion for the hugely popular XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which promises to introduce new enemies, new gear and specializations for your soldiers, as well as new areas to research alongside your XCOM crew in the single-player campaign.
At Gamescom 2013, Firaxis organized a special presentation, complete with a gameplay demonstration designed to show off all the new features in the upcoming expansion.
First up, XCOM: Enemy Within opens up with one of the new maps that will be introduced by the add-on, which takes place on top of a dam, which has been invaded by aliens, both old and new, and requires the intervention of XCOM.
After sending off a few rookies to die, complete with red-colored gear, the developer introduces three veterans that show off many new aspects from Enemy Within.
First up is a soldier who uses a special Mechanized Exoskeletal Cybersuit, which will be built for XCOM using the new Cybernetics Lab. Two other comrades join him, both with special Gene Mods, made by the Genetics Lab, which enhance their various capabilities.
These three new soldiers make quick work of the enemy aliens, as the mech-equipped veteran can use the cyber-legs to travel further and his arms to unleash a devastating attack that destroys cover and causes splash damage to enemies in the vicinity. He can also deliver Kinectic melee attacks, which will send enemies flying, in this case right over the dam.
The soldiers equipped with Gene Mods use them to either execute super jumps and reach high places without jetpacks or special armor, or to withstand and counter psionic attacks from enemies like the Sectoid Commander.
While new weapons, abilities, and other such things were added to the repertoire of the XCOM organization, the aliens have also received some help, in the form of at least one new unit called the Mechtoid, which also uses a mech-like body to deliver devastating attacks against humans.
XCOM: Enemy Within might also include a story-based campaign but, as of yet, Firaxis isn't confirming anything.
The expansion will appear as a standalone experience for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, while PC owners need to own Enemy Unknown to play it. It's out on November 12, in North America, and November 15, in Europe and the rest of the world.