XCOM: Enemy Unknown interactive trailer is next-best thing to playing

An interactive trailer for XCOM: Enemy Unknown lets you choose some of the mission elements.

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You've probably already downloaded the demo for XCOM: Enemy Unknown. But if for some reason you haven't, a new trailer offers interactive elements to give an approximation of playing the game. It's not quite the same, but it'll do in a pinch.

The trailer takes you into a battle, letting you choose options like what type of team to bring, or what to do with the aliens once they're on the run. Check it out below, or read our hands-on preview for more details.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    September 28, 2012 9:00 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, XCOM: Enemy Unknown interactive trailer is next-best thing to playing.

    An interactive trailer for XCOM: Enemy Unknown lets you choose some of the mission elements.

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      September 28, 2012 9:19 AM

      That's pretty neat. Game looks great.

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      September 28, 2012 9:30 AM

      I was telling my woman about this game... mostly about how I would be unavailable on Oct 9th-Forever. Then she tells me we are going to he house-sitting until Oct 12th!

      NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

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      September 28, 2012 9:52 AM

      Exposed heads always bugs me.

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      September 28, 2012 9:52 AM

      [deleted]

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        September 28, 2012 10:40 AM

        I am glad you say that because this trailer was my brainchild :D

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          September 28, 2012 10:44 AM

          [deleted]

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          September 28, 2012 10:46 AM

          Very nice! A great trailer methinks.

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          September 28, 2012 11:59 AM

          Good work, OverloadUT!

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          September 28, 2012 12:11 PM

          Genius idea! Kudos

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          September 28, 2012 1:11 PM

          Oat-Child!!

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            September 28, 2012 1:11 PM

            That's what I originally named the video but people told me to change it I have no idea why

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              September 28, 2012 1:13 PM

              It will always be that to me. :[

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          September 28, 2012 1:11 PM

          I could have guessed as much... wait I did, as I was loading it up I said to my brother that this had to be your idea :) Well done, although the disclaimer at the beginning made me chuckle where it said that in the full game you could control your soldiers yourself.

          Been expecting such "choose your own adventure" style youtubes for some time and this is a great example how the medium can be used.

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          September 28, 2012 1:16 PM

          OAT, you rock.
          Did you pick a mixer yet?

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          September 28, 2012 1:17 PM

          this is like having the credits roll and then having my name at the bottom of the special thanks

          except in your case you forgot that last part

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          September 28, 2012 1:27 PM

          [deleted]

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          September 28, 2012 2:16 PM

          well done

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          September 28, 2012 2:40 PM

          Congrats dude, well done.

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          September 28, 2012 3:07 PM

          Any comment on the demo editor for XCOM? Good/bad?

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          September 29, 2012 12:39 AM

          Your brain must've had sex with greatness.

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            September 29, 2012 12:40 AM

            Should've read the whole subthread. Awkward.

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      September 28, 2012 10:34 AM

      Choose your own adventure, video style. I like it.

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      September 28, 2012 12:15 PM

      speaking of XCOM: Enemy Unknown:

      I've played the demo like 20 times and I really really can't wait for the game to come out. Is there anything similar I could play until the 9th so I don't have to keep playing the same mission over and over?

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        September 28, 2012 12:45 PM

        Frozen Synapse!

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          September 28, 2012 1:00 PM

          neat. anything that's all 3D like XCOM, though?

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            September 28, 2012 2:23 PM

            UFO: Afterlight, it's like dodgy Russian xcom.

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            September 28, 2012 4:28 PM

            UFO: Extraterrestrial with this mod, apparently.

            http://www.ufo-scene.com/plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?1576

            Supposedly it turns a so so game into something that recaptures the xcom feel, but I've not tried it myself. Has anyone here given it a shot?

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              September 29, 2012 12:53 AM

              Jesus Christ, the changelog is far too long to read. I have played the original game for few minutes and it was terrible, I wonder if this mod really helps.

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            September 28, 2012 4:47 PM

            Check out the demo for Silent Storm

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            September 28, 2012 6:59 PM

            Silent storm is the closest TB game, for the same experience you're best off going back to UFO Defense or Terror from the Deep

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      September 28, 2012 12:59 PM

      Not sure why they are hammering at the idea throughout the trailer that playing aggressively is synonymous with completely ignoring cover.

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        September 28, 2012 1:08 PM

        Haha, yeah that wasn't necessarily the intention. We just wanted to show terrible strategy (like staying out in the open) resulting in lots of death

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          September 29, 2012 1:53 AM

          I understand, although the trailer comes across like there's a cut and dry right (defensive) and wrong (aggressive) way to play, rather than there being room for different play styles. Aggressive means death, instead of the reality I saw in the demo where it was totally viable.

          Aggressive should be a supported play style via the right squad composition choices and intelligently moving aggressively into forward cover positions, etc.

          Just kind of a bummer for me to see a legitimate and effective tactical style portrayed as Leeroy Jenkins mode.

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      September 28, 2012 2:14 PM

      [deleted]

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      September 28, 2012 3:38 PM

      [deleted]

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        September 28, 2012 4:09 PM

        I think the panic routine is run to cover if exposed, otherwise do something random like shoot at an alien, hunker down, or go to overwatch. They still act, you just don't get to pick what they do! (also they only get one action rather than a full turn)

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          September 28, 2012 4:31 PM

          [deleted]

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            September 28, 2012 4:47 PM

            Yeah, this way is panic as in "not following orders" rather than "becoming a raving lunatic"

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          September 28, 2012 4:43 PM

          I think it's great that they also shoot their own guys. I know if I was surrounded by aliens that could mind control that's the first thing I'd do.

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          September 28, 2012 4:51 PM

          In the Gametrailers video one of the guys panicked and shot at another squad member.

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            September 28, 2012 4:52 PM

            One time I had two dudes panic, and the random thing they did was shoot and kill two Cryssalids. BEST PANIC EVER

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          September 28, 2012 5:31 PM

          They've said that they will shoot randomly also. So they can tear into teammates.

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            September 28, 2012 5:35 PM

            Yeah I meant to say shoot in general, not shoot an alien necessarily!

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          September 28, 2012 7:00 PM

          Do they scream "suppressing fire!" and shoot the one black astronaut?

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      September 28, 2012 4:39 PM

      The demo was 2 levels, right? Super short?

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        September 28, 2012 5:36 PM

        right. your first time through both levels takes about 20 minutes.

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          September 28, 2012 6:54 PM

          I wanna play the game, but I'm not downloading 5g for 20 min.

          Deus Ex demo was one LARGE level, and then later they added another LARGE level. Why can't it be like that? xD

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            September 28, 2012 11:47 PM

            yeah, it's a bit of a bummer. I downloaded it as soon as I saw it was live, which was before I found out it was real short and not really replayable. Still fun though, but if you have a BW cap then yeah, it's not 5GB of fun. Luckily I was at the end of my cap and had plenty of gigs to spare, otherwise I would have waited (forever).

            Apparantly it's huge because there's 4GB of movies which are never even played. haha.

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