Info (EU2012)

XCOM: Enemy Unknown, released 9Oct2012, is a video game (PC, XBox360, PS3) wherein the player is in charge of an elite paramilitary organization called XCOM. XCOM: EU is well-characterized as an homage to the 'XCOM' series of games that started in 1994 with UFO: Enemy Unknown (aka XCOM: UFO Defense). Extraterrestrials are attacking Earth and it is your job to defend the planet.

XCOM is a unique game because it blends elements of real-time strategy (building a base, researching technology, planning missions, managing global sentiment to secure funding, equipping soldiers with gear and abilities) with elements of turn-based combat (you choose every move and action your soldiers take on the battlefield). The fact that you have total control over every aspect of the XCOM agency is especially important considering "perma-death"; when one of your soldiers dies, they are gone. The only way to get that soldier back is to reload a saved game before they died (assuming you're not playing IronMan mode). This plays into XCOM's infamous difficulty; while no shot can be taken for granted and every choice you make in the game could have significant long-term consequences, the fact that your replacements are minimally-skilled rookies makes every lost soldier that much harder to endure.