With a Playstation 4 and Xbox One release due September 12. XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is definitely a must for fans of the original and a true expansion that introduces a new alien threat, resistance factions, and environments to get tactical in.

Here's the launch trailer.



Plenty of new XCOM 2 stuff to dig into, with the new Challenge Mode introducing leaderboard competition.

New Factions & Hero Classes: Three additional factions represent pockets of resistance to ADVENT – the Reapers, Skirmishers and Templars – each with its own Hero class can be recruited to stand with XCOM:

• The Reapers are infiltration specialists and stealth marksmen living on the fringe of society. Reapers utilize a powerful weapon called the Vektor rifle, as well as a special Claymore explosive - a targetable incendiary device that, when placed and activated, does not cause the Reaper to break Concealment;
  
• The Skirmishers are former ADVENT soldiers who have chosen to rebel against their masters. The Skirmisher is an offensive powerhouse, capable of dealing with threats running the gamut from up close to afar, armed with a grappling hook to help close distance and a wrist mounted Ripjack capable of piercing the enemy with deadly force;
  
• The Templars are a reclusive, monastic group of soldiers that have dedicated themselves to pushing their minds and bodies with psionic energy to the brink of humanity, honing their psionic energy with religious fervor into powerful weapons.

The Chosen: These powerful adversaries are unique ADVENT enemies tasked by the Elders to recapture the Commander at all costs. Masters of asymmetrical warfare, the Chosen will kidnap, interrogate and ultimately kill XCOM’s soldiers. They can even invade the strategy layer and ravage XCOM’s global operations; The Chosen include:

• The Hunter stalks its prey from across the map: tracking, wounding and disabling XCOM units at range;
  
• The Warlock utilizes a variety of psionic abilities to sow destruction on the battlefield;
  
• The Assassin are a stealth-based melee unit who prefers to fight at close range, preying upon XCOM units with her katana.

New Alien and ADVENT Threats: Adopt new tactics alongside the new faction allies to counter a deadly new alien known as the Spectre, the explosive attacks of the ADVENT Purifier, the psionically charged ADVENT Priest, as well as the creeping swarms of The Lost.

New Photo Booth: Immortalize your soldiers during their trials by creating customizable war-and-meme-worthy posters that are both sharable and can be found while in game.

New Environments and Mission Objectives: Players can engage in wide-ranging tactical missions, from abandoned cities devastated by alien bioweapons during the original invasion, to underground tunnels and xenoformed wilderness regions.

Enhanced Strategy Layer: Manage Covert Actions, Resistance Orders, and XCOM’s relations with factions while countering enemy operations from the Avenger.

Greater Customization & Replayability: Soldiers cultivate bonds with compatible teammates for new abilities and perks, while the SITREP system dynamically adds new modifiers to the tactical layer to make sure every mission provides a unique challenge.

Challenge Mode: New regular community challenges featuring unique missions not found in the campaign that rank players on a global leaderboard.

As we gave XCOM 2 a rare 10 in our review, War of the Chosen's release makes it one of 2017's must play titles for strategy and tactics fans.