Yeah, I think that got him.

I got more of them than they got of me -- and I only accidentally killed two civilians!

Number one way to get a soldier killed: name him after me.

The original Trollface. "I just turned half your sqad into more of me. Problem?"

Sectsy beasts!

Just calling a game "XCOM" does not make it a true successor to X-COM: UFO Defense . In order to have a chance at recreating the magic that made the 1994 original one of the all-time PC gaming greats, there are certain things that Firaxis absolutely must do in its XCOM: Enemy Unknown . Here are the five most important ones:It's all about freedom and power -- to break stuff. In the original X-COM, if an alien is hiding behind a fence or wall, I can demolish it. If I think the enemy has a doorway covered, I can make my own entrance to the room and take them from behind. If I don't want to bother searching a house room to room, I can level the entire thing with a few carefully placed high-explosive charges (though annoyingly, any remaining chunks stubbornly refuse to fall to the ground). The ability to carve my own shortcuts through suburban terrain in exchange for heavy ammunition grants all kinds of tactical freedom for flanking and escape, as well as a sense that the weapons my troops are packing are immensely powerful. Nothing shatters the illusion of a rocket launcher's potency like a brilliant explosion that, when the smoke clears, leaves a wooden door unscathed.The announcement in Game Informer confirms that XCOM will have deformable terrain. The question, then, isdeformable is it? To impress, 2012's XCOM must not only allow us that same level of no-exceptions environmental destructibility, but apply physics to the world as well. When I demolish the first floor of a two-story building to rubble with a Blaster Bomb (assuming the new game has something equivalent to the programable-flightpath uber-missile), I expect the top floor to come crashing down, taking whatever alien scum -- or collateral damage -- might be hiding up there with it.One of the things that makes 1994's X-COM such an unforgettably tense experience is its ability to put the fear in you. A big part of that fear comes from the potential loss of life that comes with every mission -- that the soldiers we've flown into danger may not be coming back. Especially early in the game, when their puny human projectile weapons are vastly outmatched by even the lowliest Sectoid's plasma pistol, and their flimsy armor is torn apart by a gentle breeze, your soldiers will drop like flies -- or faster, if you've left them grouped together when an alien grenade goes off. Sure, raw recruits can be ordered in bulk to replace the fallen, but green soldiers are a poor replacement for battle-hardened veterans, and you never know when one will panic when his teammates need him most.After a soldier's been with you a while, bagging alien scum and risking life and limb on countless missions, losing him or her to a lucky shot from a Snake Man's plasma rifle can almost be too much to bear. It takes all of your willpower not to reload from the last save, just to see their pixelated faces again. But then, what you really want is vengeance. That fallen hero's name becomes a battle cry as you hunt down every last bug with extreme prejudice. They're not really gone, not as long as you remember them.Even so, one of the most common mistakes that's derailed attempted X-COM successors has been to make soldiers unkillable. Designers assume that players can't deal with the loss of a hero and all the progress they've made in gradually leveling up their stats, so a soldier's wounds are never fatal -- even a direct hit from the enemy's most powerful weapons merely knock them unconscious. XCOM: Enemy Unknown must not repeat this error. After all, have soldiers who haven't put it all on the line ever truly lived? Fortunately, in Game Informer's interview with Lead Designer Josh Solomon, he talks up how much he loves soldier permadeath, so it's looking very likely that XCOM will carry on the tradition.Old-school X-COM automatically names each new recruit from a list of names seemingly drawn randomly from an international phonebook. Those names are good enough -- especially if you like ladies named Olga and Uta -- and after a few amazing sniper shots, the name Mathias Vogel might even start to mean something to you. But the key to making these soldiers really matter to you is renaming them someone you know from life: your siblings, your buddies, your coworkers, or even your favorite sports team. When the aliens kill Steve from accounting, it not only makes you hate them more, but it gives you something to talk about next time there's an awkward silence when you're in the elevator together. "I'm sorry I let you get killed by a Muton."The new XCOMallow us to name our own characters (and, if possible, customize their faces). All too often a developer will think it's a great idea to prevent us from renaming soldiers so that they can create detailed backstories and personalities for each trooper. (Usually they're the same ones who think we can't handle soldiers dying.) This is wrong. The more I can personalize my squad, the more I care about them; the more I care about them, the more personally I take it when some alien scum kills them; the more personally I take it, the more emotionally involved in the outcome of the game I become.If I might make a suggestion: this is one time I wouldn't mind a game hooking into my Facebook account. Download my list of friends and name my soldiers after them for me!Great heroes need great enemies, and X-COM has them in spades. Sectoids, Mutons, Ethereals, and the dreaded Chrysalids -- these are the stuff of legend. (Floaters...not so much.) Each is ripped from pop culture, identifiable at a glance, full of character, lethal in combat, and above all, fun to kill. The perfect enemies. Yet all too many games have discarded these archetypical foes as too corny and, in an attempt to be original, came up with something too bizarre to be scary (I'm looking at you, XCOM shooter).Though we only have a couple of images so far, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is off to a great start in this regard. They unmistakably show Firaxis' take on a Sectiod -- the small grey aliens that you generally encounter first in X-COM -- though this new breed is a significant departure.The Sectoid of the 90s has large eyes, a nose and a mouth on its bulbous head, all attached to a chubby body and stubby arms and legs that he uses to stand upright. This 2012 Sectoid has hit the gym -- his arms and legs are long and toned, his body is sleek and slender, and he's crouched down on all fours in a sprinter's starting posture, implying that this sucker canwhen he wants to, as opposed to awkwardly waddling. His large bug eyes remain, but he's mouthless and noseless, and definitely has a vaguely Protoss look to him. He's also unarmed -- while old-school Sectiods are comically harmless without their plasma weapons and grenades (only a few had weaker psionic powers), this one still looks dangerous armed only with an angry glare. If the rest of the enemies are revised and updated in a similar style, we're in good shape -- and I can't wait to see the Chrysalid.With only rudimentary MIDI music, X-COM manages to make my skin crawl every time. The eerie swells and tingles plant a sinking feeling in my gut, and Ithat something nasty isright around the corner. Like the theme to Jaws, it lends a fantastic sense of paranoia and dread to the tactical battles, even when all I'm doing is checking closets. We have no idea what kind of music Firaxis will choose for its game, but it needs to be something that sets the appropriate mood.The Mutons should update their green unitards to green trenchcoats and fedoras --right now. Anyway, if you've yet to try X-COM: UFO Defense for yourself, it's available on Steam -- but make sure to read the manual before you dive in. That UI is a doozie!