Walk with me: The West Wing goes high tech.

Fans of the XCOM strategy games will rejoice at the news that developer Firaxis Games has made official its intention to deliver a new title in the series, XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

For those who have not experienced previous games, XCOM sees the player take control of a secret anti-alien force. Humanity is undergoing an attack on a global scale and it is up to the player to command the resistance. The most acclaimed games in the franchise are turn based and heavily tactical. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is being touted as a return to the series’ roots.

The series has been hailed as revolutionary for the strategy genre and fans can rest assured that the project is in good hands, with lead developer Jake Solomon telling Game Informer that the original XCOM is his “favourite game of all time”. Firaxis is best known for its work on the Civilization series.

The announcement of Enemy Unknown may appease fans dismayed that the long awaited series reboot (simply titled XCOM) is abandoning the isometric tactics of the original in favour of first person gunplay.

Enemy Unknown is being developed for PS3, 360 and PC. At the time of writing there has been no official date set for release.

Image credits: Game Informer

In this episode: Resident Evil 6, The Last of Us, Fortnite, Skullgirls, A Game of Dwarves, Dream Heights, Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3 and much more!

Subscribe via iTunes l Direct Download l Podcast Specific RSS l Previous Episodes

Send your QUESTION OF THE DECADE to feedback@blackpanel.com.au

The Panellists: Erin Marcon (@ErinMarcon), Karen Jacobson (@KarenMJacobson), Peter Nickless and Joel Guttenberg

Twitter: @BlackPanelDaily l Facebook: Black Panel Readers’ League

Question: How can I support Australia’s grooviest gaming podcast?

Answer: Visit iTunes and rate the show! Read the rest of this entry »

Presented in glorious alphabetical order, New Media: Retail Roundup is your indispensible checklist of the home console and handheld titles arriving in stores this week. What will you be playing?

MICROSOFT Xbox 360 Final Fantasy XIII-2 * Metal Gear Solid HD Collection * Soulcalibur V

NINTENDO Wii Nothing 3DS Resident Evil: Revelations DS Nothing

SONY PS3 Final Fantasy XIII-2 * Metal Gear Solid HD Collection * Soulcalibur V PSP Nothing

VARIOUS PC Nothing

New Media: Downloadable Digest is your handy reminder of the downloadable titles released during the past week.

MICROSOFT XBLA Puddle * Quarrel Games on Demand Nothing

NINTENDO WiiWare The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s ABC’s  Wii VC Nothing 3DS eShop Nothing 3DS VC Balloon Kid (GB) DSiWare Nothing

SONY PSN Puddle Minis Mecho Wars Full Games Duke Nukem Forever PS1 Classics Nothing

VALVE Steam Insane 2 * King Arthur II: Dead Legions * King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame * Oil Rush * Sol: Exodus

Looking for more New Media? View previous instalments here.

Welcome to The Black List, your one stop shop for the stories published on the site this week.

MONDAY JUST ANNOUNCED Deadlight > Do you know what the world needs? More zombie video games, that’s what. No, I am serious. The more of the undead we take out in a virtual setting, the better prepared the human race will be when the inevitable zombie apocalypse happens. Luckily new studio Tequila Works realises this and are providing us with another brain eater survival training simulator called Deadlight. READ MORE

TUESDAY NEWS Apple addressing exploitation concerns… slowly > The company that blacklisted Phone Story has conceded that many of its suppliers are still not meeting their obligations to their employees. As reported by The Age, the tech giant has confirmed that one third of its partners are failing to provide a safe workplace, while almost two thirds are demanding excessive hours from their workers. READ MORE

WEDNESDAY NEWS nanoBITES 68 > Certain Affinity’s pirate themed (and criminally underappreciated) Age of Booty is coming to iOS and Android devices. This excellent little real time strategy title is already available on XBLA, PSN and PC. This is just one of the stories in the latest edition of nanoBITES, our ongoing feature devoted to small but important news items. READ MORE

THURSDAY JUST ANNOUNCED Dwarf stars > Swedish developer Zeal Game Studio is working on A Game of Dwarves. The new title is certain to spark comparisons with enduring indie darling Dwarf Fortress. Both games challenge you to oversee a team of diminutive adventurers as they explore, mine and customise randomly generated subterranean environments. READ MORE

FRIDAY NEWS Towers of trouble > An ugly spat has erupted following the announcement of Zynga published tower building sim Dream Heights. As reported by Touch Arcade, indie developer Niblebit has issued an open letter implying that the game is little more than a clone of its popular iOS release Tiny Tower. Niblebit’s Ian Marsh has also suggested that Zynga attempted to purchase his studio before pressing ahead with Dream Heights. READ MORE

Looking for more of The Black List? View previous instalments here.