XCOM 2's wilderness areas look nice and varied

February 5! Have you marked that date on your calender? Why not? OK then, buy a calendar. No, it doesn't matter which one...yep, that one with the funny cats is just fine. Now write 'XCOM 2 is out!', and underline it three times—also remember to make a note of your Nan's birthday. XCOM 2 is out February 5, which is ages away, but to satiate your turn-based hunger in the meantime, Firaxis and 2K have released a bunch of new images.

"Wilderness maps in XCOM 2 are easily recognized by their dilapidated buildings and overgrowth," sayz Firaxis/2K. "You may encounter some ADVENT architecture, but the administration’s hold on the Wilderness areas is tentative at best."

Also: "The Wilderness maps not only provide us with a different backdrop from the iconography and propaganda of ADVENT territory but, in many situations, more open and clear lines of sight during engagement. Keep in mind this won’t be the case during every Wilderness encounter though, as the forests and rundown buildings are still prime locations for an ambush from a waiting ADVENT patrol."

Tom loves exploring in games, whether it’s going the wrong way in a platformer or burgling an apartment in Deus Ex. His favourite game worlds—Stalker, Dark Souls, Thief—have an atmosphere you could wallop with a blackjack. He enjoys horror, adventure, puzzle games and RPGs, and played the Japanese version of Final Fantasy VIII with a translated script he printed off from the internet. Tom has been writing about free games for PC Gamer since 2012. If he were packing for a desert island, he’d take his giant Columbo boxset and a laptop stuffed with PuzzleScript games.