XCOM has been delayed so often and has changed so drastically that it may be hard to keep track of what the game is. Is it still a FPS? (No.) Is it related to last year's XCOM game? (Not really.) Is it still called XCOM? (No, it's now called The Bureau: XCOM Declassified.)

Don't worry if you haven't been able to keep track of The Bureau's many changes. XCOM as it is today can be best summed up as this: Mass Effect, set in the 60s.

Read more: XCOM: Rainbow Six »

After years of silence, the XCOM FPS has resurfaced as a tactical cover-based third-person shooter known as The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. Yet, in spite of a new perspective and a new title, 2K Games insists that their re-revealed game is not a reboot. Instead, it's simply an "evolution" of the long-in-development game.

"The game has not restarted over and over again," 2K Marin VP Alyssa Finley told Shacknews in an interview. "If you look back at the game we showed in 2010, you'll see some of the same enemies, you can see some of the same teammates. This really is an evolution."

Read more: How 'Tag Mode' turned into 'Battle Focus' »

After a week of teases, 2K Games has officially announced The Bureau: XCOM Declassified--the game formerly known as just XCOM.

When introduced in 2010, XCOM was a first-person shooter set in the 1960s. The Bureau takes the same setting, but is now a tactical third-person cover-based shooter. "Set in 1962 at the height of the Cold War, The Bureau tells the origin story of the clandestine XCOM organization's first encounter with a mysterious and devastating enemy," 2K's press release details.

Watch: the re-reveal trailer »

2K Games has finally revealed what we have known for awhile: The planned XCOM tactical shooter has "evolved," and an announcement on what is going on at developer 2K Marin should be revealed in "the coming days," perhaps as early as Friday.

Read more: 'Imbued with core XCOM concepts' »

A new trailer has emerged from Veritas MCMLXII pointing toward an impending relaunch of the XCOM shooter. This trailer isn't quite as detailed, but as with any conspiracy theory, it's what you don't see at first that is more important.

See: the evidence »

The XCOM hype continues to build. Earlier today, we found out about some mysterious marketing materials that could be pointing to a rebranded XCOM shooter. Now a new video from "Veritas MCMLXII" has shown up calling the Russian meteor from February of this year a cover up.

Watch: What happened in 1962? »

The mystery surrounding 2K Games' XCOM shooter rivals the conspiracy theories and covert shenanigans the series is known for. First, the game was delayed to fiscal 2014, then rumors surfaced of it switching to a third-person tactical game. Then, the website and screens for the title just disappeared like you were flashed with the "forget-about-it" ray from Men in Black. Now, some marketing materials have surfaced, adding to the speculation.

Watch: Dissecting the information »

The long-delayed XCOM first-person shooter appears to be going through a transition process. The official site and videos have been pulled, which would seem to suggest a cancellation if not for recent reports that point to a full rebranding effort.

Read more: Domains hint at 'The Bureau' »

With all eyes on Firaxis' upcoming XCOM: Enemy Unknown game, our memories of 2K Marin's first-person take on the franchise are becoming a bit hazy. After countless internal reboots, the subtitle-free XCOM is currently slated for a "fiscal 2014" release.

While Enemy Unknown is designed for fans of the original series, many were miffed by the first-person take of 2K Marin's new adventure. It appears that the BioShock 2 developer may be moving away from that direction, exploring the possibility of turning the game into a squad-based third-person tactical shooter.

Read more: $30 downloadable release? »

When 2K Games announced the release date for XCOM: Enemy Unknown, we couldn't help but wonder: what ever happened to the FPS reboot by 2K Marin? Originally scheduled to release on March 6th of this year, the game has been delayed yet again, this time away from its fiscal 2013 release into "fiscal 2014," which begins on April 1, 2013.

Read more: Repositioned as a next gen game? »

2K Marin is apparently at work on a new intellectual property alongside its shooter reboot of XCOM. Though details are sparse, an employee resume refers to being in the thick of pre-production stages of the unannounced title.

Read more: Resume talks of concept art, publisher pitches »

Julian Gollop, creator of the original X-COM game, hasn't had a hand in the XCOM first-person reboot from 2K Marin, nor the more recently announced strategy game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown from Firaxis. It's clear which one he prefers though, sharing his thoughts on the strategy game and calling the shooter direction "disappointing" for its departure from the series' roots.

"I thought it was a great shame because it was going down the same route as some of the previous X-COM sequels, like Interceptor and Enforcer - in other words, going completely against turn-based combat," Gollop said.

Read more: Are turn-based games a 'completely niche market'? »

There's a lot to be excited for in 2012, and the Shacknews staff each have five games on their radar. The editorial team at Shacknews outlines their most anticipated games of 2012 individually. Lastly, here's senior editor Xav de Matos and his list of 2012 titles.

Metro: Last Light

There's something about Metro 2033 that just spoke to me. It was dark and complex, it didn't pander to its audience, and it was equal parts incredible and insane--with variations of good and bad between both. Metro: Last Light looks to continue with these trends. Based on what I've seen, developer 4A Games looks to build upon the foundation of the first game to bring players an even more intense experience with Metro: Last Light.

Read more: The rest of Xav's picks for 2012 »

2K Games' revamped take on XCOM was originally scheduled to release on March 6, the same day as Mass Effect 3. The publisher has announced a delay for the game into "fiscal 2013," which begins on April 1 of next year.

It's currently unclear if the delay is simply due to marketing, and wanting to avoid conflicting with Mass Effect 3, or if development issues are at hand. This isn't the first time XCOM has stumbled, having already undergone significant changes since the departure of its studio head.

Watch: Twenty minutes of gameplay »

2K Marin's 20-minute presentation of XCOM shown at E3 in June is now available in handy video format, so we can all enjoy a good look at its reboot of the much-loved X-COM series, and pretend that we're video games press about to write previews.

Watch: The demo with heaps of information from narrative director Jordan Thomas »