XCOM 2 Review

It's the kind of tense, story-driven stakes that have kept couch-based players on the edge of their seats, and thankfully, the controls have been adapted to a gamepad with as streamlined and intutitive a control scheme as could be hoped for. The controls will be second nature by the second mission or so, maintaining the tactical-over-twitch sensations. The only real cost of conversion to consoles is nagging framerate drops and flickering during cutscenes, specifically. They're noticable, and a shame; but if the game adapts the feel of playing the game, it's a worthy trade-off (especially with the troubled history of trying to make complex strategy games "work" away from a mouse and keyboa


Three years after XCOM: Enemy Unknown took the strategy world by storm and proved that turn-based titles could still shake up the industry, Firaxis has followed up with a successor that is certainly capable of carrying on the name. Within XCOM 2 , players will find a challenging title that not only improves on the core gameplay experience from the original game, but adds plenty of new elements to keep die-hard fans on their t

While Enemy Unknown 's basic gameplay loop saw players taking uneasy steps into hostile territory, unsure of ambushes, it's the player who now stalks their alien prey. Squad members can be led, one by one, up to the very fringe of monitored areas. From there, it's possible to identify secondary targets or assets (now a core layer of the mission objectives), and surround enemy troops and traitors before they know what's about to hit them. And when it hits them... it's glori


A decent tank in a game where they are needed, the Assault class does what it needs to in Enemy Unknown . All of the Assault Class's abilities help it do what it needs to: get in the enemy's face and shoot it with a shot


In what has to be one of the greatest examples of fan service in the history of games, Firaxis has drastically expanded the customization options for soldiers within XCOM . Whether it's changing their nationality, gender, or even giving them a custom backstory, there isn't much players aren't able to do to model their soldiers exactly how they want to. As these soldiers rank up, more cosmetic apparel options will become unlocked, and players will soon find themselves buried in items like baseball hats, monocles, and even a Duke Nukem -esque cigar . That's XCOM , b


PC players have been enjoying the game since February, but the developers have finally released a console version to Xbox One and PS4. It's a longer delay than many gamers are used, so does the ported version seem worth the wait? And after Enemy Unknown 's own release on consoles, have the interfaces and controls been improved (along with the performance) on the Xbox One and PS4's hardware? The answer is 'yes' across the board - minus a few technical iss


Needless to say, the game's development was a nightmare . The main issue was a development split between MicroProse wanting to create the visuals of the SLG game events while Mythos Games developed the other systems. Since MicroProse didn't understand the isometric view the title was going for, however, the two teams ended up harming each other's progress towards finishing the g

Those gamers who played the original XCom probably remember how much of a problem the Reapers could pose. Reapers are large, hunched-over, bi-pedal monsters that are usually encountered with Floaters. The Reaper has more health than any other alien, and can travel across the battle zone with alarming speed. It is quite disheartening to watch a Reaper run across the entire map and kill a soldier in one turn; while seemingly ignoring the damage dealt to it. If it starts a turn next to a soldier, that soldier is not going to survive – even if that soldier is wearing power ar


In the end, the version of XCOM 2 available on either the Xbox One or PS4 is still, unavoidably, the second best crafted by the development team. The good news is that players who prefer their couch to their desktop won't be missing out on the quality of the experience, even if the level of polish takes a hit. And with every aspect of XCOM 2 contributing to the kinds of investment, tension, and stakes usually relying on players hunched over keyboards, glued to their monitors... well, being a couch potato may have never been a more stressful experie


Even without his involvement during development, Sid Meier is a possible hero character in XCOM: Enemy Unknown and XCOM 2 who can be generated by changing a solider's name to "Sid Meier" with no nickn


The world map also gets a facelift, and players will now find themselves flying their mobile base to different destinations. Everything takes time in XCOM 2 , including traveling to and setting up before missions. As a result, players will need to analyze which missions are worth doing and keep a constant eye on the clock. This is true in more than a sense of foreboding, as the game suggests that if a certain doomsday clock reaches zero, it's game over for XC