XCOM 2 Review

Of course, the battle on the field is just one aspect of management that players will face. The base management has gone through an overhaul as well, and Firaxis has done well to get rid of the UFO hunting minigame that felt out of place and awkward in the first title. The game puts a much higher importance on individual scientists and engineers, which makes rescuing them in optional timed missions an important judgement call for players. One rescued, the scientists provide research bonuses so players can unlock gear faster, SLG Updates and engineers can be placed in varying rooms to provide a wide aspect of bonuses, from increasing the resistance's communication network to helping troops recover from wounds fas


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


While not a major development fact, the XCOM franchise was the first IP Firaxis worked on that did not have Sid Meier associated with it. Sid Meier is the Director of Creative Development at Firaxis Games and responsible for many of the games developed by Firaxis, such as Civilization and titles from MicroPro


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


The other class in XCOM 2 that isn't an improvement on the one that preceded it. The Grenadier has some utility and a lot of great damage options. Grenades are extremely helpful during a playthrough to get chip damage and destroy co


The 2D pixels on 3D pixelated backgrounds is a cool visual gimmick. It was one of the best things about Octopath Traveler. However, that game had some issues that have carried over into this game as well. The backgrounds, for one, are too dark. Even what seems to be the brightest of settings can look dingy because of the lighting. TV settings can only do so much so it would be good to see these backgrounds brightened, or touched up in any other


While Xenoblade Chronicles 2 could've also been included on this list, nothing beats the quality of the original Xenogears — a convenient situation, since most people should ideally start off with this title its


Story-wise, we found the strings that weaved the plot together were a little far-fetched, but then again the series was never based on a completely believable storyline. As is always the case in an XCOM title, humanity is forced to adopt alien technology and use it against the occupying force, eventually leading to a one-chance strike that can bring the aliens to their kn


While the Dragon Quest series had long since established itself as a great JRPG series in its own right, one has to admit that the series hadn't really taken off in the west. Dragon Quest VIII was perhaps the last game in the series that had witnessed some level of success in the West, with the fanfare of later entries being rather muted in compari


Few companies have mastered the art of making turn-based strategy games quite like Firaxis . The studio's work with Sid Meier's Civilization and XCOM have resulted in some incredible experiences in both franchises. What's interesting is how Firaxis were able to reboot MicroProse's XCOM franchise without sacrificing much of the depth the older titles


Featuring groundbreaking dynasty mechanics coupled with some of the best gameplay that Fire Emblem has been privy to for quite some time, it must be said that Fire Emblem: Three Houses is easily one of the best games in the genre, and a must-play for any fan of SR


There is some town exploration in the demo. However, it is truncated. Most of the time it seems players will click on a map icon in order to in initiate a battle, or a cutscene. In-between some battles or story beats intel can be gathered but these exploration moments are very brief. This lack of full exploration is common for tactical RPGs so it understandable why the full game would not add this feat

The truth is, XCOM still exists, though it's become a shadow of its former self after world leaders and bases either surrendered or were destroyed. Reduced to a covert guerilla military operating in cells around the globe, this new "Resistance" has more than the standard aliens of the original game to contend with. Those monsters are back and scarier than ever, along with entirely new creatures - but it's the humans who serve the aliens - known as the ADVENT - that pose the most insidious threat. The odds seem insurmountable, and fight failing until resistance intelligence locates, then extracts their secret weapon: the Command