XCOM: Enemy Unknown

1. RedRice

   Jun 24, 2013

   10

   This is the way X-COm should be played. With touch controls, retina graphics for detailed maps and characters, and quicker loading times. TheThis is the way X-COm should be played. With touch controls, retina graphics for detailed maps and characters, and quicker loading times. The 19.99 price is justifiable for all the work that has been done on the console version and for the successful iOS port.… Expand

   • 6 of 9 users found this helpful
2. Thegodfatherson

   Jun 23, 2013

   10

   Having a big price and huge GB taken away from your ios device, XCOM enemy unknown is simply the best game ever made for the ios platform.Having a big price and huge GB taken away from your ios device, XCOM enemy unknown is simply the best game ever made for the ios platform. Stunning visuals, great graphics and engaging sci fi story lives up to its merits.… Expand

   • 2 of 3 users found this helpful
4. Danieljm41

   Jun 24, 2013

   9

   A Fantastic port of a fantastic game.
   
   Other than a few crash issues (which I'm sure will be ironed out with an update) there's nothingA Fantastic port of a fantastic game.
   
   Other than a few crash issues (which I'm sure will be ironed out with an update) there's nothing negative to say about this game. I was initially hesitant to buy this App because of my screen size (I'm playing on a 4S) but as soon as I booted it up and got into my first encounter my concerns were allayed.
   
   So, get this game.… Expand

   • 2 of 3 users found this helpful
5. dj_cole

   Feb 19, 2015

   8

   Xcom enemy unknown is the newest addition in the Xcom series. While it remains a solid tactical squad based strategy game, it does not live upXcom enemy unknown is the newest addition in the Xcom series. While it remains a solid tactical squad based strategy game, it does not live up to the lofty presence of the original Xcom.
   
   The series, for those unfamiliar with it, is based on leading a secret covert operations group, known as Xcom, as it attempts to secretly defend earth from an alien invasion. The game does allude to all of this being top secret, which seems a bit ridiculous as you play through the game, but that doesn't really matter to the gameplay. You act as supreme commander of the Xcom project, managing and building up a base of operations, sending out satellites to detect alien presence, managing the happiness of funding countries, researching and leading squads of up to six soldiers into battle that can then be leveled up as they gain experience.
   
   The game, like any other game, has evolved with its modern iteration. It is a sharp, fun and responsive squad based strategy game that has streamlined a lot of the annoying micromanagement features of past games, but has also simplified things and put a cap on squad member leveling up. It is a more accessible, but simpler game than past generations. That is good for the casual player, new to the genre but a detractor to seasoned players who enjoy the complexity.
   
   The game, in the most basic sense, plays like this. You have a base that you expand with various modules that you can build into your secret mountain hideaway. As you research new technologies new modules open up for upgrades or more efficient research. You launch satellites to gain funding from the various nation groups across the globe and to spot alien incursions. When incursions happen you deploy a squad of soldiers into a tactical, squad based "seek cover and advance" type gameplay that dictates a methodical approach to combat. As missions are failed or ignored panic will rise. Victories reduce panic. There are a handful of main story missions for advancing the game that are unlocked by certain milestones in the game, but the vast majority of missions are procedurally generated battles with aliens. There are basic research items, but as you kill aliens and do autopsies, capture and interrogate aliens, or shoot down and capture alien ships more research items are unlocked to gain better weapon and armor and new gadgets.
   
   There are four basic classes. Assault, heavy (machine gunners), snipers and support (medics) which each have their own skill trees that you can utilize as they level up. All four classes are needed across the game to face different situations. Medics to stabilize downed squad members, snipers to provide cover, heavies to deal huge damage in short bursts and assault troops to act as front line combat soldiers.. Later in the game psionic abilities are added which add some more variety to your soldiers, but psionic abilities are rare and only have three tiers.
   
   The aliens you face are variations on a few base models, but the variations offer enough change that the game continually changes and evolves as you proceed. New challenges are thrown at you every few missions that force you to think more carefully about how you combat the alien menace.
   
   The game looks good. It won't blow anyone away. It has its own style, but nothing that really sticks out as uniquely distinct. The technical side of the graphics are good enough and slightly better than your run of the mill top down game. Sound effects are well done and add to the experience and the voice acting is well done with squad members reacting to the battle.
   
   The controls on the PC are very easy to work with. Consoles are also surprisingly good, though moving the cursor around with the joysticks can be slow. The iPad controls are cumbersome and you can end up moving soldiers to areas you don't mean to because you have to press an area twice to move there.
   
   If you like squad based strategy games you I would highly recommend Xcom, even in its simplified version. If you don't like strategy games I would say Xcom probably isn't for you. The game can be pretty brutal, and may frustrate you as your favorite squad members are killed. Overall, a good game for strategy fans that may fall a bit on the simple side for veterans of the genre. The game does receive a boost on mobile platforms. It may not be as good as the PC or console versions, but it's all relative. Mobile platforms don't have the same quality of competition.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. mauriciocast

   Jun 20, 2013

   8

   this game have good graphics, the story is fun,the videos are good and the price is right for this game because the game serves tothis game have good graphics, the story is fun,the videos are good and the price is right for this game because the game serves to entertain for long time… Expand

   • 6 of 8 users found this helpful
7. Oxcart

   Sep 29, 2013

   7

   Much of the iOS gaming community looked at the App Store deployment of XCOM with jaded eyes: tipping the scales at $20, it's expensive, and itMuch of the iOS gaming community looked at the App Store deployment of XCOM with jaded eyes: tipping the scales at $20, it's expensive, and it is a port from a console. Justifiably, many looked at it as another attempt to wring some more cash out of gamer, and sure it is; that's the games industry. But the iOS release of XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a rarity: a port that actually surpasses its source material. With only a few exceptions, this tablet version of XCOM is better than the console or PC versions. Let's take a look at it. First of all, nearly all of the console features are present, yes PRESENT, in the tablet release. Usually, we can bank on large pieces going missing when anything is ported to lesser hardware, but with the exception of a bunch of largely-unnecessary cutscenes, everything has been faithfully preserved and included in the iOS version. Second, the hardware's reliance upon touchscreen control actually yields a (mostly) superior experience to either preceding version; control interface is fluid, intuitive, and marks a high-water mark in the attempt to create a user interface that provides seamless transition from intent to command. (That's usually...more on that in a second.) Graphics are solid if somewhat lower-caliber than other versions, although they look great on an iPad retina display, and sound is outstanding even on the 'Pad's built-in speaker. 2K also retained the procedurally-generated map feature, ensuring that you don't run through the exact same map on every mission; there's variability in most maps. The experience isn't perfect, though, and there are some issues that many gamers may find less than endearing. First, expect XCOM to drain your Pad's battery in a hurry. A 100% battery will drain itself dry in 4-5 hours of play at most; even plugged in to an AC adapter, the game still draws so much that the battery will be discharging slightly. There will be framerate problems, particularly on large maps involving a lot of animation (especially fires), so Battleship maps will drag terribly from time to time. And, while the touch interface is a vast improvement over any gamepad or mouse-and-keyboard setup, it's going to misinterpret your intentions regularly. As unit movement and camera movement share gestures, it's not uncommon for the system to assume you want to move a trooper rather than the camera. The system also misinterprets which level of a multi-level map you want as a destination for a trooper, so what should be intuitive tap control instead requires the use of manual level-adjust buttons (also touch controls, but shouldn't be as necessary as they are). Finally, just like the other versions of the game, you're going to be pressed for money and firepower early in the game, and that can be very frustrating, but that's just a tough game curve, not a flaw. So, overall, the iOS release of XCOM: Enemy Unknown is in many ways vastly superior to the versions that preceded it. If you like the notion of XCOM, have a higher-end iPad, and have $20 burning a hole in your App Store account, then by all means go for it. It's a better game than its brothers, and quite a jump beyond most of what you'll find on the App Store.… Expand

   • 2 of 2 users found this helpful
8. Paladinguy

   Oct 16, 2013

   0

   Fantastic game, but completely unplayable. Paid $20 for it on my iPad and it crashes constantly. Erases all your data to your last save point,Fantastic game, but completely unplayable. Paid $20 for it on my iPad and it crashes constantly. Erases all your data to your last save point, and makes you watch a 90 second intro that you cannot skip. When it crashes at least once every 10 minutes, making you lose all saved data, and watch the same long intro for the 100th time that day, the game is frustratingly and unbearably unplayable.… Expand

   • 1 of 7 users found this helpful

See all 25 User Reviews