XCOM 2

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1694 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,117 out of 1694
  2. Mixed: 275 out of 1694
  3. Negative: 302 out of 1694
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  1. CaptainChaos
    Jan 14, 2020
    7
    I loved XCOM1 and I wanted to love this game also. I do in many ways but there are WAY too many FRUSTRATING things about this game that wants to make me uninstall it every few hours.

    You should know that in my first full playthrough of XCOM I barely cheated (maybe reloaded a misplaced grenade shot I didn't understand where it was going), and playing on normal difficulty I almost won (I    I loved XCOM1 and I wanted to love this game also. I do in many ways but there are WAY too many FRUSTRATING things about this game that wants to make me uninstall it every few hours.

    You should know that in my first full playthrough of XCOM I barely cheated (maybe reloaded a misplaced grenade shot I didn't understand where it was going), and playing on normal difficulty I almost won (I lost the last battle). I LOVED the challenge and difficulty and brutality. I find much of this game is just nonsensical a lot. random and just frustrating. For example

    1. The ingame instructions are fair to miserable. Half the time I have no idea how to use certain weapons, or abilities or who has them, nor do I understand much of the UI.

    2. Unlike AOW Planetfall which tells you the percentage chance to hit something BEFORE you move to a tile this does not. I had to search REDDIT to even know that there was a tiny target thingy over enemy units that is displayed when you mouse over a potential tile to which you might consider moving, so that at least you know if you can even "see" the unit to shoot at it (you still don't know if your to-hit is 10% or 100% until after you move, although before you shoot).

    3. I'm stuck on one mission b/c one of the characters you find has an important weapon to use on the last encounter - only they don't warn of you that and I used it already. Thanks guys! Good thing I don't trust any game and have 100 saves. I feel sorry for anyone else playing iron man mode or who doesn't save every other turn. EDIT: I had to go back about 20 moves and reload that save and now I'm passed it. Ugh. In all fairness though, turns out you can use the environment to help you but I didn't know that (like exploding generators - but I found out by accident).

    4. There's just a lot of ways to screw up the game for not understanding it and it is a very challenging and unforgiving game. I like challenges, but I can't tell you how many times on a timed mission I couldn't even figure out where to go or how to complete the objective when I got there forcing me to reload 100 times.

    5. Finally the overwatch / combat system is very very poorly implemented. Most missions you start off in concealment which is great. But then you engage, only YOUR FIRST UNIT and those units that were in overwatch basically get to attack (and those overwatch attacks only work if the enemy moves, not if they fire). That might have been an XCOM 1 thing also I don't remember, but then they should have fixed it. Every other "normal" system in the world would give your whole team a round of surprise attacks, but you have to set them all up in overwatch to do that. That also means you spend 3x as long as moving on the map b/c EVERYONE ELSE has to do overwatch FIRST (DO IT FIRST!!) b/c if your other team member stumbles on enemies when it moves, it blows it for everyone and anyone not in overwatch LOSES THEIR TURN essentially while the aliens go. STUPID. Really STUPID. Sorry.

    On the plus side, it is XCOM with way better graphics, so if you enjoyed the original and the frustrations don't make you pull your hair out, the rest of the game is quite fun and addictive.

    SAVE SAVE SAVE. Or you will put your hand through your monitor. You might still. I like this game. I want to love it. But ARG.    … Expand
  2. Masterhummel
    Feb 6, 2016
    7
    Prepare to be constantly reloading.

    Xcom 2 is definetly more refined then its predecessor and i, personally, don't see the timers as inherently unfitting. They just may appear in too much missions. Xcom 2 tries a different approach on some things like the covert mode at mission begin. Also you're forced to use more soldiers, trying to make it less dreadful if you loose a soldier. And    Prepare to be constantly reloading.

    Xcom 2 is definetly more refined then its predecessor and i, personally, don't see the timers as inherently unfitting. They just may appear in too much missions. Xcom 2 tries a different approach on some things like the covert mode at mission begin. Also you're forced to use more soldiers, trying to make it less dreadful if you loose a soldier. And sometimes it works, but othertimes the mechanics trip over themselves.

    For example, during the covert mode you can't see the sight radius of an enemy that you haven't discovered yet. Also, if you attack a target during covert mode, you pull every enemy that is in your visibility into the fight. Which means that you want to have as little sight as possible or else you might easily pull a cascade of enemies that will completly destroy you.

    Enemies are far more dangerous now, with more special attacks and variety. Which is cool, but they're too strong fot the most part. A pack of 3 vipers will disable 3 of your soldiers in one turn, leaving you with another 3. If you have pulled two or three groups, you might as well reload. A mission may either run perfect or not at all. Which is a shame, because like this, there are no stories your soldiers can develop. Because they either suceed or die. There is no in-between.

    Also there are some bugs and a rather questionable performance.

    Overall, it's a good game. But it feels like it could've done well with three months more balancing and bug hunting.    … Expand
  3. Skulb
    Jan 16, 2017
    7
    Easily the best Xcom game released since the 90s in my opinion. It addresses a few of the issues with the unimpressive first game in this particular reboot. The mission maps are larger so you have more tactical options and the strategic map has more interesting stuff happening on it. It's still far from perfect, and completely lacks the first contact element that made the original fromEasily the best Xcom game released since the 90s in my opinion. It addresses a few of the issues with the unimpressive first game in this particular reboot. The mission maps are larger so you have more tactical options and the strategic map has more interesting stuff happening on it. It's still far from perfect, and completely lacks the first contact element that made the original from 1996 so compelling. Instead the aliens are entrenched behind a global puppet regime, almost like real life bankers in our society. The problem with this is that it feels a lot less like a war against aliens and more like a war against uniformed goons, lab experiments and robots. There is a pop-up event where you get to salvage a crashed UFO, but it's the same one every time and offers no new opponents or anything else of note.
    Regardless; Xcom 2 is a lot of fun to play, and gives you a nice system of upgrades, promotions and researc. It even manages to give you a little base building inside your now mobile base. It isn't amazing but at least it's there this time.
    Still missing is a proper inventory for your soldiers, a more detailed action point system like the originals had, UFO hunting, actual aliens and above all a way to turn off the unskippable radio communications during missions. These are not fun when you're reloading a save.

    Pros:
    - Great graphics and physics. Even on low settings the game looks amazing, which is made even more impressive by almost fully destructible environments.
    - Satisfying tactical combat. Cover really matters, but almost everything you're able to hide behind can also be destroyed very easily. Moving around from cover to cover while trying to survive a hectic battle is always fun, and is done better here than in almost any game in the genre I can think of.
    - Good economy. Resources salvaged during missions are needed to build base improvements and gear for your soldiers, as well as providing you with objects for your scientists to research. This makes it hard to stop playing, as there is always something to upgrade or improve between each mission.
    - Good AI. Isolated enemies will sometimes retreat to join up with other groups of enemies, making the next fight that much harder for you. Enemies generally seem to want to stay alive if possible, rather than mindlessly suicide on your strong positions. They flank, teleport and do all sorts of things to get around your defenses, and it feels quite realistic sometimes. At least as realistic as fighting off an alien invasion could feel.

    Cons
    - Obviously designed for consoles and ported to the PC. The game therefore fails to take advantage of the PC's controls, and you end up with things like no inventories, simplistic menus and an overall reduction in the level of detail all over the place. The UI has to be kept simple for console users and this is a shame for PC users, who could handle more complexity. You're supposed to play this game with a hand controller, which PC users usually don't. It would be a very different game if it had been designed for the PC. More like the original Xcom maybe. Personally I would score it higher if it had been developed for the gaming system I am using. But it hasn't.
    - Horribly generic music. The usual awful horn assault to signify to simpletons that something heroic is occurring.
    - Similarly generic US brand militarism. This is of course completely nauseating to anyone who isn't an American, but also to quite a few people that are. Kidnap someone and they become a "package". Shoot or bomb them and they become a "target", a "bogey" or even "collateral", my personal favorite. The horrible man who serves as a narrator of sorts is something of a satire of a prototypical American war horse posing as a hero. Personally I wanted to go to war against him sometimes rather than the aliens. Go away John Wayne/Dick Cheney/generic Pentagon criminal!
    - Performance issues. Lags, crashes, long loading times and corruption of saves. Once all my saves even became completely impossible to load so I had to restart the game.
    - Unskippable parts are annoying. Some videos are like this and are sometimes tedious if you're seen them before. But mostly I have an issue with the awful, horrible man who keeps talking to me during missions so I have to stop what I'm doing to listen to his drivel. If you have radio communications during missions just run them in the background. Don't take control of the game away from me to tell me stuff I don't want or need to hear.
    - Skydiving mobs, groups of mobs that trigger fully if you move into the wrong square. This too is very console-y and a cheap, annoying way to structure the tactical combat. Trying to flank a group of mobs, just to take one example, is very likely to pull another group instead of giving you a tactical advantage. Individual mob reactions and some system of initiative would have been much better. As it is the game basically forces you to save scum to get anywhere    … Expand
  4. karmasleeper
    Feb 12, 2016
    7
    The game would deserve a higher rating, even with the massive performance issues most mainstream reviews ignored, if it weren't for the turn limits on most missions.

    When a low turn limit requires you to rush forward to reach an objective on the other side of the map you can't take the extra turns setting up ambushes requires with the new stealth system. You can't cautiously make your    The game would deserve a higher rating, even with the massive performance issues most mainstream reviews ignored, if it weren't for the turn limits on most missions.

    When a low turn limit requires you to rush forward to reach an objective on the other side of the map you can't take the extra turns setting up ambushes requires with the new stealth system. You can't cautiously make your approach always sticking to full cover and creating overlapping cones of overwatch fire. You absolutely must rush ahead to get there in time. When the majority of missions have a timer, whatever sense of urgency you feel the first few times you play them evaporates quickly. It soon becomes a repetitious formula.

    Other than this, the game is upgraded Enemy Unknown and is a worthy successor. New classes are fun, stealth mechanic is a lot of fun when you aren't restricted by time to set up the perfect ambush, and the new overworld mechanics with the resistance and flying mobile base are a welcome addition.

    My only other gripe would be that attacks still fly through cover (even full cover) and world geometry as if they weren't there. Part of this may be due to the fact that everything is procedurally generated this time around. A new class also has melee attacks that can hit enemies through windows and the adjoining wall, often completely destroying the structure as if a bomb went off. Enemy melee attacks will also connect in physically impossible ways completely destroying immersion and your carefully laid plans.

    Wait for a sale. There will probably be great mods and performance improvements by then.    … Expand
  5. Rtheom
    Feb 8, 2016
    7
    XCOM 1 is one of my Top 5 All Time games. XCOM 2 is okay, but not quite up to snuff yet, as others have said.

    Performance is just sad. The is the first game I've really had any problems with and its sounding like it isn't actually my computer doing it. Gameplay is good, very similar to the original, but it is all new levels of punishing. I like my XCOM challenging, but a team wipe    XCOM 1 is one of my Top 5 All Time games. XCOM 2 is okay, but not quite up to snuff yet, as others have said.

    Performance is just sad. The is the first game I've really had any problems with and its sounding like it isn't actually my computer doing it.

    Gameplay is good, very similar to the original, but it is all new levels of punishing. I like my XCOM challenging, but a team wipe every mission gets old fast.

    Major plus is the ability to pre-create and share characters. I used to spend hours every game making up new characters for my team. It's fun to just create a bunch and see who gets randomly thrown in there. This is a HUGE improvement over the last game.

    Verdict: Die-hards will still be pleased. New folks should just get XCOM 1 on rebate with the expansions and wait for this one to cook a little longer.    … Expand
  6. dobserver
    Jan 3, 2017
    7
    Never played XCOM before but played a lot of turn based strategy games before like Fire Emblem and Tactics Ogre. Obviously the graphics of this game are a lot better than those ones however the strategic element of it needs a bit of work. I played it on Veteran and found myself quite defeated as I got into the mid game with the enemies being much overpowered compared to my squad. INever played XCOM before but played a lot of turn based strategy games before like Fire Emblem and Tactics Ogre. Obviously the graphics of this game are a lot better than those ones however the strategic element of it needs a bit of work. I played it on Veteran and found myself quite defeated as I got into the mid game with the enemies being much overpowered compared to my squad. I restarted on Rookie, and amazingly it is still quite difficult if you do not research and prioritzie certain things over others. There are clearly 'better' research and resources compared to others in the game but the game does not really explain this. So a lot of the time is wasted doing things in a sub optimal way, which leads to the dark event bar filling up faster and the enemy progressing faster than you can. I am fine with restarting and retrying new ways, but I think the game is much too difficult in a 'rookie' setting then it should be.

    Good:
    - strategic elements like fog of war, cover, half cover, elevation, status effects,
    - squad customization, classes are interesting,
    - attack effects and destructible environment is fun and intersting
    - research options and engineering build options allow for a more varied squad

    Bad:
    - enemies some time ignore terrain effects and building cover
    - constant 'doomsday' clock and limited turns in both in game combat and the overall game
    - camera is frustrating when trying to zoom into multilevel buildings
    - research paths appear to be 'open' but in fact punish you for prioritizing and trying out new things
    - difficulty for 'rookie' is much too hard for a casual newbie in my opinion

    Verdict:
    - pick it up if you enjoy a good turn based strategy game, but understand the faults it has before and see if you can live with it    … Expand
  7. DeonCadme
    Sep 3, 2016
    7
    The original XCOM game is by many, seen as one of those genre defining games. It was thus a pleasant surprise to see such a good interpretation of the original game and this sequel improves the formula. The only flaw is that the game haven't really reached the success of the original games from the 90:s because the procedural system isn't really able to provide the same replay-ability andThe original XCOM game is by many, seen as one of those genre defining games. It was thus a pleasant surprise to see such a good interpretation of the original game and this sequel improves the formula. The only flaw is that the game haven't really reached the success of the original games from the 90:s because the procedural system isn't really able to provide the same replay-ability and the difficulty isn't hard enough without getting ridiculous. It happens on harder settings that the game decides to give you more of a challenge and this results sometimes in bullet-sponges with ridiculous weapons that one shot the whole team. At least I knew in the old games why these enemies appeared and where I have to do better with my research in the next playthrough. I guess this is needed though because the enemies can be ridiculous stupid at times simply gather at the same place, at a tight spot that you simply throw a grenade or two into... Or they come running at you in a perfect impression of Leroy Jenkins.
    Also, a lot of content doesn't feel important. I often researched past an armor or weapon without using it because I (1) Could very easily research something better (2) Already had something better (3) The upgrade was a pointless resource sink.

    Also, why is the robot part a DLC? :(    … Expand
  8. GoneTomrrow
    Feb 24, 2016
    7
    First of all, I'm one of those guys who cite the original 90's XCOM game, but I do it for good reason. In short, this latest XCOM installment is a very good game and will satisfy anyone who has at least played the previous XCOM:EU. The tactics, resource management, reverse engineering, are all there.

    However, as stated, I must compare this game to the original released so many years    First of all, I'm one of those guys who cite the original 90's XCOM game, but I do it for good reason. In short, this latest XCOM installment is a very good game and will satisfy anyone who has at least played the previous XCOM:EU. The tactics, resource management, reverse engineering, are all there.

    However, as stated, I must compare this game to the original released so many years ago. One huge element that XCOM:EU lacked, and that XCOM 2 severely lacked is the dark and scary tone. There is no mystery; we have a sequel to the previous where the aliens have a foothold and now rule the earth, but why? What made the original game so great was the fear of an alien invasion, not some sci-fi series inspired plot where the aliens rule humans.

    One minor element, the music, sums it all up. The music for XCOM 2 is very stock. You want better atmosphere? Turn it off. Please do yourself a favor and Youtube the original game's music - it's absolutely spellbinding even 20 years on. Take a lesson from Infrogrames Firaxis because you have underestimated the value of creepy music.

    I also must briefly address the most common gripe in other reviews: the frequency of timed missions. It's a fun challenge to occasionally encounter, but I must say that the majority of missions have turn-based time limits. Thank Bog for mods.

    Despite the above gripes, XCOM 2 is very engrossing. If you're a long time fan, don't hesitate. The spirit of the original is, albeit tenuously, there.    … Expand
  9. keredd1010
    Aug 28, 2016
    7
    If only the game worked as it should this could possibly get a 9 or a 10. Vastly improves on it's predecessor but riddled with bugs that no game should be released it that state. However, I will go as far as to say that this is the quintessential turn-based strategy game. This game is to turn-based what COD is to FPS. But dear god man is it buggy.
  10. Klewer
    Dec 15, 2016
    7
    I really want to love this game, but it makes it so difficult. It has all the core mechanics and game play to make this a great game. It just has issues with the combat, even on the lowest difficulty there feels like there is so much RNG involved. Worth a look for fans of these games but it can be tough at times.
  11. Alsvha
    Feb 6, 2016
    7
    A Tactical Approach game which forces you to forego tactical approaches...... strange design choice.

    The game overall is quite decent actually. For me it looks good, plays well and there's seemingly a lot to do. However the mission design is poor as the game forces you to rush forward most of the time, which means you do not spend much time being tactical, but hoping for luck with    A Tactical Approach game which forces you to forego tactical approaches...... strange design choice.

    The game overall is quite decent actually. For me it looks good, plays well and there's seemingly a lot to do.

    However the mission design is poor as the game forces you to rush forward most of the time, which means you do not spend much time being tactical, but hoping for luck with the *miss* roll engine.

    It seems like a half a try and that the developers expect modders to fix their game.    … Expand
  12. max1c
    Feb 8, 2016
    7
    The good:
    - Art/Graphics
    - Music - Cut scenes/Voice Acting - Story - Customization options The bad: - Numerous bugs - Sluggish interface - Inconsistent mechanics - Overly Repetitive I really want to give this game an 8, but I simply can not. I'm sure once all the bugs get ironed out and some performance improvements are made this game will easily be deserving of an 8 - 8.5    The good:
    - Art/Graphics
    - Music
    - Cut scenes/Voice Acting
    - Story
    - Customization options

    The bad:
    - Numerous bugs
    - Sluggish interface
    - Inconsistent mechanics
    - Overly Repetitive

    I really want to give this game an 8, but I simply can not. I'm sure once all the bugs get ironed out and some performance improvements are made this game will easily be deserving of an 8 - 8.5 rating. The biggest problems with the game are it's poor performing interface and a very inconsistent behaviour in mechanics. AI cheats/performs moves that simply should be impossible according to the rules of the gameplay.

    I enjoyed the cutscenes and the music. However, the game got repetitive and boring quickly. Overall, a good game plagued by bugs.    … Expand
  13. gromenawer
    Feb 11, 2016
    7
    The game is somewhere between an 7 and an 8.

    The bad things from the game are the glitch camera problems. Personally, I haven't experience any of the bad performance that people seems to have. I'm playing on a GTX980 thought. If you liked XCOM:EU and EW, you will enjoy this game too. If you didn't then don't bother with it; the game still have the two move system and the enemy pool    The game is somewhere between an 7 and an 8.

    The bad things from the game are the glitch camera problems. Personally, I haven't experience any of the bad performance that people seems to have. I'm playing on a GTX980 thought.

    If you liked XCOM:EU and EW, you will enjoy this game too. If you didn't then don't bother with it; the game still have the two move system and the enemy pool trigger, so if you didn't like those this is the same. Here is some of the new stuff:

    - Timed missions. You need to do something before time runs out. People are complaining that it is too difficult, I finished my first campaign, on normal, with an average of 2.75 turns left in the timed missions. I have started a new one in hard ironman and so far I can't see the problem.

    - Modular weapons and random research. You can get random bonuses to add to your soldiers. Is a nice thing and it force you to vary your tactics and adapt. I would had rather have a greater pool of options though. Also, I haven't find the use for the flamethrower over the default rocket.

    - Mods are a big thing now. This is why the game approach the 8. I can't wait to play a campaign fighting the Combine, and shooting down striders as the Earth resistance of the Half Life universe.

    - Story wise, meh, cheesy scifi. Is entertaining, not a great plot for sure, but it does the job. Weaker than the previous games in my opinion.

    My advice would be to buy XCOM:EU and EW since they are way cheaper. Try those, and see if you like the game first. The original XCOM games have different mechanics so don't base your purchase on those. XCOM certainly is not a game for all audiences. You might not like it, but I don't seem a reason to hate it.    … Expand
  14. TwoEars
    Mar 15, 2017
    7
    XCOM 2 is an amazing game which one year after release still feels like it never left the beta development phase, and as much as I had a blast playing it it's also really hard to recommend. There are so many parts of this game I love; the new flying base is awesome, the story has a kind of x-files vibe to it, upgrading and customizing my soldiers is kick-ass. And when you get your squad ofXCOM 2 is an amazing game which one year after release still feels like it never left the beta development phase, and as much as I had a blast playing it it's also really hard to recommend. There are so many parts of this game I love; the new flying base is awesome, the story has a kind of x-files vibe to it, upgrading and customizing my soldiers is kick-ass. And when you get your squad of trained marines into position and make a brilliant tactical move, or decimate the enemy using "overwatch" or "killzone"... man this game can be a blast. Pure tactical turn based bliss.

    So it's painful then that still one year after release this game never really comes across as "finished". Despite having the latest patch and DLC I experienced so many bugs and issues it's almost comical. I shot enemies through walls, got shot at through wall, enemies would grab me though wall, the keyboard controls stopped working, the game froze on loading screens, the mission timer is stupid and breaks the flow of the game (I modded it out), there are difficultly balancing issues early to late game, some enemies are just cheap rather than clever (hello archon king), the fps is doing roller coaster rides with anything between 20-80 fps. The list goes on.

    If you're already an XCOM fan by all means pick up XCOM2; you're going to have a few issues, but you're also most likley going to have a lot of fun. However - if you're new to the series go and play "XCOM Enemy Unkown" instead, and then you can play the "Long War" mod for that. It's not as good looking but it's a much more polished and less frustrating experience, and at the moment it's the better turn based game. And it's also cheaper.

    Currently XCOM2 is not worth its full asking price, unless they fix all the bugs and gameplay issues this isn't worth more than $20 or so. In no way is it worth the full sticker price with all the issues I had and saw. I have to wonder what the heck Firaxis is up to, it's been over a year since release and still the game is full sticker price and shock full with bugs. I'm a big fan of the series and would love to see XCOM3, but they have to step up their QC-QA and play testing. XCOM2 could have been a "Solid 9" score type game if it had spent maybe 6 months more in QC-QA and play testing.    … Expand
  15. doodk3wl
    Feb 9, 2016
    7
    Overall I like it. I was a huge fan of the original 1993 X-coms and I loved the 2012 re-imagining of the franchise. X-com 2 I think has done a great job of pushing the series forward and if you were a fan of the first I'm sure you will enjoy the 2nd.

    The biggest complaint I have is the technical issues. As many other reviewers have commented the game preforms poorly even on high end    Overall I like it. I was a huge fan of the original 1993 X-coms and I loved the 2012 re-imagining of the franchise. X-com 2 I think has done a great job of pushing the series forward and if you were a fan of the first I'm sure you will enjoy the 2nd.

    The biggest complaint I have is the technical issues. As many other reviewers have commented the game preforms poorly even on high end equipment. I wouldn't go so far to say it makes the game unplayable, but it certainly can ruin the immersion when the frame rate drops during a particularly cinematic battle.

    I also find the plot to be really silly. I mean these aliens invaded and nearly destroyed Earth so Im not really sure why it comes as such a shock that they turn out to be evil.

    I find the combat as enjoyable as ever and have to admit I really love setting up that killer ambush or sneaking my way through a map to an objective. I love the theme of being this small outnumbered, out gunned resistance cell.

    I have about 20 hours invested in the game so far and just started my 2nd play through after failing my first. While the game seems to be really opened ended and gives you a variety of ways to approach the campaign I cant help but feel like theres only one or two viable paths to victory. If that turns out to be the case it could really hurt re-playablity for me.

    Anyway technical issues side the game is great and Im having a lot of fun. I still think its a little rough around the edges, but as it stands its worth a buy in my book. I think the mods and inevitable expansion will only add to an already fun experience. If you loved the first then this is a must buy.

    Once the technical issues are resolved I would consider bumping my score up to an 8, but I will admit I have a favorable bias toward the game.    … Expand
  16. whatever523
    Feb 13, 2019
    7
    XCOM 2 is a good game, but a lot of things could have been improved.

    * The user interface could be better. HP bars cover half the screen, navigating the base has too many annoying animations, you can't see what items your team have equipped during the missions etc. * There are still quite some bugs. * Line of sight needs a lot of improvements, especially with storied buildings. * RNG    XCOM 2 is a good game, but a lot of things could have been improved.

    * The user interface could be better. HP bars cover half the screen, navigating the base has too many annoying animations, you can't see what items your team have equipped during the missions etc.
    * There are still quite some bugs.
    * Line of sight needs a lot of improvements, especially with storied buildings.
    * RNG seems even worse than in the first part and it's often frustrating.
    * Missions are kinda boring and repetitive.

    The strengths are the same as in XCOM. The gameplay and customization options are good, but there's too much that distracts from it. Feels like XCOM 1.5.    … Expand
  17. Ogurechka
    Dec 20, 2022
    7
    The game causes very mixed feelings. On the one hand, this is a good and modern representative of the turn-based tactics genre. In general, it is the restart of the XCOM series that the entire genre owes its recent revival. On the other hand, the game has a lot of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ game design decisions, and some things were done, and as if they didn’t understand why, and just scored.

    All in    The game causes very mixed feelings. On the one hand, this is a good and modern representative of the turn-based tactics genre. In general, it is the restart of the XCOM series that the entire genre owes its recent revival. On the other hand, the game has a lot of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ game design decisions, and some things were done, and as if they didn’t understand why, and just scored.

    All in all, if you've played Enemy Unknown (the first part of the reboot), you won't see many changes. Whether it's good or bad, everyone decides for himself. The plot continues the events of the reboot and you will meet some familiar characters. But you need to understand that the plot here is basically banal and for show. There are few story missions themselves, basically you will play the same random events with generated cards. The graphics have become much better, despite the fact that the game is already 8 years old (at the time of writing this review), and its system requirements are weak. This is basically a rarity for tactics. The dynamic camera during shooting and just moving units is also pleasing to the eye. The visual customization of the fighters is also well done. But all this was already in the first part. The destructibility of objects at the levels is present, but not ideal, you can often see a situation where the wall and roof of the building are destroyed, and the boxes and partitions remain hanging in the air.

    But bad innovations, in my opinion, much more. These include absolutely ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ system for calculating hits on the enemy. Units regularly and not on business smear, reboots do not save from this, despite the fact that sometimes the game looks like a simulator of eternal saves and loads. An annoying global timer on the world map - you can't calmly rebuild your base, do research and improve equipment, the game constantly pushes you to complete story missions, otherwise you simply won't have time and will have to start from the beginning. An even more annoying timer on almost all side missions, you are given a measly 6-8 turns to complete the task, otherwise the mission will fail. Because of this, you constantly have to substitute fighters in unfavorable combat situations, and as a result, lose them or get injured, and because of this, they will not be able to participate in other missions for a long time. And yes, the permanent death of units cannot be turned off, although even the famous and hardcore Fire Emblem has already allowed it to be done for ten years. The very number of additional missions and frequency of their appearance is annoying to the point of madness, and if you refuse them, you will simply start to lose funding for your organization from other countries and lose for economic reasons. The difficulty of the game is basically unpleasant, at least if you're not a masochist.And of course, all sorts of unnecessary little things like mods for weapons and characters, they fall out extremely rarely, and they have few varieties, this is just the example when for some reason they made mechanics, but seemed to have scored on it.
    Of the minuses of both restarts, it is also worth noting that there is no action point system, and all actions are divided into two stages - movement and shooting. You can run far, but then you won't be able to shoot on that turn. Reloads, heals also cost precious actions. Classes like Snipers can't fire their primary weapons at all after moving or reloading, making the class's usefulness often questionable.There are people who like this system more than the famous AP, but here it is not implemented very well.

    To summarize, it may seem that the game has more disadvantages, this is not entirely true. I am sure that someone will like these innovations, especially lovers of additional complexity. If you are a fan of the genre, or you really liked the first part, then you need to try XCOM 2. If you are a beginner, then, probably, this is not the best representative of tactics from which you need to start acquaintance, your ass will burn and discourage all desire to touch other similar games.

    I can rate it 7/10, but I'm afraid it's not more.    … Expand
  18. smilzoboboz
    Jan 10, 2017
    7
    A good XCOM game, probably not the best, somehow poorly optimized and a bit cryptic on its mechanics.

    I'd like to start off with what I hate (exactly) of this game: stutter and loading times (on an SSD). First things first I'm playing this game on linux and since the game engine makes use of OpenGl and it's based on the old XCOM game (at least I heard that was it) I was expecting a few    A good XCOM game, probably not the best, somehow poorly optimized and a bit cryptic on its mechanics.

    I'd like to start off with what I hate (exactly) of this game: stutter and loading times (on an SSD). First things first I'm playing this game on linux and since the game engine makes use of OpenGl and it's based on the old XCOM game (at least I heard that was it) I was expecting a few issues, but not at "medium" detail level on a GTX-1060 with 6GB of VRAM. About the loading times, I spend like a whole minute (or even more) staring at the loading screen before missions, that's a lot of idle time which gets added to already "long" cutscenes, etc. A lot of idle time.

    Performance aside, as I wrote before this is a very nice XCOM game, but of course it's still an XCOM game, meaning that after a few successful perfect or excellent missions, after you manage to get decorated soldiers and after you feel everything is going great, you miss a point blank 90%+ shot, your whole team is killed and your hardcore game experience ends there.
    The percentage system is really not my thing, point blank on a flanked enemy you shouldn't need to worry about anything, I don't care if you can get a lucky shot on a 30% enemy, as a tactician I don't even bother trying with percentages below 50.
    In general the RNG component on this one is quite more present than in XCOM: Enemy Unknown and this often invalidates any possible tactic, they made an harder game by decreasing your chances of actually influencing the course of action.

    The new introduced mechanics on the other hand are what makes this game worth the trouble. Even if a bit cryptic at first (it's quite more complicated than XCOM: Enemy Unknown on the non-combat phase of the game) every new mechanic fits perfectly and often mitigates the awful/typical XCOM games RNG percentage system. I won't spoil anything because I think part of the fun is to get a grasp on your tools and exploit them for the victory.

    Last but not least there are several bugs, often gamebreaking (like enemies standing still without attacking or moving), encountered a few after just 10h of gameplay.

    So in the end for me it's a good turn-based tactical combat games, a worthy successor of the previous XCOM: Enemy Unknown (and "Within"), but definitely not the best turn-based tactical combat game out there, check out "Invisible Inc." if you like the genre, you may enjoy it more than this one.    … Expand
  19. james2003
    Feb 27, 2016
    7
    A great game but riddled with problems both technical and gameplay wise. At times I like it and sometimes I wish it were more like the original 1995 version. The big issues for me are the overuse of cut scenes and waiting times, the constant glitches and tech problems, and the unbelievable difficultly of the levels.

    Then there are the nagging moments that makes me wonder if X-Com is    A great game but riddled with problems both technical and gameplay wise. At times I like it and sometimes I wish it were more like the original 1995 version. The big issues for me are the overuse of cut scenes and waiting times, the constant glitches and tech problems, and the unbelievable difficultly of the levels.

    Then there are the nagging moments that makes me wonder if X-Com is terrorist organisation? Alternating with the overwhelmed feeling of desperation, as the gameplay is absolutely punishing … sometimes it makes me think that an alien invasion isn't too bad…? I mean what have the Aliens ever done for us? World Peace, Cure the Common Cold, Clean streets … damn I am a terrorist!    … Expand
  20. Gades
    Apr 29, 2016
    7
    Lets be honest, i never liked this "x-com" reboot from the very beginning. The combat sequences are quite good i must admin (not great but good). The problem is management section: it's poor on details and descriptions.
    The graphic is average and nothing more than that.
    If you liked the first x-com (i mean the first of this "reboot", not the original one) this will be probably be what    Lets be honest, i never liked this "x-com" reboot from the very beginning. The combat sequences are quite good i must admin (not great but good). The problem is management section: it's poor on details and descriptions.
    The graphic is average and nothing more than that.
    If you liked the first x-com (i mean the first of this "reboot", not the original one) this will be probably be what you want from a sequel; too bad this is not my case.
    I give it a 7.    … Expand
  21. Carewolf
    Feb 8, 2016
    7
    Very addictive game, but buggy as ....!!

    it has several mechinics issues, some it inherited from its predecessor, but many new. In tactical combat, there is now only two states: Either the AI knows where you are, or they don't. You usually start concealed, but once unconcealed all AI that you can see will be omniscient and can find all of your members. The AI is also suicidal and    Very addictive game, but buggy as ....!!

    it has several mechinics issues, some it inherited from its predecessor, but many new.

    In tactical combat, there is now only two states: Either the AI knows where you are, or they don't. You usually start concealed, but once unconcealed all AI that you can see will be omniscient and can find all of your members. The AI is also suicidal and will rush any position to do any kind of damage without trying to protect themselves. Added to that is that melee now has twice the range than most "ranged" weapons, means suicidal melee fighters (half of all AI) can sprint from out-of-range to melee and make a full attack (which is 100% to hit and deadly) in a single turn. This means the only way to protect your troops is by playing as cheasy as possible. Abusing the mechanics that the AI only knows where you are if you can see them, so the best approach is to NEVER scout, since knowing anything triggers the AI.

    Overwatch is mostly broken. You only get one shot and only at longest range where you are sure to miss, and many enemy actions does not even trigger overwatch. For instance some AI can teleport right up next your soldiers and shoot them, but an enemy teleporting into the middle of your squad does not trigger overwatch.

    Also there are turn timers on more missions than I like, but they are not really a problem, only how common they are. Whenever there is a timer snipers are useless beause they take time to setup. On top of scouting being negative, it reduces the usefulness of most characters in most missions.

    Finally I had one great mission where I had to hack a computer. I managed to get all the way in without being noticed (by cleverly avoiding noticing any AI) hacked the computer and got out. The game considered that a mission fail because I didn't kill anyone!!.. The game really doesn't give a **** about strategy.

    Still I find the game addictive, and can find amusement in twisting the games stupid design decisions against it.    … Expand
  22. geschaftsreise
    Mar 26, 2016
    7
    I think that the price of failure and success is too high and this diminishes the experience.
    Darkest Dungeon has a better balance of this sort of thing. It should be ok to fail and learn a lesson.
    Dark souls and Darkest Dungeon don't go easy on us, but they provide room for risk taking and mistakes. One big foul-up in XCOM means restarting or restarting and a discontinuity of    I think that the price of failure and success is too high and this diminishes the experience.
    Darkest Dungeon has a better balance of this sort of thing. It should be ok to fail and learn a lesson.
    Dark souls and Darkest Dungeon don't go easy on us, but they provide room for risk taking and mistakes.
    One big foul-up in XCOM means restarting or restarting and a discontinuity of experience.

    Game players like me don't want things to be easy but we want to be immersed, while we're having our head bashed in.    … Expand
  23. jakeg313
    May 5, 2016
    7
    Assuming your pc can manage to play this hilariously un-optimized game, it's a fairly good addition to the franchise. There are some aspects of the game however that make me feel the need to dock some points off however. Firstly, the game is very poorly optimized despite running on the same engine as XCOM. Even with low settings and my gaming laptop boasting 24 gb of ram, I had manyAssuming your pc can manage to play this hilariously un-optimized game, it's a fairly good addition to the franchise. There are some aspects of the game however that make me feel the need to dock some points off however. Firstly, the game is very poorly optimized despite running on the same engine as XCOM. Even with low settings and my gaming laptop boasting 24 gb of ram, I had many framerate issues and even some crashes between loading levels(which takes forever by the way). Rigging an external graphics card made this a much more enjoyable experience, but no one should have to use a $400 eGPU to make a game playable on a contemporary gaming laptop (Asus Predator 17).

    Secondly about 85% of all levels are timed and the campaign is too due to dark events and the avatar project. I enjoy taking my time fighting off alien hordes, so this bothered me quite a bit.

    Thirdly this game suffers from quite a lot of bugs, many of which could have been solved with an extra month of development time. but I guess game developers care more about rushing products to the market in this day and age apparently.

    As far as actual gameplay and the plot, it's an overall improvement to the series. I would suggest buying this game in the future when the price goes down and technology catches up with the ludicrous graphical demands that XCOM 2 asks for.    … Expand
  24. Maquabra
    Mar 1, 2016
    7
    First of all, my "7" is a really high score in my eyes. Now, let's move to why the game deserves this high score.

    First of all, it's firmly based in the former XCom. Good elements were retained, some improvements were added, some problems remained. All in all, the devs didn't try to reinvent the wheel and it's commendable. Focus in this game is shifted to tactics. You're now    First of all, my "7" is a really high score in my eyes. Now, let's move to why the game deserves this high score.

    First of all, it's firmly based in the former XCom. Good elements were retained, some improvements were added, some problems remained. All in all, the devs didn't try to reinvent the wheel and it's commendable.

    Focus in this game is shifted to tactics. You're now resistance force and you cannot simply camp for an hour and wait for your enemy to show up. There's still the element of "enemy spotted - procedural action ensues", but all enemies on a map are now alive, can stumble upon you and what's most important, you can really build ambushes and use advanced tactics. Skills of your teammates are much more important.

    The biggest concern that is often raised here is about difficult, seemingly random combat. It's not so. It's only an illusion created by the fact that somewhat similar games, especially from the RPG genre, offer "fun" battles, that aren't really demanding. In this case, enemy side is almost always dominant and you need to use real tactics to deal with them. Running in close and firing from point blank is not a "tactic".

    Combat is difficult but only because you need to think about what you are doing and like in a chess game, anticipate your opponents. You're outgunned, out-teched and often outnumbered, as every guerrilla force usually is. Combination of different means, preferably all means in your disposal, is the key to success.

    The game doesn't offer full freedom of camera, which can be a little problematic sometimes, but it offers visibility indicators that are almost perfect. Sometimes enemies will see you through glass or partly destroyed objects (environment is highly destructible).

    Before we can sum up combat, something needs to be said about timers. Especially on higher difficulties and when a player is to behind in technology in comparison to enemy forces, it will be inevitable to fail some missions. Finding the best cover and higher ground takes precious time. When there is an extraction deadline, you may find yourself with all enemies dead, the objective complete, the mission being successful, but nobody from your team coming back. Not to spoil too much, in later game, there will be missions when aliens target some installations and you are tasked with its defense. Such missions also tend to be impossible because the installation is destroyed before you can even reach it.

    All in all, don't be afraid to play on the lowest difficulty even if you're a veteran XCom/UFO player. It will also make more advanced enemies pop up a little later, which will allow you to be better prepared. A little hint: you need firepower most of all.

    When it comes to the strategic layer, I'm rather disappointed and that's why the game doesn't get at least one or two points more. Our options are very limited, players may discover pretty quickly the optimal way to go about several key issues (and restart their game after an hour or two like I did; Hint: think about proper placement of workshop). Also, we often just have to go with what the game throws at us.

    A small error on the strategic layer, a small error in squad selection, and tiny lapse in judgement during tactical mission and your whole team is wiped out. It's not a reason to quit, but a huge setback for sure.

    When it comes to technical side of the product, there are problems. The game requires really decent hardware to run reasonably smoothly and loading times are sometimes dreadful. There are also errors in animation that cause them go 1fps for a minute or two before everything resets (mostly during melee kills when environment is also destroyed). This also costs the game 1 point in my review.

    To sum it up, the game is great but you need to learn it. For people who play games like Assassin's Creed where mashing buttons is all you need to succeed, this can be an insurmountable task. Read all descriptions, make sure that tutorials are enabled, and don't be afraid to use explosives.

    And a very important hint for all players:
    After an hour or two of your game, think about restarting it. You'll be safe from all errors caused by the fact that you didn't know how things worked, and at this time you also know about quite a few pesky things that keep annoying you and slowing down the game. There are mods that effectively remove them and you should be using them.    … Expand
  25. Narenthyl
    Feb 11, 2016
    7
    XCOM 2 is a great game, which added a lot of new things or different fixed things (in gameplay) from its predecessor, and a great modding potential.

    Sadly, it suffered from a poor technical released, letting a lot of people with great rigs having performance issues. And Firaxis poor communication didn't helped at all.
  26. masamuneriku
    Sep 3, 2016
    7
    Very similar to Xcom EU with improved graphics. No significant changes or notable innovation compared to Xcom EU. Overall still a fun strategy game though sometimes can be frustrating when you miss a 95% hit chance flanking shot.

    The game is badly optimized with tons of bugs and frequent crashes: Stuck at alien's turn, killed on successful hacking due to previous feedback damage, slow    Very similar to Xcom EU with improved graphics. No significant changes or notable innovation compared to Xcom EU. Overall still a fun strategy game though sometimes can be frustrating when you miss a 95% hit chance flanking shot.

    The game is badly optimized with tons of bugs and frequent crashes: Stuck at alien's turn, killed on successful hacking due to previous feedback damage, slow response time, etc. Minus 1 score due to unresolved bugs and issues even though it is already more than 6 months after release.    … Expand
  27. Parthians
    Apr 21, 2016
    7
    Good and exciting game XCOM 2.just gotta fix some bugs.too much of them are seen in the game.
    if they would put even more energy and idea on producing the game,it could be a lot better.
  28. hmkunzmann
    Feb 5, 2016
    7
    + Nice strategic map gameplay improvements over previous version
    - unskippable cut scenes
    - bad performance, constant mini-hangs, long loading times, need to wait all the time despite top of the line hardware. - high difficulty & learning curve, no useful tutorial help to introduce strategies for new aliens & new challenges. Missions constantly require you to rush... I like hard but    + Nice strategic map gameplay improvements over previous version
    - unskippable cut scenes
    - bad performance, constant mini-hangs, long loading times, need to wait all the time despite top of the line hardware.
    - high difficulty & learning curve, no useful tutorial help to introduce strategies for new aliens & new challenges. Missions constantly require you to rush... I like hard but combined with the two items above it gets frustrating to no end

    Overall very disappointing - am hoping it will be much better after a few patches.
    Yet another game where I wonder how the game site reviewers all rate it so high. No credibility & integrity at all.    … Expand
  29. Robinjhoe
    Feb 6, 2016
    7
    XCOM 2 is pretty much an welcomed update of XCOM and XCOM Enemy Uknown.

    Lets start with the Soldiers. From the beginning you have 4 Soldiers, which gain Experience in battles and get promoted for their own calss. The classes are kind of the same as before but a bit changed ( Heavy has instead of a rocket launcher, a grenade launcher) The Weapons dont look like Toys anymore. The soldiers    XCOM 2 is pretty much an welcomed update of XCOM and XCOM Enemy Uknown.

    Lets start with the Soldiers. From the beginning you have 4 Soldiers, which gain Experience in battles and get promoted for their own calss. The classes are kind of the same as before but a bit changed ( Heavy has instead of a rocket launcher, a grenade launcher) The Weapons dont look like Toys anymore. The soldiers can be customized as before but they added that also for the Weapons.

    The Gameplay hasnt changed. But the fact that your are an underpowered Rebellion is pretty much existent at any time in the Game. They changed a lot of Enemys. Some are very powerful from the beginning and new Players will have their Problems.

    For myself I didnt expect a sequel at first but I was happy to see one. Nothing is better than the feeling of an hard fought victory.    … Expand
  30. Alaskimo
    Feb 8, 2016
    7
    If you liked the first one you will like this one. i'm only about 5 missions in, but already have seen some of the annoying things about the first one( overwatched squaddies shooting the same guy at same time) improved upon. It is in some desperate need of optimization and bug fixes though. Wait for the patches guys. Can't comment on difficulty or game length, but i'm staying optimistic.If you liked the first one you will like this one. i'm only about 5 missions in, but already have seen some of the annoying things about the first one( overwatched squaddies shooting the same guy at same time) improved upon. It is in some desperate need of optimization and bug fixes though. Wait for the patches guys. Can't comment on difficulty or game length, but i'm staying optimistic. ill give it a 7 for now.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best PC Game of 2016
6
#6 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
19
#19 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 104 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 97 out of 104
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 104
  3. Negative: 1 out of 104
  1. Wccftech
    Apr 22, 2016
    80
    Firaxis managed to improve upon the already great Enemy Unknown in almost every way, with the exception of multiplayer. Unfortunately, the shockingly bad performance prevents XCOM 2 from reaching the status of a true masterpiece.
    Read full review
  2. High-Def Digest
    Apr 10, 2016
    90
    It is a tactical experience without peer, better even than its predecessors. It is draining and agonizing, but in a good way. The high difficulty may turn off some gamers, but it’s worth every second.
    Read full review
  3. IGN Denmark
    Apr 6, 2016
    90
    XCOM 2 is a gem. There is more story in the game, and the ending does not feel as abrupt as it did in the first game.
    Read full review
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