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. McFinnegan
    Feb 11, 2016
    9
    A good strategy game has a wide variety of strategy, with counterplay for each strategy. Every enemy I've encountered in XCOM 2 is powerful in their own right, but has a number of ways to counter them. My combat hacker specialist has saved my other soldiers asses on more than one occasion, but her lack of a gremlin heal prevented her from saving an on-fire squadmate.

    This game evoked    A good strategy game has a wide variety of strategy, with counterplay for each strategy. Every enemy I've encountered in XCOM 2 is powerful in their own right, but has a number of ways to counter them. My combat hacker specialist has saved my other soldiers asses on more than one occasion, but her lack of a gremlin heal prevented her from saving an on-fire squadmate.

    This game evoked all I loved from the original XCOM UFO defense, such as desperate terror when facing a new alien threat you had no way to prepare for, and the scramble to deal with this new threat. It forgoes the mechanized units entirely, which were just cannon fodder and I never grew attached to them like I did the soldiers. It ignores UFO interception, which while it wasn't an enjoyable part of the old game, I'd rather have seen it expanded upon than removed, but the resistance tone matches their decision. Despite my initial reservations about moving away from time units and deeper inventory management, in practice it removes a lot of tedium, without taking away much from the tactical end. I can remember maybe one instance where my soldier picked up a stun launcher from a dead alien, then using it to incapacitate the sectoid commander of that UFO, but I almost always had my soldiers equipped for what they needed beforehand. The simplified ammo system is an improvement, although I did love the ammoless laser rifles. Using plasma or heavy plasma, you rarely to never ran out of ammo in a mission, carrying a single spare ammo pack would be all you needed. New ammo system makes your decisions when modding your weapon more important in regards to ammo and reloads.

    Time units vs. 2 actions, the time units were superior in terms of tactical options, 2 actions superior for it being quickly apparent what you can do, thus making faster decisions (you need some experience with time units to be able to utilize them fully).
    4-6 soldiers vs. 14 (10+1HWP usually) + (12 for lightning, 24 for avenger), this is where UFO defense is superior, you can lose troops, a lot of them, and still win the mission. Losing a single soldier in XCOM 2 or EU/EW is a huge detriment to your capability, as each soldier is also so much more powerful than a single soldier in UFO defense (barring the OP psionics in UFO defense. 10 soldiers with good psionics, and you can't lose). Still, in practice, I don't have a problem with this change. It works, and focuses on different elements, giving you many more ways to keep those few soldiers alive. Though I'll still go back and play UFO defense.

    Alien pods: this goes hand in hand with the above. It works with the lower troop count, but I'd prefer the old method, as it lent more to an air of mystery. The pods leave nothing to the imagination as to where the aliens could be, UFO defense, they could be hiding in that one square of the barn you don't have vision of, until they come out and shoot you.

    Still, the new game does stand on it's own feet. The character customization really helps you invest in your soldiers, which is one of the huge draws to the game for me. The astounding heroics or miserable failures of my soldiers I still remember, and the character pool is nice to not lose the time you spend customizing the characters. The improvements on the strategic layer, where you scan, gives a whole new level of tough decision making in the game. Lot of people bemoan the timers, I have yet to fail to meet a timer, I usually have a few turns to spare (Commander difficulty), and have done so safely (mostly, aside from a few risky moves necessitated by lolligagging too much).

    The technical difficulties are significant, though not game breaking for me. People having vision through walls is the worst on alien ships (an entire undamaged wall wall between me and the alien, could still exchange fire), but it is somewhat evident elsewhere. Small visual glitches exist, and some problems still exist from Firaxis's EW/EU. Aside from the shooting through walls in the alien ship, this hasn't impacted my gameplay, but it's something to be aware of. That's the primary reason I'm rating it a 9/10.

    The reason I rate it so high? Because I can talk to other people playing the game, and they have entirely different strategies and soldier builds than I do, and they achieve results with their strategies too. There's a lot of tough calls to make, and many different ways to tackle the same problem. Timers add a bit of tension to what could otherwise be a leisurely stroll through the tech tree (UFO defense and EW/EU both suffered from this, more the latter than the former). It's a solid game mechanically speaking, one that I can sink many hours into and still find enjoyment in.    … Expand
  2. HAMS
    Feb 8, 2016
    9
    As a sequel to XCOM EU:EW just about everything has improved. The tactical layer retains its simplicity but with some added mechanics and features. The strategic layer has been deepened and feels like a real part of the game instead of an after thought or purely story component like it did in EU:EW. The classes are different from EU:EW. I wouldn't say better or worse, just differentAs a sequel to XCOM EU:EW just about everything has improved. The tactical layer retains its simplicity but with some added mechanics and features. The strategic layer has been deepened and feels like a real part of the game instead of an after thought or purely story component like it did in EU:EW. The classes are different from EU:EW. I wouldn't say better or worse, just different and there is a lot to play around with and class combos to have fun with.

    Performance wise the game does not run well for me. But seeing that my hardware is well under minimum specs I can't really complain.    … Expand
  3. greywolf00
    Mar 4, 2016
    9
    I've seen a ton of complaints regarding the timers on missions. While I agree they can be annoying, I never found them as game breaking as others have. Not to mention, on day 1, there were multiple mods released to address it. You can completely get rid of the timers, increase the number of ticks on the timer, or pick a mod where the timer doesn't start until your squad is sighted by theI've seen a ton of complaints regarding the timers on missions. While I agree they can be annoying, I never found them as game breaking as others have. Not to mention, on day 1, there were multiple mods released to address it. You can completely get rid of the timers, increase the number of ticks on the timer, or pick a mod where the timer doesn't start until your squad is sighted by the enemy. You can also get mods to adjust the speed of the avatar project progression.

    And the ease of modding this game compared to the first is night and day. Expect a thriving mod community moving forward, including new weapons, classes and aliens.

    I was fortunate enough to not run into major bugs during my play through. I only had one crash, during the loading of the final mission, but got through it fine the next attempt.

    Overall, I think XCOM 2 is better than X:EU & X;EW, even if the loss of mechanized units and gene mods are a bit disappointing. There are more alien classes, a more randomized map system and more weapons.    … Expand
  4. ChoicestGames
    Feb 15, 2019
    8
    XCOM 2 brings with it many welcome new features such as better customisation options, the ability to conduct guerrilla warfare against an alien threat and even a Memorial Wall. However, what it also brings are the usual flaws that infuriate players including bugs and RNGesus; XCOM 2 is also more difficult than its predecessor thanks to a combination of turning previous winning strategiesXCOM 2 brings with it many welcome new features such as better customisation options, the ability to conduct guerrilla warfare against an alien threat and even a Memorial Wall. However, what it also brings are the usual flaws that infuriate players including bugs and RNGesus; XCOM 2 is also more difficult than its predecessor thanks to a combination of turning previous winning strategies on their heads and having time limits placed on just about everything that you do.… Expand
  5. silkforcalde
    Feb 10, 2016
    10
    Potentially the best game ever made. A complete redesign of the core XCOM: Enemy Unknown experience with smarter design, tougher enemies (but better toys to take them out with) and a much more replayable set of mechanics that provides a wider arrange of potential situations to occur.

    Procedural maps mean you won't be memorizing maps like you were in EU. The dramatically improved    Potentially the best game ever made. A complete redesign of the core XCOM: Enemy Unknown experience with smarter design, tougher enemies (but better toys to take them out with) and a much more replayable set of mechanics that provides a wider arrange of potential situations to occur.

    Procedural maps mean you won't be memorizing maps like you were in EU. The dramatically improved strategic layer means you might get attacked by a UFO in the first few months, or you might have an easier time of things with different potential events.

    Plenty of missions have timers now, which is a hugely welcome change that provides a sense of urgency and punishes the overly cautious player. Never fear, if the timer runs out, you don't permanently lose a unit that didn't evac in time. They just get captured by the enemy and eventually you'll get a mission to rescue them.

    A broader range of mission types, more enemy types with much more varied behavior, a much broader set of attack options including various ammunition types and a lot more grenade types, much smarter class design, this game is a tour de force. A work of perfection. Going down in history as one of the greatest games ever made.    … Expand
  6. Stilljester
    Feb 7, 2016
    9
    This game is a must play for anyone who enjoys strategy games. The 1994 XCOM in on my top five games of all time. XCOM: Enemy Unknown took that game, chopped off the fluff, distilled it down to its basic components, and mastered them in a brilliant tactical shooter. Now XCOM 2, takes XCOM: EU's winning formula and elevates it.

    Enemy Unknown was a remake, and it felt like a remake.    This game is a must play for anyone who enjoys strategy games. The 1994 XCOM in on my top five games of all time. XCOM: Enemy Unknown took that game, chopped off the fluff, distilled it down to its basic components, and mastered them in a brilliant tactical shooter. Now XCOM 2, takes XCOM: EU's winning formula and elevates it.

    Enemy Unknown was a remake, and it felt like a remake. Hipper, slicker, more user-friendly. It channeled the base elements and focused them into a delightfully fun game. As a remake, however, it must suffer comparison to the original. In streamlining,EU lost much of the strategy layer. No more building a laser rifle factory to fund your operation. No more sending your interceptors out to scan for enemy bases.

    XCOM 2 is not a remake; it is its own entity. It kept the amazing tactical game from EU, but it built a whole new, different, and engrossing strategy layer. The resultant game is unlike XCOM 1994, and feel like it's truly "come of age." In EU, the strategy game is pretty much just waiting for the aliens to show up. In XCOM 2, you are active. You need to fly across the globe trying to marshal several different resources. Manpower is extremely limited. Every strategy decision is nail-biter, because you need EVERYTHING and don't have enough of it. What's more, the ALIENS are active. They have priorities and agendas, all of which will seriously screw you if don't counter them.

    The tactical game retains the brilliance of EU, and adds onto it. Each of the 4 base classes can follow two paths. Each feels like a class of its own. Do you want your Ranger to be sneaky and play with shotguns? Or in your face with a Katana? It feels like they took a page from "The Long War" mod for EU by making two variants of each class. The character customization is awesome, and makes the game feel incredibly immersive.

    I've heard two main complaints:

    A) it's too hard. To these people, I say: Shut up. That's why you can select your difficulty level.

    B) It's got some technical problems. This one is more true. It feels like it could use some optimization, and might have difficulty on lower-end machines, even on minimal graphics settings. This is not a game breaker. Ironically, the place that my computer has the most trouble is on the Base screen. Tactical combat is no trouble at all. Long-ish load times, as well. I, however, have not experienced any bugs or glitches.

    Get this game. You'll thank yourself!    … Expand
  7. darrenandrew16
    Feb 14, 2016
    9
    Obviously the game is not for everyone. At times, it can be almost unfairly hard. I have rage quit on multiple occasions. However, there's something that keeps me coming back. It's fun.
    If you've ever played Firaxis' other games, you'll feel right at home here.
    I'm several hours in, and I can't get enough. It's that Firaxis drug we've all come to love.
  8. pablobosa
    Feb 20, 2016
    9
    Leaving the bugs beside (which are being fixed right away) this game is keeping me on my toes. Playing in hard mode and no ironman mode for the first time and having a blast! Even when ive played enemy unknown iam still getting surprised with the twists and turns of the game. Storywise i dont care the gameplay is solid as my d*ck, which in turn is like this because the game is that good.
  9. DexEngineer
    Aug 14, 2020
    9
    Love playing this game. One of my favorite games. Great graphics. Intriguing story. Very good continuation of Enemy Unknown.
  10. birdman3
    Jun 19, 2017
    10
    The entire time I played XCOM 2, I told myself "If I could only play one video game for the rest of my life, it would probably be this one". Not because it is the funnest game I have ever played, but because it combines depth, replayability, and "wow" factor in more ways than any other game that I've played. Throughout my entire playthrough, I kept thinking about how my decisions wereThe entire time I played XCOM 2, I told myself "If I could only play one video game for the rest of my life, it would probably be this one". Not because it is the funnest game I have ever played, but because it combines depth, replayability, and "wow" factor in more ways than any other game that I've played. Throughout my entire playthrough, I kept thinking about how my decisions were impacting the future of the game, and the procedurely-created maps kept every engagement fresh. I never knew where the pods of enemies would spawn, but I really enjoyed seeing the listing of enemies on the map beforehand, which allowed me to prepare my troops accordingly. People have been complaining about the mission timers- I find this totally unwarranted. In my playthrough, I had more than enough time to defuse a bomb, recover research, or rescue a VIP, without hardly an exception. You have the option of bringing specialists to the engagement, and they can complete most of these objectives at range- why not use them? Overall, I find this game to be a fun and exciting step forward for a franchise that was already seemingly well-rounded.… Expand
  11. KingMob4313
    Mar 2, 2017
    9
    A rare sequel to a near stellar game.

    This time, the script is flipped: you are the ones ambushing the now-native forces, covering off some of the absurdity of fighting an global alien invasion with a squad level team. Now you are a mobile resistance force, fighting on the run, trying to strike a devastating blow and evict the occupying force before their secret project ~redacted~.    A rare sequel to a near stellar game.

    This time, the script is flipped: you are the ones ambushing the now-native forces, covering off some of the absurdity of fighting an global alien invasion with a squad level team. Now you are a mobile resistance force, fighting on the run, trying to strike a devastating blow and evict the occupying force before their secret project ~redacted~.

    The gameplay much improved over the original. The stealth and ambush mechanics heighten the tension in an already high stakes game and story is so much tighter than the rather generic invasion story in the first game. There are constant nice touches, from between the returning 'Central' to the new head scientist and engineer. There are even a few touches in the story as shoutouts to the fandom.

    The graphics and sound are greatly improved and run well on the PC. I have an okay system (GTX 970, I5) and it runs on full detail with no framerate drops. The difficulty is also steep, but fair. You might read many complaints on here of the mission and 'doom' timer, but the answer to that is 'GET GUD'.

    The customization of the game is deep and with added mod support, the game is one that can be played for years. Even better, the FIRAXIS team partnered with the god-like mod-team behind 'The Long War' to produce mods for the game and the disgustingly rich The Long War 2.

    Highest possible recommendation.    … Expand
  12. suneater
    Sep 24, 2017
    10
    Playing through the "original" XCOM: Enemy Unknown, I felt like it was purposefully neutered; it was like the game was designed to be as dumbed-down as possible while still maintaining hallmarks of the series. At first I thought I was because they were just trying to release it as widely as possible (you can play it on your phone at this point), but now I see it was actually a market test.Playing through the "original" XCOM: Enemy Unknown, I felt like it was purposefully neutered; it was like the game was designed to be as dumbed-down as possible while still maintaining hallmarks of the series. At first I thought I was because they were just trying to release it as widely as possible (you can play it on your phone at this point), but now I see it was actually a market test. To put it simply, XCOM 2's launch version is the game that EU should've been from the start. With the addition of DLC and now a full expansion, XCOM 2 is now essentially XCOM 2.5 and is GOTY contender two years in a row.

    Taking place 20 years after the events of the first game, aliens firmly control Earth and XCOM as it was previously known is no more. While the original's atmosphere was very militaristic and coordinated, XCOM 2 is now very guerrilla and disorganized. Your supporting cast don't trust each other, everything is held together with duct tape, and your soldiers look like post-apoc cosplayers for a long time. New combat variables and mission structures, along with vastly more powerful aliens, create a dire atmosphere that makes every mission feel like it could be your last. While most missions in the base game were timed, I never felt this timer was too restrictive and the expansion adds a lot of non-timed missions to the mix. Overall there is a good variety of mission types now and most missions are flexible enough to let you bring a variety of squads (even on hard).

    While the individual DLCs are hit-or-miss (a lot of it is overpriced cosmetics), two really stand out. "Shen's Last Gift" let's you build a kamikaze robot army with their own skill trees and loadouts and "Alien Hunters" adds 3 persistent mini-bosses that spawn randomly in missions with unique powers & gear that you can obtain for your own soldiers. One DLC clearly stands above the rest: the new "War of the Chosen" expansion is impressively expansive and is well worth the asking price. The new faction system gives you access to three opposing resistance groups with their own skill trees, weapons, flavor, and backstories. The Chosen are three nemeses that mirror the class structure of the new allied factions. They will stalk your base, invade your missions randomly, kidnap your troops, and eventually will have to be assassinated with a 2-part dungeon crawl-esque mission. While one of them is clearly stronger than the other two, they are all a challenge at any point of the game and will grow in skill and strength if you do not deal with them timely. Tons of other smaller features, including new enemies, maps, and the soldier bonding system, flesh out this massive expansion. In my opinion it's worth it buying the base game just to experience the flurry of new content the game throws at you with War of the Chosen.

    XCOM 2 has grown and improved incredibly since launch. Yes, there are still some bugs and the new expansion created new ones. Yes, the game still crashes but not nearly as bad as EU. Even though XCOM 2 only crashed on me about 4 times in 100+ hours, I still wouldn't recommend playing Ironman without a backup file. If you can ignore the rare technical issues, I would still highly recommend buying this and eventually War of the Chosen after an initial vanilla playthrough. Even though it's an amazing expansion, it adds so much to the game that it would probably overwhelm and turn off new players (especially people coming from vanilla EU).    … Expand
  13. Toffenuff
    Feb 9, 2016
    10
    Pre-ordered this game because I loved the first reboot of X-Com in X-Com: Enemy Unknown and Enemy WIthin and from what I had seen of the new one it was looking really good. And it does not disappoint! Better graphics, sleeker and improved UI, and basically a lot more better updates to what was already great in X-Com: Enemy Within. The biggest improvement is the surprisingly compellingPre-ordered this game because I loved the first reboot of X-Com in X-Com: Enemy Unknown and Enemy WIthin and from what I had seen of the new one it was looking really good. And it does not disappoint! Better graphics, sleeker and improved UI, and basically a lot more better updates to what was already great in X-Com: Enemy Within. The biggest improvement is the surprisingly compelling story and the way the game challenges you to keep moving and making tough decisions. You can no longer take the long route and play it super safe like you could with EU/EW. Now there's an overall campaign threat that, if you try to wait too long before tackling the bigger objectives, you'll lose, which makes it more exciting and more realistic. More character customizations, the extensive mod support, and of course the better but still very much the same gameplay is further icing on the very delicious cake.

    The biggest gripes I have, and really the only gripes I have, are: poor optimization meant that the game was sometimes choppy with dropping framerates and whatnot, which I was able to fix on my end by forcing certain graphical settings via a separate program; still a bunch of bugs, particularly graphical/visual bugs, like characters partially stepping into walls or other objects to do actions or units shooting through floors/ceilings/walls like they're not there (this was also present in EU/EW). Still, compared to the overall amazingness of the rest of the game (which now runs much more smoothly thanks to my own personal tweaking under the hood), these issues are more than bearable. Although I would love fixes, please!

    Anyway, long story short: if you love X-Com: Enemy Unknown/Within, you MUST get this game. Earth needs you back, Commander.    … Expand
  14. ehmkec
    Feb 13, 2016
    9
    I love the Xcom games. I like that I can play at my own pace and that's good considering the great fast action game out there. There needs to be 2 rating categories for all games though - Game and Technical. Too many great games get poor technical reviews and some people will never know the game is great.
  15. TheEarthDragon
    Feb 13, 2016
    9
    The early knee jerk from the user reviewers was wrong as usual. While the late "professional" entries adjust their scores down to reflect what the community claim in order to appeal to the masses.

    Every couple years we get a game that requires a "juice" from your machine to run properly and this is one of them. If you have a machine that is a little aged, then waiting a month or so    The early knee jerk from the user reviewers was wrong as usual. While the late "professional" entries adjust their scores down to reflect what the community claim in order to appeal to the masses.

    Every couple years we get a game that requires a "juice" from your machine to run properly and this is one of them. If you have a machine that is a little aged, then waiting a month or so after release is in order (which is nothing new). I'm playing the game a week after release and it has minimal problems with the only real issue being it takes 10-15 seconds for me to be able to start my turn after the aliens go.

    This really is one of the best strategy games of the modern age of gaming. Complaints like "why am I on a turn limit" are completely explained by the fact that you are a rebel force with a limited amount of time until the skies are overrun by Advent forces and NOBODY can get out of there. You are the invaders this time. Most of the planet wants you dead. Why is it you are swallowing that the avenger can move from Alaska to Indonesia in a couple hours but you don't think Advent response times should be fast at all? It's a petty argument for folks who want everything, including completing missions in a game, easy as pie for them.

    The early "professional" reviews had it right. This game is a rare A quality game in a time where most games are uninspiring and give everything to you on a silver platter. I'm glad to see the community getting more and more sensible and this game is slowly but surely seeing it's score rise.    … Expand
  16. Kingbingo
    Feb 9, 2016
    8
    This game easily has the potential to be a 10 out 10. But for some reason the developers decided to add timers to most maps which will often ruin the experience as it stops you being tactical. So I’m giving it 8 but if you download the timer mods from the workshop you may as well add those 2 points back.
  17. Sean-M
    Jul 24, 2020
    8
    Really liked this game, it follows the great gameplay of the previous game but it also adds the character customisation that is amazing, especially when you add multiple mods on top of it.
  18. crowbarPhysicis
    Feb 9, 2016
    9
    X-COM 2 takes a fresh approach to the formula used in X-COMs Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within. It changes enough of the features in the game to make it something new, but not enough to be completely foreign. The gameplay is well designed, the turn timers are well tuned and forces you to play a faster-paced game, and the lose condition of the game is just enough to keep players scrambling toX-COM 2 takes a fresh approach to the formula used in X-COMs Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within. It changes enough of the features in the game to make it something new, but not enough to be completely foreign. The gameplay is well designed, the turn timers are well tuned and forces you to play a faster-paced game, and the lose condition of the game is just enough to keep players scrambling to hinder it. The game suffers from glitches and the occasional crash (in my 35 hour campaign, the game crashed twice and there was a single game-breaking glitch, which forced me to reload a previous save several missions back). While some of the glitches can be annoying, some of them are downright hilarious. Sure, it ruins the immersion, but this is X-COM, its story isn't really something to be immersed with; it never presented itself as such.… Expand
  19. tommh
    Feb 9, 2016
    10
    This is a true realization of what a X Com game should be. Tense tactical games that feed into a strategy game that is constantly presenting you with tough interesting decisions.
  20. TheWaffle
    Mar 8, 2016
    8
    I wanted to wait for a full, proper patch before reviewing but it's been over a month now so the game is getting reviewed as is. XCOM 2 borrows everything good from its predecessor XCOM Enemy Unknown. The in-depth strategy, difficult choices, and long-game focus are all refined and improved. There are moments where decisions made hours ago will come back to haunt you or reward you, whetherI wanted to wait for a full, proper patch before reviewing but it's been over a month now so the game is getting reviewed as is. XCOM 2 borrows everything good from its predecessor XCOM Enemy Unknown. The in-depth strategy, difficult choices, and long-game focus are all refined and improved. There are moments where decisions made hours ago will come back to haunt you or reward you, whether you're so glad you put a repeater on that rifle that allowed you to get a kill and save the team or whether you chose the wrong talent and now your beloved sniper is going to bite the bullet as a result. The campaign and missions always feel just barely beatable, and I had more than a few times in my ironman play through where I thought "yup that's it, game over" including a total wipe of my six-man alpha squad, but instead I scraped together brought up the rookies and got to work figuring out my way forward. There's great mod support and after only a month there are hundreds of mods with everything from new maps, gameplay tweaks, Star Wars helmets, Mass Effect voiceovers, etc. The community is really coming out to play and the devs made it very easy for people to develop and install the mods. I loved Enemy Unknown and I love XCOM 2.

    On the downside. This game was murder on my rig. After shutting down every unnecessary process, updating my drivers, and setting the graphics to minimal, the game barely ran on my computer. I had to turn down the resolution and still had serious fps drops, particularly in the final mission. And it's clear there are performance improvements that could be made, after-all we're all using the Caps-Lock trick that somehow reduces the Avenger's load-time by 50%. The camera still zooms in on a wall instead of the enemy during shooting, there are numerous noise glitches when you'll hear the same effect played over and over, line of sight still isn't terribly clear and the LOS indicator can bug out (particularly against sectopods), and a slew of other glitches that just feel like such low-hanging fruit, particularly for a grid based game. It's not like the game is bombarded with constant, new inputs like an FPS would be, it should be able to realize when an enemy dies and play the sound effect once (not over and over). And there's plenty of visual noise that reduces performance we should be able to disable, e.g. the dissolving holo-globe, the load screens where the computer is also simultaneously rendering six character models, etc. In general, the system requirements are crazy for a turn-based game.

    As far as gameplay, a lot of things will be difficult on your first play through because the game doesn't always make it clear what the rules are, and not just when meeting new enemies. It's not always clear whether activating an objective will consume an action, for example picking up a wounded ally doesn't cost and action but putting them down does consume an action. And so you'll often find yourself in a situation where you just kind of have to click the objective and hope that your ranger can still fire afterwards. Some other aspects are just clunky (some of which have been fixed in community mods) like having to cycle through all your soldiers to see who has free-reloads still available and manually reloading the people who don't have those available, or going back to the psi/guerrilla training every five days when someone's training finishes, or having to build/buy items that offer annoyingly non-specific benefits "will increase the strength of your psi attacks" "this sim will improve your soldier's agility" until after you build/buy them, just a number of small things that could have been easily fixed on launch or in a patch.

    Overall, I love the game, and I'm looking forward to the DLC releases. But it's been over a month now, and we've only received a few token patches to resolve certain crashes. The performance is still very poor, even apparently for people playing on vastly superior computers compared to my own. It's just another rough game launch where I wonder, "Did you really need to launch it in this condition? Or could you have worked on it for another month and spared everyone the headaches?"    … Expand
  21. axxiusdecius
    Feb 8, 2016
    9
    finally a game not just as good as the first, but better, because it is much more complex, with many new layers added. What I mean: now there is a good dose of stealth, but not so much as to get annoyng; there is looting and plenty of different gun upgrades; the environment is destructible (need a door? make yourself a hole in the wall!); movement on the strategic map, Risk style; eventsfinally a game not just as good as the first, but better, because it is much more complex, with many new layers added. What I mean: now there is a good dose of stealth, but not so much as to get annoyng; there is looting and plenty of different gun upgrades; the environment is destructible (need a door? make yourself a hole in the wall!); movement on the strategic map, Risk style; events that influence the game for a while;
    Also, great graphics, new soldier classes, a better/darker atmosphere, more cyberpunk, the new feeling of fighting not a war, but a resistance guerilla against a pseudo-Communist dictatorship. And no more annoying dr. Vahlen voice (damn, I hated her!!!)
    On the minus side, a little less enemy variety (but some of them more remarkable); smaller battle maps; the scientist/engineers are now recruited through a quite unclear process. And what I really dislike, you are rushed in many battles by a turn countdown which takes away some of the planning.
    Overall, a 9,5 of 10 for me!
    And thank the Firaxis people for doing a good job this time, unlike the lame Beyond Earth and the dumbed-down Civ 5.....    … Expand
  22. RMDsilva
    Jun 28, 2018
    8
    Solid game. Good kind of addiction, with enough variation and tactics to play with.
    Only played standard version at Commander difficulty: good challenge at the beginning (actually let soldiers die instead of save scumming), a bit too easy from mid to end game.
  23. Vevo99
    Jul 26, 2016
    10
    Estou jogando e curtindo cada minuto desse game , desafiador do jeito que eu gosto , cada missão transmite a sensação que Dark Souls transmite , o jogo é difícil , se você não curte jogos desafiadores passe longe .
  24. vunacar
    Feb 6, 2016
    9
    People scoring this 0 need a reality check. XCOM 2 is an amazing game and upgrades the gameplay in almost every regard compared to the previous installments. New enemies are great, the graphics have improved, and almost every criticized area of XCOM 1 has been either removed or reworked.

    Some performance issues are there with AA enabled and some advanced options, but these can be turned    People scoring this 0 need a reality check. XCOM 2 is an amazing game and upgrades the gameplay in almost every regard compared to the previous installments. New enemies are great, the graphics have improved, and almost every criticized area of XCOM 1 has been either removed or reworked.

    Some performance issues are there with AA enabled and some advanced options, but these can be turned off, and the game has visual glitches from time to time, which can also be bypassed by not using the action camera, which can be turned off in the gameplay settings.

    From the gameplay perspective, the game could really have used less timed missions, which often isn't even that big of a deal, but due to the nature of randomly generated levels, the game can make the time limit strangely low for the task at hand, resulting in a frustrating mission. This is the only reason for me giving the game a 9, and I am pretty confident this will be either tweaked in patches, or a mod will come out to fix it.

    Overall, a great game, and a worthy sequel, and an early candidate for the game of the year.    … Expand
  25. Erlioth
    Feb 9, 2016
    10
    Any shortcomings the game has can be altered to your liking yourself or through mods that are already made. Bad performance? Lower the settings if your PC is a toaster. i know people with 4 generations old hardware who are running it fine by turning off 1 or 2 settings, meanwhile im on a budget AMD build with a high end video card and it runs fine at max settings. This game adds way moreAny shortcomings the game has can be altered to your liking yourself or through mods that are already made. Bad performance? Lower the settings if your PC is a toaster. i know people with 4 generations old hardware who are running it fine by turning off 1 or 2 settings, meanwhile im on a budget AMD build with a high end video card and it runs fine at max settings. This game adds way more variety in the missions and rebalanced but otherwise familiar gameplay from 1, a better story, and infinite replayability thanks to more RNG + integrated mod/steam workshop support. In time, this game will have a ridiculous amount more variety and content added through the workshop. You would seriously have to be the most jaded gamer, or unable to get into tactics, or have a crappy computer to not like something in this game. If your argument is that it's too easy, even on the highest setting, there are already mods for that too! I just don't see how you can play it past the first missions and review it negatively… Expand
  26. Sudaro
    Feb 16, 2016
    10
    I spend about 40h in game and I say: "one of the greatest games ever made! Better than XCOM I". Very good mix of strategy and tactical combat. One of must have games.
  27. dunnyone
    Feb 11, 2016
    9
    Unbelievable game. Not since Dark Souls have I been so captivated by a game world. The animations, audio, graphics and game play are spot-on as everything works in beautiful cohesion. It's a rock-hard game but once you're used to it, it flows like warm butter on steak. Your team of alien hunters becomes unstoppable but after every second mission or so, a new even deadlier alien isUnbelievable game. Not since Dark Souls have I been so captivated by a game world. The animations, audio, graphics and game play are spot-on as everything works in beautiful cohesion. It's a rock-hard game but once you're used to it, it flows like warm butter on steak. Your team of alien hunters becomes unstoppable but after every second mission or so, a new even deadlier alien is introduced.

    This is utter quality but you will need a serious rig to run it. Ignore the haters, they're most likely trying to run this on a Commodore 64, or they have failed a few missions and can't cope with the extreme difficulty. It's worth every cent!    … Expand
  28. Tomle1202
    Jul 9, 2017
    8
    Behind the terribly optimized state that XCOM 2 runs on is a masterfully developed turn-based game that keeps humiliating your strategy with you loving it.
  29. Gohenko
    Feb 16, 2016
    8
    The game itself is brilliant. The tactical turn-based combat works great most of the time and the base management elements are nicely robust without feeling too overwhelming. The controversial turn timers haven't really managed to frustrate me, more often than not they just help create more tense moments on the battlefield.

    Unfortunately, the performance problems are real. Forget about    The game itself is brilliant. The tactical turn-based combat works great most of the time and the base management elements are nicely robust without feeling too overwhelming. The controversial turn timers haven't really managed to frustrate me, more often than not they just help create more tense moments on the battlefield.

    Unfortunately, the performance problems are real. Forget about getting constant 60fps with any kind of rig. I've also experienced a variety of bugs and glitches, and so far I've had at least 5 hard crashes during my 56 hours of playtime. However, none of these problems are big enough to keep me from returning to the game time and time again. It's that good.    … Expand
  30. masterhoodwinke
    Feb 8, 2016
    9
    Incredible game, if you enjoyed the previous Xcom you will love this one. There are a few minor bugs, they will be resolved soon. I will be playing and enjoying this game for years. Graphics are fantastic, attention to detail is exceptional. Read the PC Gamer review.

    It saddens me to see so much negative hate for a beautiful and clearly heartfelt development effort by 2k. Its not    Incredible game, if you enjoyed the previous Xcom you will love this one. There are a few minor bugs, they will be resolved soon. I will be playing and enjoying this game for years. Graphics are fantastic, attention to detail is exceptional. Read the PC Gamer review.

    It saddens me to see so much negative hate for a beautiful and clearly heartfelt development effort by 2k. Its not perfect, but what have you done that was?

    For those reviewers giving 5 or less... a few things I'm noticing. Either you don't know how to play this game effectively, or your PC hardware isn't strong enough to handle it. Experiencing very low frame rates? Your graphics card is most likely out of date. Experiencing tough AI? Go back to the drawing board and revise your strategy bro! But please, do not throw this game under the bus. It deserves better.    … Expand
  31. atalhaderici
    Feb 11, 2016
    10
    XCOM 2 is an amazing game

    The best XCOM ever, period.

    Good combat abilities
    More enemies
    Mod support
    More soldier customization
    Better story

    I love it...
  32. thaylonsen
    Feb 8, 2016
    8
    Great game, an evolution to the original. There are a lot of timers but there are also new tactics like remote hacking to help you along. All in all very pleased and the timers improved the game, not detracted from it.
  33. joecool99
    Feb 9, 2016
    9
    Surprised at the negative user reviews. XCOM 2 has performance bugs indeed, but for the gameplay alone it's AWSOME! Much better then XCOM. Research and stuff you recover from the field is useful and makes a big difference. The timed mission counter does not bother be - at least so far.
    I play on normal difficulty and so far did not loose single soldier (expect the forced intro - everyone    Surprised at the negative user reviews. XCOM 2 has performance bugs indeed, but for the gameplay alone it's AWSOME! Much better then XCOM. Research and stuff you recover from the field is useful and makes a big difference. The timed mission counter does not bother be - at least so far.
    I play on normal difficulty and so far did not loose single soldier (expect the forced intro - everyone does). It makes it OK to loose occasional soldier, compared to XCOM where i was reloading constantly if someone died.
    Apart from graphic glitches, its a MUST have.    … Expand
  34. Sanastusa
    Feb 11, 2016
    9
    "Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you'll live -- at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!!!"
    Words to live by while playing this masterpiece. Xcom 2 by far lives up    "Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you'll live -- at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!!!"
    Words to live by while playing this masterpiece. Xcom 2 by far lives up to the expectations and hype built up to its release. Challenging, punishing yet still remaining fun during every playthrough.
    The only thing stopping this from getting a perfect score is the handful of bugs/glitches I ran into while fighting to take back Earth. Non of them game breaking, just annoying.
    Story is great. Gameplay is amazing. The sounds of aliens dying never gets old and the controls are simple.    … Expand
  35. segi
    Feb 7, 2016
    10
    El rendimiento en mi caso es bueno, no he medido fps en esta primera toma de contacto, pero lo noto fluido excepto un par de rascones sin importancia en la personalización de los soldados y alguna cinemática del avenger. (i5@4.5 y 770 4Gb en la configuración alta que viene por defecto en el juego, por ahora no me apetece medir y toquetear nada). Seguramente los votos negativos vendrán deEl rendimiento en mi caso es bueno, no he medido fps en esta primera toma de contacto, pero lo noto fluido excepto un par de rascones sin importancia en la personalización de los soldados y alguna cinemática del avenger. (i5@4.5 y 770 4Gb en la configuración alta que viene por defecto en el juego, por ahora no me apetece medir y toquetear nada). Seguramente los votos negativos vendrán de las rascadas que da en configuraciones ultra, supongo digo yo.

    Los gráficos son buenos, poco necesita este juego y lo cumple de sobra, las animaciones son notables y se nota que han cuidado el aspecto con mimo. Se agradece porque ahora puedes poner distintas animaciones dependiendo del carácter como, alegre, tranquilo y cosas así, lo que me lleva al siguiente aspecto.

    La personalización es magnífica, y además ajustada a los controles del teclado, fantástico sin lugar a dudas. Perder un soldado era un dolor en el alma ahora te cae hasta la lagrimita cuando los hieren, por cierto puedes editar hasta su biografía, packs de voces...

    El metajuego o el concepto en sí, hace que no sea un digno sucesor sino que supere al primero sin lugar a dudas. Ahora somos la resistencia y lo han cuidado, el tiempo pasa mientras estamos realizando alguna acción ya sea recolectar info, buscar recursos, investigar nuevas zonas, siempre estás haciendo algo, nada de esperar a que ataquen y cada decisión cuenta. Esto me sirve para explicar otro aspecto muy positivo del juego, la microgestión.
    Ahora somos la resistencia, se nota y los recursos escasean, por lo que ya no salvamos científicos ahora salvamos al científico Manolo Becario hijo de Conchita, todo tiene nombre propio, hasta las víctimas en las misiones de terror que ahora se llaman de represalía. Como he dicho han cuidado mucho aspectos en apariencia menores pero que refuerzan la atmósfera convincentemente.

    La estrategia es otra cosa, venía confiado del Long War y me he encontrado sobrepasado en varias ocasiones, la IA es una perra y actúa según la unidad lo cual está bien, las unidades cuerpo a cuerpo se lanzarán contra ti sin pensárselo mucho pero los comandantes si se ven solos ante el peligro retroceden a mejores posiciones. Por el momento no tengo queja.
    Las habilidades para que os hagáis una idea están diferenciadas en dos caminos bastante diferenciados, podemos mezclar a gusto pero por ejemplo un especialista tendrá una rama médica y otra más orientada al combate, el explorador tiene una dedicada a mejorar el tiro de francotirador y la otra al combate cercano.

    Es más díficil, sobretodo los primeros compases, también es verdad que nos confiamos y hay muchos tipos de enemigos como el Sin Cara, cabrón joputa, así que es normal que ya desde el tutorial te recuerden que no te flipes. En lo particular me gusta la dificultad, todavía no he perdido soldado alguno pero se nota la angustia en cada misión.

    En fin multitud de pequeños detalles conforman un juego que todo amante de la estrategia jugará tarde o temprano, por criticar algo pondría que algunas superficies son engañosas y te pueden disparar a través, poco más y eso que me gusta sacarle punta a todo.    … Expand
  36. 2fatbear
    Nov 26, 2017
    10
    Being a veteran XCom player, I still miss the complete freedom we had on the original games on choosing equipment for missions and details like limited munition and caring to not shoot your friends.
    So why I give the game a 10/10? Because it is perfect on what it proposes to be. It is moderately easy on easier difficult and amazingly difficult on the top ones, with the daring Ironman    Being a veteran XCom player, I still miss the complete freedom we had on the original games on choosing equipment for missions and details like limited munition and caring to not shoot your friends.
    So why I give the game a 10/10? Because it is perfect on what it proposes to be. It is moderately easy on easier difficult and amazingly difficult on the top ones, with the daring Ironman option (you cant save while on missions) turned on.
    I have a small complain in the graphics area. I like much better the graphics on the first modern XCom game, they are more realistic. But these on XCom 2 are more effective, things are more distinct and easy to see. The point is I liked the small amount of confusion the realistic graphics created.
    Sounds and voices are great. Interface is great. And there is a ton of mods to choose and change your game to your taste, like raising the limit of that dread time limited missions (but hey, try it the default way, you will have the thrill of your life! (: ) and virtually anything you can imagine.
    Cant wait for XCom 3!    … Expand
  37. Datamari
    Feb 12, 2016
    9
    This game is absolutely fantastic, and i've sunk so many hours into it in such a short amount of time.
    If you take everything that made the original XCOM and its predecessors so great and refined what was there, you get XCOM 2. It has a challenging but fair battle system that may throw off new players, but still have some challenge for veterans of the XCOM series. Most of the soldiers    This game is absolutely fantastic, and i've sunk so many hours into it in such a short amount of time.
    If you take everything that made the original XCOM and its predecessors so great and refined what was there, you get XCOM 2. It has a challenging but fair battle system that may throw off new players, but still have some challenge for veterans of the XCOM series. Most of the soldiers have been changed, but its for the better, considering some felt under-powered, and some felt too strong for their own good. As always, they can be customized to your liking, but that's been added to weapons as well. Tough and rewarding, XCOM 2 is a fantastic experience that will keep you engaged for a long time. I've sunk almost 30 hours into this game, and there's still alot that I haven't done.

    XCOM 2 gets a 9/10.    … Expand
  38. C0ncox
    Feb 8, 2016
    9
    How do people not like this game? This is a true sequel to Enemy Unknown. I have not seen a single bug or glitch either and even if there were, why are you surprised that a triple A game has bugs? And so what if it's not original to the very first XCOM games. There were things wrong with those games too. **** needs to be updated. ALSO GOOD THING THERES A DAY ONE MOD FOR TIMERS IF THATHow do people not like this game? This is a true sequel to Enemy Unknown. I have not seen a single bug or glitch either and even if there were, why are you surprised that a triple A game has bugs? And so what if it's not original to the very first XCOM games. There were things wrong with those games too. **** needs to be updated. ALSO GOOD THING THERES A DAY ONE MOD FOR TIMERS IF THAT BOTHERS YOU FOR SOME REASON. The game is also supposed to be harder turn down the difficulty if you're having such a hard time.

    The customization is my personal favorite part of the game because it was very lacking in Enemy Unknown. The character pool is great as well.

    This game is a classic. Runs great on my PC btw.    … Expand
  39. Philsg1
    Feb 8, 2016
    10
    Phenomenal sequel to a modern strategy/tactical classic. Takes everything that you loved from XCOM EU and EW and chucks out everything you hated (except the 97% miss - that's XCOM baby!)

    Reminds me of the huge jump up from the promising Mass Effect 1 to the brilliant Mass Effect 2. Fantastic replayability - tense missions and full ongoing Mod support. Day one purchase and    Phenomenal sequel to a modern strategy/tactical classic. Takes everything that you loved from XCOM EU and EW and chucks out everything you hated (except the 97% miss - that's XCOM baby!)

    Reminds me of the huge jump up from the promising Mass Effect 1 to the brilliant Mass Effect 2.

    Fantastic replayability - tense missions and full ongoing Mod support.

    Day one purchase and pre-ordered - dream game!

    Odd slow and Frame drop - but these will soon be patched.    … Expand
  40. RogalDorn01
    Feb 8, 2016
    10
    Outstanding game and a truly impressive follow up to Enemy Unknown / Within. The story is great and it really gives the feeling of trying to build up a global resistance. It balances fun and stress as well. The only downside is that at the time of launch the performance can get a little chuggy during cutscenes. Also sometimes the audio gets delayed when I stream to my TV.

    I am sure    Outstanding game and a truly impressive follow up to Enemy Unknown / Within. The story is great and it really gives the feeling of trying to build up a global resistance. It balances fun and stress as well. The only downside is that at the time of launch the performance can get a little chuggy during cutscenes. Also sometimes the audio gets delayed when I stream to my TV.

    I am sure these minor technical glitches will be patched out soon. I would honestly give the game a 9/10. But so many trolls who never even played the game are giving a Zero, so I will give it a 10 to help counter.    … Expand
  41. Procyonlotor
    Apr 26, 2016
    8
    Good game, but very simple even on max complexity. Low replayability. First XCOM I played five or six times, This one only one and I have no desire to play it again. Too small campaign. And writers did poor ending.
  42. Wontohn
    Feb 9, 2016
    10
    It was pretty good actually. I liked the aliens, and the shooting was fun also. Above all, I love the killing parts. When you shooted the bad guys and they dropded it was pretty cool. I recomended this game to you now.
  43. brain9h
    Feb 10, 2016
    10
    Excellent game, the best X-COM so far. People are giving negative reviews because the game is hard. But that's XCOM, unforgiving.

    Technically, game runs smooth and has little bugs compared to other major games released.
  44. Acronymous
    Aug 14, 2018
    10
    What can i say, i love the tactical, turn-based games. After playing a lot of XCOM with my friends i just had to try XCOM2 and was not disappointed. Everything is better in this installment (except for a Chance to hit) although i'm not a big fan of forcing player to rush with the turns-left counter.

    All in all it's a great game and i simply love it.
  45. kopes
    Feb 7, 2016
    9
    One of the best strategy games I've ever played. Improves on the last XCOM without losing anything. Complaints about performance are overblown due to poor understanding of graphics settings. (GTX 970 averaging over 70 fps fully maxed graphics except for FXAA)
  46. ComandanteCobra
    Mar 4, 2020
    8
    Good.
    It's a little different from first Xcom in terms of game-play.
    Here there are some sort of mini-bosses and a good amount of story driven missions that limit replay value but create a decent (if predictable) story. Most of the random missions (at normal ) are time related so you must complete them in a fixed numbers of turn or you'll loose the mission....but rarely this represent a    Good.
    It's a little different from first Xcom in terms of game-play.
    Here there are some sort of mini-bosses and a good amount of story driven missions that limit replay value but create a decent (if predictable) story.
    Most of the random missions (at normal ) are time related so you must complete them in a fixed numbers of turn or you'll loose the mission....but rarely this represent a real problem
    It feel a little speed up compared to previous title in the franchise.
    Lots of user-generated content can be found online for free and lots of bugs have been fixed.
    I played also XCOM 2012 and X-COM: UFO Defense 1993.    … Expand
  47. MooseNine
    Feb 16, 2016
    9
    I loved old Xcom games, the new one - The Enemy Unknown and i adore Xcom 2.
    Game looks and feels good. It's probably one of the best Turn-based tactics ever created.
    The story takes place after the events of the first Xcom - The Enemy Unknown. Aliens take over the earth and now we must lead the resistance movement to save the world from the occupiers. Game mechanics has a lot of    I loved old Xcom games, the new one - The Enemy Unknown and i adore Xcom 2.
    Game looks and feels good. It's probably one of the best Turn-based tactics ever created.
    The story takes place after the events of the first Xcom - The Enemy Unknown. Aliens take over the earth and now we must lead the resistance movement to save the world from the occupiers.
    Game mechanics has a lot of improvements in relation to the previous Enemy Uknown. We have more ways to customize our soldiers, build underground base and fight against the enemy. Yet game have a lot of bugs and huge optimization problems.
    Another matter to discuss is game difficulty level. Even for old Xcom players, this game could be a great challenge. Creators force us to fight with more powerful enemies then we are since the very begining of the game. Furthermore - most of the fight missions and whole story has time limits. So not only enemies are hard to kill but you have to do it in specific time. If u don't - then during the mission you lose your soldiers and during the story - you just lose the game.
    In my opinion it's excessively hard but gamers already repair those kind of problems. If you like, you can download from steam workshop mods that can allows you to remove time limits. Of course it's optional.    … Expand
  48. Turms_of_Alps
    Feb 11, 2016
    9
    Bigger and better than Xcom1 and what is most important: more varied experience than the previous iteration of the game. Started the game with Veteran difficulty and after the first missions the challenge scales up pretty fast. But this how I like it: most of the time it is not the question who gets sacrificed for the greater good but how the lone survivor is going to cope withBigger and better than Xcom1 and what is most important: more varied experience than the previous iteration of the game. Started the game with Veteran difficulty and after the first missions the challenge scales up pretty fast. But this how I like it: most of the time it is not the question who gets sacrificed for the greater good but how the lone survivor is going to cope with considerable physical and emotional trauma. The alien invasion is not a walk in the park.… Expand
  49. ishadow
    Feb 6, 2016
    9
    Short review:
    + game is way better than XCOM1,
    + there's way more procedural content and it's more of a sandbox than linear experience, + it's harder, and it's dark. You are an intruder here and everything reminds you that. + graphics are gorgeous - advanced lightning is stunning, + solid 60 FPS on GF 970 at 1080p with full detail without MSAA and SSAO disabled, + with SSAO enabled    Short review:
    + game is way better than XCOM1,
    + there's way more procedural content and it's more of a sandbox than linear experience,
    + it's harder, and it's dark. You are an intruder here and everything reminds you that.
    + graphics are gorgeous - advanced lightning is stunning,
    + solid 60 FPS on GF 970 at 1080p with full detail without MSAA and SSAO disabled,
    + with SSAO enabled it's 60 average FPS and 42-45 fps drops once in a while,

    + no DENUVO,
    + no crappy console port!
    + absolutely smooth experience, no bugs, crashes, or malfunctioning camera. At least running on Windows 7.

    There's only one con: X-COMs from the 90ies are still better. But while you could describe XCOM 1 as an inferior game in every way. XCOM 2 has it's own worthy unique mechanics.

    XCOM 2 is finally a good or even great game in the series. If you are a PC gamer go buy it now. We need to support companies publishing AAA games for PC. This game is an example how a sequel should look like. A lot of new mechanics and improvement. It's not a copy/paste game like in other sequels/reboots/remasters.    … Expand
  50. sergio223
    Feb 6, 2016
    10
    Pros

    Tight tactical gameplay
    Dynamic and unpredictable
    Wider strategy full of tough, meaningful decisions
    New stealth options work in well
    Strong cinematic presentation

    Cons

    Views don’t always provide necessary information
  51. ChadMan25
    Feb 6, 2016
    10
    One of the best games I have played! a robust strategy game that somehow delivers on visuals and gameplay in a way that makes every moment both tense and satisfying!
  52. Dreezy
    Feb 6, 2016
    9
    First of all, the game in its current state is badly optimized especially when you're inside the base, it's really strange because XCOM EU doesn't suffer from these problems but hey...... just wait a bit and everything will run better .

    However, the game is just so **** good, it's a big improvement over XCOM EU, the game has tons of new ideas which make this game more than just a sequel    First of all, the game in its current state is badly optimized especially when you're inside the base, it's really strange because XCOM EU doesn't suffer from these problems but hey...... just wait a bit and everything will run better .

    However, the game is just so **** good, it's a big improvement over XCOM EU, the game has tons of new ideas which make this game more than just a sequel .

    Tons of new enemies, technologies to research, much more customisation, this game is a drug, you never know what to expect .

    This game renews itself all the time. Furthermore, i'm a massive fanboy of the franchise and this game is far from disappointing me.

    If I had to give you advice, if you are not confident about optimization, just wait for AMD/Nvidia drivers and you will enjoy this game to its full potential :)    … Expand
  53. fearoftheduck
    Feb 7, 2016
    9
    Good successor of XCOM Enemy Unknown. Combat have been refined to fit more ,resistance / hit and run style. XCOM 2 encourages player to use any available means to eliminate enemy (weapon upgrades, stealth, ambush, installing soldier ability upgrades, hacking, experimental weapons, decoys, explosives (which no longer prevent recovery of the corpse), more explosives, exploding cars, gasGood successor of XCOM Enemy Unknown. Combat have been refined to fit more ,resistance / hit and run style. XCOM 2 encourages player to use any available means to eliminate enemy (weapon upgrades, stealth, ambush, installing soldier ability upgrades, hacking, experimental weapons, decoys, explosives (which no longer prevent recovery of the corpse), more explosives, exploding cars, gas tanks/barrels (which can be specifically targeted), demolishing enemy cover and so on.

    XCOM 2 also make turtling and overwatch creep no longer a viable strategy on most of the missions, which have some timer limit. This requires different play style than XCOM EU and it tests players ability to use that inventory efficiently and to properly hedge bets. I personally find it more challenging (but still at enjoyable level of difficulty) and more interesting than slow walk on overwatch...

    There are, however, some minor performance problems like some stuttering, and fairly long loading times before and after missions.    … Expand
  54. mightyprometeus
    Feb 7, 2016
    10
    This is the one and only game if you are a fan of turn based tactical combat. There is nothing compareable in complexity, challange, depth, quality, storyline, atmosphere, customization aso..
    Everything in this game is made with so much enthusiasm and love for detail. I was playing XCom, and all sequels of it. Loved XCom Enemy Unknown and hey XCom2 is OMG i will play this the next 10    This is the one and only game if you are a fan of turn based tactical combat. There is nothing compareable in complexity, challange, depth, quality, storyline, atmosphere, customization aso..
    Everything in this game is made with so much enthusiasm and love for detail. I was playing XCom, and all sequels of it. Loved XCom Enemy Unknown and hey XCom2 is OMG i will play this the next 10 Years!
    There was a game i always dreamed of and finaly Firaxis made it!

    Cons:
    1) Yes i think its released too early. It took me half a day to fix starting crashes and I'm pretty sure there will be more.
    2) Yes you need very good hardware. (Going to buy a new graphix card)

    Fazit: Little bit dissapointing they released it unpolished. I'm game developer myself and I know its always difficult to make a game really polished and perfect within the time and budget you have and you cannot always choose your release date. So I'm sure they will deliver a patch soon fixing all stuff that needs to be fixed.

    Love this game!
    BUT:
    - Its like XCom Enemy Unknown but improved in every single aspect.
    - Incredible graphics, camera animations,    … Expand
  55. aasmodeaa
    Feb 7, 2016
    10
    I have played 6 hours and I can say that I don t met any bug until now. It is true that sometimes my Pc feels a little overload by the game but I have just 4 gb memory. The tactical part of the game is ok the only thing is that the AI of the enemy feels sometimes little week: there are two enemies attacking and almost all members of my squad is exposed (4 men) and just a few square fromI have played 6 hours and I can say that I don t met any bug until now. It is true that sometimes my Pc feels a little overload by the game but I have just 4 gb memory. The tactical part of the game is ok the only thing is that the AI of the enemy feels sometimes little week: there are two enemies attacking and almost all members of my squad is exposed (4 men) and just a few square from the enemy and instead to shut on my men they are just staying in over-watch or turning their back to me ..… Expand
  56. CroGerA
    Feb 8, 2016
    9
    This is my first review because i do not agree with the amount of negative comments for this game.

    I played "XCOM 1: Enemy Unknown" and "XCOM 1: Enemy Within" (together for ~ 150 hours) and now XCOM 2 for ~ 20 hours at the moment. I think its a really good game and a good continuation to the first Part. Forget XCOM from 1994, it´s a different game, you cant compare it to each other.    This is my first review because i do not agree with the amount of negative comments for this game.

    I played "XCOM 1: Enemy Unknown" and "XCOM 1: Enemy Within" (together for ~ 150 hours) and now XCOM 2 for ~ 20 hours at the moment. I think its a really good game and a good continuation to the first Part. Forget XCOM from 1994, it´s a different game, you cant compare it to each other.

    "XCOM 2" is for me much better than "XCOM 1" from year 2012. I would write more if i had more time and my english grammar would not be so bad, but it´s enough to say that the whole game has improved. Better classes, better or equal good Story, better graphics, with a nice difficulty and a lot of fun. I had no crashes, no laggs, no problems and even the KI is the same like in "XCOM 1", sometimes really hard, sometimes with little dropouts, but hey, which game has perfect KI?

    In face of the bad situation in strategy games genre, we can be glad that games like this one are coming out. It´s not perfect (i vary between 85/100 and 90/100) but it is a very good game. The amount of negative comments is not understandable.    … Expand
  57. Tieger
    Feb 8, 2016
    9
    finally decided i needed to create an account, just to counter some of the pointlessly negative reviews, for what is really a highly enjoyable game.

    so lets address a few of their complaints: Game runs badly - I'm guessing this is on AMD cards, notorious for their driver requirements. regardless, its been fine for me (on an AMD card, and AMD cpu) and my friends I've spoken to (one of    finally decided i needed to create an account, just to counter some of the pointlessly negative reviews, for what is really a highly enjoyable game.

    so lets address a few of their complaints:

    Game runs badly - I'm guessing this is on AMD cards, notorious for their driver requirements. regardless, its been fine for me (on an AMD card, and AMD cpu) and my friends I've spoken to (one of them on a 4 year old machine), so this issue isn't as prevalent as people would have you believe.
    I've had it crash on me twice, but both those times have been when I've come back from tabbed out or sleep mode, so I've stopped doing that.
    loading also takes a bit long sometimes.

    Game forces you to rush all the time - no it doesn't. it does on missions where it makes sense within the story, but that's it. I've also never had a problem killing all the enemies and still getting to the objectives in time (maybe people are forgetting that Gremlins can hack objectives, so you don't need to physically run up to it?).
    people also say this kills the usefulness of people who aren't rangers... I disagree, all classes can be mobile as required. I've never once (in 20+ hours of gameplay) had a mission where, say, I couldn't afford to use my grenadiers/sharpshooters because they were too slow.

    Game doesn't introduce new enemies properly - why should it? are you expecting an NPC to say 'omg, that's a something! I hear you kill those by doing this. whatever you do, don't let it do whatever!'? deal with it. hide, shoot, hack it, whatever - and if you lose someone, chalk it up to experience, and remember for next time.

    '95% chance shots shouldn't miss!' - why not? that's a 1/20 chance of missing, it should happen occasionally - the same as I've sometimes hit with 20% shots.

    starting enemies are too hard - no they're not. oh no, they've mind-controlled someone?! well, guess you better kill them then. its not that hard to work out.

    now, is it quite what i wanted? well, no. I'd prefer it to be a bit less 'forced pace' for the strategic layer. i'd prefer it if R&D took longer and you had to spend time building the gear (so you'd appreciate the tech more when you get it). i'd prefer it if there were more than 3 tech levels (or, hmm, experimental weapons perhaps, as a 4th tier, that had to be built individually rather than for the group? like with the armour.). i'd prefer it if the Avenger could be stationed somewhere doing something, and the Skyranger sent out to missions around the world (come on, this is an upgraded Skyranger and it can't fly round the world?!).
    however... is it fun? definitely yes.
    does it work? yes.
    will i enjoy replaying it? yes.
    will mods eventually fix the issues i have? almost certainly yes.    … Expand
  58. saintch
    Feb 8, 2016
    10
    An improvement in every aspect. I encountered no bugs, game is well paced, the timers in many missions add to the atmosphere, and are generously even with a defensive play style time was never an issue.

    Love the game, love the atmosphere.
  59. Undershaft
    Feb 8, 2016
    9
    Great game. If you liked 2012 XCOM (and the Long War), you should like this one just as much (or even more so).
    + sci-fi guerilla setting benefits the series, both aesthetically and regarding game mechanics
    + procedural maps offer great replay value + more options on and beyond the battlefield (greater variety of items, more choices on tactical maps) + contrary to what many people say,    Great game. If you liked 2012 XCOM (and the Long War), you should like this one just as much (or even more so).
    + sci-fi guerilla setting benefits the series, both aesthetically and regarding game mechanics
    + procedural maps offer great replay value
    + more options on and beyond the battlefield (greater variety of items, more choices on tactical maps)
    + contrary to what many people say, the frequent turn limits work great and heighten the tension without rushing you unduly.
    + customization improves identification (I hope there will be more soldier-languages soon, though)

    However, the game is not perfect (yet). Here are some of the issues I had - hopefully, most of them will be taken care of by Firaxis or competent modders in the near future:
    - long loading times and stuttering performance (apparently also on newer computers)
    - occasional problems with sightlines / melee attacks through walls
    - research tree seems a little too barren. I was hoping for more optional paths and branches
    - some of the designs are a little bit silly and don't fit with the guerilla style (3rd-tier armor, manga-hair Avatar etc.)
    - skill trees aren't perfectly balanced yet.
    - some repetitive animations (in-flight soldier gestures, contact new region sequence, etc.)

    All in all, I can only recommend this one, though. If you want to be on se the safe side, wait a few weeks/months until the bugs are mostly ironed out - but if you like tactics and strategy, you should definitely buy it.    … Expand
  60. Bennabus
    Feb 9, 2016
    9
    I find it crazy the number of 1 and 0 reviews for this game.

    The game is great! Yes it has technical issues, but the game play itself is simply amazing. I understand why people might get upset about the changes to the tactical portion of the game. The timed missions are HARD, but not overly so. You just have to play smart and try try again until you get the hang of it. I started playing    I find it crazy the number of 1 and 0 reviews for this game.

    The game is great! Yes it has technical issues, but the game play itself is simply amazing. I understand why people might get upset about the changes to the tactical portion of the game. The timed missions are HARD, but not overly so. You just have to play smart and try try again until you get the hang of it. I started playing my first few missions with the same sort of tactics as I was using in enemy unknown and got my butt handed to me several times. I've restarted 3 times and am just now figuring out how not to die.

    I love the timed missions in particular because you HAVE to be a bit risky, you have to meticulously plan, you almost have to loose soldiers (this is part of Xcom, if you can't handle it, go play call of dooty), you have to get your butt kicked. I love it.

    If you're butthurt because it's too hard, sorry, xcom is hard.    … Expand
  61. TerenZ
    Feb 8, 2016
    9
    I don't believe I ever reviewed a game before but this is one I will. Since I discovered XCom, and played it, I have never found any better games. With Enemy Within, things really got better - until it became "easy"; finally I discovered the mod LongWar. Now playing LongWar is tough; so I started with Veteran. I have played a total of 120 hours; have lost only 1 soldier and only haveI don't believe I ever reviewed a game before but this is one I will. Since I discovered XCom, and played it, I have never found any better games. With Enemy Within, things really got better - until it became "easy"; finally I discovered the mod LongWar. Now playing LongWar is tough; so I started with Veteran. I have played a total of 120 hours; have lost only 1 soldier and only have needed to restart a mission twice.
    This is an awesome game! And I have no idea what to expect because I have not reached the end yet.

    Graphics - comics like and beautiful.
    Sound effects - fantastic
    Strategy - far more realistic (of course it is unreasonable to believe the aliens would not be alerted an enemy is there after the first attack!)
    Enemies - Each enemy is unique and requires a different approach
    What has improved in my opinion?

    - a better use of a mixed squad
    - As with Longwar sometimes you have to sacrifice a member (not necessarily dying)
    - Timed missions add an edge; your soldiers will be hit and you need a depth of squad like Longwar
    - You need to upgrade as many soldiers as possible

    Addressing Negative Reviews

    XCom 2 is a difficult game. Not for the feint hearted. Sometimes you need to think how and from where to approach the enemy; the first ambush is critical so your soldiers do not take any damage. Try to avoid multiple sets of enemies from joining forces

    Timed missions. yes they are tough. But many succeed. As with any difficult mission; try and try again.

    Some hints which help me

    As with XCom I find that leveling up Sharp shooters is a priority. If you like using 2 snipers like me, a sniper with killing zone, and another on standby to finish one or 2 off (quickdraw)

    Unlike previous previous Xcoms it works to your advantage by spreading your soldiers yet keep them covering each other; the enemy is too adept at flanking. Having Snipers high is a risk, but can cover many units

    If you can't see the tactic, it is because you didn't think about it yet. I think Piraxis did a fantastic job for us players to think outside the box and make the game more realistic (ie when facing drastic odds what are the chances of coming out of a fight unscathed?)    … Expand
  62. Tobus
    Feb 9, 2016
    9
    This game is awesome. It grows on me and I feel I'm becoming attached to my soldiers in their rise of the ranks and accompanying customizations. It feels solid on both tactical and strategic level. I don't like the timers on certain missions, making you rush into certain death if you don't watch yourself. That's my personal taste though.

    My gripes are small and I'm sure to be adressed    This game is awesome. It grows on me and I feel I'm becoming attached to my soldiers in their rise of the ranks and accompanying customizations. It feels solid on both tactical and strategic level. I don't like the timers on certain missions, making you rush into certain death if you don't watch yourself. That's my personal taste though.

    My gripes are small and I'm sure to be adressed in a patch: the difference between difficulty levels is large. The manual is lacking with respect to the impacts of strategical decisions made earlier in the game. One could (I did) lose the game several months after a certain decision to something (or not) on the map.
    The game tends to stutter a little due to grapic updates since Xcom, although I've also found better performance on lower difficulty levels. Some of the aliens are a little buffed: the Codex can teleport to anywhere, outflanking your team and thus seriously undermining any tactical plan you've thought up. The Vipers can pull you from very long range through walls and doors, basically doing the same.

    All things I'm sure will be adressed in a patch. The game itself as a whole: just awesome!    … Expand
  63. rainymatt
    Feb 9, 2016
    10
    I suggest not listening to the all the x com: UFO defense fanboys that plague these reviews because they give such bias reviews that are total BS, talk about stuck out of time
  64. Orsnoire
    Feb 15, 2016
    8
    Pros:
    - Customizable troops
    - Enhanced tactical game responsiveness (aiming equipment, grenades are now useful, etc) - "Interesting choices" (i.e. it matters what you choose cause you can't get everything) on the Geoscape - Good story with cutscenes that don't beg to be skipped - Very difficult "special" enemies - Deep base management - Intel; this new resource is one of the primary    Pros:
    - Customizable troops
    - Enhanced tactical game responsiveness (aiming equipment, grenades are now useful, etc)
    - "Interesting choices" (i.e. it matters what you choose cause you can't get everything) on the Geoscape
    - Good story with cutscenes that don't beg to be skipped
    - Very difficult "special" enemies
    - Deep base management
    - Intel; this new resource is one of the primary methods of making choices on the geoscape matter
    - Improved Psi training and skill tree
    - Timed missions add some pressure and interest to tactical game

    Cons:

    - LONG load times
    - (at the time of this writing) Buggy soldier "cutscenes" in tactical combat
    - Overuse of timed missions; would have liked to have seen more fully tactical missions that start stealthed
    - Still didn't fix the wonky difficulty curve: early game is much more difficult than endgame

    Overall I would rate this game 8/10    … Expand
  65. Morguewolf
    Feb 9, 2016
    10
    I just want to write this as a counterweight to a lot of the misguided negative reviews for this game. Because a lot of people seem to hate this game because it's either too hard and they want games to be easy or because it's different then the past games in the series. If you don't like challenging games then obviously don't play this, that first point is obvious. And if you don't like itI just want to write this as a counterweight to a lot of the misguided negative reviews for this game. Because a lot of people seem to hate this game because it's either too hard and they want games to be easy or because it's different then the past games in the series. If you don't like challenging games then obviously don't play this, that first point is obvious. And if you don't like it because it's different from the original that's fine but that doesn't make it a bad game. This game, if judged by it's own merits, is fantastic. Especially in a direct comparison to Enemy Unknown, which is the game this is a sequel for.

    A lot of people seem to be irked by optimization issues as well which I don't understand because this game runs flawlessly for me so, again this is a personal issue on the purchasers part.

    Another complaint seems to be about bugs and working issues, which again I haven't faced any of and on that note a lot of game's aren't 100% at the top of the release so to rate it a zero for that is absurd. This game is completely functional.

    If you want to see all the positives of this game you can easily read the critics reviews because they are all spot on. This is more or less just a review to dispel the ridiculous complains people are levying against a game I consider to be amazing.    … Expand
  66. Tanesis
    Feb 10, 2016
    10
    X:com 2 is brutally difficult. Spend hours customising soldiers to watch them die in seconds.

    The skills learnt as your cannonfodd...erm soldiers advance in rank are better than EU and allow for more tactile flexibility, especially when you have you guys synergise with each other. Though this works both ways as the aliens are more dangerous now and have a new arsenal of skills, some of    X:com 2 is brutally difficult. Spend hours customising soldiers to watch them die in seconds.

    The skills learnt as your cannonfodd...erm soldiers advance in rank are better than EU and allow for more tactile flexibility, especially when you have you guys synergise with each other. Though this works both ways as the aliens are more dangerous now and have a new arsenal of skills, some of which are pretty awesome.

    The maps are an improvement with far more variety both in setting and in layout. Enjoying the missions though there could be a few extra mission types to mix things up as they can get a little bit repetitive, especially as there seems to be way more battles than in EU in terms of storyline progression.

    Initially didn't like the idea of timed missions but after about 20 hours of playing through I think they've made the tactical battles far more enjoyable. You have to make educated guesses about when to creep and when to scurry forward. The main reason I enjoy the timer though is the new conceal mechanic.

    You can use concealment to lay ambushes which tend to be pretty fun and the Ranger being able to avoid breaking concealment allows some interesting scouting/flanking opportunities.

    The Strategic aspect of the game such as base building, R&D etc I think has been slightly improved. Some are quality of life improvements over EU whereas others are I think outright mechanical improvements.

    The graphics are fairly good (but definitely not standout) and I like the use of colour though there are some serious clipping issues on the action cut scenes. Additionally after some of the cut scenes the game does seem to freeze for a second or 2 and its often at these points that there is a drop in frames. Also loading screens seem a tad lengthy.

    Will appeal to anyone who enjoyed X:Com EU and likes a challenge. Will not appeal to people who did not like X:Com EU, who dislike RNG or who dislike difficult games.    … Expand
  67. DKDArtagnan
    Feb 11, 2016
    8
    Obviously, since the reboot of X-Com was a success, they've chosen to stick with the same basic formula.

    This includes the needlessly rigid 2-action system and the irksome inventory limitations. But I can accept that - and once I got past it, I managed to enjoy my time with the game greatly. They've improved upon most aspects of the game, and even with the 2-action limit, the    Obviously, since the reboot of X-Com was a success, they've chosen to stick with the same basic formula.

    This includes the needlessly rigid 2-action system and the irksome inventory limitations.

    But I can accept that - and once I got past it, I managed to enjoy my time with the game greatly. They've improved upon most aspects of the game, and even with the 2-action limit, the tactical game feels rich and reasonably varied.

    It looks amazing for a turn-based game focused on cerebral stimulation. I'm not used to playing this kind of game with this level of visual fidelity. The battlefield looks positively alive - and there's a great variety in everything from the procedurally generated levels and wide array of enemies to the meaty arsenal of weaponry and the fully customizable soldiers. They all look great and imaginative - and the animations are quite superb.

    That came at a cost, however, and the game suffers a lot when it comes to performance. I have a very high-end rig, and yet it stuttered and felt strangely lethargic at times. It also takes its sweet time showing individual actions in what I would call a very relaxed manner. Thankfully, what's shown is satisfying and the game is so full of tension that this very deliberate pace isn't as frustrating as it would be in a lesser game. But be warned, it's not a fast or smooth experience.

    Then there's the controversial focus on having time-limits in most missions. I was worried when I first heard about it. I tend to have a strong distaste for time-limits in games that are otherwise focused on giving you reasons to be careful and to take your time doing things right. It's a somewhat conflicted design philosophy.

    However, I must admit that I completed the game on Veteran without a single time-limit inspired problem. Well, ok, I did feel real tension on those "rescue civilians" missions - but that's pretty appropriate :) Such missions SHOULD feel tense and they should force you to take some chances.

    So, ultimately, I don't think it's a problem on Veteran difficulty. I imagine it's a problem on higher levels - and it's not really my favorite kind of challenge. But I can't claim it's not a reasonably good fit for what they're trying to convey. You're supposed to be desperate and under immense pressure. Maybe that's not the best overall design - but you have to respect what developers are trying to do when you're reviewing their product.

    As for the strategic layer, it's also quite improved - but I guess I'm not as thrilled with the direction as other players seem to be. To me, it goes back to my dislike for putting boardgames in my computer games. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy boardgames - but I prefer to play them with real friends in real life. I don't enjoy simplifying and streamlining when it actively works against what could have been rich and layered.

    Personally, I think the choices you make on the world map feel entirely too binary and you're essentially never much in doubt about what your priority should be. Why? Because there's a rigid timer in place - and the consequences are always spelled out for you. This means the strategy involved is always picking the lesser of 2-3 evils - and that's it, really.

    The great skill-trees are back - and they've expanded them to include "random skills" and leader skills. I love the way you get to customize your team both in terms of class setup and skill choices. It's not greatly expanded from the first game, but still enough to make it feel fresh, especially with the additon of the Ranger class - and the hacking Specialist class. The hacking aspect feels a bit undercooked, however, but at least it's there.

    They've also added Weapon modifications and though it's somewhat simplistic, it still manages to add to the feeling of making interesting choices and feeling the progress of better gear. I just wish they'd expand upon it and go for a more exploration-oriented game. I'd love to roam the maps in "Jagged Alliance 2" style and search for alien loot.

    Finally, I can't write a fair review without mentioning the bugs and quirks of the game. There's no way around the fact that this release wasn't quite ready. I experienced at least two game-breaking bugs during tactical missions - which forced me to reload a save from much earlier in the fight. One example was a downed soldier that I simply couldn't carry - because the game didn't recognize her existence. It's apparently a known bug with unconscious soldiers involving inconsistency with tile-placement. On several occasions, the animations associated with soldiers and/or enemies would "stop being there" - and you'd simply see the result without the actions taking place. This happened quite frequently and really disrupts the flow of the game. It can be fixed with a reload, however. Then we have the performance issues - which are quite significant.

    Overall, a great game due to a combination of the original Gollop design and the new Firaxis spin on the formul    … Expand
  68. SolDjiril
    Feb 11, 2016
    9
    This game builds on its predecessor by re-working the soldier classes, introducing new enemies and procedural-generated maps and events to enhance replayability. Nothing a mod couldn't have accomplished, so I wonder what other elements caused me to be glued to my seat for 3 days, grinding though the game?

    What the game builds is a great atmosphere of urgency and desperation. Elements    This game builds on its predecessor by re-working the soldier classes, introducing new enemies and procedural-generated maps and events to enhance replayability. Nothing a mod couldn't have accomplished, so I wonder what other elements caused me to be glued to my seat for 3 days, grinding though the game?

    What the game builds is a great atmosphere of urgency and desperation. Elements like the turn limit to missions as well as the apparently exponential alien retaliation level (fans of xcom 3 apocalypse will get this reference) would immerse you in feeling like the fictional future's doomsday clock is ticking (as it literally does every month) away faster and faster with every passing week. Add the Dark Events, which always left a sour taste in the back of my throat when I was forced to forgo supplies for the month because the already time restricted missions would then become harder with faceless, reinforcements or increased armor, and you really feel as if progress is the only way forward. You can't sit back and wait for events to unfold and react to them accordingly, you have to be proactive and a little aggressive in your approach to both combat and world choices. Having said that, I do have a little gripe with the game.

    Given that the Dark Events give you the option to pay Intel to uncover a secret third event, or more depending on the difficulty level, it's curious that the missions don't have that option (with the exception of one). However, it was that ONE mission where we could spend intel to improve our tactical advantage that I had the most fun. It added an element of reconnaissance and subterfuge as well as planning that I felt could have enhanced the entire game up to that point. It certainly wasn't for free, and admittedly with a wraith suit it was entirely unnecessary, but the potential of having advantages built into each mission with the expenditure of Intel would have been the saving grace for a game with a built in timer. In that particular mission, it evoked the feeling of briefing room planning before a mission, where every action is calculated to improve the probability of success. Having said that, one wonders why Firaxis didn't consider including this in EVERY mission. They obviously thought enough to include it once, but didn't think it would've made sense to apply it to every mission? I feel that if they'd dedicated a facility for that purpose I would've prioritized building it as soon as possible. Right after my GTS, AWC, oh and the RC, and then my psi-lab...

    While I understand that Firaxis **** the bed with it's lack of graphic optimization and from what I hear possible save-file corruption (much to the chagrin of the ironman let's players our there). I had only one game crash during loading, which spared the integrity of the save file and wasn't running the game on it's highest settings so ignoring those items from my review. I guess you could say this review is free of all the bugs which are the most common complaints. (A bug-free review?) Firaxis should have had tighter QA to ensure that the game was generally bug-free before releasing but if I started on that issue, we'd be here all day (Batman Arkham Asylum *wink wink). So a slap on the hand of Firaxis for that, but I expect a fix coming up soon so I'm not too bothered. By the way if you're paying attention developers, unless aliens have also evolved x-ray vision, please stop shooting through obviously opaque ceilings and walls, or at least signpost those clearer so I don't think I'm fighting against map-hacking aliens!

    Overall, the game has bugs and isn't perfectly optimized but I've ignored them. When you do, it's immersive enough that being spotted by a sectopod and seeing it crashing though a building just to stand right next to me is enough to make me hit the abandon mission button and go crawling back to aliens and be plugged back right into their psionic network. Which I imagine must be like the matrix, in which case I, to paraphrase Cypher, the steaks should by quite juicy and delicious, or at the very least, as good as an Advent Burger.    … Expand
  69. awinters86
    Feb 11, 2016
    10
    I just finished the game moments ago for the first time, and I am incredibly impressed. It is very similar to the previous game, but with a great deal of improvements.
  70. MentalDraco
    Feb 15, 2016
    10
    Awesome game, barely managed to stop playing, the negative reviews are just ppl complaining about the game being to hard .... yea that is the point like dark souls i don t want an easy game. All in all grate game had a ton of fun.
  71. Maurinho
    Feb 15, 2016
    9
    Signed up just to review the game because I can’t really stand to read so much bs.

    XCOM 2 is an overall good game. Here’s some point regarding the new Xcom Chapter: - Difficulty: at “normal” it’s not so difficult at all if you have already played the previous XCOM. It’s just a tiny bit more difficult than EU but far from impossible. If you’re a veteran of the original 90’s XCOM you    Signed up just to review the game because I can’t really stand to read so much bs.

    XCOM 2 is an overall good game. Here’s some point regarding the new Xcom Chapter:
    - Difficulty: at “normal” it’s not so difficult at all if you have already played the previous XCOM. It’s just a tiny bit more difficult than EU but far from impossible. If you’re a veteran of the original 90’s XCOM you won’t find it difficult at all.
    - Timed Mission: Never had an issue on timed mission and never lost a mission due to time. You have enough turns to do all you want. Ofc you can’t proceed by taking 1 step at time and using 12000 turns like you could do on EU, but there’s really enough time to position yourself for an ambush, ambush the enemy, fight your way to the target and complete the mission. Either be “defend/destroy transmitter” or “kidnap/escort VIP”
    - Concealment is great for ambushes. Concealed units won’t trigger enemy patrols, so you can take the first shot while they’re completely off guard. Just the first shot unfortunately.
    - But is not really good for a full stealth approach. Tried to do the Advent base mission (the one where you have to retrieve the vial) using a full stealth approach but the patrol doesn’t seems to have a predefined path. Unless I’m missing something on the stealth approach they chase you (but they don’t rush towards you) and sooner or later you’ll find yourself forced to fight. Anyway I was able to get past the base with the entire team (5 soldiers), get really near the target and had to fight against 3 patrol. Managed to do it without a scratch.

    Graphic is good but really heavy to run, hope they improve it. Some bugs that can be really annoying if you go hardmode like fire through roof/floor.

    Missing a 98% shot? That’s XCOM baby.    … Expand
  72. ajnavy04
    Feb 15, 2016
    9
    Disclaimer: I have never played any of the previous XCOM games and therefore do not hold any preexisting bias.

    I play tons of Civ5 and a friend of mine recommended this game to me since it's from the same developer. Negatives: Tutorial is really hard. I ended up quitting the tutorial and just started a new game. Long Load times, even with a good machine Positives: Nice looking    Disclaimer: I have never played any of the previous XCOM games and therefore do not hold any preexisting bias.

    I play tons of Civ5 and a friend of mine recommended this game to me since it's from the same developer.

    Negatives:
    Tutorial is really hard. I ended up quitting the tutorial and just started a new game.
    Long Load times, even with a good machine

    Positives:
    Nice looking environment
    Lots of customization
    Difficult combat - as a combat Vet I can appreciate the chaos and randomness of these encounters - though missing with 88% hit chance pisses me off
    Love the creation of characters available in game. Gives a vested interest in keeping people alive!

    Overall I love this game. It was a bit difficult and frustrating for my first 2-3 hours, but once I got the hang of it I really appreciated the game.

    Deal with it being hard. It's supposed to challenge you - go play something else on easy if you want to feel like a god and just stomp on things.    … Expand
  73. danstew
    Feb 15, 2016
    9
    I'd like to start by one of the main-points of TotalBiscuits review: "If you didn't like the first remake of Xcom by Firaxis, you won't like this one either". However... if you liked that first one, you might love this one.
    It very obviously is a follow-up, and a tiny bit of "more of the same", but the devs really managed to improve quite a few things and added some new mechanics.    I'd like to start by one of the main-points of TotalBiscuits review: "If you didn't like the first remake of Xcom by Firaxis, you won't like this one either". However... if you liked that first one, you might love this one.
    It very obviously is a follow-up, and a tiny bit of "more of the same", but the devs really managed to improve quite a few things and added some new mechanics.

    Graphics and performance
    While graphics might not be as essential in a strategy game, it surely doesn't hurt if the game looks nice, and this one does. The chars don't look as beautiful and detailed as, say, in W3, but the game does look really nice, and you get to see quite a lot of the details you put in when you create your characters.
    Performance-wise, this might need a patch or two to improve stability. It didn't crash, but there are some framerate-drops, and some laggy moments, where, at the end of a turn, there is a weird delay, or sometimes, the game "stops" on the "fly to mission loading screen". Again, no crashes.

    Gameplay (mostly about the changes compared to the previous game)
    It works pretty much like the first Xcom. Turn-based, overwatch, etc, all the stuff is still there. However, Firaxis added quite a few new abilities, some of them really helping to turn the tide in an intense encounter. I really wasn't excited about melee, seeing alien-hunters swinging swords. I thought it was pretty silly, not making sense.
    However, the rangers are great for stealthy approaches, their attacks can be very powerful, and with some upgrades, you can move them out of harms way once you have slain an alien.

    The game is set in the future, a few years after the first game, so it makes sense that you get new gear, new abilities and tech. Some of the new suits and special abilities (like items that create mirages of your guys, which will draw the enemies attention) are pretty dang cool.
    However, the aliens did do some research too and did get some upgrades. The thin men now have a new look and abilities, and there are some all new heavy units which will give you quite a fight (I especially hate the AT-AT-like ones...gosh, those are tough).
    Some people have commented that the game is a bit more balanced, as in no more unfair and pretty much impossible moves by the aliens. However, I didn't notice too much of that in the first Xcom, even though I played that a lot, too. So there is no "god powers" for the aliens, they also miss shots quite often, and there is some room for error.

    Some cool new abilities, like hacking (even mobs, disabling them for a while or even mind-controlling them), the drones that specialists use are cool etc. One thing I love is "serial", a sniper ability. If you activate it and then manage to kill an enemy with your snipe-ability, you don't lose action points. So you can eg. weaken some mobs with a grenade on one guy, and when it's your snipers turn, you can kill them one by one in just one turn.

    The game does feel a bit tougher than the first one, yet not to the point where it is frustrating (I heard though that the final mission is VERY VERY tough, you will probably lose a bunch of your guys). Just like in the previous game, losing one of your soldiers, especially those you might have named after a rl-person, hurts, especially if they have reached a high rank.

    What people seem to dislike, and one thing I am not fond of, is the amount of timed missions, with a limited amount of turns. There were some in part 1, and that was ok,... it was a nice change of pace, was a challenge, and made sense. However, having TOO many of them is... not always fun. Sure, it can be a blast to beat those, but if you really like to approach stuff tactically, try to keep your guys safe, set up perfect ambushes etc, well those timers will make that tough.
    You may wanna consider download a mod from the workshop which will extend those timers.

    I enjoy this a LOT. Wasnt sure whether I'd like the even more futuristic setting and look and the sword-class, but it turns out that this is a carefully crafted, improved take on the first remake. If you liked that one, definitely check this one out!

    Pros:
    - Looks great
    - Fun new updates and tech and abilities for both you and the aliens
    - Said techniques and abilities allow some all new strategies
    - Some nice new missions and progression/choice system (world map)
    - Challenging
    - Apparently, more variety in the maps you play on and the way things are set up
    - High replayability (had to start over twice, once to make up for mistakes I had made and apply stuff I had learned, and the second time because of a savegame broken by a mod that was removed from the workshop, and I didn't mind restarting at all!)
    - SOme weaknesses of Xcom were removed
    - Workshop enabled, with mods on day 1
    - Choices

    Cons:
    - Some performance issues (my system: i4790, 16 gb ram, GTX 960 with 4 gb, W7)
    - Too many timed missions, ymmv    … Expand
  74. PCElite
    Feb 15, 2016
    9
    XCOM 2 is a great addition to the franchise. If you are a fan of the previous titles, this game is definitely worth checking out. There are many interesting aspects to the game with the new ambush style gameplay. This game is just overall great when it comes to tactical gameplay, where your choices have large consequences.
    There may be a couple of glitches, errors, and unstable frames,    XCOM 2 is a great addition to the franchise. If you are a fan of the previous titles, this game is definitely worth checking out. There are many interesting aspects to the game with the new ambush style gameplay. This game is just overall great when it comes to tactical gameplay, where your choices have large consequences.
    There may be a couple of glitches, errors, and unstable frames, but all of these issues will probably be fixed in the future.    … Expand
  75. Darkwr4ith
    Feb 16, 2016
    9
    Let me start out this review by saying, if you were a fan of the original XCOM games (1994+) and you were not a fan of the remake in 2012, then this game is probably not for you. It is a much tighter and more focused version of the 2012 release that is taking the gameplay in a new direction.

    • Positives: + Great graphics. + Gameplay is far more focused. + Lots of different voices and    Let me start out this review by saying, if you were a fan of the original XCOM games (1994+) and you were not a fan of the remake in 2012, then this game is probably not for you. It is a much tighter and more focused version of the 2012 release that is taking the gameplay in a new direction.

    • Positives:
    + Great graphics.
    + Gameplay is far more focused.
    + Lots of different voices and personality types for soldiers.
    + New classes are fantastic and well balanced.
    + New "loot table" system for crafting special weapons and armour.
    + Weapon upgrades attach to weapons and no longer take up utility slots.
    + Weapon and armour upgrade system completely overhauled and refined.
    + New world map really intricate and unique.
    + Many new aliens and creatures.
    + New incognito mode speeds up the start of missions significantly.
    + New Doomclock style gameplay really adds tension and weight to every decision.
    + Stupid aircraft mini game ripped out.
    + Mod support via the Steam workshop right out the box.
    + Still really challenging.

    • Meh
    = Countries and language choices fairly limited.
    = Base building somewhat dumbed down.
    = Actions don't really seem to match up to the percentage chance. You will often see frequent misses in a row on 90%+ and then continuous hits on 60% and below.
    = Fans of the original XCOM(1994) will find this is almost a new game entirely.

    • Negative
    - Painfully long loading times.
    - Horribly optimised performance considering it is the Unreal 3 engine.
    - Random map bonuses can lead to you either being horribly over powered or horribly outmatched.
    - A few gamebreaking bugs and mechanics(like civilians blocking paths) mean that ironman mode is extremely risky to try.

    Conclusion: Other than the performance and a few bugs there is very little that the game does wrong. Most of the nit picks myself and other people have, are already being fixed through the modding. It is a truly fantastic experience and if you are a fan of the 2012 remake, or a fan or turnbased games in general, I cannot recommend this game highly enough.    … Expand
  76. wpdaisley
    Feb 16, 2016
    10
    Phenomenal game. Good soldier classes that accomplish different things and strategy to challenge the player.

    The people complaining about the turn limits and the modding them out misunderstand guerrilla warfare and are ruining the game. You are guerrilla fights so you have limited time to get in, complete your objective, and get out; otherwise you would be crushed. If you mod the    Phenomenal game. Good soldier classes that accomplish different things and strategy to challenge the player.

    The people complaining about the turn limits and the modding them out misunderstand guerrilla warfare and are ruining the game. You are guerrilla fights so you have limited time to get in, complete your objective, and get out; otherwise you would be crushed.

    If you mod the turns out then you ruin the game. Without the turn limits, the game would be so easy. Why not just inch up every turn and put your squad on overwatch so you can ambush and shred the enemy every time before they can do anything? What is the strategy in that? If you dislike the turns so much then you are turtling too much and need to confront the strategy head on.

    There are a few minor bugs and glitches but I am sure those will be resolved in the coming months with patches and updates and nothing neared making the game unplayable.    … Expand
  77. Tscheunt
    Feb 17, 2016
    9
    I really like this game, however there is one thing that needs to be fixed, and that is the timer for the fights, i honestly think that is was a good idea to put a timer in there to get a better feeling for the urgency and so on, however i think that it is too short, you dont have any chance to do anything different than storming in and hoping for the best, especially at the beginning, iI really like this game, however there is one thing that needs to be fixed, and that is the timer for the fights, i honestly think that is was a good idea to put a timer in there to get a better feeling for the urgency and so on, however i think that it is too short, you dont have any chance to do anything different than storming in and hoping for the best, especially at the beginning, i got the timer tweaks mod which gives you four more turns and suudenly i was able to go a little bit stealthy if i wanted or just defend for a turn or two when there were too many enemies, however thats the only thing i really have to criticize, everything else is improved in comparison to XCOM: EW or EU.
    I´d like to give it 10, but the timer killed too much of my fun and was too frustrating to completely ignore it.    … Expand
  78. ribsngibs
    Feb 17, 2016
    9
    I love it. There are a few performance issues even on a great machine, mostly in loading screens and sometimes with pauses during enemy AI, but they are minor and irrelevant to the playing of the game (it's a turn based game, after all). There are also a few weird bugs (lots of graphical glitches, from soldiers facing the wrong way to fire their guns to incorrect rendering of differentI love it. There are a few performance issues even on a great machine, mostly in loading screens and sometimes with pauses during enemy AI, but they are minor and irrelevant to the playing of the game (it's a turn based game, after all). There are also a few weird bugs (lots of graphical glitches, from soldiers facing the wrong way to fire their guns to incorrect rendering of different building levels), but they are also minor and not game-breaking. The bugs are nowhere near as bad as the XCom:EU/EW bugs with teleporting pod patrols, etc..

    Bugs aside, the game is really great. The turn timer as well as the new concealment mechanic on most maps fixes all of the tedium of creeping forward with overwatch that plagued XCom:EU/EW. The new skills and classes seem to synergize really well with each other. The new enemies are fun, look great, and are very creatively designed, the no-more-overkill-on-squad-overwatch is a long overdue "fix", and in general, there are a lot of small quality of life improvements that make this game a joy to play (for example, line-of-sight indicators so you are never surprised that you can or cannot see an enemy when moving to another tile, or pathing movement controls so that you can tell your soldier not to crash through a window or run through poison/fire while moving to a destination.)

    It's a really wonderful sequel.    … Expand
  79. rayado1
    Feb 17, 2016
    9
    First of all I think this game is a very good game and is a big improvement over the first Xcom with many of the new mechanics adding to the game's strategic options. Still this game is not for everyone and it can be unbalanced, especially at the beginning but the different difficulties and the large variety of modding options help balance the game a bit.

    I like the game a lot, I felt    First of all I think this game is a very good game and is a big improvement over the first Xcom with many of the new mechanics adding to the game's strategic options. Still this game is not for everyone and it can be unbalanced, especially at the beginning but the different difficulties and the large variety of modding options help balance the game a bit.

    I like the game a lot, I felt it could have used more story but it was still an amazing game. The reason I'm giving it a 9 out of 10 is because as of right now the game has a lot of glitches and bugs that can make it look strange or do things that make no sense.    … Expand
  80. Lasa
    Feb 18, 2016
    8
    XCOM 2 have some performance issues, glitches and so on but play like it is great.
    People complaining about forcing player to finish mission fast like in 8-12 turns.
    Those people like to stay in overwatch for 15 turns until eventually enemy runs into them, or when they run into a tough encounter they dash out off sight and wait again in overwatch, and they call it strategy well i am glad    XCOM 2 have some performance issues, glitches and so on but play like it is great.
    People complaining about forcing player to finish mission fast like in 8-12 turns.
    Those people like to stay in overwatch for 15 turns until eventually enemy runs into them, or when they run into a tough encounter they dash out off sight and wait again in overwatch, and they call it strategy well i am glad that kind of strategy is not possible.
    if you claim the game is to difficult it means you are rushing through the game and not planning your moves. I recommend to watch beaglerush videos who is like an expert in the game.

    The AI might shoot you when triggered if you out of cover, great
    No more overwatch camping, great

    the only thing it botters me is the fact the AI is still so damned stupid like sectoid is last enemy and he is flanking you and he raises a zombie instead shooting you in the head. sectoid never uses the plasma pistol unless he is flashbanged    … Expand
  81. Blahqqbirds
    Feb 20, 2016
    8
    Great game but gets repetitive. For people complaining about it being too hard; research faceless asap and get as mimic balls. This will make even legend ironman mode a joke.
  82. JimmieJones
    Mar 12, 2016
    9
    I am showing my age when I admit I played the first XCOM series in the 90s. I loved that game, and I loved the remake of XCom which came out a few years ago.
    The latest incarnation is beautiful to look at, has enough new tweaks and enhancements to get me engaged all over again, and it is tough enough, with a mix of resource management to keep me hitting the save and load button often, and    I am showing my age when I admit I played the first XCOM series in the 90s. I loved that game, and I loved the remake of XCom which came out a few years ago.
    The latest incarnation is beautiful to look at, has enough new tweaks and enhancements to get me engaged all over again, and it is tough enough, with a mix of resource management to keep me hitting the save and load button often, and heading to bed in the early hours of the morning.
    The game pushed my PC in terms of performance, and lag and abysmal load times before and after missions were a major let-down, but these problems have been fixed with the latest patch. (Also some awesome mods have been very helpful also. I probably have about 20 loaded now)
    I love turn based, and I love the investment in each soldier, the satisfaction when you pull off a critical hit and subsequently manage to get through a mission without losing any of your team.
    I have a few hours to go, but I am hooked, and already the time I log on to continue my game is getting earlier and earlier each day.    … Expand
  83. Huzardadi
    Feb 26, 2016
    8
    Gameplay is 10 of 10. Lower score because it is GLITCHY.

    People who complain about the timers should lower the difficulty. Sometimes you get a bunch of missions in a row that have them and sometimes you don't. The timers make the game much more interesting forcing you to make risky decisions.

    BUGGY BUGGY BUGGY. Don't play ironman until this game gets figured out from the back end.
  84. Marcecritic
    Feb 27, 2016
    8
    This game is fantastic ! It is a worthy sequel with acceptable graphics and gameplay that grabs you from the beginning of the game. characters very similar to the first XCOM
  85. Cougargames
    Nov 5, 2019
    8
    Now please dont mind my seven just beacuse metacritic gives 7s a yellow colour doesnt men i hate the game its quite good in fact it does almost everything that xcom did right besides the fact that they have timed missions. One of the most satisfying feeling (atleast for me) is that i could creat the perfect stealth attack and suprise my enemies. You can still do that but its all veryNow please dont mind my seven just beacuse metacritic gives 7s a yellow colour doesnt men i hate the game its quite good in fact it does almost everything that xcom did right besides the fact that they have timed missions. One of the most satisfying feeling (atleast for me) is that i could creat the perfect stealth attack and suprise my enemies. You can still do that but its all very limited beacuse you almost dont have the option to take your time. Now Im not gonna spoil xcoms ending but what i can tell you is that everything you did in Xcom 1 basically dosent matter, wich fel like a big f*** you to the players.… Expand
  86. Zbysiek1234
    Apr 20, 2016
    9
    XCOM 2 is hard proof true strategy games are still in high demand, blending satisfying old-school strategic turn-based gameplay with cinematic flourish.
  87. vevo00
    Jul 26, 2016
    10
    Eu amei esse jogo , ta que o pariu , as analises negativas são desses noobs chorões , o jogo é dificil é sim , mas vale a pena , aquela sensação de Dark Souls a cada missão feita , valeu a pena ter comprado . Jogão , se você é noob e acha tudo difícil volte pro seu COD
  88. Oniin
    Jul 13, 2016
    9
    A truly great game. I rate 9 out of 10 for glitches but most of these have been fixed in patches. The difficulty might be an issue for some people but XCOM 2 is a difficult game anyone wanting something else shouldn't play this game. There is a lot of complaints about the RNG nature of combat but this a core part of it; knowing when to risk that 50% shot or not is part of the skillsA truly great game. I rate 9 out of 10 for glitches but most of these have been fixed in patches. The difficulty might be an issue for some people but XCOM 2 is a difficult game anyone wanting something else shouldn't play this game. There is a lot of complaints about the RNG nature of combat but this a core part of it; knowing when to risk that 50% shot or not is part of the skills required to play this game. My only personal issue with the accuracy is when a soldier is standing so close to the enemy his weapon actually clips into their model but still misses. And if you find you really cant get the hang of the accuracy u can always save and reset.… Expand
  89. ashyyay2
    Oct 7, 2016
    8
    بازی ایکس کام 2 یک بازی بسیار خوب است.اما متاسفانه برای افرادی که با ژانر استراتژیک یا حتی استراتژیک نوبتی اشنا نیستند بازی بسیار بدی است همچنین دارای مشکلات زیدازی هست و بهینه سازی بسیار بدی روی سیستم های ضعیف دارد
  90. HansV
    Jan 22, 2017
    10
    Very very very good game. Good mix between time based missions and free missions.
    Comparing this to Jagged Alliance (very old), two points could maybe be changed: it would somewhat add to the experience if your enemies would include not only aliens and mutated humans but "real" humans and you could decapitate them with a head-shot and the like; sounds gruesome but killings in JA2 are more    Very very very good game. Good mix between time based missions and free missions.
    Comparing this to Jagged Alliance (very old), two points could maybe be changed: it would somewhat add to the experience if your enemies would include not only aliens and mutated humans but "real" humans and you could decapitate them with a head-shot and the like; sounds gruesome but killings in JA2 are more satisfying than in XCOM2 - sorry. Secondly, if your soldiers would be more characterized from the start, it would increase your attachment to the team-members and any loss would hurt extra.    … Expand
  91. Sekhyt
    Jul 14, 2017
    10
    Really brilliant game, amazing immersive battles, very challenging difficulty level, also very interesting and atmospheric outside battle management - the research, engineering etc, I just wish there was more time to travel all over the world and pickup stuff. Many very interesting things that can't be found in other games.

    There is one obvious issue with the game freezing all over the    Really brilliant game, amazing immersive battles, very challenging difficulty level, also very interesting and atmospheric outside battle management - the research, engineering etc, I just wish there was more time to travel all over the world and pickup stuff. Many very interesting things that can't be found in other games.

    There is one obvious issue with the game freezing all over the cinematics on pc - the optimisation of this part really failed, but that doesn't affect the gameplay.

    Other cons ? Hmmm, maybe if you play on ironman and you get bad luck sometimes you lose very experienced unit without even a chance to do anything.    … Expand
  92. Bruno2rech
    Jan 20, 2017
    8
    the game is brilliant I love the random generated maps and the intresting game play and tactics that you need to use is like playing chess on steroids. I also love the caricature props and the different research options thou I would prefer more of a research tree and I would also like to see. it would be nice thou if they could allow you to build your own resistance out posts at land basesthe game is brilliant I love the random generated maps and the intresting game play and tactics that you need to use is like playing chess on steroids. I also love the caricature props and the different research options thou I would prefer more of a research tree and I would also like to see. it would be nice thou if they could allow you to build your own resistance out posts at land bases at captured resistance settlements and then defend them against attackers. the only thing that bugs me with the game is the bugs and that at higher levels of difficulty they do not increase the amount of enemies you fight they only lower your percentage hit chance which is not all that great.… Expand
  93. uVimOvil
    Jan 24, 2017
    10
    un 10 como una catedral mejora muchisimo a xcom original al que ya eche sus 100 horas, este x-com 2 me ha conseguido enganchar mas de 200 horas increiblemente adictivo y como te piques con los logros buff vas a sufrir aparte de disfrutar
  94. Axilley
    Jul 22, 2021
    8
    good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good X2
  95. DeathReis
    Jul 5, 2022
    8
    GİRİŞ

    Şunu belirterek giriş yapmak istiyorum ilk oyun olan Xcom Enemy Unknown'u oynamadım yani her hangi bir karşılaştırma yapamayacağım Xcom 2 nedendir bilmem ilk gördüğüm anda beni kendisine çekmişti uygun bir fiyatı olmasından dolayıda direk aldım oyunu (full paketi 45tl) ve şunu söyleyebilirim oyunu modsuz oynamak kesinlikle işkence, gelin inceleyelim ARTILARI +Harika    GİRİŞ

    Şunu belirterek giriş yapmak istiyorum ilk oyun olan Xcom Enemy Unknown'u oynamadım yani her hangi bir karşılaştırma yapamayacağım

    Xcom 2 nedendir bilmem ilk gördüğüm anda beni kendisine çekmişti uygun bir fiyatı olmasından dolayıda direk aldım oyunu (full paketi 45tl) ve şunu söyleyebilirim oyunu modsuz oynamak kesinlikle işkence, gelin inceleyelim

    ARTILARI

    +Harika grafikleri

    +Güzel optimizasyon

    +Sağlam yapay zeka

    +Binbir çeşit upgrade seçeneği

    +Askerlerin "bio" kısımları oldukça detaylı ve bu sayede bazı askerlerle bağ kurmanıza sebep oluyor(cidden bazı askerlerim öldüğü için neredeyse yas tutacaktım)

    +Bölüm tasarımları şahane

    +Scriptli eventler fena değil

    +Hikaye tırt olsada nadiren "wow" dedirtiyor

    +Silah ve Sınıf çeşitliliği yeterli düzeyde

    +Düşman çeşitliliği ise çok iyi

    +Oyun süresi gayet iyi(dlcler ile uzatabilirsiniz tabiki)

    +Steam atölye desteği

    +Görevler öncesi doğru planlama yapmanızı gerektiren dizayn seçimi

    EKSİLERİ

    -Tırt hikayesi

    -Tırt karakterleri

    -Çoğunlukla tahmin edilebilir olay örgüsü

    -Silahlar ve Sınıf çeşitliliği "yeterli" düzeyde olsa da maalesef oyunun oynanış süresi göz önünde bulundurursak yetersiz kalabiliyor

    -Sonlara doğru tekrara düşüyor

    -Oyunun düşmanı vurmanızı hesaplayan sistem çok gaddar(bununla ilgili modlar var kullanmanızı tavsiye ederim)

    PUANLAMA

    82/100 100: Mükemmel(Kusursuz) 99-90: Harika(Kusursuz Değil ama yakın) 89-80: Çok iyi 79-75: İyi 74-70: Ortalama Üstü 69-65: Ortalama 64-60: Ortalama Altı 59-55: Kötü 54-50: Çok Kötü 49    … Expand
  96. Kotofon
    Jun 6, 2020
    8
    XCOM2 - это продолжение признанной игроками и критиками стратегии XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Двадцать лет минуло с тех пор, как человечество проиграло войну с захватчиками из другого мира, и на Земле теперь царит новый порядок
  97. GarethB
    Nov 2, 2018
    8
    An excellent turned base game full of action and plenty of customisation. There are a huge host of mods available to tailor the game further to your needs!
  98. Vectis99
    May 31, 2019
    9
    XCOM 2 is not only a brilliant game in its own right, but also improves over XCOM 1 in every form- graphically, mechanically, and thematically. Sweeping quality of life changes, such as the ability to press the tab key to move to the next unit while the previous's animation is completing, make up for the games occasional trivial turn cycles. XCOM 2 is unique in that the campaign can beXCOM 2 is not only a brilliant game in its own right, but also improves over XCOM 1 in every form- graphically, mechanically, and thematically. Sweeping quality of life changes, such as the ability to press the tab key to move to the next unit while the previous's animation is completing, make up for the games occasional trivial turn cycles. XCOM 2 is unique in that the campaign can be "lost"- and it is a very real threat on the "Veteran" difficulty, adding a degree of substance to decision making. Consequentially, due to the length of the campaign, the total amount of time I expect to spend with this game is wholly unpredictable.
    I have only played this with the "War of the Chosen" DLC, which I got on sale; so I cannot speak to the value of the base game. However, I can testify that the experience currently feels complete and engaging.
    There are a few things in XCOM 2 which don't quite work. "Lost" elements of missions do not work well with the tactical strategy genre compared to missions with fewer, more complex enemies. The exact mechanics of the grand strategy campaign are not immediately intuitive. Lastly, the maps which missions take place on are far bigger than they need to be, often making the game feel like a sort of walking chore.
    On the other hand, some things XCOM 2 did especially well make it a deeply engaging experience. The strategy layer's Avatar project provides a solid baseline for reading the general state of the player in terms of where the game expects you to be. On a tactical level, the idea that a mission's outcome is very analogue (with a wide range of outcomes based on the soldiers being wounded and killed), which negates the grind of easier missions; they can still be handled with care with meaningful incentives. Mission design is overall improved to be significantly more engaging with a wider variety of mission objectives, constraints, and challenges. Per-unit tactical options are greatly expanded on from the first game, yet do not feel overwhelming.    … Expand
  99. SilverOrlov
    Jun 17, 2020
    9
    I decided to write a separate reviews on the game in general and an DLC about the chosen ones.
    So about the game... Very good graphics worthy of 2016. Very interesting story and atmosphere through all company missions. New interesting idea with soldier's skill relationship, and with stress debuffs. Adding new fraction soldiers with their own specific skills. As usual, interesting text    I decided to write a separate reviews on the game in general and an DLC about the chosen ones.
    So about the game... Very good graphics worthy of 2016. Very interesting story and atmosphere through all company missions. New interesting idea with soldier's skill relationship, and with stress debuffs. Adding new fraction soldiers with their own specific skills. As usual, interesting text articles about laboratory projects.
    Some people complained on timers, but at first, it's a part of game-play and it's well described by game-play. And at second, you can alter them in option menu before starting new game. The avatar timer, what a surprise, was in the original game as "panic bar" and you can shorten it in some missions.
    What I actually didn't like in this game: Curved camera(the global map periodically runs from place to place, activation of some skills is not visible because the camera shows a completely different part of the location). Sometimes AI of aliens reacts slowly or even make foolish steps. When you step on the green square of the mission task - you can no longer leave it, even if you need to do that, only reload saved moment. The lack of a line of experience is a very bad decision, because it does not allow to evaluate when a soldier will receive a promotion(this is very inconvenient, at least because in covert operations it is possible to quickly raise a soldier).
    And of course, the most delicious: stupid and blind chance's random of hits. Honestly I like the idea, but after the finished experience with the first game, in 2016 you can already more responsibly approach this issue. Take into account any context in that percentage, because it is very stupid when the shotgun shoots close with a 80% chance but miss, it is very stupid when the Colonel sniper misses a huge berserk body that stands still, it is very stupid when a ranger with a sword and a hacking skill lower than average, hacks better than a specialist with a high level of this skill. And it is very stupid when you stand near the alien and put the rifle into it's face, and receive 60%... 50%... even 40%?! ...WTF?!
    But howbeit it is very interesting game and I want to give it a good rating.    … Expand
  100. Rock3nh3im
    Mar 22, 2019
    10
    Geniales Strategiespiel. Da stimmt fast alles, bis auf paar Bugs. Abwechslung hat man zu 100%, Kämpfe sind fordernd, auch ist das eins von den Spielen wo man gerne Stirbt oder die Mission nochmal spielt oder Neustartet um einen anderen Weg zu versuchen.
    Auf jedenfall, ist das Spiel jedes Geld wert und noch so viel mehr...
    Viel Spass an denjenigen wo sich das Kauft. Du wirst es sicher    Geniales Strategiespiel. Da stimmt fast alles, bis auf paar Bugs. Abwechslung hat man zu 100%, Kämpfe sind fordernd, auch ist das eins von den Spielen wo man gerne Stirbt oder die Mission nochmal spielt oder Neustartet um einen anderen Weg zu versuchen.
    Auf jedenfall, ist das Spiel jedes Geld wert und noch so viel mehr...
    Viel Spass an denjenigen wo sich das Kauft. Du wirst es sicher nicht bereuen.    … 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

All reviews »
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.
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  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.
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  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.
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