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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. tsinik55
    Feb 7, 2016
    2
    The game is a complete cr@p . Why? One word: timers.

    I played first XCOM: Enemy Unknown back in 1995. That was a real gem. Often, the game was really chess-like: it forced you to plan your moves in advance, to think ahead. XCOM 2 it's more like a Counter-Strike with a save functionality: run, shoot, miss, reload, run, shoot, miss, reload... the whole concept of thinking is gone. I    The game is a complete cr@p . Why? One word: timers.

    I played first XCOM: Enemy Unknown back in 1995. That was a real gem. Often, the game was really chess-like: it forced you to plan your moves in advance, to think ahead.
    XCOM 2 it's more like a Counter-Strike with a save functionality: run, shoot, miss, reload, run, shoot, miss, reload... the whole concept of thinking is gone.

    I do not care about loading times, I do not care much about graphics. The only thing I ever want from strategy game is strategy. And in XCOM 2 there's no even slightest hint of it.    … Expand
  2. Callabaddie
    Feb 6, 2016
    2
    XCOM 2 is a prime example of a game development company taking an already simplified and limited game, and then taking the bulk of the assets for that game. Porting it over into a shoddily designed engine. Adding in a bunch of overlapping and clunky special effects. Failing to address development issues such as (animations actually working, good lord) - before release. And then shovelingXCOM 2 is a prime example of a game development company taking an already simplified and limited game, and then taking the bulk of the assets for that game. Porting it over into a shoddily designed engine. Adding in a bunch of overlapping and clunky special effects. Failing to address development issues such as (animations actually working, good lord) - before release. And then shoveling it out at AAA price.

    XCOM 2 is Enemy Unknown with a facelift that makes it look more like a revamped Sectoid corpse.

    The game has no real RNG. The game actively cheats to counter you. The game feels soulless and tedious. The story is just as bad, if not worse than Enemy Unknown's. It is not mechanically satisfying. It is not anything new or engaging.

    It's the same old **** for 20% more than the old ****.

    If you can get it for less than 10 dollars, it might not be a waste monetarily. It'll last you longer than a cheap fast food lunch.

    On the downside, you'll have wasted every single moment, hoping that maybe it's as good as the hype.    … Expand
  3. cabbages
    Jun 11, 2016
    0
    Its just horrible, the same is so un-balanced. Enermy 3-4x your level every mission, sometimes you need to kill 15 of these 3-4x your level enermy in under 10 turns or you lose your whole squad.

    The enermy gets free moves when you see them, so often your moving towards your objective and some of your soldiers has use there turns, then boom your guys see 6 enermy, and they all run to you    Its just horrible, the same is so un-balanced. Enermy 3-4x your level every mission, sometimes you need to kill 15 of these 3-4x your level enermy in under 10 turns or you lose your whole squad.

    The enermy gets free moves when you see them, so often your moving towards your objective and some of your soldiers has use there turns, then boom your guys see 6 enermy, and they all run to you and you have no move left, you just got to watch the enermy turn.

    Its so bad, i honestly don't know how this has been rated so highly by so called professional reviews, Over the years I've often suspected they're on the payroll of big game companies, and this feels like another one, just like all those same cod game that keeps getting 9.9    … Expand
  4. Merku
    Feb 17, 2016
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. X-COM 2 pretty much this game franchise's ROME 2. And that's not a compliment. As others said XCOM 2 is challenging. But for all the wrong reasons. There's a Game over timer called the "Avatar project". The only way to stop or slow it down is to raid the Blacksite facilities.. Which are very heavily guarded. The other reason the game is challenging. Timed Missions. Gotta rescue an VIP. Or destroy something.. You have to do it in 10 turns or something or you auto lose.

    The story bland too. Never once is the premise explained in any sort of depth. "Oh Commander we rescued you from the aliens... Let's get to work." No "This is what happened while you were out.." You have an whiney clichie collaborator seeking redemption for a Scientist and an stereotypical cyberpunk Asian Engineer who is always bickering with said scientist. The Enemies.. Are borning. Enemies that should be tough are easy. Such as Sectopods. The first one I found I killed in a single turn. I remember in EU took like 3 or 5 turns with a full squad fully upgraded going all out. Aliens that should be weak are too tough. Sectoids. They're nasty buggers. And they're right from the bat there.

    The ending is dull with censored violence. Oh looks like that Advent trooper is about to get his face bashed in and... Cut to the bottom of the ocean for terror from the deep lead in.

    Last point the game is game breakingly buggy. Runs like cold **** Your soldiers will randomly fall through the map and die sometimes. The game crashes often. Actually the bugs are so numorous and gameplay hindering it makes Bethesda look great at debugging.    … Expand
  5. MrWonderful
    Feb 9, 2016
    6
    I bought the retail box version to save on the huge bandwidth-eating-download of going thru Steam. Four DVDs to install and 45 minutes and guess what...there was still a 9GB download required from Steam! Once everything was installed I fired XCom 2 up and proceeded with the tutorial mission to see what is new. Guess what...there's a bug that may or may not happen, but it happened to me,I bought the retail box version to save on the huge bandwidth-eating-download of going thru Steam. Four DVDs to install and 45 minutes and guess what...there was still a 9GB download required from Steam! Once everything was installed I fired XCom 2 up and proceeded with the tutorial mission to see what is new. Guess what...there's a bug that may or may not happen, but it happened to me, where a character can't move to cover as the instructions state. The fix was to do the Three Finger Salute(tm) back to desktop since at this point everything is frozen and then relaunch the game. So far I'm not too impressed, especially reading about the turn timer implemented in the game now. I've stopped playing XCom 2 because I still need to finish some other games on backlog. Maybe when it's time to get back it things will have improved. For those that are curious...on my Core i7 desktop with GTX780ti everything is on high/medium @2560x1080. I won't even bother loading it onto my 4 year old ASUS ROG laptop with a measly GTX560M gpu.… Expand
  6. ForeShadow
    Feb 15, 2016
    4
    Just can't play it like I want to.80% of missions that force you to rush with ridiculous timers. I spend my time reloading saved games when it doesn't go my way. Which is a huge amount of reloads per mission. Timed missions are a great idea, if it occurred once every 7-10 missions, but not every mission with a few exceptions. 1 mistake makes you almost automatically fail the timer. How didJust can't play it like I want to.80% of missions that force you to rush with ridiculous timers. I spend my time reloading saved games when it doesn't go my way. Which is a huge amount of reloads per mission. Timed missions are a great idea, if it occurred once every 7-10 missions, but not every mission with a few exceptions. 1 mistake makes you almost automatically fail the timer. How did this AAA title pass play test and Beta with these timers?

    Difficulty curve of enemies is ridiculous. They start out with overpowered abilities, such as mind control and run behind cover, pull and immobilize, run and melee stun/kill attacks. They all have very high HP.

    Concealment is practically useless and can maybe allow you to get a first free shot.

    This would otherwise be a 8/10 if the timers were removed and I could actually play without reloading all the time. I could live through the initial extremely hard starting missions and having some failed missions, but the timer drops this from 8 to 4 rating.

    Can't even manage to get the mod working or find the timer address in CheatEngine in order to disable it.    … Expand
  7. DutchieSmurf
    Apr 28, 2016
    4
    This is a very boring and repetitive game. I see it more as a remake of the first game due to the lack of new features or gameplay elements. It is plagued with even more bugs than the first one and at the end of the day it's a just a mediocre strategy game...
  8. Mordobb
    Feb 9, 2016
    4
    Chances are, if you loved Xcom1 from fireaxis you will love it. But if you expected more...sorry.
    Its merely Enemy Within with all its tactical shallowness repixelated.
    Tactically its not worth to be called an expansion merely a DLC, which by the way remove the tactical aspect of the game with so many timed missions. The designers (if they can be called so much) of this marvel confound    Chances are, if you loved Xcom1 from fireaxis you will love it. But if you expected more...sorry.
    Its merely Enemy Within with all its tactical shallowness repixelated.
    Tactically its not worth to be called an expansion merely a DLC, which by the way remove the tactical aspect of the game with so many timed missions.
    The designers (if they can be called so much) of this marvel confound masochism with tactical deph (death?), and many sycophants approves.
    Noe the base aspect game although exactly the same is a bit refreshing because now you move and have to take decisions.

    Chances are if you are an old fan of the 90 games. EU, TFTD, Apocalips... you ll hate by what has been said above. Tactical limitation shallowness in tactics...boring after the 15th mission due to the counter.
    Bad designs, bad implementation of good concepts.
    A disaster.
    Wait for sales to acquire it you ll probably gain optimization too and smart modders that will enhance
    the tactical part so it gets bearable.
    Keep playing the long war.    … Expand
  9. ZaPaAl
    Mar 24, 2016
    6
    It's ok, but it's so terribly casualized, that it's rather difficult to have fun with. It's terrible performance is very remarkable, but game doesn't look that extraordinary great to justify.

    A lot of the tactical setup is ruined by unforgiving timers on everything. Story exists, with some ok scenes, but it only prepares the stage for a cliffhanger ending. Overall progress and    It's ok, but it's so terribly casualized, that it's rather difficult to have fun with. It's terrible performance is very remarkable, but game doesn't look that extraordinary great to justify.

    A lot of the tactical setup is ruined by unforgiving timers on everything.

    Story exists, with some ok scenes, but it only prepares the stage for a cliffhanger ending.

    Overall progress and research is boring. Yes, you want that new weapon or armor to get a upper hand, but each time the progress feels very underwhelming. Not that much game altering elements to research anyway.

    Repetitive missions and scenery.

    I had some fun at start, but now I am glad it's over. Last missions were only an overlong rehash of already experienced enemies and gameplay. Felt like one of the cheap remakes, with even cheaper gameplay, but superior graphics.    … Expand
  10. max1c
    Feb 8, 2016
    7
    The good:
    - Art/Graphics
    - Music - Cut scenes/Voice Acting - Story - Customization options The bad: - Numerous bugs - Sluggish interface - Inconsistent mechanics - Overly Repetitive I really want to give this game an 8, but I simply can not. I'm sure once all the bugs get ironed out and some performance improvements are made this game will easily be deserving of an 8 - 8.5    The good:
    - Art/Graphics
    - Music
    - Cut scenes/Voice Acting
    - Story
    - Customization options

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

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

    I enjoyed the cutscenes and the music. However, the game got repetitive and boring quickly. Overall, a good game plagued by bugs.    … Expand
  11. SHy
    Mar 12, 2016
    3
    X com была одной из первых игры на ПК которую я поиграл это было... черти когда, так что когда вышел прошлый, он пошел на ура он был в новинку... Вторая часть наскучила уже на втором часу игры. Сугубо мое мнение, он игра сырая и сделана "на отвали".
    минусы
    - цена - постоянные паузы(пустая трата времени) - не оптимизирована(просадки до 2 fps) - графика на максимум а картинка на уровне    X com была одной из первых игры на ПК которую я поиграл это было... черти когда, так что когда вышел прошлый, он пошел на ура он был в новинку... Вторая часть наскучила уже на втором часу игры. Сугубо мое мнение, он игра сырая и сделана "на отвали".
    минусы
    - цена
    - постоянные паузы(пустая трата времени)
    - не оптимизирована(просадки до 2 fps)
    - графика на максимум а картинка на уровне 2000 года
    - почти все миссии с таймером(на время)
    - элемент рпг ... ну это трудно назвать элементом рпг
    - свобода действий отсутствует
    - таймер даже в не миссии в целом тебя постоянно куда-то гонят
    можно долго продолжать ... лень
    итог если в первый не играли то будет хорошее впечатление если играли то вторую часть брать не стоит    … Expand
  12. TerryMc
    Feb 12, 2016
    2
    I love this game, but it has unresolved technical issues. The biggest problem for me was the random loss of ALL my saved games. Paid good money for a game I won't play until someone tells me this is fixed.

    I really enjoyed the earlier games, and was disappointed this one is unplayable.
  13. Myon-Neutrino
    Oct 26, 2017
    9
    Original Comment from early 2016: I´m a "newcomer" in round-based games and discovered XCOM when Enemy Unknown/within happened and I immediately fell in love with it! So i was looking forward to the new game. I´ve played Xcom 2 for about 15 hours on normal difficulty, when the ultimate rage-quit happened. This game annoyed me with all its rushed demands all the time: Go and get supplies,Original Comment from early 2016: I´m a "newcomer" in round-based games and discovered XCOM when Enemy Unknown/within happened and I immediately fell in love with it! So i was looking forward to the new game. I´ve played Xcom 2 for about 15 hours on normal difficulty, when the ultimate rage-quit happened. This game annoyed me with all its rushed demands all the time: Go and get supplies, go and rescue valen, go and rescue engineers, don´t forget all those damn avatar-upgrades, keep your avenger-micromanagements going, do this, do that - all simultaneously. Ridiculously tight timers in a lot of missions and a general let-down in the whole round-based gameplay concept by introducing that damn ruler-reactions every single time. The rulers are too hard, their actions are illogical and random, I don´t get it. And still the performance sucks (22-28FPS with a i7 4790K / Radeon 7970 GHz Ed. OC machine @ medium/high settings) What a disappointment. ( I gave it a rating of 5 )

    Update 27.10.2017:
    I recently figured out there is a XCOM2 Mod which disables those ridiculous timers during some missions so I gave it another shot with that Mod activated. Now I´m about 30 hours in and the gameflow is fluid and fair, that Mod improved XCOM2 overwhelmingly! No rants or rage anymore, but a fun time and still difficult as hell, at least for me. The performance and overall graphics got better (Using a i7 6700K / AMD RX 480 / 16GB RAM / Samsung 850 SSD Rig, 45-60FPS during actual gameplay @ FHD / Max Details. Cutscenes however sometimes stutter and got some framedrops). You have to install this game on a SSD for the loading times to be acceptable. Also a lot of bugfixing and balancing happened, further there exist some really well done DLCs now. I´m genuinely impressed and upgraded my score to 9 (WITH disabled timer mod activated)! Without that mod I´d still rate this a 5 or 6... Buy, mod and enjoy!    … Expand
  14. choppy
    Oct 2, 2016
    4
    The cosmetics change from Xcom 1, but little else. In order to make it seem like a new game, and to please all the long-war geeks, the difficulty is cranked up in a bunch of artificial ways. Almost every mission has a timer or constant stream of scripted enemy drop-ins. And this is the overall theme of the game: you are constantly being spammed with so many events and non-meaningfulThe cosmetics change from Xcom 1, but little else. In order to make it seem like a new game, and to please all the long-war geeks, the difficulty is cranked up in a bunch of artificial ways. Almost every mission has a timer or constant stream of scripted enemy drop-ins. And this is the overall theme of the game: you are constantly being spammed with so many events and non-meaningful choices that it's almost impossible to keep up with basic tasks, and eventually you will be forced to make a detrimental choice. Strategy gaming at its finest!

    Once again, all percentages are pre-determined at the start of every mission, so an 80 or 90 percentage shot is completely meaningless - it doesn't matter what you do or where you move, from the beginning of the mission it's been determined whether you're going to hit or miss (this is true - search the forums for discussion). You can stand right next to an enemy, going full auto, and still miss every time. So ridiculous. You the mouseclicker aren't even necessary for the game, because everything's already determined. It could just run the percentages itself and determine the same outcome. Your actions have literally no effect on whether you hit or miss - just like real life and real combat, right?

    Given that every mission relies on pre-scripted events and pre-determined enemy placements, the only "strategy" or "tactics" are remembering where the enemies are going to spawn and pre-placing your troops to ambush them. So, the only thing that matters is positioning, based on either luck in the fog of war or your knowledge of previous failures.

    This game might as well be calling "Pathing Manager 2016", since pathing is the only meaningful thing you control and the singular thing that makes the difference between success and failure in the mission. If most of your paths succeed on the first try, you got lucky. If most of your paths fail, suck it up and lose, or try new paths on a reload. And that's it. That's all you do in the entire game. This is obscured by other crap like "Dark Events", which are basically 'pick which 1 out of 3 bad things you want to try to stop' through another 'pick-a-path' mission. Again, totally meaningless for the overall outcome, but it's very deep "strategy", right? Not so much.    … Expand
  15. elaintahra
    Sep 14, 2016
    3
    This game is somehow broken. It works really well graphics wise and the base building & unit customization is really good and fun - the mods make it even better.

    But the missions? How is it that 9/10 of the missions they have a 'turn timer'; If you don't do this or that in 6 turns, you lose. This is the case with almost in every mission. This makes the game a constant save/reload -fest.    This game is somehow broken. It works really well graphics wise and the base building & unit customization is really good and fun - the mods make it even better.

    But the missions? How is it that 9/10 of the missions they have a 'turn timer'; If you don't do this or that in 6 turns, you lose. This is the case with almost in every mission. This makes the game a constant save/reload -fest. The tactics that you try to implement mean almost *absolutely* nothing. It does not matter in which position you place your units.. Where ever they are placed they will get shredded in any case. Only way - I mean the only way - to get through the missions is to save/reload through the RNG.

    The animations, they have been copied over from previous XCOM, as has almost everything else. Line of sight - while working OK when shooting - looks like **** when the soldiers stick their gun thru wall and shoot..

    I even tried to play with novice and still it is not fun, the same concept applies.. It should be fun to fail and try a new approach, but soon you realize the new approach matters nothing, only RNG matters. Not that you changed your units to better positions, its all numbers game.. really shameful

    The enemies spawn out of nowhere and each mission tries to be different but in essence they are all exactly the same.

    I can not recommend this game, I really would like to but the missions really are broken.

    + the unit customization
    + metagame in the "ship"
    + performance (looks ok, runs flawlessly)

    - each mission completely same
    - each mission insanely difficult
    - doesn't matter where you place your units, they get killed each time (reload)
    - concealment is a state of the game, it is not something your units can use: when 'concealment' is blown, your units will be seen by enemy all the time, even if behind full cover walls.. lazy lazy lazy programmers..
    - RNG
    - RNG
    - RNG
    - RNG
    - RNG

    As User "Avadon" writes, I agree completely:

    "You can mod out all the crazy 8 turn limits and massive random spikes in Avatar progress though. Great. What you are left with then is an extremely easy game. Guess why. Because that's what it is. An extremely easy game, made hard only through RNG rigged to screw you as a core design philosophy. The encounters themselves are easy and the maps are poorly designed, like everything procedural. There's no actual depth. There are no "damn, I'm a genious" moments as you lure an overwhelming force back to a well fortified position with half of your squad lying in the perfect ambush. The game gives you no time to think. No time to strategize. No time to have fun."

    and Silverflame :)
    ""Oh, that's a rule," the colonel said excitedly. "The black advents get free moves while it's your turn to play, and some newly appearing pieces even get to hit your pieces without the roulette wheel most of the time!" "    … Expand
  16. Garingo41
    Oct 9, 2016
    1
    Too many timed mission, which is a boring incentive to rise pressure to the player to hurry with the mission.
    The only way to pass time on the world map is to scan some stupid **** icon that does give you a marginal improvement in currency, so youcan buy some other ****...
    1 Hour in the game and i already lost 7 people because of stupid RNG missing enemys 1 meter in front of the    Too many timed mission, which is a boring incentive to rise pressure to the player to hurry with the mission.
    The only way to pass time on the world map is to scan some stupid **** icon that does give you a marginal improvement in currency, so youcan buy some other ****...
    1 Hour in the game and i already lost 7 people because of stupid RNG missing enemys 1 meter in front of the soldiers.

    I read this game has some performance issues (cynical brit) on release date so i didn't bought it and forgot about it.
    So now, half a year later, I played this game and it still performs like ****.

    The game flow is very ugly. You don't have enough time to micromanage your base and build equipment like it was in the older games. You click on the scan icon and 1 second later another stupid mission pops up that you have to attend to, or else you will loose instantly.

    This game is not worth the money.    … Expand
  17. meathelmet2001
    Mar 5, 2016
    6
    Loved every XCOM up to now. This one is unforgiving to the point of being no fun.

    Like others have said, there is too many timed missions which throws a lot of strategy out the window. I can't tell you how many missions I played where everything went to sh*t in one round, all because your team has to race across the map. Just seems like the creators took the lazy way out here. Sucks    Loved every XCOM up to now. This one is unforgiving to the point of being no fun.

    Like others have said, there is too many timed missions which throws a lot of strategy out the window. I can't tell you how many missions I played where everything went to sh*t in one round, all because your team has to race across the map. Just seems like the creators took the lazy way out here. Sucks that they ruined my favorite part of the game...the tactics.

    Not terrible, but could have been better.    … Expand
  18. supercagan
    Dec 18, 2016
    3
    If you like squad tactics games play Jagged alliance, even the old one is better than this one.
    Locate the aliens in building... check
    Approach in stealth and surround building...check When all members are in ambush position shoot 1 alien out of 4...check The other 3 aliens go alert, jump out of the building, pass all the team members as they watch, run down the street and hide behind    If you like squad tactics games play Jagged alliance, even the old one is better than this one.
    Locate the aliens in building... check
    Approach in stealth and surround building...check
    When all members are in ambush position shoot 1 alien out of 4...check
    The other 3 aliens go alert, jump out of the building, pass all the team members as they watch, run down the street and hide behind a truck. Now my guys cant shoot them because they are behind full cover, and the next turn I miss three 90% shots and the aliens shoot once and kill my sniper...
    UNINSTALLED, not to mention the other 2 groups of aliens hear all the explosions and do not do anything because they did not see me behind the corner yet...

    Horrible AI
    Horrible team tactics -especially aliens run 100 yards and hide behind cover when you are discovered
    Would definitely Uninstall again...    … Expand
  19. Carewolf
    Feb 8, 2016
    7
    Very addictive game, but buggy as ....!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Still I find the game addictive, and can find amusement in twisting the games stupid design decisions against it.    … Expand
  20. Yukar
    Feb 26, 2016
    6
    Good game, but (very) disappointing.

    Customisation is a huge step up in looks, weapons, tools, passive traits, and unique skills. Somewhat perfect. (Well, almost, when the gloomy character you made in the pool will show with an idiotic smile instead, you may feel a bit let down, their attitude is randomized, immersion lost). And, that's it. Everything else seems "more less" (DLCs    Good game, but (very) disappointing.

    Customisation is a huge step up in looks, weapons, tools, passive traits, and unique skills. Somewhat perfect. (Well, almost, when the gloomy character you made in the pool will show with an idiotic smile instead, you may feel a bit let down, their attitude is randomized, immersion lost). And, that's it.
    Everything else seems "more less" (DLCs pattern).

    The worldmap.
    Oh man, I was so kicked by it on the teasers.. By the looks of it, It may be like Aftershock, maybe even more, like the one in Afterlight.. Well, it is not.
    It is an empty land with pop-ups. Where you are urged to slow the "Avatar Project" by Captain Obvious every 2 minutes, actually by wasting this so precious time, moving and locking your camera and controls away for the time he repeats the same phrase over and over again. (In order to show you a spot where you can only interact with on the very last mission).
    Of course this pattern so had to happen while in missions too.
    Can feel like Internet without ad-blockers. Old days.

    The resistance.
    After contacting them, well, they will write you a check after the end of each month.
    And they get passively slaughtered on retaliation missions ('cause aliens don't like them for writing you checks), as Bradford will unavoidably never fail to mention.
    A resistance that doesn't actually resists. Strange concept. (To be fair, they may not carry wepons, but they will manage to take down some UFO's for you, to remind you the name of the original title).

    The Base.
    You build what you can, when you can. Thats's about it, with a bit of management. Feels better than the last one, can't compare to the originals (was more like mini-SimCity).
    Discussions between staff can be muted, if not, they don't freeze your screen when talking (wich is something someone could have learnt from his comrades).

    Research.
    It is deeply simplified, for the second time (so long old-timers) : Research Tier 2 weapons & armor, research Tier 3 weapons & armor. Autopsies unlock new tools, and they made the option to instantly research those after some "breakthrough" on the next Tier.
    So, do you want to research x for 3 days, y for 4, then next Tier for 10 ? Or next Tier for 10 and instant x & y ? Tough choice.
    Let me break your expectations, there are bullets, laser, plasma. Yes, those are the same (more straightforward). And no, there's no MEC.

    Overall progression.
    Fine by your troops, slow and steady, each skill, every bit of scrap seem to matter. Very well done.
    The way new ennemies are introduced every two missions however is not.
    It soon feels like a freak show, and utterly destroys the low profile Aliens are supposed to have (Sure Bradford, they don't have to hide, but frightening the population doesn't seem great either).

    More coherence would have been nice, like maybe only Advents troops in cities, other species represented in the "wild", or in Resistance lands, maybe common/rare types, etc.
    Some are underused and replaced, other overused. "Codex" is a perfect example, so great ennemy, brillant design, until it becomes absolutely common in every mission, therefore losing all of its aura.

    The combat.
    The system still works, stealth mecanic is also a fine addition. But it lacks coherence.
    Why the ennemy would blow up his precious installation without him knowing we're here ? Why is all squad revealed when only one member is detected ?
    Just to justify the turn-limit and the one scout class, who will be better at never actually fighting. Not enough for me. It limits the way you play more than it opens it, not so good for tactics.

    The turn-limit system and very small maps resume gameplay to :
    1) Take a direct shot at 30%.
    2) Make a flanking move (with a 70% to trigger new ennemies).
    3) Blow up cover with explosives and shot after.
    Answer is 3) until you have to make 2) due to the turn limit. I think the precedent system of ennemy triggering and their free move & turn should have been arranged to better fit this new layout.

    In its current state, all of this will be darkened by the fact that you will be detected for no reason, sometimes even shot at the very same moment, melee & shot through walls, moving on another tile than the one you clicked, suffering from performance issues, etc.
    If you haven't already bought the game, spare yourself the disappointment now and buy it when the actual release comes out, wich is programmed for the second half of 2016.

    + Another XCOM
    + We can play before release !
    - Shouldn't have been released yet.
    - Way too oftenly Bradforded    … Expand
  21. mrdollar
    Mar 28, 2017
    2
    1. Tired of missing 90% hit rates, your soldier literately misses point blank shots without cover all the time.
    2. Almost every mission is timed of 6-8 turns and you are fighting 4-5 groups of enemies.
    3. Optimization of game is really bad, even high end pc lags using higher graphics settings. 4. Bugs and glitches, you can easily cheat saving the game before enemy turn and load. It will    1. Tired of missing 90% hit rates, your soldier literately misses point blank shots without cover all the time.
    2. Almost every mission is timed of 6-8 turns and you are fighting 4-5 groups of enemies.
    3. Optimization of game is really bad, even high end pc lags using higher graphics settings.
    4. Bugs and glitches, you can easily cheat saving the game before enemy turn and load. It will skip enemy turn lol.
    5. When you counter enemy on your last move, enemy gain second turn, not fair.    … Expand
  22. slipgatecentral
    Feb 7, 2016
    3
    I am raging so hard as I'm writing this. I'm so unbelievably mad right now, my blood pressure is ten times of a normal persons, I think I might have popped a vein or two.

    Firaxis, you made an awesome game and a very decent sequel to a very successful and creative Xcom reboot. You make people emotionally invest into your game, and **** is so intense and violent, it literally makes your    I am raging so hard as I'm writing this. I'm so unbelievably mad right now, my blood pressure is ten times of a normal persons, I think I might have popped a vein or two.

    Firaxis, you made an awesome game and a very decent sequel to a very successful and creative Xcom reboot. You make people emotionally invest into your game, and **** is so intense and violent, it literally makes your balls sweat. This game is always on your ass, and I mean it. I've never played squad tactics that felt like an actual action movie, where there's always a need to rush forward, and you can't just sit back or slowly proceed forward. Everything must be done quick, and this ****faced resistance guy that calls you "commander" only makes things worse, **** about how slow you are and "we must act faster". Oh **** you guy, for ****s sake, It's not like I'm not trying, but why the **** you pushing me so hard?

    Eventually player gets used to this mad pace, and gets better stuff and his squad of cold-eyed assassins will chew through packs of aliens like it's nothing. You get them cutting edge tech and armor that looks so badass, it scares even themselves. You start to feel it, you finally start to think you can make it and push Avatar project back to the stone age. You grow attached to this game.

    And then game ****s your **** up.

    Firaxis, you put this Ironman mode button there for a reason, right? You said something like "Do it only if you want ultimate Xcom experience". Well, I am no **** when it comes to this, I do want ultimate experience. I want to care, I want to be punished for wrong decisions, and greatly rewarded for success.

    What I do not want, is to be ****ed in the ass after playing for 15 hours, like it happened today. My save file got corrupted. The ONLY save file Ironman mode generates.

    What the **** happened to your QA for ****s sake. How could you not see this coming? Where is my backup file? Why do you do this to me?

    **** this, **** this **** I'm done, not playing it again, even if you fix this. **** off.    … Expand
  23. Glamredhel
    Feb 6, 2016
    4
    Forget the varied tactics of the first XCOM game. In XCOM 2 all of that has been thrown out the window by making the missions timed and having you start stupidly far from the objective. To cover the distance you will need to have your soldiers use both their turn units to make it in time. This results in not being able to shoot back when you stumble upon the enemies, of which they usuallyForget the varied tactics of the first XCOM game. In XCOM 2 all of that has been thrown out the window by making the missions timed and having you start stupidly far from the objective. To cover the distance you will need to have your soldiers use both their turn units to make it in time. This results in not being able to shoot back when you stumble upon the enemies, of which they usually throw quite a lot between you and the objective.

    Basically missions are summed up as run as far as you can as fast as you can, stumble upon a group of enemies who now get 2 turns (their reveal turn and then their normal turn) to outflank you. If you do make it to the objective after fighting through the enemy you will now have to choose a soldier you don't mind getting killed as they run up to the item that needs to be hacked to stop the countdown timer and are now exposed to being flanked.

    It's like they took the first XCOM game, decided to add 100 new features and then forgot about including any tactical decisions in the tactical missions beyond just run as fast as you can to the objective.

    Can not recommend in its current state.    … Expand
  24. Xerxes72
    Feb 7, 2016
    4
    Leaving aside the many technical issues that plagued its launch, from performance issues to LOS malfunctions to vanishing savegames, that (if the first XCOM was any indication) will likely take them months to address and resolve, with XCOM2 Firaxis doubles down on some of the worst aspects of their successful "reimagining" of the venerable classic and stretches even further the definitionLeaving aside the many technical issues that plagued its launch, from performance issues to LOS malfunctions to vanishing savegames, that (if the first XCOM was any indication) will likely take them months to address and resolve, with XCOM2 Firaxis doubles down on some of the worst aspects of their successful "reimagining" of the venerable classic and stretches even further the definition of strategy when it comes to PC gaming.

    Their whole philosophy seems to involve replacing variety of choice and room for maneuver with a linear experience which uses the word strategy only as flavor for those who thought King's Bounty was an RPG. Want to stray a bit from the optimal path on the "strategic" layer, even if you're doing well on the tactical missions? Sorry, dead man walking. And when on the field, every guy in your inexplicably puny squad is essential. Got unlucky and lost a couple of soldiers to randomly spawning enemies, with 10+ still to kill and a stupid clock ticking down? Get used to it-- in Firaxis' twisted world, those things are necessary to cover the lack of a functional AI and a sound design. Aliens will still teleport under the FOW and trigger when they're scripted to while you're hopefully still gaping at the pretty graphics.

    And ahhh, the ultimate insult, the timed missions. It's all part of the same "philosophy", or rather lack thereof. Unless you believe Firaxis included the timers as a way to counter the creeping *their own design encouraged* with a "solution" that's worse than the original problem.

    This is not a strategy game. It's a "corridor strategy" game. It's like calling the latest Call of Duty an open world game. The package is slick but there's no more strategy involved than in your typical CYOA book. If you're a real strategy fan and loved the original series, my suggestion is that you save your money and frustration, wait for Xenonauts 2 and avoid anything with the name "Jake Solomon" in the credits.    … Expand
  25. Kriss_A
    Feb 19, 2016
    0
    Currently broken. Do not buy.

    Performance issues.
    Gameplay bugs.
    Crashes.
    Is actually really light on content, certainly not worth full price.
    Pre-order exclusive DLC currently not available.

    The game is ok, it's not very good, but it's not horrible, but every single aspect outside of the core design is lacking horribly.
  26. Katrin
    Feb 7, 2016
    1
    üäAll the timers are way too annoying to enjoy the game
    - A lot of missions have a round timer.
    - People bleeding to death? Timer - People need to get to the escape shuttle ? Timer - Destroy the communication station? Timer - Destroy the Sting? Timer This game sucks so much because of the over use of timers. It is not even half as fun as part one and it is double frustrating. I    üäAll the timers are way too annoying to enjoy the game
    - A lot of missions have a round timer.
    - People bleeding to death? Timer
    - People need to get to the escape shuttle ? Timer
    - Destroy the communication station? Timer
    - Destroy the Sting? Timer
    This game sucks so much because of the over use of timers. It is not even half as fun as part one and it is double frustrating. I sitill remeber Some missions you almost have to replay because they get a lucky monstershuttle in and you come one round short. When playing again the mission gets way to easy its all a luck thing.
    I get the idea behind the bleeding to death timer but In my case whenever someone was bleeding to death there was nothing I could do about it. It was situational but there was nothing. Right now when someone is bleeding I just reload.
    I loved part one. Hate this part 2.
    Avoid at all costs when you are easy to frustrate.    … Expand
  27. ajc368
    Feb 7, 2016
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Super corto y aburrido. todas las misiones son iguales.
    Las armaduras que trae son horribles
    los graficos peores que el xcom eu. (lo jugué todo al máximo con una gtx 970)
    cero estrategia en la misiones.
    El juego no engancha en ningún momento.
    los tiempos de carga espantosos (corei7 6700k -16gbram - disco ssd)
    Lo peor que perdió su esencia. es super aburrido, todas las misiones iguales si una pisca de extrategia. la personalización de las tropas que parecía buena termino siendo una cagada mucho peor que en el enemy unknow. las armaduras son horribles apenas trae un par de cascos de muy mal gusto.
    en resumen y sacando el tema de los bug que tienen arreglo en futuros parches el juego es malo muy malo desde su concepto. y perdió en opciones en táctica y en graficos con su antecesor.    … Expand
  28. ReviewCow
    Feb 7, 2016
    0
    They released a game that wasn't finished, as simple as that. Cant really comment on much else, since the game crashes constantly. Graphics are nice and the game got a nice feel to it. But, wait for the first major patch release, otherwise you'll just be doing their beta testing for them. I do feel kinda cheated though, should really stop pre-ordering games.

    I have to give a bad rating,    They released a game that wasn't finished, as simple as that. Cant really comment on much else, since the game crashes constantly. Graphics are nice and the game got a nice feel to it. But, wait for the first major patch release, otherwise you'll just be doing their beta testing for them. I do feel kinda cheated though, should really stop pre-ordering games.

    I have to give a bad rating, since the game is unplayable and expensive.    … Expand
  29. Vasot
    Feb 8, 2016
    6
    Most promising but also it's very buggy, unbalanced and very unoptimised. Even a GTX980Ti struggles which is ridiculous !! A lot of missions have a timer which puts me off personally. Anyway game has some great ideas but feels rushed i suggest you wait until the company releases some patches before buying it
  30. Paulystan
    Feb 23, 2016
    1
    So... I am and will remain a big fan of the original XCOM games which were awesome. They were clever, in depth, made you jump at times, really amazing games for the time. They were apparently also really amazing games for now. XCOM 2 is more of the same rubbish as XCOM Enemy Unknown but with some tweaks. Some of those tweaks are just down right silly at that. These new XCOM games are justSo... I am and will remain a big fan of the original XCOM games which were awesome. They were clever, in depth, made you jump at times, really amazing games for the time. They were apparently also really amazing games for now. XCOM 2 is more of the same rubbish as XCOM Enemy Unknown but with some tweaks. Some of those tweaks are just down right silly at that. These new XCOM games are just shadows of a previously excellent series and I feel ripped off that I would get excited and hopeful about them only to be dashed.

    They have some basic things going for them in their own right but I cannot help but compare them to a much more brilliant past. Bring XCOM back the way it should be, awesome.This is a veneer thin, poorly planned and frustratingly executed pile of poop.    … Expand
  31. mikebrash
    Feb 10, 2016
    1
    This game feels like a beta. It's painfully obvious that a lot of technical polish was never completed. Very frequently there is a delay of up to several minutes after finishing a turn. That means a lot of staring at your screen waiting for something to eventually load. It is almost unbearable. I've had a few freezes that never recovered and I was forced to alt+tab and close the program.This game feels like a beta. It's painfully obvious that a lot of technical polish was never completed. Very frequently there is a delay of up to several minutes after finishing a turn. That means a lot of staring at your screen waiting for something to eventually load. It is almost unbearable. I've had a few freezes that never recovered and I was forced to alt+tab and close the program.

    Mission timers on so many missions is indeed irritating, but I think overall the gameplay here is good save for technical problems. This game was delayed for good reason. Looks like it should've been delayed a bit longer. Dropping 60 bucks on a game that is so blatantly buggy feels like a huge rip off. Hopefully these issues get patched...    … Expand
  32. gromenawer
    Feb 11, 2016
    7
    The game is somewhere between an 7 and an 8.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    My advice would be to buy XCOM:EU and EW since they are way cheaper. Try those, and see if you like the game first. The original XCOM games have different mechanics so don't base your purchase on those. XCOM certainly is not a game for all audiences. You might not like it, but I don't seem a reason to hate it.    … Expand
  33. PaKr
    Mar 2, 2016
    5
    In general -- disappointment. I hoped till the last moment that if it's made for PC they will remake it. I was wrong:
    --- Same AI limitation like it's possible to fight with one "pack" while another is just behind the corner, but the "trigger" is not fired so they don't react.
    --- Flat equipment approach. --- Most combats have turns limitation. It's like "we don't want to remake our    In general -- disappointment. I hoped till the last moment that if it's made for PC they will remake it. I was wrong:
    --- Same AI limitation like it's possible to fight with one "pack" while another is just behind the corner, but the "trigger" is not fired so they don't react.
    --- Flat equipment approach.
    --- Most combats have turns limitation. It's like "we don't want to remake our stupid tactical AI so we will add complicity with reinforcements from the rare and turns limitation"
    -+ Global turns limitation AKA Avatar project.
    --- Same "console" adopted UI. For God sake. I play with mouse. Why I can't chose the solder with mouse click on it?    … Expand
  34. Calendyr
    Jun 9, 2016
    4
    I was looking forward to this game after playing countless hours of X-Com enemy unknown and X-Com enemy within, After purchasing it on steam and waiting 3 hours for it to download and install, I find out it doesn't support the gamepad like it's predecessors did.

    From what I understand, Firaxis signed a deal with Steam to support the Steam controller when it comes out only. So that is    I was looking forward to this game after playing countless hours of X-Com enemy unknown and X-Com enemy within, After purchasing it on steam and waiting 3 hours for it to download and install, I find out it doesn't support the gamepad like it's predecessors did.

    From what I understand, Firaxis signed a deal with Steam to support the Steam controller when it comes out only. So that is a big FU to all users who enjoy playing on gamepad. What a stupid move from Firaxis.    … Expand
  35. Maquabra
    Mar 1, 2016
    7
    First of all, my "7" is a really high score in my eyes. Now, let's move to why the game deserves this high score.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Sadly, it suffered from a poor technical released, letting a lot of people with great rigs having performance issues. And Firaxis poor communication didn't helped at all.
  37. PutCashIn
    Feb 25, 2016
    5
    I would not recommend this game, there are plenty of more unique turn based squad games that have exactly the same features - Fixed screen 'towns/hq/campsite/npc interaction' +research/roster control with a turn based squad combat game alongside.

    Many competing games are cheaper and add something new, this is a rehash with some terrible controls and very average gameplay. Weird    I would not recommend this game, there are plenty of more unique turn based squad games that have exactly the same features - Fixed screen 'towns/hq/campsite/npc interaction' +research/roster control with a turn based squad combat game alongside.

    Many competing games are cheaper and add something new, this is a rehash with some terrible controls and very average gameplay.

    Weird tactical decisions - no tactical map, yet you fly an alien HQ spaceship that routinely scans entire sections of continents, one grenade per character until research unlock of a *wow* second slot, grenades and med packs take up the same slot, 69% accuracy on basic assault troops when you are 2 meters (!) away from an enemy.

    Essentially, it seems most of the development was spent on cut scenes and very little on any idea of balanced gameplay features. It is almost as if it proved to difficult to balance anything so they development just cut most interesting ideas and lumped everything into one badly managed soldier profile.    … Expand
  38. Zurpak
    Feb 7, 2016
    0
    1-everyone shooting through the cover (pistols doing max dmg through the wall)
    2-impossible line of sight (your unit in the middle the roof can shoot to enemy who is standing below youright next to the wall)
    3-mindcontrol and grab by thin man with no risonable range (your unit can be grabed from one end of the map o another end even through walls same with mindcontrol) 4-turn limits    1-everyone shooting through the cover (pistols doing max dmg through the wall)
    2-impossible line of sight (your unit in the middle the roof can shoot to enemy who is standing below youright next to the wall)
    3-mindcontrol and grab by thin man with no risonable range (your unit can be grabed from one end of the map o another end even through walls same with mindcontrol)
    4-turn limits killing strategy (most of the missions have such limits that preparing trap or locating your snipers is impossible, all you can do is run forward and shoot your shotgun...)
    5-terrible optimization (I7 2700k overclocekd to 4,9ghz 8gb ram 2xgtx970 msi not working smooth on high settings)
    6-terribly small maps!
    7- messy and chaotic camaign map (12 missions at the same time, constant massages from your base crew, losing control over camera because game wants to show you something, whole game feels like tutorial where you dont have control over things)
    8- cant skip any cinematics ant they are horrible quality
    9- much much worst then xcom 1 not to mention original series game feels like something you would play on your smart phone at work in toilet...
    10!!! Paid gaming magazines reviews, IT IS IMPOSSBLE THAT THIS GAME IS GETTING 9/10!
    REVIEWER MUST BE EATHER BLIND OR STUPID. I have lost 35 pounds because of those 9/10 reviews bought the game friday evening uninstalled it sunday evening. I wanted to uninstall it earlier but i thought it will get better but it dont.    … Expand
  39. StanleyStinklip
    Mar 13, 2016
    8
    Updated:
    Their big patch on March 10th picked the game up off the mat. It's now working properly enough to do what it says on the tin, and it does it very well. It's a strong game that improves on its predecessor in almost every area that it needed to. If you like XCOM:EU/EW then you should like this.
  40. MINUAGE
    Feb 7, 2016
    5
    It's **** lie. Don't believe "METASCORE"

    1. UNBELIEVABLE TERRIBLE PERFORMANCE
    2. FAILLED LEVEL DESINED (DEPENDS ON YOUR 'LUCK', NOT STRATEGY)
    3. NO IMPROVEMENT UI FROM XCOM1

    I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA HOW XCOM2 GET OVER 90 SCORES.
    IT TASTED LIKE UNCOOKED FISH STAKE.
  41. Hovis
    Feb 18, 2016
    5
    S'alright I suppose. Problems lie in the fact that it isn't challenging. Once you figure it out, and it does not take long to figure it out, you're done. And you're done every difficulty, every new game. Power creep and an overly streamlined strategic layer have knackered it. Still kind of fun to blow stuff up though.
  42. doodk3wl
    Feb 9, 2016
    7
    Overall I like it. I was a huge fan of the original 1993 X-coms and I loved the 2012 re-imagining of the franchise. X-com 2 I think has done a great job of pushing the series forward and if you were a fan of the first I'm sure you will enjoy the 2nd.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Once the technical issues are resolved I would consider bumping my score up to an 8, but I will admit I have a favorable bias toward the game.    … Expand
  43. Octomort
    Feb 14, 2016
    5
    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, YET!
    Wait a few months until it drops to half price.
    Many of the yellow reviews explain in detail very well. to sum up;- Some very good ideas amateurishly put into practice. like stealth, doesn't really work. most tactical battles are a rush on a timer-so forget subtle play. The whole game is on a timer, not a bad idea, badly put into practice. and so on, as    DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, YET!
    Wait a few months until it drops to half price.
    Many of the yellow reviews explain in detail very well.
    to sum up;-
    Some very good ideas amateurishly put into practice.
    like stealth, doesn't really work. most tactical battles are a rush on a timer-so forget subtle play.
    The whole game is on a timer, not a bad idea, badly put into practice.
    and so on, as mentioned elsewhere on this site.
    Not worth the original price tag.    … Expand
  44. aertonda
    Mar 27, 2016
    1
    This game makes no sense at all.
    The people that designed it are just full of themselves.
    You can't sneak, lure them in because you have 3 turns left before the end of the game. This stupid mind control against which there is nothing you can do. I am just so appalled at the degrading level of intellect of the US, I think "zombie apocalypse" is already here. Because more than 40% at    This game makes no sense at all.
    The people that designed it are just full of themselves.
    You can't sneak, lure them in because you have 3 turns left before the end of the game.
    This stupid mind control against which there is nothing you can do.
    I am just so appalled at the degrading level of intellect of the US, I think "zombie apocalypse" is already here. Because more than 40% at least can no longer think and expect to be guided like blindfolded helpless babies. This title shows the rising stupidity of our civilization. There are no more smart games anymore, smart talk shows, real discussions. Everything is rushed into and everything is for 1 type of personality: fat, dumb, self-assured full-of-himself retard.
    I honestly don't care about these people anymore.... So annoyed, it's impossible...    … Expand
  45. dongsweep
    Feb 8, 2016
    6
    Last night I was playing and on my last move of the turn I moved a unit forward, from about two and a half screens away in the darkness a patrol spawned. Since it was my last move on the turn the faceless that spawned next to my guy (not the patrol, but at the same time as the patrol) pops up and smacks my guy and brings him to 1 health, the lancers from the patrol run across the entireLast night I was playing and on my last move of the turn I moved a unit forward, from about two and a half screens away in the darkness a patrol spawned. Since it was my last move on the turn the faceless that spawned next to my guy (not the patrol, but at the same time as the patrol) pops up and smacks my guy and brings him to 1 health, the lancers from the patrol run across the entire map and hit two of my other guys for half their health.

    Now I get to play my turn and I am guaranteed someone will die even if I take everyone out. This was a timed mission so you have to move forward to win but regardless, I was moving as tactfully as I could but it is ridiculous that you end your turn spawning a patrol who then gets a move for spawning (towards you) then gets a full turn to attack you. The game has a lot of great aspects but how is that fun. I save scummed and redid my move since I knew where the spawned from, kind of annoying it has to be like that. Should not be any spawns and if they are spawned they should not get a full move and a turn.    … Expand
  46. Kerimbahur
    Feb 6, 2016
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. HUGE PERFORMANCE ISSUES!!!!!!!!! SO FAR ON STEAM 200+ Reports of Performance problems.

    2K YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!

    PEOPLE DO NOT BUY GAME YET PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if people do want to try to play this torrent its not worth the money. you will be crying for a refund.

    Really ♥♥♥♥♥♥ at this release, after watching the cocky director for this game on presentations, sitting there taking the mick out of beyond earth makers im sure they wont have this sort of mess, this is a massive fail..... Ive read a few peoples discussions on this game, and i agree with what people are saying. The game has not been tested properly, no Quality control seems to have taken place. Shading and shadows and background lighting is flickering like crazy. even by turning all to minimal it starts fine but then game drops back to same state after half way through the first mission.

    I build pc's for a living and for this game not to work on my machine its shocking, even seeing the specs on most peoples comments it CLEARLY SHOWS the game is FLAWED. I bought the game yesterday not been able to play it once. I can not play a game with problems like this. Its unplayable. I think 2K Should do something for there MESS UP??? Alot of people bought the game in advance, alot of people waited months for it to come out. alot of people waisted there time going to these seminars showing how good your game is going to be just for it to be released and unplayable for alot. Are you not embarressed..... You Should be???

    Talk about kill the weekend CHEERS. back to work monday I guess.

    Now How do I get a Refund?????????    … Expand
  47. PJD
    Feb 18, 2016
    6
    Overall not as pleased with this iteration as I was with the first.

    Pros: - Looks better. - More customization - More meaningful character development. Cons: - Timed missions eliminate some comp strategies. - Sharpshooter is useless until late game. - Grenades too strong. - Events occur too quickly. Not enough time passes to research basic things like psi. I think I hit the    Overall not as pleased with this iteration as I was with the first.

    Pros:
    - Looks better.
    - More customization
    - More meaningful character development.

    Cons:
    - Timed missions eliminate some comp strategies.
    - Sharpshooter is useless until late game.
    - Grenades too strong.
    - Events occur too quickly. Not enough time passes to research basic things like psi. I think I hit the last mission before even one of my soldiers was a psi op.
    - Events occur too quickly.
    - First time through I didn't really have a sense of what was going on with the map. Tutorial doesn't explain much here.
    - Game gets super easy once you load out a grenadier + specialist party. Probably because so few enemies have explosives resistance.
    - Early game may be a bit too challenging. I think this is due to the speed at which events roll in compared to the speed of research. This was a problem with the first game, too.
    - Game feels oddly on rails. I'm not sure why. Probably due to the timed missions which restricts variety and exploration of strategy in a mission.    … Expand
  48. Rtheom
    Feb 8, 2016
    7
    XCOM 1 is one of my Top 5 All Time games. XCOM 2 is okay, but not quite up to snuff yet, as others have said.

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

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

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

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

    Verdict: Die-hards will still be pleased. New folks should just get XCOM 1 on rebate with the expansions and wait for this one to cook a little longer.    … Expand
  49. Gades
    Apr 29, 2016
    7
    Lets be honest, i never liked this "x-com" reboot from the very beginning. The combat sequences are quite good i must admin (not great but good). The problem is management section: it's poor on details and descriptions.
    The graphic is average and nothing more than that.
    If you liked the first x-com (i mean the first of this "reboot", not the original one) this will be probably be what    Lets be honest, i never liked this "x-com" reboot from the very beginning. The combat sequences are quite good i must admin (not great but good). The problem is management section: it's poor on details and descriptions.
    The graphic is average and nothing more than that.
    If you liked the first x-com (i mean the first of this "reboot", not the original one) this will be probably be what you want from a sequel; too bad this is not my case.
    I give it a 7.    … Expand
  50. ArnostMatejka
    Feb 24, 2016
    6
    XCOM 2 - DONE
    Decided to postpone a feedback by two days as when I was ending it, even playing I was full of anger and depression how the supposedly AAA title can be ruined and so dumb and how Quality assurance and Designers work is currently most probably the easiest work as no one actually is doing it...
    PROs: Graphically really nice, animations superior, story nicely planted and by    XCOM 2 - DONE
    Decided to postpone a feedback by two days as when I was ending it, even playing I was full of anger and depression how the supposedly AAA title can be ruined and so dumb and how Quality assurance and Designers work is currently most probably the easiest work as no one actually is doing it...
    PROs:
    Graphically really nice, animations superior, story nicely planted and by in game and pre-rendered scenes greatly extending the feel being IN the game - especially as they are mostly done with the same style, in same engine just in higher settings than the maximum preset I played the game in.
    CONS - a lot of them
    You ending screaming in frustration and really hate the game in many moments so will write down only biggest crap and things AAA game should not have at all.
    HIT engine - having in mind it is done in full 3D unreal great engine I have to ask why the game designers and programmers in general were doing so crappy and lazy work to program the balistic probability on base of SQUARE grid increased stupidity by unknown **** rules. EXAMPLE - and YES if your opponent staying by the tree and the tree is cover him fully from WEST and you shooting to him from EAST fully uncovered side you have a penalty of 50% as he has a high cover.
    Probability in general
    If you shoot on stationary turret and you are literally 2m next to it with 95% shoot probability you can and will miss 10 times from 10. There is no discussion you are in stop motion, that turret can be in jump somewhere or your soldier is in motion etc. as they look at each other for last 3 turns and did not move at all!!!
    The worst is with enemies in general and hacking probability is even more ridiculous than this or decisions of your squad in overwatch to shoot the most further enemy which is moving when the one next to you is going to shoot you to your head (and sometimes miss as the probability...)...
    BUGS everywhere
    Will omit the bug which is I hope solved by last update when your saves were not working as if some particular enemy was in the map the saves crash all the time - that's astonishing example how sloppy QA at 2K and Firaxis games is but
    Enemies see through solid walls and acting on it
    Enemies and you in some cases can shoot through walls
    You can on the same basis with sword decapitate enemy which is next room as solid wall doesn't matter when you swing the sword...
    Enemies subsequently you if you control them can grab you from distance and bring you to them through as for all these bugs several walls
    Enemies as on one of the pictures can use places which doesn't exist like platforms in air
    Scripts in general have so many bugs or events when they are triggered and you did not do anything logical to get them triggered. Example is AI which acts more like bunch of very poorly done scripts - like you cannot be seen by any means possible but distance on some enemy automatically trigger action and battle mode.
    And many many others ended in 5 hours horrible fight at the end when I could not use load as it crashed whole game..
    VERDICT
    Good game BUT
    Lazy copy&paste of the old Enemy Unknown just with small improvements and huge diminished of correctly set strategy rules and it's inner complexity.
    Did finish it and was looking for it so long, now... never ever will play again. I would from bottom of my heart say that it would be great amazing game, just little bit more like 3 months tops to polish it (test and finalize) and implement better of the old principles or even use the ability of engine make it better.
    I would say it is a HUGE miss opportunity as I would expect to have stealth missions implemented which could be so good fun.
    Missions for sharpshooters.
    Missions for hackers - even though one mission I done on flawless with hacker and ranger only in 3 turns none was killed.
    Missions for rangers only as they can be a real killing machines.
    Usage of later guns and equipment is in general none as the engine doesn't construct missions to use it somewhere.    … Expand
  51. eroeru
    Jan 19, 2017
    3
    It's a piece of garbage software. Runs horribly. Enemy Unknown ran perfectly on high settings, this one stutters on minimal. And looks ugly at it.

    As to the actual contents - it's cheesy and unconcincing as f***. A cut scene fiesta with "epic" music and dumb lines. As to the whole premise of fighting to bring back a commander from 20 years back who is so very special and without whom    It's a piece of garbage software. Runs horribly. Enemy Unknown ran perfectly on high settings, this one stutters on minimal. And looks ugly at it.

    As to the actual contents - it's cheesy and unconcincing as f***. A cut scene fiesta with "epic" music and dumb lines. As to the whole premise of fighting to bring back a commander from 20 years back who is so very special and without whom the soldiers are doomed - f'ing ridiculous.

    Free, more laidback and aplenty tactics options are taken away and you're left with running to some objective and trying to RNG oponents on the way. It also doesn't make an effort in regards to the cool options available - for example, even though there's an option to hear a soldier speak its mother tongue, most speak English. Is it somehow insulting to Americans that other, frankly more interesting languages exist? The few lines for Asian and smaller European languages wouldn't take any money, especially as to how XCOM:EU made the dev lots. This lacking seems just out of fear of alienating Americans.

    First game had a more believable and nicely eerie feel to it. This one's a severely unoptimized flunk.

    To paraphrase a title from fake game journalism: XCOM 2 is a far worse game than its predecessor in almost every way that matters.    … Expand
  52. TwoEars
    Mar 15, 2017
    7
    XCOM 2 is an amazing game which one year after release still feels like it never left the beta development phase, and as much as I had a blast playing it it's also really hard to recommend. There are so many parts of this game I love; the new flying base is awesome, the story has a kind of x-files vibe to it, upgrading and customizing my soldiers is kick-ass. And when you get your squad ofXCOM 2 is an amazing game which one year after release still feels like it never left the beta development phase, and as much as I had a blast playing it it's also really hard to recommend. There are so many parts of this game I love; the new flying base is awesome, the story has a kind of x-files vibe to it, upgrading and customizing my soldiers is kick-ass. And when you get your squad of trained marines into position and make a brilliant tactical move, or decimate the enemy using "overwatch" or "killzone"... man this game can be a blast. Pure tactical turn based bliss.

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

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

    Currently XCOM2 is not worth its full asking price, unless they fix all the bugs and gameplay issues this isn't worth more than $20 or so. In no way is it worth the full sticker price with all the issues I had and saw. I have to wonder what the heck Firaxis is up to, it's been over a year since release and still the game is full sticker price and shock full with bugs. I'm a big fan of the series and would love to see XCOM3, but they have to step up their QC-QA and play testing. XCOM2 could have been a "Solid 9" score type game if it had spent maybe 6 months more in QC-QA and play testing.    … Expand
  53. Hfx
    Jul 11, 2016
    2
    This game forces a player to rush from point A to B as fast as possible and discourages actual tactical gameplay.

    Rush. Get spotted. reload. Rush. Get spotted. reload. Rush, etc The Bad -Almost every single mission in on a timer. -Soldiers take ages to heal. -When you're not in a timed mission the main game itself is on a timer. -Bosses are not bound by turns The Good: -I    This game forces a player to rush from point A to B as fast as possible and discourages actual tactical gameplay.

    Rush. Get spotted. reload. Rush. Get spotted. reload. Rush, etc

    The Bad

    -Almost every single mission in on a timer.
    -Soldiers take ages to heal.
    -When you're not in a timed mission the main game itself is on a timer.
    -Bosses are not bound by turns

    The Good:

    -I bought it on the steam sale for 50% off.
    -That's-literally-it

    Conclusion:

    -This game is no fun. Hopefully future patches and mods will be able to bring back the magic of EU&EW
    -Replay XCom Enemy Within again for the 7th time. At least it'll be fun    … Expand
  54. zombie326
    Jul 20, 2016
    5
    Unreliable statistics(i.e missing on 100%) turn counters for each mission (Yes you're limited to about 8 turns every mission) and plenty of bugs ruin a beloved franchise. An X-COM game should never be a 5.
  55. hassall
    Feb 17, 2017
    4
    I spent more time trying to firgure out how to get my fps to run smoother than playing the game, i dont understand why this game runs so badly. The enemies in this game has all the luck and in my first mission 3 of my men died. Im just gonner wait until they patch it or somehthing.
  56. Gustawosky
    Jan 29, 2017
    2
    i spent more time reloading saves files than playing the game, unfair enemies that had all the odds in their favor, you dont need skill on this game its just a coin flip that punish you hard every time that you lost
  57. lordzzz
    Feb 6, 2016
    10
    Horrible performance. Too hard missions / timer. No multi platform. Graphics are bland. Blatant failure until fixed. Dont buy or rent. Not worth it...
  58. MrFelix
    Feb 8, 2016
    0
    if you like to to watch loading screens because you die in an unfair game with no tactical depth this one is for you!

    i really wanted to like this game but... -for a game that costs 50€ an looks like 2005 this game hast serious performance issues. i have a decent computer witch plays new games just fine just played rise of the tomb raider on high settings no problem. on this i    if you like to to watch loading screens because you die in an unfair game with no tactical depth this one is for you!

    i really wanted to like this game but...

    -for a game that costs 50€ an looks like 2005 this game hast serious performance issues.
    i have a decent computer witch plays new games just fine just played rise of the tomb raider on
    high settings no problem. on this i have to use the lowest of the lowest settings on my macpro.
    why no clue. would be ok with me but...

    -nearly every misson has a timer, and that sucks so much. i can´t enjoy this game at all. no matter
    how hard i try. if you like a tactical approach you are wrong here. you have to rush like a mad man to
    get everything done. if you like to keep you soldiers and do things carfeully not a chance. i even
    lowered my difficulty to veteran and it´s still not possible not to loose anyone. i have to reload all the
    time which i never did in xcom. it just feels unfair.

    i played the game for 16 hours, so i tried to like it.
    i would be fine if the game does not look top notch...but unfun, unfair, unpolished game NO.
    don´t understand how this got such good critics, all bought i guess

    don´t buy    … Expand
  59. PaperMacheMan
    Feb 21, 2016
    3
    I want to give this game a 10 because I love the concept, am a huge fan of the series and I think the intent here is exactly what a good sequel should be like. The problem is that the execution has let this game down completely.

    The game has a wealth of game breaking bugs. Some critical bugs are only just being ironed out now, these are the CTD issues and performance issues people have    I want to give this game a 10 because I love the concept, am a huge fan of the series and I think the intent here is exactly what a good sequel should be like. The problem is that the execution has let this game down completely.

    The game has a wealth of game breaking bugs. Some critical bugs are only just being ironed out now, these are the CTD issues and performance issues people have experienced. What I'm even more frustrated about though are the bugs which break the entire mechanic of the game.

    This game is all about risk reward and the decisions you make. To highlight this it has a game mode - ironmode - which saves every turn automatically. For many fans of the series this is the only way to play Xcom. Save scumming takes out the risk and only gives reward, which makes for a boring game.

    So with that in mind, it makes bugs affecting game-play hugely punishing. Getting shot through the floor when you're in high cover; suddenly receiving a flanked penalty from being exposed when you're clearly not; getting shot through walls etc. It removes the key mechanic in the game. In some games, that's not a problem but in this one, if your squad gets wiped because the game bugged and gave the AI free shots at your squad, that's irreversible and completely game breaking.

    I'm sick of games coming out with these kinds of issues. This is not a hardware based bug but is right in the guts of the code and would have been obvious in any kind of QA process. So they've decided to ship a buggy game and the critic reviews seem to be ok with that, time and time again.

    Well I'm not. I paid $80 AUD and have restarted the campaign because of this. Eventually when and if these bugs are addressed I will have already sunk too many hours into this game for the story to matter.

    DON'T REWARD THIS KIND OF CRAP. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND SPEND IT ON A FINISHED PRODUCT.    … Expand
  60. altaydron
    Mar 8, 2016
    6
    Все ненавидят миссии на время, но нет! Они напихали их с головой, что заставляет задуматься ох адекватности разработчиков
  61. JS99
    May 29, 2016
    3
    I like this game, and I hate this game. First off, the Steam Controller does not work after the last patch. It suffers from a double click error which 2k knows about and refuses to fix. The game has many other technical problems, getting shot through walls, crashes, slowdowns, and combat balance problems. The real annoying thing is that your movement range changes at times just to make theI like this game, and I hate this game. First off, the Steam Controller does not work after the last patch. It suffers from a double click error which 2k knows about and refuses to fix. The game has many other technical problems, getting shot through walls, crashes, slowdowns, and combat balance problems. The real annoying thing is that your movement range changes at times just to make the game harder. It's like someone in chess all of the sudden said "Sorry your Queen can't move that far, we're changing the rules at the most critical time, just to make things harder". It's really obvious too, oh look there's the evac zone, why is it that I can actually move past it but not into it? Game programming, "If evac zone yes, subtract 1 space" Really just lazy programming and design all around. FYI, for the "hardcore" guys out there, starting over is just a longer version of save scumming.

    Update: The May patch still doesn’t fix the Steam Controller double-click error. I’ve been unable to play this game as advertised since the March 2016 patch. I’m lowering my review score to reflect a complete disregard for their customers.    … Expand
  62. SYLOH
    Feb 8, 2016
    9
    I love this game.
    I've been seeing alot of people complaining that the turn limited objectives make the game less tactical.
    This is a position I don't understand. That's like saying having a limited budget in a management sim less managerial. There is no real time counter ticking down, you have to be tactical in your approach to survive the turn limit. None of the missions require you    I love this game.
    I've been seeing alot of people complaining that the turn limited objectives make the game less tactical.
    This is a position I don't understand. That's like saying having a limited budget in a management sim less managerial.
    There is no real time counter ticking down, you have to be tactical in your approach to survive the turn limit. None of the missions require you to kill all of the aliens within the turn limit anyway. You have to make the tactical decisions that let you turn off the timer. You got alot of tools in your belt to get to the timer location, armor that lets you walk through walls, remote hacking with a specialist, blasting a hole in a wall with explosives, a ranger that is still in concealment while the rest of the team lays down fire, the list goes on.
    The turn limit reinforces the theme of the game and provides a link between the overworld strategy and the low level tactics. You are on the clock, humanity's days are numbered, if you take too long the aliens will win. You are a desperate and hounded resistance movement going against incredible odds.
    Another criticism is the reliance on random events. Which I define as a core feature of the gameplay. This game is all about managing risk. You don't put all your Colonels in one mission, you don't dash out max distance into the fog of war, your plans don't rely on a single point of failure. All this risk management has to be weighed against the clock, adding another layer of complexity.
    Finally there are the bugs. This I have no counter to, the game is buggy as hell. Granted the majority of the bugs are graphical, and I haven't run into anything particularly game breaking. Also the text in item descriptions and tooltips outright lies in some places. (HINT: The haywire protocol tooltip is a lie, turrets are NOT permanently under your control). This knocks it down from a 10, but it's otherwise one of the best turn based games in the current market.    … Expand
  63. ChiefdruidRVnge
    Apr 7, 2016
    0
    X-Com 2 is exactly what I said it would be "just another money grab" on the Title not the quality of the game. That many people disliking the game so early speaks volumes about any game. It happened to Rome II total war and X-Rebirth! These sequels are for money grabs on the titles, squeezing every penny they can out of IGMO's for basically the same game with the furniture moved around. IX-Com 2 is exactly what I said it would be "just another money grab" on the Title not the quality of the game. That many people disliking the game so early speaks volumes about any game. It happened to Rome II total war and X-Rebirth! These sequels are for money grabs on the titles, squeezing every penny they can out of IGMO's for basically the same game with the furniture moved around. I saw it coming before it was even released. I saw it in the preview video's at YouTube. I can't believe so many didn't see it. You're just throwing your money away folks. When X-com enemy unknown came out that was an "improvement" on the old X-Com and I support it. But, everything after has just been MILKing the Donkey money and most of you have fallen for it. You're not getting much of anything new for the same full retail prices. Wake up IGMO's look what developers and publishers are doing to you. They aren't making you NEW games they are just white washing the old ones, putting on a new coat of PAINT (reskin) and moving the furniture around. Same chair just in a different spot.

    I wouldn't give 2 cents for X-Com 2 and less than that now after reading the reviews.    … Expand
  64. Yusta
    Feb 7, 2016
    0
    I have waited to play this game so much (turn based game with rng are just my favorite cup of tea), unfortunately he refuse to run and just freeze forcing me bo manualy reboot my pc, lurked around for solution, discovered i'm not alone with similar problem.
    tried some solution, none worked.
    no official words/help from the devs. i'm unfortunate? probaly, still the other 30+ games i have    I have waited to play this game so much (turn based game with rng are just my favorite cup of tea), unfortunately he refuse to run and just freeze forcing me bo manualy reboot my pc, lurked around for solution, discovered i'm not alone with similar problem.
    tried some solution, none worked.
    no official words/help from the devs.
    i'm unfortunate? probaly, still the other 30+ games i have installed on this pc and work just fine will disagree.
    unstable beta for full price, good scam, that was my expirience, so... 0.    … Expand
  65. reijison
    Feb 5, 2016
    2
    Was hoping for a good game, but the line of sight problems, chance on hit standing next to a unit, and oh my god the just retarded math involved in the game is just mind-boggling so bad...its like nobody ever played the game...I just can't recommend it. I can't believe someone called this fun and signed off on it.
  66. zandridust
    Feb 12, 2016
    6
    Where to begin with xcom 2, a game that is a triumph in many ways and let down in others. i have played through the game twice and both of my experiences where different, which the addition of mods it can add a reservoir of new fresh content.

    x com 2 strengths: lets face it trying to beat x com enemy unknown was always going to be a challenge, in ways this game beats it with the    Where to begin with xcom 2, a game that is a triumph in many ways and let down in others. i have played through the game twice and both of my experiences where different, which the addition of mods it can add a reservoir of new fresh content.

    x com 2 strengths: lets face it trying to beat x com enemy unknown was always going to be a challenge, in ways this game beats it with the addition of new classes, polished graphics and an overall harder challenge. i felt that through my campaign that every single choice effected the outcome of my campaign, there were times where i would miss one shot and that was it the enemy would wipe my best soldiers out..... i really loved that aspect it kept you on your feet through the game, and left the user more cautious.

    weaknesses: as much as i wanted to give this game a 9 out of 10, i just feel that it is not worthy at this point with so many bugs and issues that plague the game from start to finish it is a little bit disappointing considering that this game is a pc exclusive and not a port. the optimization is very poor no matter what specs your pc has the user will struggle to get 60 fps solid, even if you tweek the settings the game is still effected by poor optimization. there are times were the AI out right cheats, such as killing you through walls and moving a very far distance across the battleground and killing you.

    conclusion: in many ways what should have been the game that topped x com enemy unknown and being a potential challenger for PC game of the year, i falls way to short with issues, i just hope for the shake of this game that faraxis can iron out these issues and give use that game that we deserve for the price tag....

    6 out of 10    … Expand
  67. Filaton
    Feb 6, 2016
    8
    + The tactical gameplay seems a lot more deep than it was in vanilla XCOM 1. The newly implemented hacking mechanics, melee attacks and more meaningful classes.
    + Plethora of enemies, all by far more troublesome than in XCOM 1; Expect sectoids to give you some early game havoc.
    + Pretty visuals, character customization makes it just hurt that much more when your top operatives get iced.    + The tactical gameplay seems a lot more deep than it was in vanilla XCOM 1. The newly implemented hacking mechanics, melee attacks and more meaningful classes.
    + Plethora of enemies, all by far more troublesome than in XCOM 1; Expect sectoids to give you some early game havoc.
    + Pretty visuals, character customization makes it just hurt that much more when your top operatives get iced.
    + Normal difficulty is no longer a walk in the park like it was in XCOM 1.
    - Poor optimization, I'm running a GTX 750 Ti, which isn't that far off the recommended GTX 770, but I'm still getting awful fps in the base and on some missions with a lot of vegetation. My fps is 30-25 on moderate settings at best.
    - The use of the turn-limit system is a little excessive. While I've had no problems getting it done on normal difficulty, I think the game's difficulty should come from dealing with the alien hordes and the troublesome combinations they can bring up, not having this constant race against the clock. I'd rather risk additional alien reinforcements than having my troops terminated because I didn't make the clock.
    - Strategic campaign seems a little too punishing on normal difficulty. Even though I've nailed every mission so far with minimal casualties(and 2-3 savescums), I'm lagging far off on the Avatar project. I've probably made some bad choices along the road, but I feel like normal shouldn't be that merciless yet. I don't want to lower the difficulty just because of that, as I have no problems in dealing with the aliens mano a mano.

    CONCLUSION:
    The XCOM 2 will without a doubt be a good game in my book after a few patches and/or some possible modding. Reason I'm not rating it higher is because I feel like the game should be playable on Day One without any extra tinkering being needed.

    After reading some of the fellow reviewers thoughts, I feel like people didn't inspect what they were buying at all. Complaining about a 95% shot missing: that's XCOM, baby. Complaining about lucky shots or unpredictable events screwing things up: that's XCOM, baby. This game was simply never intended for these people. I understand the complaints about turn-timer missions as there was only maybe one mission with a turn-timer in XCOM1.    … Expand
  68. Jimsin
    Mar 7, 2016
    10
    I'm dismayed by some of the negative reviews here. I've been a fan of XCOM since the original, and this is by far the best incarnation of the game. The developers have listened to all the feedback from XCOM EU, and created a thing of beauty. People are complaining about the timers, but they make missions exciting & force you to take risks, not just sit there chin-stroking. Short of someI'm dismayed by some of the negative reviews here. I've been a fan of XCOM since the original, and this is by far the best incarnation of the game. The developers have listened to all the feedback from XCOM EU, and created a thing of beauty. People are complaining about the timers, but they make missions exciting & force you to take risks, not just sit there chin-stroking. Short of some optimisation problems I'm sure will soon be fixed, this is the game I've always dreamed of.… Expand
  69. Robobob
    Jun 15, 2016
    4
    This is my third time writing a review for this game, each time I've played it more, I've lowered the score further and now I can't drop it any more. I loved the first X-Com:EU and would rate it very highly. (9-10) This was the first game I researched getting a refund on Steam. Turns out I had 2 hours of play and a week or 2 to return it. So, too late for me. So I keep playing just toThis is my third time writing a review for this game, each time I've played it more, I've lowered the score further and now I can't drop it any more. I loved the first X-Com:EU and would rate it very highly. (9-10) This was the first game I researched getting a refund on Steam. Turns out I had 2 hours of play and a week or 2 to return it. So, too late for me. So I keep playing just to get my money's worth. The more I play the more ridiculous $#it I see. A lot of the complaints you read on here are true and I still can't see why anyone can possibly give this game a 10. I understand people have different tastes, but come on! The game is buggy, with lackluster graphics, slow, tedious and terribly unbalanced. I'll give you examples for all.
    The mouse is buggy in that you are not always highlighting the square you are attempting to target and the zooming through different heights of the map is cumbersome. I often target the wrong square. Good thing I save every turn. Reload.
    Graphics. My machine ran the new Tomb Raider on high and 3 years later this game just looks bad. Weird character proportions. Low q textures. The camera is constantly blocked by obstacles.
    Animations in mission are soooo slow making the gameplay of a single mission sometimes taking an hour or more. Why are there long pauses after enemy movement and animations? Why can't we skip through in-game talky cutscenes we've seen a million times?
    In a "tactical" game why is cover so meaningless? Everything, including steel walls and boulders can be blown away with ease. The enemy has mind attacks that ignore cover, are almost always successful, and remove a soldier from the action like Mind Control, Stun, Knock Unconscious, Panic. These are all on EASY missions, no less! There's an attack that ignores cover, drags a soldier to the enemy and traps them doing damage each turn. YAY! There's an attack that depletes all of your troops ammo with in a radius and explodes the next turn if they don't move. So, don't group them too close, yet group them too far and they get eaten up quickly. Many enemies can run up and smack you for obscene unavoidable damage THROUGH WALLS?!? YAY! It seems like there are few actual firefights in this game. You better rush enemies because if they have any cover you chances are about 50%, which feels more like 5%, LOL.
    The one aspect that annoys be the most about this game is that the AI gets a free turn to move to cover whenever they spot you. Starting some missions in stealth is genius, but it means absolutely nothing when every enemy on the map gets a free move to cover when your first soldier is spotted. You have to use Overwatch to get your attacks in, setting them up into position and wasting a whole turn to do this. I think Overwatch made the enemy's free move to cover a necessity and, in fact, ruined this game.
    Save Spamming: You HAVE TO save and save often in this game. The odds are so stacked against you, you can easily lose your best solider in the blink of an eye. This just happened to me in the last mission I rage quit on. 5th level soldier (Cpt?) gets "marked" by an Officer. That same officer attacks and hits. The next 2 Advent troopers attack and hit. 13 hitpoints with Armor and she's gone in one turn, those attacks were 15 square range. YAY!
    Mission Counters: nearly every mission has one in some way. The ones that don't have to rescue 6 out of 12 pedestrians before they are slaughtered with the annoying voice over telling you EVERY turn "commander! People are getting slaughtered out there!" I know, they are on the other side of the map and it's turn 2. YAY!
    Hit percentages are weird. Some enemies have inexplicably lower % for no reason. They can be 2 squares away behind partial cover and 44% to hit? What? They are within arms reach and I can't just shoot them in the face? YAY!
    Finally: The overly complicated and busy World Map. Right away you are slammed with a half dozen things to research, 2 of them critical. Need to start rebuilding your helicarrier, but there is a critical mission addition to build...and you need more power... and you need to build radio to contact resistance. When you get your supply drop you have to fly to that continent and "scan"?!?! for it for a week everytime!?!? A quarter of each month is wasted scanning for valuable supplies! Meanwhile critical missions pop up that you need to get to ASAP.
    I made the very crucial mistake of spending too much of my "intel" currency early in my second playthrough. Well, the enemy started its Avatar countdown project and for me to slow it down I needed to fly to another country. Sound simple? No. I need to stop and contact resistance (5 days) and spend intel on each country on the way to an enemy base 2-3 territories away. Meanwhile more bases are popping up adding to the count down before I can get to the first. Might as well end this playthrough and start over..

    or throw this game in the trash    … Expand
  70. Hohum
    Feb 7, 2016
    8
    Hello, Commander. You've been busted out of an Advent prison to frantically charge your way across maps in 8 turns or less. The aliens don't know that you're here, but that cache/computer/VIP/whatever is going to spontaneously combust in around 5 minutes anyway. Also, you're going to have to strategically command your troops at 10 fps each time the camera decides to move an inch. GoodHello, Commander. You've been busted out of an Advent prison to frantically charge your way across maps in 8 turns or less. The aliens don't know that you're here, but that cache/computer/VIP/whatever is going to spontaneously combust in around 5 minutes anyway. Also, you're going to have to strategically command your troops at 10 fps each time the camera decides to move an inch. Good luck, Commander (you're gonna need it).

    Let's start with the timed missions. I hated them at first. They completely change the dynamic of what an XCOM game has always been - slow, tactical and methodical progress across any given map to thoroughly obliterate your foe. That being said, they're growing on me. I still feel there are too many of them and the timer should start when concealment is broken, but they definitely add a feeling of urgency to the game which we haven't had before. A bit of patching here, and some modding there, and they could work pretty well.

    Secondly - the performance ranges to woeful to "wow, are these screenshots?". My Core i7 / 980 GTX can blast through the latest games on Ultra settings without a care in the world, but seems to develop some sort of crippling illness each time XCOM2.exe is fired up. Again, something I hope to be patched and modded in the near future.

    All that aside, it's more of the same (but better) from XCOM:EO. Those many little annoyances and quirks from 2012's game have been improved dramatically. I plan to play this one for a good long time, but really you should hold off for a major patch or two before checking it out. No sense in letting some day-one disappointments ruin what should be an awesome experience.    … Expand
  71. cordiquasso
    Mar 22, 2016
    10
    I created the account to tell you that the game is awesome and I have no idea how you can rate it as low as 7. Most of the negative user reviews are unfounded and misleading, and I’m afraid you just don’t understand and can’t properly use the game mechanics if you say the game is too difficult or not fair.

    In short: Definitely play it! If you loved XCom:EU you’ll love this one as well.    I created the account to tell you that the game is awesome and I have no idea how you can rate it as low as 7. Most of the negative user reviews are unfounded and misleading, and I’m afraid you just don’t understand and can’t properly use the game mechanics if you say the game is too difficult or not fair.

    In short: Definitely play it! If you loved XCom:EU you’ll love this one as well. Despite some performance issues the game gives tons of fun and instant satisfaction with every successful mission. The new mechanics works great, new skills are inventive, missions challenging and new alien species won’t let you get bored. It’s insanely rewarding and you’ll forget about the world around you.

    My specs:
    rig: i5 3570, 16GB RAM, GTX 970, SSD
    game difficulty: Veteran (normal)
    play style: completionist
    missions won: 44 (25 flawless, 0 dead soldiers)
    patch: minor and later in game major
    game time: 60h

    Let’s have a look at most discussed issues:

    Performance:
    Yes, the game is poorly optimized. On my pc at full HD with AA off I get around 70fps. The rest of the settings is on high. Which is good but there are drops in frame rate now and then, especially during mission loading screen. Last mission also caused some fps drops. Having said that, it doesn’t affect the gameplay but leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Lazy work Firaxis.

    Bugs/glitches:
    During my 60h playthrough I didn’t have a single crash or a hang-up. Action camera works fine. There are some occasional screen obstructions here and there. Also, the final mission was a glitch-o-rama, but a save reload fixed it. Nothing even remotely game breaking. But it could be better.
    Story: Nothing to complain about. Nothing to be ecstatic about either.

    Difficulty/turn timers:
    Too difficult, not fair, no room for strategic gameplay, mindless rushing? Bollocks. If you know the game mechanics, can use the skills at your disposal, know how cover works and how to disable it, use a healthy composition of your squad than you should have no problems at all. At least on Veteran difficulty. Don’t overuse overwatch. Yes, you will use save/load frequently, just to probe the ground and maybe count for a better roll, but that’s a part of the game. In fact, after completing the game it says ‘average turns left on mission timers’ 2.74. I deliberately stalled the evacuation of my team just to wait for more alien reinforcements (=more exp).

    Load times:
    On my SSD mission load screens between instant and 15sec. No complaints at all. Saving the game is instant and loading takes about 5sec. (tip: delete old saves in game folder to speed up saving).

    Ridiculously not fair hit %:
    To be honest, I can’t complain. It was fair to me, I guess. Not even a single 100% miss. 90%? Yes, sometimes, but very rarely. Just flank your enemies, destroy their cover and boost aim stat. Use weapon upgrades, PCS and abilities. Remember that overwatch has some hit penalty.

    Concealment:
    Great new mechanics. Works perfectly. When you know how to do it. Use a scout (some abilities are useful here) to find enemies, put everyone (except 1 shooter) on overwatch, use the shooter (preferably grenadier) to throw a grenade or shoot at the group of enemies. They take damage and run for cover. As they run your team shoots from concealment overwatch (no penalty). Profit. Just use your head and you’ll use this mechanics to your advantage. Again, don’t criticize something if you don’t know how it works.

    Enemies see and attack through the walls:
    Ummm….what?

    No height advantage:
    Yes, there is.

    Music:
    Very strong point in favor of the game. Just love it. It’s tense when it should be (team loadout screen!). Although after 40h it can get repetitive and a bit boring. More tracks would be welcome. Still listening to it after having finished the game.

    To sum it up, after reading many negative user reviews I thought the game would be rubbish. It is not. It’s pure gold. So I decided to do it justice. Definitely one of the best games I’ve ever played. So rewarding and immensely addictive. It puts a big smile on your face and pats you on the back after every successful hit. Good job, commander.    … Expand
  72. Grimm345
    Feb 5, 2016
    10
    Xcom 2 feels exactly how the sequel to Xcom 1 should. It has everything i loved in the first game and just more added on to it. The stealth mechanic is fun and adds diversity especially when using some higher tiered soldiers who can duck in and out of stealth. The new found overlay map adds a lot to the decision making process of what type of supplies i need at the moment

    This is not    Xcom 2 feels exactly how the sequel to Xcom 1 should. It has everything i loved in the first game and just more added on to it. The stealth mechanic is fun and adds diversity especially when using some higher tiered soldiers who can duck in and out of stealth. The new found overlay map adds a lot to the decision making process of what type of supplies i need at the moment

    This is not a "perfect game" but it is a perfect xcom game. Bugs are occasional and are always going to be around on launch (What little there is)

    It seems to me the majority of negative comments don't like the difficulty or the fact that numerous missions are timed. Unfortunately for those people they must not know Xcom because the pure fact that it is difficult, grueling, and punishing is what makes it shine. You will never forget those soldiers who fell under your command. I don't think I've ever been so torn up with deaths in a strategy game.
    The percentage system (Thank god) seems overhauled from the original in that over 70% is pretty guaranteed a kill so no more standing with your shot gun up someones bum and watching your man hit the ceiling.
    There is much more i can say positive about this game but if you are honestly still reading this review and haven't scoffed at-least 3 teams at my remarks you should just go out and buy it. Its like the old Xcom's but better!    … Expand
  73. op8
    Feb 7, 2016
    9
    Putting aside the complaints I've heard about performance, of which I don't have any since I turned down AA, switch off DoF, and had to turn on V Sync; the game is a masterpiece. If you loved the previous game and are not afraid of being removed from your comfort zone of how you used to play, then you will love every second of this glorious game. The saltiness over the occasional timedPutting aside the complaints I've heard about performance, of which I don't have any since I turned down AA, switch off DoF, and had to turn on V Sync; the game is a masterpiece. If you loved the previous game and are not afraid of being removed from your comfort zone of how you used to play, then you will love every second of this glorious game. The saltiness over the occasional timed missions is hilarious. Firaxis have built another challenge for us to get our heads around, accept it and stop acting like children. If you actually continue with the game and make some serious progression you would understand. The complaints of the Advent timer and demands to remove it are equally hilarious. This is a core concept of the lore for this game, get over it. Buy this game now. 8.5/10 as it is now, but with some patches to fix some hang ups and graphical glitches this will be an easy 9/10. BUY THIS GAME NOW & IGNORE THE IDIOTS!!… Expand
  74. ihab86
    Feb 6, 2016
    10
    What astounds me about XCOM 2 is how often it’s not **** With such high stakes and so many intertwining systems constantly pushing the player forward, it could easily have devolved into a hair-trigger, save-scumming frustration fest. It doesn’t. XCOM 2 masterfully creates the illusion that the odds are completely against you, while giving you numerous opportunities to Rocky your way backWhat astounds me about XCOM 2 is how often it’s not **** With such high stakes and so many intertwining systems constantly pushing the player forward, it could easily have devolved into a hair-trigger, save-scumming frustration fest. It doesn’t. XCOM 2 masterfully creates the illusion that the odds are completely against you, while giving you numerous opportunities to Rocky your way back to the top. You’ve just gotta stay nimble. You’ve just gotta think.… Expand
  75. RangerMiG
    Feb 5, 2016
    10
    The game is a 10 and I didn't rate it that to troll with the Zero idiots! It's the perfect continuation to the XCOM series,yet it feels independent on its own and it improves so much in terms of gameplay, technicalities and story over its predecessor. The graphics are excellent in par of what you expect from turn-based tactics genre Forget about tall the negativity in some review they areThe game is a 10 and I didn't rate it that to troll with the Zero idiots! It's the perfect continuation to the XCOM series,yet it feels independent on its own and it improves so much in terms of gameplay, technicalities and story over its predecessor. The graphics are excellent in par of what you expect from turn-based tactics genre Forget about tall the negativity in some review they are either sore consolers or some MOBA freaks who never played this genre. The game has steep learning curve for newbies and punishing gameplay for veterans but it's the most rewarding game you can play on your PC right now! Now, there are few bugs like few stuttering here and then but i'm sure it's gonna be patched nothing will effect your overall gaming experience.… Expand
  76. Jimmious
    Feb 6, 2016
    10
    XCOM 2 is an improved version of XCOM in every way possible. More options, better strategic and tactical gameplay, everything is there.
    I guess there are performance issues, since people mention that a lot, but I didn't have any.
    A good thing to notice is how nicely the Firaxis people got the players out of the comfort zone by including the timers in many missions who need a completely    XCOM 2 is an improved version of XCOM in every way possible. More options, better strategic and tactical gameplay, everything is there.
    I guess there are performance issues, since people mention that a lot, but I didn't have any.
    A good thing to notice is how nicely the Firaxis people got the players out of the comfort zone by including the timers in many missions who need a completely different approach and this is obviously enraging people who wanted to win the game by playing it the same way, by overwatch creeping. That is not going to work anymore people, you have to think anew!    … Expand
  77. Whitehood
    Feb 5, 2016
    10
    Found so many reviews speaking that this is a extremely difficult game and because of this 0/10. WTF?! Xcom 2 have same issues but it is still very good and qualitative game.
  78. kosar1k
    Feb 7, 2016
    0
    I thought that I hate FALLOUT 4 but I was wrong ..... this game **** Developers themselves played it?BUGS BUGS BUGS....... I have to give a bad rating.
  79. cca1977
    Feb 6, 2016
    10
    A brilliant concept coupled with smart design choices results in a hugely rewarding game that over-delivers in almost every area. best strategy game ever.
  80. james1231
    Feb 6, 2016
    10
    XCOM 2 review: Best-in-class tactical battles with a new sense of style
    Sequel greatly improves on character and setting without ruining the gameplay..
  81. BossZW
    Feb 6, 2016
    10
    I read a lot of negative comments so far... While I can understand them from people experiencing technical problems due to poor optimisation at launch and while that type of game isn't for everyone, I really think the metacritic score based on players reviews is biaised and doesn't bring justice to the game.

    First, I am of the lucky ones for which the game runs like butter. A lot of    I read a lot of negative comments so far... While I can understand them from people experiencing technical problems due to poor optimisation at launch and while that type of game isn't for everyone, I really think the metacritic score based on players reviews is biaised and doesn't bring justice to the game.

    First, I am of the lucky ones for which the game runs like butter. A lot of folks with better configs are experiencing issues right now, while I don't with my old Phenom II, 12 go of ram and a gtx 960. Lack of optimisation at launch is irratating at best when you pay the high price for a new release, that I can understand.

    But the game, when it works, is a jewel as much as Enemy Unknown was in it's own right. Like many critics, I think the game expands on the previous iteration and really shines when it gets to immersion, squad control and personalization. I really care for my team and did put some time to choose their look, their voices and backgrounds. Those guys are bleeding, dying to save mankind and choosing the right strategies to keep them alive while doing so is intense, fun and rewarding.

    Once started, the game is hard to stop and while playing it, the time disappear: this is the sign of a great game. If you loved the first, I can't understand why you wouldn't love this one. The music, the story, the missions, gadgets... everything is there with new paths, graphics and options. A lot of mechanics have improved if you ask me, but even if you don't agree, there's a lot to love here.

    I suggest you wait for some patches if you fear of facing issues, but otherwise, go ahead and buy it with confidence as it is an easy recommandation.    … Expand
  82. ChosenOne
    Sep 13, 2017
    0
    A more than a year after release, few DLCs is out. Game still crushes after tuttorial. No word from firaxis or 2K. Nice job! It seems like 2K policy - to ignore all, even critical bugs in their products.
  83. TOPO
    Mar 6, 2016
    10
    I'm a HUGE fan of XCOM (UFO Enemy Unkown here in Europe) since the times I played with my 286. I really like how the new XCOM changed many things that could be remembered with nostalgia from the old one but are a huge useless time sinks (item collection, Action Points micromanagement, useless bases to be managed only to use hangar and storage, primed grenade rookies to open doors... theI'm a HUGE fan of XCOM (UFO Enemy Unkown here in Europe) since the times I played with my 286. I really like how the new XCOM changed many things that could be remembered with nostalgia from the old one but are a huge useless time sinks (item collection, Action Points micromanagement, useless bases to be managed only to use hangar and storage, primed grenade rookies to open doors... the old one actually had many flaws) and now XCOM2 instead of repeating the xcom like by like (just like terror from the deep did) it removes some mechanics and dives into some new ones that really spices up the game.
    Everything is focused in the "you're the resistance" concept instead of "you're the first line of defense" from XCOM, and it really catches it... people complains about no fighters nor interceptions... but that really makes no sense in this Resistance set up. Most of the time (strategical) you are willing to make the right choices about days spent and base movement.
    About the new mechanics, both stealth and hackings works pretty well... again, there are a LOT of haters, but after a few frustrating plays... you get the feeling of it, and with a couple of leveled up commandos, you can really take advantage, forcing the attention on your heavys with sniper support while your commando rushes stealthy for the objective. Even with time limits, you can really set up everything to pop-up your cover just to achieve the mission and back to the skyranger without having to kill but a couple of aliens.
    The new installment is just great, and the addition of random generated maps result in sometimes frustrating sometimes great but always FUN and NEW sets to fight for your live and species.
    10 out of 10    … Expand
  84. Violett
    Mar 6, 2016
    6
    More 6 marks!
    On a serious note, XCOM 2 is another remake of classical series. Yes, I see it not as a sequel to 2013 game, but as a remake to classical series. Some additions is fun to try, this ADVENT idea, tough enemies, new plot, but overall I think this game is a step in a wrong direction. New stealth system is terrible, looks like the game is spinning around your first shot, after    More 6 marks!
    On a serious note, XCOM 2 is another remake of classical series. Yes, I see it not as a sequel to 2013 game, but as a remake to classical series. Some additions is fun to try, this ADVENT idea, tough enemies, new plot, but overall I think this game is a step in a wrong direction. New stealth system is terrible, looks like the game is spinning around your first shot, after which your entire group being revealed. Next one, why you cant train your CURRENT soldiers in a psi lab? Previous systems were much better. The whole idea - you alone fighting entire world is ... I don't know - flawed? I liked when you have the power of whole Earth supporting you versus alien forces. Well, maybe mods in the future will make the game better, as it was with 2013 game, but no thanks, I'm not gonna buy it. Oh, somehow I want to play 1994 game again.    … Expand
  85. Weedus
    Mar 12, 2016
    9
    I dont realy liked X-Com 1,the Battle was too boring.But now in Part 2 the Battle is much more intresting.
    The Maps itself are made realy well and leave a lot of tactical Options,the new Soldier Skills works much betterr and overall,it feels as good as the original X-Com Enemy Unknown 2 Decades ago.
    And to the Guys who compare about the Turn Limit on some Missions...the Turns are always    I dont realy liked X-Com 1,the Battle was too boring.But now in Part 2 the Battle is much more intresting.
    The Maps itself are made realy well and leave a lot of tactical Options,the new Soldier Skills works much betterr and overall,it feels as good as the original X-Com Enemy Unknown 2 Decades ago.
    And to the Guys who compare about the Turn Limit on some Missions...the Turns are always fair..you just dont have to walk half steps and go to firecover even there isnt a single Enemy on Map,then you can make it with 2-3 Turns Left without a Problem.Only over-hesitating over-carefully Players will get a Problem with the Time Limit.    … Expand
  86. PowerfullPlayer
    Feb 12, 2016
    5
    Игра полностью завязана на рандоме, и это убивает тактическую составляющую игры. У меня было такое, что я теряю за один ход всех своих солдат, загружаюсь пред этим местом мой боец попадает в цель и я выигрываю бой без единой потери. Задумка хорошая но реализация на троечку. Так же очень раздражают большие перерывы между миссиями, я пришел сюда за геймплеем в итоге меня заставляют смотретьИгра полностью завязана на рандоме, и это убивает тактическую составляющую игры. У меня было такое, что я теряю за один ход всех своих солдат, загружаюсь пред этим местом мой боец попадает в цель и я выигрываю бой без единой потери. Задумка хорошая но реализация на троечку. Так же очень раздражают большие перерывы между миссиями, я пришел сюда за геймплеем в итоге меня заставляют смотреть скучные заставки. Ну и оптимизация, графически это игра 2005 года а системные требования 2016. Очень слабо. Думаю, если бы у игры были более мене нормальные конкуренты, в неё бы вообще никто играть не стал.… Expand
  87. Klewer
    Dec 15, 2016
    7
    I really want to love this game, but it makes it so difficult. It has all the core mechanics and game play to make this a great game. It just has issues with the combat, even on the lowest difficulty there feels like there is so much RNG involved. Worth a look for fans of these games but it can be tough at times.
  88. james2003
    Feb 27, 2016
    7
    A great game but riddled with problems both technical and gameplay wise. At times I like it and sometimes I wish it were more like the original 1995 version. The big issues for me are the overuse of cut scenes and waiting times, the constant glitches and tech problems, and the unbelievable difficultly of the levels.

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

    Then there are the nagging moments that makes me wonder if X-Com is terrorist organisation? Alternating with the overwhelmed feeling of desperation, as the gameplay is absolutely punishing … sometimes it makes me think that an alien invasion isn't too bad…? I mean what have the Aliens ever done for us? World Peace, Cure the Common Cold, Clean streets … damn I am a terrorist!    … Expand
  89. jakeg313
    May 5, 2016
    7
    Assuming your pc can manage to play this hilariously un-optimized game, it's a fairly good addition to the franchise. There are some aspects of the game however that make me feel the need to dock some points off however. Firstly, the game is very poorly optimized despite running on the same engine as XCOM. Even with low settings and my gaming laptop boasting 24 gb of ram, I had manyAssuming your pc can manage to play this hilariously un-optimized game, it's a fairly good addition to the franchise. There are some aspects of the game however that make me feel the need to dock some points off however. Firstly, the game is very poorly optimized despite running on the same engine as XCOM. Even with low settings and my gaming laptop boasting 24 gb of ram, I had many framerate issues and even some crashes between loading levels(which takes forever by the way). Rigging an external graphics card made this a much more enjoyable experience, but no one should have to use a $400 eGPU to make a game playable on a contemporary gaming laptop (Asus Predator 17).

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

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

    As far as actual gameplay and the plot, it's an overall improvement to the series. I would suggest buying this game in the future when the price goes down and technology catches up with the ludicrous graphical demands that XCOM 2 asks for.    … Expand
  90. Parthians
    Apr 21, 2016
    7
    Good and exciting game XCOM 2.just gotta fix some bugs.too much of them are seen in the game.
    if they would put even more energy and idea on producing the game,it could be a lot better.
  91. blackbird1
    Feb 6, 2016
    0
    Not bad. i played XCOM1 near 500 hours so its a big chance in playstyle.
    BUT i lreally like it so far.

    The thing i like the most is the difficulty getting ripped on Normal on the first missions is just great :) Cant wait for the next try ( i always only play Ironman)

    My only request to the DEVs is:

    PLS DONT make it easier!!!
  92. rami12
    Feb 6, 2016
    10
    great game. best in the series. every review that says otherwise is bullsh**. pc master race. i will play this game for weeks for sure. i hope everyone buys it.
  93. EstariaValens
    Feb 6, 2016
    8
    I am surprised how many people are marking this game down for, what seems to me, ridiculous issues.

    1) Inventory management isn't gone. Anyone who says that, either hasn't played the game at all, or hasn't completed the tutorial. 2) A 95% shot misses 5% of the time. Not often, but it would behoove you to not put yourself in a position where a miss will cause instant death. I'm    I am surprised how many people are marking this game down for, what seems to me, ridiculous issues.

    1) Inventory management isn't gone. Anyone who says that, either hasn't played the game at all, or hasn't completed the tutorial.

    2) A 95% shot misses 5% of the time. Not often, but it would behoove you to not put yourself in a position where a miss will cause instant death. I'm sure those people aren't complaining about the one time a 5% shot hit.

    3) Just because someone rushes from point A to point B doesn't mean there are no other options. In most missions, I have had no issue developing tactical approaches; including split squad movement and ambushes. The people who complain about this are those that didn't bother to try.

    4) I am surprised how many people are comparing this to the 1994 game, rather than the recent remake this is actually the sequel to. The people comparing it to that old game are suffering from nostalgia glasses. If they actually went back and played that game right before this one, I wonder how low they would score that Xcom?

    Those are the primary problems I have read that people have with the game. Because anyone who marks a game down for optimization problems on first launch isn't very intelligent. If the game remains unoptimized, then there is cause to mark the game down. Not on day 1.

    With all that said, you may be wondering why I only gave the game an 8/10. It's tough to put my finger on exactly what was off about this game

    There are several new and interesting mechanics included; like carrying injured teammates out and enemies dropping items. I liked the look and feel of the mission select screen, and the more specific utility of engineers (rather than just having passive "engineers" you can assign each engineer to tasks). I liked the flying fortress concept, and I am a fan of leaving the air war out (for the most part).

    I do agree that the story, though it starts off interesting enough, seems a bit rushed. The method for getting new rebels in your camp is fine, it just seems like each step is a little too big. (1 week and all of Asia is on your side? Sorry. Not even close to believable.) Now that is likely a limitation of developing a game like this, but I still have to hit the game for it. Story, after all, is an important part of any game.

    I think, at the end of the day, I just felt that the new mechanisms were under-utilized. It's one of those games where you can see so much potential, but some of it is wasted. Undoubtedly the modders will make this into a truly epic game; but the base game is very good, but a little disappointing.    … Expand
  94. TheSon
    Feb 7, 2016
    10
    This game is simply amazing in so many ways. It is like a chess game but with a great setting.
    People are complaining about the time limit on some missions. 1st of all, the time is not limited on all missions and 2nd, frankly when it is, it pushes you to be a better military strategist.
    And you still have the time to think and figure out the best approach to the mission. Like I said it    This game is simply amazing in so many ways. It is like a chess game but with a great setting.
    People are complaining about the time limit on some missions. 1st of all, the time is not limited on all missions and 2nd, frankly when it is, it pushes you to be a better military strategist.
    And you still have the time to think and figure out the best approach to the mission. Like I said it is like a chess game but more awesome!

    I agree that the camera issues and the little hang time are sometimes annoying but in no way deter you from the great experience.

    My computer enables me to run this game way above the recommended specs but I noticed a huge framerate drop as soon as I enabled the MSAA above 2X, but at MSAA 2X or below (FXAA) it is great and smooth, other than that, no issues.

    This game deserves the title of game of the year, the first XCOM was great, this one is GREATER!
    Thank you Firaxis, you still need to fix the few bugs but overall your game is OUTSTANDING!    … Expand
  95. Pipemastersven
    Feb 24, 2016
    10
    This is the sort of game that the PC community should support -- PC exclusive, workshop from day 1 and is not an Early AAAccess title like so many AAA titles being released.
    The game itself is exactly what you want from a sequel - it builds on the original from everything from visuals, customisation, features and story elements. If people didn't like the first, they probably won't enjoy    This is the sort of game that the PC community should support -- PC exclusive, workshop from day 1 and is not an Early AAAccess title like so many AAA titles being released.
    The game itself is exactly what you want from a sequel - it builds on the original from everything from visuals, customisation, features and story elements. If people didn't like the first, they probably won't enjoy this. I understand the optimisation issues people with lesser systems have had - this should be addressed, but wasn't an issue for me - so it gets a 10    … Expand
  96. Batushai
    Feb 24, 2016
    10
    I love X-Com and i'm happy to say X-Com 2 is amazing. It's not a dramatic difference, but it's still surprisingly useful things there. Timer make the game more challenging. Enemies are very deadly as always, let's just say a bit more refined this time. I love surprises like the Shapeshifters, or the new Sectopod, these things are huge! Be careful, this game can be very addictive! :)
  97. Metas
    Mar 28, 2016
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think it is an excellent game if you can learn to tolerate the resource hog of an engine that runs it.
    But the thing is, it is not hard. I played on commander (3rd) difficulty with self-regulated iron man mode. I just had one character (modeled after my wife) that I didn't want to lose. So I wowed to only load if I lost her, and this happened just once. To be specific, battles are maybe slightly harder than previous versions (first few battles should always be considered a proving ground for inexperienced crew) and that "shaken" status is just badly badly implemented. Unlike most I loved the sense of urgency turn counter in many missions gave me. My first lost soldier was not killed but captured because I failed to evac him in time. But my problem is not the slightly harder battle, Your crew is meant to die and you should feel the burn. it is the childishly easy global strategy.

    I understand the new system is much more promising than the original which just required you to spam satellites. But this one is too easy. Flag a few zones and you are set to go. There are no more irreversible losses on the global map. No bothering to cover the globe to improve reaction times since you ALWAYS get there in time. You can skip half the missions and make up for it by contacting regions, building radio towers and sabotaging facilities. (At least I suspect if I played in insane difficulty it would be viable). In both my playthroughs countdown mode only triggered when I willfully allowed it (because it looks pretty cool). I wish there was separate difficulty setting for battles and strategy, I would certainly increase the global strategy difficulty without making my battles any more harder..    … Expand
  98. thel4mb
    Mar 31, 2016
    10
    Yes, the design has changed, but it is still xcom - only better. I love the time limit in certain mission, it really forces you to pick a different strategy, depending on the mission - over are the "always on overwatch and waiting for things to happen" missions.

    Some are complaining about the difficulty and that the game is unfair: It is not - with the right strategy you can master    Yes, the design has changed, but it is still xcom - only better. I love the time limit in certain mission, it really forces you to pick a different strategy, depending on the mission - over are the "always on overwatch and waiting for things to happen" missions.

    Some are complaining about the difficulty and that the game is unfair: It is not - with the right strategy you can master every mission. Of course some things depend on luck, but that's life.

    I played the game now for around 90 hours on commander ironman. Restarted it about 7-8 times. You will get better - and its a lot of fun. Overthink your strategies: The first 2-3 times I got wiped at the first retaliation mission, now I can manage it flawless. Or, if you are weak on manpower, don't do missions where you can't evac, you might get wiped.

    If you play it right it's a facinating story, don't expect to excel on every mission. You will lose soldiers, maybe fail in a misson, but other times you will succeed with the last possible second. So take the earth back, commander!    … Expand
  99. Crippletime
    Feb 14, 2016
    0
    What's the point in even playing this game? It doesn't matter how well you play or how skilled you are because even if you win it won't be on the difficulty that Firaxis designed to be unbeatable unless the RNG is madly in love with you. Even if you somehow pull that off Firaxis will just retcon the entirety of XCOM 2 and make it so that you lost anyway. Why even bother playing a game ifWhat's the point in even playing this game? It doesn't matter how well you play or how skilled you are because even if you win it won't be on the difficulty that Firaxis designed to be unbeatable unless the RNG is madly in love with you. Even if you somehow pull that off Firaxis will just retcon the entirety of XCOM 2 and make it so that you lost anyway. Why even bother playing a game if you lose even when you win.… Expand
  100. tdebug
    Feb 14, 2016
    0
    Stopped playing already at the tutorial. Computer turn time is so long as well as game stopping to "think" after each player action for so long, that I am wondering if I suppose to have all time in the world or what exactly should I be doing during the game inactivity? Stupid it is.
Page:

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.
    Read full review
  2. High-Def Digest
    Apr 10, 2016
    90
    It is a tactical experience without peer, better even than its predecessors. It is draining and agonizing, but in a good way. The high difficulty may turn off some gamers, but it’s worth every second.
    Read full review
  3. IGN Denmark
    Apr 6, 2016
    90
    XCOM 2 is a gem. There is more story in the game, and the ending does not feel as abrupt as it did in the first game.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »