XCOM: Enemy Unknown

 PC
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2608 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,075 out of 2608
  2. Mixed: 329 out of 2608
  3. Negative: 204 out of 2608
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  1. Lobotomius
    Oct 28, 2012
    3
    Quick summary (mostly for those who played original series):
    The good:
    - Interesting action and movement system. - Four operatives classes (Heavy, Assault, Sniper and Medic) and their little perk systems. - Money issues. Yes - that's good. Adds difficult choices into the game. New guns this month or new base facilities? In old UFO and XCOM you never had money problems (except first    Quick summary (mostly for those who played original series):
    The good:
    - Interesting action and movement system.
    - Four operatives classes (Heavy, Assault, Sniper and Medic) and their little perk systems.
    - Money issues. Yes - that's good. Adds difficult choices into the game. New guns this month or new base facilities? In old UFO and XCOM you never had money problems (except first month maybe, but mainly because of facilities constructions).
    - Everything that is researched gives some benefits.

    The bad:
    - World of Warcraft style aliens packs with "aggro" behaviour. For those who don't understand. Aliens stand in group and do nothing unless you (or civilians) are close enough to "activate" them. Even worse is that when you aggro them they have they own activation movement. It's most annoying on terror missions, when aliens are aggroed on civilians then they discover you and activate again to move closer or hide better.
    - Simplified old game. Only one base. Can send only one fighter at a time to intercept alien crafts. Only 4-6 agents during mission. Very little variety in fighters and fighter equipment.
    - Research goes to fast and easy (at least on Classic difficulty). I didn't even have to build a single research laboratory yet everything was going way to fast. I never had money to introduce most of my discoveries. Especially with certain alien interrogations.
    - Cover system is somewhat odd. Sometimes a soldier just hiding behind a wall is considered a target, because he can lean out of it to be a target o_O. Sometimes it is possible to hit someone through a solid wall. Sometimes (on destroyed packs of lorries, hiding behind driver's cabin for example) you can't shoot out of a cover, because game doesn't recognize destroyed walls.
    - Hit or miss shooting system. You either hit or you miss. Bullets that don't hit disappear and do no damage at all. Compare to old UFO and X-COM where astray bullets destroyed random stuff, sometimes hit further aliens/civilians/x-com operatives.
    - Awful voice acting. Especially the council... "Remember. We will be watching". Boo hoo.
    - Chrysalids are now laughable enemies.    … Expand
  2. DonMike
    Oct 12, 2012
    1
    I'm very disappointed on how this game crashes and becomes unplayable when multiple interceptors are sent to deal with an alien aircraft. Didn't anyone test it?
  3. gllq
    Oct 16, 2012
    2
    As below. Player who know only 'today' games, will be please. Player who remember 'old ones' will be displeased.
    New Xcom is primitive. Far less tactics options, clearly stupid inventory (only one granade per person, OR medipack, OR balistic shirt... so stupid). Small 'tunel' maps. Classic difficutly level is rather simple, coz maps and options are veeeery limited. Go forward, click on    As below. Player who know only 'today' games, will be please. Player who remember 'old ones' will be displeased.
    New Xcom is primitive. Far less tactics options, clearly stupid inventory (only one granade per person, OR medipack, OR balistic shirt... so stupid). Small 'tunel' maps. Classic difficutly level is rather simple, coz maps and options are veeeery limited. Go forward, click on 'wall' or smt, shoot. Thats all. In this case, simpliffying taking out a 2/3 tactical and strategic depths.

    (sattelites cover only one country, no matter China or Rpa or France, Only ONE plane to use in action [Xcom is weird organization, they have only one combat pilot per world ;)])

    Ufos also are veeery respecting for human borders. Gemrany ufo is germany and thats is.    … Expand
  4. Atticas14
    Oct 13, 2012
    3
    I heard their goal was to streamline the experience but I personally think they just dumbed it down. The geoscape is now nothing more than a button to "scan" for UFO activity which advances the story. My main complaint is the elimination of the soldier inventory, there's no more interacting with the ground or worrying about overloading your soldier; I liked that extra depth. Also squadI heard their goal was to streamline the experience but I personally think they just dumbed it down. The geoscape is now nothing more than a button to "scan" for UFO activity which advances the story. My main complaint is the elimination of the soldier inventory, there's no more interacting with the ground or worrying about overloading your soldier; I liked that extra depth. Also squad size is now capped at 6, and the aliens aren't active on the field until you find them... If anyone is looking for a modern x-com rather than a x-com re-imagining, check out Xenonauts.… Expand
  5. Bobwolf
    Oct 22, 2012
    3
    Where to start...

    1st of all this is not like the original game. Far from that. The game is now very simple and linear. You have the impression that the game force you to make some choice. You also have the impression that the game is holding your hand and tells you all the time what to do. Almost every feature of the OG has been remove. No more inventory, no more base defense/attack.    Where to start...

    1st of all this is not like the original game. Far from that. The game is now very simple and linear. You have the impression that the game force you to make some choice. You also have the impression that the game is holding your hand and tells you all the time what to do. Almost every feature of the OG has been remove. No more inventory, no more base defense/attack. You only have one base. The soldier management is bad. The tactical gameplay is also very simple. You have very few option.

    The only good about this game is graphic. They are very nice but that's it.    … Expand
  6. Megatanis
    Oct 30, 2012
    3
    Aaaah yes..XCOM. So, are you seriously telling me Sid freaking Meier and Firaxis are redoing my favourite game ever? Wow, I thought at first, I'm in for a real treat. Not. To keep it simple, after more than 10 years(15?), I expected more. After civ5 one had to see this coming, since good old Sid seems to have a new philosophy: "streamlining". Oh you gotta learn to fear this word. ItAaaah yes..XCOM. So, are you seriously telling me Sid freaking Meier and Firaxis are redoing my favourite game ever? Wow, I thought at first, I'm in for a real treat. Not. To keep it simple, after more than 10 years(15?), I expected more. After civ5 one had to see this coming, since good old Sid seems to have a new philosophy: "streamlining". Oh you gotta learn to fear this word. It basically means they are taking a great game, stripping it of most of what today is apparently considered "complex" by the average gamer, and pumping it up with cool graphics. This new xcom is not a terrible game, to be honest. It is playable, it is also vaguely enjoyable for some time. But after you stop and think that the intro cutscene probably takes more space on your HD than the whole original game UFO defence, you start wondering. So, lets see. 1) No random maps. It does get old, fast. Aliens are placed in the exact same places. So, if you get the same map, it's a breeze to complete (and it's very boring). 2) more or less the same tech tree as in the original UFO. Now this was a letdown. So you have the usual laser techs, autopsies, some fighter techs. There are two more armors (which you will never use if you know whats good for planet earth) compared to the original, and that's as "modern" as it gets. Oh yeah and plasma, the mid-late game uber tech. I remember not developing plasma in the old Ufo just because I liked the idea of human soldiers in their blue personal armors and armed with mankind's best laser wapons, so yeah, I'm doing the same in this one. Game is easy anyway. 3) No inventory for soldiers. I'll pause a sec here. So now you may equip one main weapon, one secondary weapon, and ONE extra item. One. Extra. Item. Next time you have to decide if you want to bring ONE grenade OR wear a nanofiber vest under your armor, just remember the magic word: streamlining. It's not b******t, it's streamlined. See how easier it is to accept. Streamlined, I'm starting to like the sound of this. 4) No more Time Units. Now, this is sort of a meh. It's different from the original, not necessarily worst. It makes the game VERY boardgamish, like I don't know, bloodbowl, or necromunda. I like bloodbowl and necromunda. Actually, one of the games that comes to my mind A LOT while playing this XCOM is the pc version of bloodbowl. THe game also plays a lot like a blood bowl game, including the "hmm should I or should I not blitz that guy" feeling (if you played bloodbowl then you now what I mean. If not, well go play bloodbowl! Now!).
    5) Only one base. Very streamlined. 6) max of 6 squad members at a time. Oh now this is SO streamlined! Old XCOM was like 14? 16? and NO, it was not tedious, it was damn fun. It's a war, you are saving earth from an alien invasion! and you get a plane that can carry only six men?? 7) overall tactical combat is faster and cooler (cooler, not better..),and, yes you guessed it, streamlined! no more crouching, aim or snap shots (or auto), you got cameras following your dudes all over the place, cutscenes when you get out of the skyranger, cutscenes when you first meet a group of aliens, cutscenes when you leave the mission, cutscenes when you RETURN TO BASE after the aforementioned mission..no, I'm not kidding, there is a cutscene for almost every tech, autopsy, live alien interrogation. Only cutscenes in this game probably take more space on my HD than all the games I played in the 1990-2000 period. 8) soldier promotion. A random class is awarded to your soldiers upon completing their first level. Cool, I though at first. So if my rookie kills his first alien from a distance, he'll become a sniper for having demonstrated his particular aptitude with long range etc etc.. no, not at all. It's random. So no more "this guy is a sniper because you decide his stats are good for a sniper class. No, he IS a sniper, he can only use a sniper rifle. Also, when soldiers level they increase their 4 stats (old ufo were like 8 but hey! streamlined!).
    So bottom line, not an awful game, it has it's moments. As a successor of the greatest classic series of all times, it fails. Some would say miserably. Will be all but forgotten in a few months, while UFO and Terror from the deep will proudly sit in my pc forever, reminding me of how scary and hard and awesome saving earth in 640x480 may be. So tell you what Firaxis, I wanted to be wise and analyze and examine and think this out before voting. But then I decided to streamline my thoughts, so you get a 3 (because I played it a bit and it's not total crap)
    When in a tactical simulation you may choose between 15 hairstyles for your soldiers but you can't crouch, something's terribly wrong. Or streamlined.

    p.s. Firaxis is paying royalties to the Warhammer 40k brand I hope. ALL your soldiers and equipment look like space marine stuff. Even in their light beginner crappy armor and armed with a lousy assault gun, they look like uber cool Ultramarines with bolters blazing    … Expand
  7. mauvix
    Oct 12, 2012
    3
    You probably wont like it if you played the original one.

    Also, its not creepy. It has good graphics and animations, but IMHO it lacks the creepy sounds and music from the original. In the old one you even had to throw ligh rods to be able to see in some areas, that doesnt happen in the new. So, overall, the whole atmosphere of fear is out, still your soldiers keep dying a lot. The    You probably wont like it if you played the original one.

    Also, its not creepy. It has good graphics and animations, but IMHO it lacks the creepy sounds and music from the original. In the old one you even had to throw ligh rods to be able to see in some areas, that doesnt happen in the new. So, overall, the whole atmosphere of fear is out, still your soldiers keep dying a lot.

    The original one also gave you a lot of more options, although I liked SOME of the solutions they used to accelerate the game´s pace. However, it could have been more tactical.

    Its cool to customize your soldiers, but you should be able to choose the path for each of your soldiers to follow (to become a sniper for example) but you cant. The game does that automatically for you.

    Some say it was dumbed down. It was, it doesnt matter how many people denied it. It was marketed as a remake but its a new (and simpler) game. I would have loved to see the old xcom reffited to allow for a faster pace (the old missions could take hours), but in the process too much flavor was left out.

    Sorry, but in the end, old midi music was creepier than this Final Fantasy Tactics with aliens.    … Expand
  8. Kalous
    Oct 16, 2012
    4
    It's a simple fact if you've played the original X-COM UFO Defense this game will be a disappointment. While not a bad game in its self, the visual effects and game play can be considered enticing it is in no way a faithful recreation. The main reason is that they have stream lined the game for the average gamer in today's age. For example, maps are no longer randomly generated and inIt's a simple fact if you've played the original X-COM UFO Defense this game will be a disappointment. While not a bad game in its self, the visual effects and game play can be considered enticing it is in no way a faithful recreation. The main reason is that they have stream lined the game for the average gamer in today's age. For example, maps are no longer randomly generated and in comparison very small. Each town map will only consist of 1-3 enter-able buildings and there is no longer the heart-stopping event of walking down your own ships ramp. To compensate for this they have lowered the amount of enemies you will encounter, and the amount of troops you can field. Also the "LOS" system is completely different then the original game as well, its been reduced to a "gears of war" style based combat that will have your units being able to shoot through walls, trucks, and the occasional entire building to hit an enemy on the other side that is only 'visible' to 1 of your squad members. In tandem with this aliens them selves are no longer random as well, they are strategically placed in groups around the map and will not ACT in any way until one of your units spots the group, giving the aliens a free 'ACTION' move. Therefore if you come across a map you've already played you are able to take strategic positions against a group of aliens you haven't even discovered. Further limitations occur within the base, currency is never a problem even when they removed Construction times on items, and the ability to sell what you make. Only one base is available and it will never come under attack. Also the game is incredibly rushed the larger alien ships seem to appear almost instantly and can be shot down by normal-human aircraft. After you clear just a single of these vessels you get the ability to trace the UFO back to where they come from, and develop powers for your units. The only reason they say this game can provide "Hundreds of hours of game play" is because they Expect multiple play throughs, which again is a contradiction to the original where 100 hours may not finish even one.

    The final result is, if you haven't played the originals in an extremely long time or at all you will have an extremely fun time as it is a successful game (even if it is extremely easy unless on the hardest difficulty). Although if like me, and you have the DOS version installed on your computer which you boot up now and then, this game will feel like a disappointment and I would not recommend the purchase at 50$    … Expand
  9. MrZero
    Oct 13, 2012
    4
    An abortion of a classic. (FYI -- beat the game on normal within 2 days, straight A's on monthly reports)
    First off, all battles are pre-destined; no individual rolls per move. Example: 2012 Xcom: EU -- When the battle starts, the AI now knows and has determined (regardless of aim percentage) what will hit, and what will not hit. You can save a game during a battle and soldier one will    An abortion of a classic. (FYI -- beat the game on normal within 2 days, straight A's on monthly reports)
    First off, all battles are pre-destined; no individual rolls per move. Example: 2012 Xcom: EU -- When the battle starts, the AI now knows and has determined (regardless of aim percentage) what will hit, and what will not hit. You can save a game during a battle and soldier one will always make a shot, move soldier 2 to a particular grid square, he will make a shot and soldier three will miss. Re-load the game, and the EXACT same chain of events will happen! Then, depending on "AI difficulty," the aliens will then move in for the kill and miss or hit. Keep in mind, it already knows exactly what can and can't kill you, so depending on the difficulty setting ... it either misses or hits you as it sees fit.
    In the original, you could re-load the game, and have the same soldier shoot at an alien -- every time you re-loaded, it "re-rolled" the move, and depending on the shot percentage, you would either hit or miss. The same was true for the alien movement. If you had a 25% chance to hit, you actually hit your target once or twice out of four or five times.
    Anyone who's played games developed or associated with Sid Meier knows the AI is a HUGE cheat. Who here has ever played any Civilization game and attacked an AI opponent, who was still in the Stone Age, with tanks; only to find out that upon attacking, that same AI opponent has miraculously teched to modern weapons and tanks, too.
    So, regardless of how well you do with your tactics, it doesn't matter -- the AI "decides" when you win or lose, with the illusion you've somehow outsmarted it. Poor, poor AI design.
    Now onto the other horrible changes -- You can no longer customize your soldiers as you see fit. In the original XCOM, you had approx. 50 slot to place items on each soldier and it required a significant amount of micro-manage. This though was not a chore, but a pure charm, considering that what, how and how much weapons/items your soldier was carrying, determined speed, stamina, shot percentage, reload speed, etc. Every choice had its pros and cons. In 2012 XCOM -- you have 4 slots per soldier, and each slot only holds a certain type of weapon/item, i.e. slot 1 main weapons (a rifle or machine gun), slot 2 sidearm (pistol) slot 3 class specific item (rocket launcher, smoke grenade) slot 4 misc (medkit, grenade, ext.) That's right! Each soldier can only carry ONE!!! grenade now (unless you waste an xp upgrade on them so they carry two) You get one rocket, one grenade, one medpack with only one use.
    On top of that, you can only have four soldiers per mission (upgradable to 6), which makes the game unnecessarily hard in the beginning, considering there can be a dozen or so aliens (who NEVER miss, depending on difficulty), and your capped at 4. That's at least a dozen incoming alien grenades at a four-man squad, whose max aim parentage is capped at 25% (not that it matters) on higher difficulty.
    Is an alien behind a wall or a tree? Want to shoot that obstacle out of the way so another squad-member can have a clear shot? Well guess what? That ability is gone now, too. Unless you can see the alien, you can no longer shoot freely at random objects, unlike the original -- that's a HUGE removal of tactics.
    Remember, that means you    … Expand
  10. macronus
    Oct 14, 2012
    0
    This game can be awesome if you console game and love gears of wars, halo, other similar games, but if you play original xcom, jagged alliance 1-2, you highly dissapointed what the hell is this.
  11. JanGodwod
    Oct 15, 2012
    4
    For today standards this game is very neat. Of course, PC version is bugged as hell - but I've managed to get through the game even with the glitches (2 interceptors stuck screen, ufo roof, bad controls for walking inside ufo, impossible targeting with rocket launcher/grenades, over 100 saves etc.).

    Old version is still better for me. The new one lacks: - equipment managing (picking    For today standards this game is very neat. Of course, PC version is bugged as hell - but I've managed to get through the game even with the glitches (2 interceptors stuck screen, ufo roof, bad controls for walking inside ufo, impossible targeting with rocket launcher/grenades, over 100 saves etc.).

    Old version is still better for me. The new one lacks:
    - equipment managing (picking up, leaving behind etc)
    - free shooting (clearing walls for sniper etc)
    - action points instead of two movements
    - UFOPEDIA! - the Archive provided in Lab is a JOKE! There should be UFOPEDIA with nice drawings
    - realism - have You seen lock on Sniper rifle? Is this a cartoon or action strategy?
    - UFO ranks: medic, navigator etc.
    - random missions
    - random number generator
    - more things to research
    - more base management
    - chance to sell produced items
    etc.

    After playing it on normal. I want to launch my old laptop and run a whole night of old xcom on DOS. I paid 40    … Expand
  12. Samhandwich84
    Oct 14, 2012
    3
    A simplified but still fun version of the X-Com franchise. However, the game is currently plagued by MANY bugs both minor and campaign ending. I will more than happily change this score when/if these bugs are fixed. Until that time though, people need to know that both the single and multiplayer components may not be playable if they fork out for this full priced game.
  13. peikko
    Oct 15, 2012
    4
    If you want x-com then try UFO series as this game isn't at all a good successor. Customisation of units and arming is poor compared to other similar titles. You can only change one item in your backpack; cannot choose troop specialisation. But you can change hair cut and appearance, not sure of the tactical advantage there. Cannot knock them for trying to update x-com; but in interviewsIf you want x-com then try UFO series as this game isn't at all a good successor. Customisation of units and arming is poor compared to other similar titles. You can only change one item in your backpack; cannot choose troop specialisation. But you can change hair cut and appearance, not sure of the tactical advantage there. Cannot knock them for trying to update x-com; but in interviews we constantly heard what big fans of the original they were - so why did they dum down so much? Console income? If you want a slow motion version of gears of war then this is your game. Definitely style over substance...… Expand
  14. tdctaz
    Oct 12, 2012
    3
    Don't buy this game unless you are from the new generation of console players which don't want to make any real tactical decisions. Any one who has played the old XCOMs, Jagged Alliance 1 or Jagged Alliance 2 will hate this game.
  15. Coeco
    Oct 14, 2012
    3
    As much as I have fallen for this game, I cannot ignore the big throbbing acne problems it which is the combat system. The devs were clearly not ready to transact this game into full-blown 3D seeing how most of the time, my characters are being shot through 25 tons of concrete, behind 3 walls of cover while sucking their thumbs. It has also started to get repetitive very quickly once youAs much as I have fallen for this game, I cannot ignore the big throbbing acne problems it which is the combat system. The devs were clearly not ready to transact this game into full-blown 3D seeing how most of the time, my characters are being shot through 25 tons of concrete, behind 3 walls of cover while sucking their thumbs. It has also started to get repetitive very quickly once you realize on how linear it really is, all the alien invasions being one long sticky script. Customization and loadouts are fantastic with tons of options for armors and guns while feeding you new enemies every now and then but as far as strategy and tactics goes, this game really drops the ball.… Expand
  16. ltx
    Oct 14, 2012
    4
    This remake takes all the freedom and open-ended, multi-faceted strategic gameplay out of x-com and replaces it with a squad simulator on rails. Suspenseful atmosphere of X-Com isn't there. UI is clunky. I'm overall offended that this game was titled X-Com Enemy Unknown, implying it would be a faithful remake of the original game. Perhaps if you never played the original game, you might beThis remake takes all the freedom and open-ended, multi-faceted strategic gameplay out of x-com and replaces it with a squad simulator on rails. Suspenseful atmosphere of X-Com isn't there. UI is clunky. I'm overall offended that this game was titled X-Com Enemy Unknown, implying it would be a faithful remake of the original game. Perhaps if you never played the original game, you might be okay with this one. I seriously regret buying it though.… Expand
  17. joeblade
    Oct 12, 2012
    4
    As a PC game I rate this rather low. As a PS3 game I would consider it a 7.
    this game should not be brought out for the pc, as it has clearly been dumbed down for the console controller. Last game I will ever buy that comes out for pc and console. 5 hitpoints? no bleeding (as far as I could tell), no ammo or gun pickup, no crouching (except for forced crouch), 2 actions per turn (rather    As a PC game I rate this rather low. As a PS3 game I would consider it a 7.
    this game should not be brought out for the pc, as it has clearly been dumbed down for the console controller. Last game I will ever buy that comes out for pc and console. 5 hitpoints? no bleeding (as far as I could tell), no ammo or gun pickup, no crouching (except for forced crouch), 2 actions per turn (rather than action points you are free to spend).
    the list goes on. the first disappointment this game offered me was when I switched out a grenade for a vest. it might make sense to have a medkit instead of a grenade, but a vest?
    this might work in terms of game mechanics (1 accessory slot) but the original game had a backpack with space, belt with space. Additionally, you only had as much ammo as you could carry, which made for interesting situations. I'll cut the boring list of what this game is not short. In summary, it is not x-com enemy unknown.    … Expand
  18. Kamiko
    Oct 9, 2012
    4
    If you've never played an XCOM game before, this game can be a simple and modern introduction to the concept. If you were a fan of the original though, you may be disappointed by the range of tactical options that have been eliminated to streamline play.
  19. Nuggets
    Oct 10, 2012
    0
    This game should have a different title.Perhaps-Generic Alien Shooter Yielding Atrociously Stressful Strategy Elements Dumbed-down. That would then explain how the marketing team was able to pull off a top sales item in a pre-release sale.

    "Well core principles from the original that we wanted to build on was basically everything" -Jake Solomon(Lead designer) I personally believe they    This game should have a different title.Perhaps-Generic Alien Shooter Yielding Atrociously Stressful Strategy Elements Dumbed-down. That would then explain how the marketing team was able to pull off a top sales item in a pre-release sale.

    "Well core principles from the original that we wanted to build on was basically everything" -Jake Solomon(Lead designer) I personally believe they removed just about every single good tactical piece from the original. If by build, you mean remove, then well done. In this game you are unable to interact with the ground, or move invetory of one soldier to another soldier. What a soldiers takes into battle is what they get, no more and no less(Unless they use the items they bring in, then it's used up and leaves them with nothing).

    Only allowed one operations base, and to go with that only a single strike team can be deployed at a time. This causes a "choose your own ending book" style of play. Not a bad idea, but its not XCOM.

    "Another big thing we did to the game was we added cover" I can only LOL. Just because you didn't recognize it in the older game, doesn't mean it was not there. Furthermore, I often have my soldiers throwing grenades through walls and objects that should cause the grenade to either detonate or change trajectory however passes directly through the obstacle.

    While other times I may throw a grenade or line up a "seemingly" perfect clear flanking shot to have it be obstucted by off to the side objects. Major failure to utilize the Unreal engine's capabilities.

    "We got these great dramatic scenes where you know your snipers can line up a super long shot and you'll see it[Camera] follow it right down the barrel" -Jake Solomon

    I'm finding that my definition of "Super long" is quite different as even down a clear street in the game I cannot shoot very far at all. While my forward soldiers can see and identify the E.T. My sniper in the back when trying to shoot, is told no targets. Out of range? Unlike in the original game where you could shoot freely, this game requires that you take aim at a hostile, in sight target and also that it's within a certain range of the firing soldier. While having a completely destroyable map, what good was all that design work when you fail to allow the player to shoot at that map intentionally? Oh, I know the answer to why the game fails here in this aspect. The invetory system being removed along with the addition of unlimited munitions created a major catch 22.

    "Mission control was really important because that's where the geoscape is, and that's the heart and soul of the game" -Greg Foertsch

    The heart and soul of the old game was infact the geoscape. The geoscape in this new mess is nothing more than an interactive, push (X) to continue, movie.

    The missions are linear and not randomly occuring which kills the replay value. Not only are the encounters not random, the maps are also not random, nor is the placement of the enemies within. Which is a formula for major dissapointment, not only in an XCOM game, but ANY tactical game. The enemies, no matter which difficulty, are just waiting for you to find them before they become "Active" The enemies do not make actions until you stumble upon them, sometimes you can make a lot of noise and maybe they will move. Generally not, it seems that the A.I. doesn't care how many explosions or windows are broken, until after you see them. More aptly called Artificial Downs instead of Artificial Intelligence.

    "We wanted to introduce a new system over time units to allow a little more free space in the player's mind so they didn't have to keep track of how far they could move and what actions they could take" -Jake...

    Dear Jake, I'm certain there is absolutely no shortage of [empty]space in your mind.
    What's a worse scenario? Using 7 extra time units because you moved to the wrong space or using your entire turn and putting your solider one spot out of cover on account of the new lousy camera?

    During my most recent mission, I had 4 squad members deployed, one on the roof of a two story building, two of them directly below looking out the windows and one member along the side of the building.
    The member on the side of the building spots 3 hostiles, the member on the roof cannot take action against them. It is quite clear there are no obstructions preventing the roof top member from shooting with his sniper rifle yet cannot fire because "No targets", so I choose overwatch for that member and the aliens start to move. The very first action the alien takes is to shoot at my rooftop sniper with his plasma pistol causing a 9 damage critical hit. The alien did not move before or after firing. Too bad the game was released in it's current state. I find it nearly unplayable as a strategy tactical game. This game was at minimum 8 months of intelligent tuning away from being finished.    … Expand
  20. majorwitty
    Oct 11, 2012
    0
    If you really enjoyed the complexity of the original two XCOM games this new version will be a let down. The game has been dumbed down for console players. The multiplayer options suck. You can't play the campaign with buddies. This game will be okay when it's $5 in six months on a Steam sale.
  21. bigsilverhotdog
    Oct 11, 2012
    0
    Another classic series goes down the toilet in an entirely depressing cashgrab for mainstream gaming dollars, brought to us by a bunch of greedy spoons who clearly know that what made the original series great doesn't hype as well as CG cutscenes and FXAA. This is more like Mass Effect than XCOM. There's almost no tactics involved, the game holds your hand, tells you what to do, and blocksAnother classic series goes down the toilet in an entirely depressing cashgrab for mainstream gaming dollars, brought to us by a bunch of greedy spoons who clearly know that what made the original series great doesn't hype as well as CG cutscenes and FXAA. This is more like Mass Effect than XCOM. There's almost no tactics involved, the game holds your hand, tells you what to do, and blocks you from doing anything that might resemble "player choice" at every stage. The actual 'choices' the game does present you are akin to 'do you want a red or blue plastic cup' -- they are utterly meaningless. UFO Defense and TFTD were games about tactical combat and strategic planning, not cutscene driven narrative. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is all about clicking 'attack' and 'move' hotspots and watching cut scenes. There's no strategy involved. Do you consider 'Paint by Numbers' and 'Connect the Dots' to require strategic thinking? The awful voice acting, prebuilt repeating maps, and inability to design your own bases really don't even factor into the final verdict because the core game is just so utterly, utterly pointless. The people that rate this game highly deserve to continue eating such dumbed down generic spew. I'm just sad that instead of getting another good XCOM game we got... this.… Expand
  22. Yddraiggoch
    Oct 12, 2012
    0
    My last review got pulled for some reason - probably because my initial reaction was so angry that I didn't pull any punches. But in a nutshell - if you really enjoyed the original XCOM games, do yourself a favour and avoid this like the plague. It's been dumbed down to the point where the game mechanics make it almost a completely different game to the original. I feel that FiraxisMy last review got pulled for some reason - probably because my initial reaction was so angry that I didn't pull any punches. But in a nutshell - if you really enjoyed the original XCOM games, do yourself a favour and avoid this like the plague. It's been dumbed down to the point where the game mechanics make it almost a completely different game to the original. I feel that Firaxis have tried to capitalise on the popularity of the original with the "older" gaming crowd, whilst simulateously simplifying the game to run on the limited user interface of a console (and indeed, to appeal to the more "casual" gamer) It's been a massive disappointment to me and a complete waste of money. At least, do yourself a favour and play the demo first but bear in mind that the game really does not get any better.… Expand
  23. Ccx55
    Oct 12, 2012
    0
    This game is stuck in the last century. Seriously, recreating a classic generally means improving on its faults as well. The evasion system in this game is completely retarded, and has no strategy or tactic at all. I watch a single Alien shotgunner walk through 5 "reaction" overwatch shots, not getting hit a single time, and instantly critting my Heavy in the face. **** It's a good game,This game is stuck in the last century. Seriously, recreating a classic generally means improving on its faults as well. The evasion system in this game is completely retarded, and has no strategy or tactic at all. I watch a single Alien shotgunner walk through 5 "reaction" overwatch shots, not getting hit a single time, and instantly critting my Heavy in the face. **** It's a good game, but it's weighed down by similar ridiculous moments. Similar to how someone standing in full cover, BEHIND a solid wall, can be insta-killed with plasma without even scratching the wall. Another example is how an alien walses through the entire map in one turn and insta-crits my most valuable soldier. This game is based off nothing but luck.… Expand
  24. ransom34
    Oct 9, 2012
    3
    First off, this is really not an X-Com game and if you go in looking at it as a new IP then you will be a lot better off. The game is heavily streamlined/dumbed-down from its origins and rather than a turn-based strategy game like the original X-Com games, you are buying a turn-based ACTION game, like a turn-based Gears of War.

    You are limited to 4 squad members to start, you cannot    First off, this is really not an X-Com game and if you go in looking at it as a new IP then you will be a lot better off. The game is heavily streamlined/dumbed-down from its origins and rather than a turn-based strategy game like the original X-Com games, you are buying a turn-based ACTION game, like a turn-based Gears of War.

    You are limited to 4 squad members to start, you cannot build or manage new bases, the maps are pre-done rather than random (and can repeat through a game), and virtually all of the strategic portions of the original X-Com have been deleted. I suspect this was done to "attract the CoD/GeoW audience" but it just makes the unsuitable for any true strategy gamer and its slow pace will certainly keep away the FPS fans. Now this is not specifically a "bad" game, and if you are the type of gamer who thought "wouldn't it be cool to command a Gears of War squadron (dressed in Mass Effect armor) in a turn-based game but without all those unnecessary strategic elements, new base building, and micro-managing" then this is the game for you. X-Com EU has loses the overall strategic gameplay, and is all turn-based action with Mass Effect armor and guns. Not for me, but who knows, there might be an big undiscovered market for this game type.    … Expand
  25. Lysh
    Oct 9, 2012
    0
    The best looking X-COM to date is also one of the most disappointing, with strategic gameplay so dumbed-down and shallow that it's barely worthy of the X-COM name.
  26. ianx50
    Dec 21, 2012
    2
    A terrible remake of the original. The 2012 remake took everything that made the original great and unique and screwed up, on every, single, point. Destructible environments? Cool, it's be nice if I could actually shoot at them. Inventory system? NOPE. Micromanagement? NOPE. Oh come on Firaxis, I can only construct a single base, and only a single alien base appears in the game? Yep. Okay,A terrible remake of the original. The 2012 remake took everything that made the original great and unique and screwed up, on every, single, point. Destructible environments? Cool, it's be nice if I could actually shoot at them. Inventory system? NOPE. Micromanagement? NOPE. Oh come on Firaxis, I can only construct a single base, and only a single alien base appears in the game? Yep. Okay, wow, this game really captured the spirit of the original (heavy sarcasm). If you enjoyed the original you will be greatly disappointed with this game. While not a "horrible" game in itself, as a remake, It's not worth $49.99. At all.

    There were so many possibilities in the original, but X:COM Enemy Unknown (Not to be confused with the good one) is extremely linear. The game holds you back and doesn't allow you to proceed until you've done what it wants. You cannot hire scientists and or engineers, The game basically comes to a halt until you complete a certain objective, you are unable to sell anything you manufacture, or the majority of alien tech for that matter. That was a major source of income in the original, with the monthly council funding being necessary in the long term, you could stay alive if you were low on cash by selling corpses and plasma weaponry. Here you can still sell alien corpses, but at a ridiculously low price. You'll sometimes get ship components, damaged ones have little value and intact components are necessary for high-level manufacturing and are hard to come by, so it'd be pointless to sell something you need.

    I know I'm just nit-picking, but there are just so many things wrong with this game that could have easily been worked out. Take the chance-to-hit rolls for example. Wait, did I say rolls? lolno, X:COM decides who lives and who dies before the mission even starts. "The sequence of hit and misses will be, 1 hit, 2 misses, 2 hits, 1 miss, 3 hits, 4 misses, 1 hit, 1 miss, 2 hits, 1 miss, 1 hit..." It's fate. There is no rolling system. 5% chance to hit? 95% Chance to hit? 40% chance to hit? They're all the same. If you re-load a save it will still be the same. An alien will move to the exact same square, fire the same shots, and hit you the same number of shots. At least in the original There was a short algorithm for calculating shot hits and damage, not here. Not worth your time, you can get the original for 4.99 USD retail price and it's vastly superior. Who cares if the graphics aren't current generation? That's the only downside. If you like strategy/micromanagement, it's the perfect game for you.

    /rant    … Expand
  27. Mark222
    Nov 21, 2012
    4
    This is quite a good movie... what? its a game? No strategy element - You just click buttons and it tells you what to do. This game is so dumbed down. Players nowadays don't want to think longer than 3 seconds. Firaxis, First you ruined Civ and now you ruined X-COM. Im never going to buy another product from you again, although you probably don't care now that you sold your soul. If youThis is quite a good movie... what? its a game? No strategy element - You just click buttons and it tells you what to do. This game is so dumbed down. Players nowadays don't want to think longer than 3 seconds. Firaxis, First you ruined Civ and now you ruined X-COM. Im never going to buy another product from you again, although you probably don't care now that you sold your soul. If you smoke weed and live in your parents basement, this game is for you.… Expand
  28. LeonidasRex
    Apr 20, 2013
    4
    It's pretty, but it's not much of a game. They stripped the original gameplay down to bare bones, then tacked on a ton of Hollywood glitz.

    It seemed like they would have preferred to make a movie. XCOM:EU is great when it comes to voice acting, swooshy camera movements, and scary hissing aliens. There's not much plot and the characters are paper-thin, but it has excellent low-level    It's pretty, but it's not much of a game. They stripped the original gameplay down to bare bones, then tacked on a ton of Hollywood glitz.

    It seemed like they would have preferred to make a movie. XCOM:EU is great when it comes to voice acting, swooshy camera movements, and scary hissing aliens. There's not much plot and the characters are paper-thin, but it has excellent low-level production values such as animation, art, and sound effects. The gameplay is merely a way to make you sit still so that you can appreciate how much work they put into the visuals.    … Expand
  29. MajorPain
    May 12, 2013
    4
    Well if you are 10 yrs old and can't remember the original, this game will be awesome to play. However, if you know anything about the original, please leave your expectations in the empty box after you purchase this or you will be disappointed. How a 20 yr old game with graphics that seem older than that can still be more fun today than this game was is beyond me, but it is true. As otherWell if you are 10 yrs old and can't remember the original, this game will be awesome to play. However, if you know anything about the original, please leave your expectations in the empty box after you purchase this or you will be disappointed. How a 20 yr old game with graphics that seem older than that can still be more fun today than this game was is beyond me, but it is true. As other reviewers have pointed out the one glaring thing that disappointed me was the lame fog of war. In the original if you walked around a corner you could get blasted in the back of the head and not even know what happened, just like real combat. In this you walk around the corner see the alien behind you then watch it go and hide so you get a chance to get your bearings and attack, super lame. In the original I actually felt technically inferior to the aliens as I watched them dismantle my squad in a matter of minutes even late in the game. In this if you make it past the first few months forget about it, you are on cruise control from there. It's as if you switched place with the aliens and now you are the technically superior force, watching aliens cower from you. What a joke. I wish this let's make our game so the biggest simpleton moron can play it in the name of making money tradition would end, SOON.… Expand
  30. Paulystan
    Jun 2, 2014
    3
    I am bias writing this because what I so desperately hoped for was a modern version of the original classic game. I am constantly surprised by how many people love this game and each time I read one of their reviews I try hard to give it another chance for a day or so... However:

    I find this game to be extremely disappointing, poorly developed and a piece of mass produced poo. There    I am bias writing this because what I so desperately hoped for was a modern version of the original classic game. I am constantly surprised by how many people love this game and each time I read one of their reviews I try hard to give it another chance for a day or so... However:

    I find this game to be extremely disappointing, poorly developed and a piece of mass produced poo. There are SO many problems I have with it from the tactics to the inventory and development of your soldiers. The voice acting is extremely poor, the development of the story is poor and the limitations in research, engineering, hiring/firing, building countries up etc are extreme. Stupid things like you can either have a scope (which would surely be attached to your rifle) or a grenade on a soldier... WHAT?!?!? Do you not think a bloke that had mainstreamed that many steroids (judging by the ridiculously stupid graphics of your soldiers) would possibly be able to carry more than a couple of items? Maybe if the option was 'either carry a house or a bus' then carrying only one would make sense. Having soldiers from China, England, France, Germany etc is a nice twist in that they all have their own flag (although here is an important fact... Scotland does not have it's own army, neither does England (nor Wales or Northern Ireland). They are all part of one force called the British Army and having served in it, screw you developers for mucking about with it). However, apparently wherever your soldiers are from, they are in fact all American from their accents and spoken languages.

    Even were I not still trying to get over the sadness of this not being the hoped for 1993 game revamped, I would score this game poorly. It has some amazing ideas, great graphics, interesting twists and game play tweaks that could make a smile but it has far too many flaws to be good in my books.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

7
#7 Best PC Game of 2012
11
#11 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
8
#8 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 57 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 57
  3. Negative: 0 out of 57
  1. PC Master (Greece)
    Feb 6, 2013
    88
    Is it better than the original? No. One can’t imagine X-Com 2012 being an all-time-classic and people still playing with it, months from now (let alone, years). Is it a ‘true’ X-Com game, however? Definitely. Remorseless geeks are in for shivers and swoons when they meet their beloved foes: mind-controlling sectoids, zombifying Chrysalids, Cyberdisks, Ethereals… [December 2012]
  2. Armchair Empire
    Dec 18, 2012
    95
    XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a worthy tribute to its progenitor and hopefully the start of something brand new for players who've been dying to get a good squad-based strategy game that lets them not only think, but feel as well.
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  3. Hyper Magazine
    Nov 14, 2012
    90
    Amazing tactical complexity, satisfying strategic depth; slightly dodgy ending, but your own stories are more important anyway. A modern classic.
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