User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2608 Ratings

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  1. May 17, 2013
    10
    Fantastic turn based game that has depth and great RPG elements. But most of all just plain fun. The game looks great and game play is interesting, recommend Iron Man mode to add some more feeling and attachment to your soldiers.
  2. Dec 26, 2012
    10
    Completely awesome.

    I played the original version years ago and loved it. I was sceptical because this was a remake and in my opinion remakes usually suck. I however did bought the game because of its high score here on metacritic and after playing a lot of hours i have to admit: it's awesome. I only have played this game for like 10 hours and everytime i start thinking the game goes
    Completely awesome.

    I played the original version years ago and loved it. I was sceptical because this was a remake and in my opinion remakes usually suck. I however did bought the game because of its high score here on metacritic and after playing a lot of hours i have to admit: it's awesome. I only have played this game for like 10 hours and everytime i start thinking the game goes into a loop (by repeating all the fights/attacks) something new arrives. I also love the contols, they are way better compared to 10 years ago.

    The graphics are good, the music is excellent.

    Have played 10 hours, will play way more hours and hope to be suprised a lot of more times :)
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  3. Jan 17, 2013
    10
    Although the game has a few issues, it is truly amazing. It has been designed really well. As a game developer myself I can see that the creators at Firaxis have really worked hard on the game. The story progression is well made and the different types of soldiers are balanced perfectly. Although killing aliens during fights is based on luck it is extremely important how you position yourAlthough the game has a few issues, it is truly amazing. It has been designed really well. As a game developer myself I can see that the creators at Firaxis have really worked hard on the game. The story progression is well made and the different types of soldiers are balanced perfectly. Although killing aliens during fights is based on luck it is extremely important how you position your soldiers. Tactics are much more important than luck in this game.
    What I love the most in this game is that no two battlefields (maps) are the same, with the exception of some of the UFO assault missions. What I don't like however are the air to air fights where you have only very little over what's happening.
    Overall, this game is a must-buy. It is one of the very few turn-based strategies that are really well made.
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  4. Jul 3, 2013
    10
    Fantastic game 9.5/10.
    It has good story, great character progression, excellent gameplay and good replayability.
    Missions offer great tactical challenge to everybody who love to employ their tactics and strategy in approaching and eliminating enemies. Turn based system fits perfectly into this and never before have i played turn based game which offers so many smart tactical decisions
    Fantastic game 9.5/10.
    It has good story, great character progression, excellent gameplay and good replayability.
    Missions offer great tactical challenge to everybody who love to employ their tactics and strategy in approaching and eliminating enemies. Turn based system fits perfectly into this and never before have i played turn based game which offers so many smart tactical decisions and i played many :D!
    When not on missions u are given control of XCOM base where u plan constructions, researches, craft items etc. all to help u in your fight against alien invaders. All this involves smart strategic approach for your enemy is strong and far more advanced than u.
    To those who like all mentioned above and are prepared to dig in recommend classic difficulty. Have FUN!
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  5. Feb 1, 2013
    10
    This game is awsesome! The best remake i´ve ever seen.
  6. Jun 18, 2014
    10
    Loved the game. Just had to write a review to say i gave it a 10 because 2 many ppl give it 0 cus they have no clue about anything. For real its 9 in my eyes. Go play!
  7. May 16, 2013
    10
    While never having played any previous XCOM games I can say that this is a fantastic game. A great blend of action, tactics and strategy with some great cut-scenes and storyline thrown in. Is the game dumbed-down and shallow? Not in my opinion. It's got some simplistic elements in the same way that Civ 5 simplified the economy aspects of that series but this XCOM offering should giveWhile never having played any previous XCOM games I can say that this is a fantastic game. A great blend of action, tactics and strategy with some great cut-scenes and storyline thrown in. Is the game dumbed-down and shallow? Not in my opinion. It's got some simplistic elements in the same way that Civ 5 simplified the economy aspects of that series but this XCOM offering should give enough depth for all but the most ardent strategy fan. The combat system would become slightly repetitive but for the constant stream of new unlocks (both in terms of weaponry and abilities) and new enemies. There's also goals to aim towards that advance the storyline.

    If you've played XCOM previously then perhaps this is just not for you as nostalgia may get in the way. For everyone else, this is a fantastic game well worth the money.
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  8. Jun 10, 2013
    10
    I have never played any other XCOM game, but this game is fantastic. It is a surprisingly addicting turn-based strategy. Unlike other turn-based strategies, it has more modern graphics. I liked the mission variations, the upgrades system, the base, the action, everything. The game is the highlight of the year for me.
  9. Nov 12, 2014
    9
    This is a brilliant strategy game that no fan of the genre, especially fans of turn based games, should pass up. The easy and normal difficulties make the single player portion of the game new-player friendly, while the classic and impossible difficulties, combined in the Ironman (autosave only) option transform this game into one of the most tactical and challenging experiences everThis is a brilliant strategy game that no fan of the genre, especially fans of turn based games, should pass up. The easy and normal difficulties make the single player portion of the game new-player friendly, while the classic and impossible difficulties, combined in the Ironman (autosave only) option transform this game into one of the most tactical and challenging experiences ever created.

    But i dont like that they dont support mods very well and force you to play the game their way
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  10. i0n
    Sep 3, 2013
    10
    Quite simply one of the most engaging, well designed games I have played in years. Even those who don't usually play turn-based strategy games will get something from this. The graphics are slick, gameplay mechanics are polished, and there is nothing else in the genre as refined as this title right now. Outstanding game and I can't recommend it enough. Brilliant.
  11. Jun 7, 2014
    9
    Amazing game. I was a bit worried if it will live up to the fame of the cult classic form 94 or if it will be entertaining enough in this day and age, but this was a 40hours long ride full of fun for me. Engaging tactical battles, politics, research, HQ building, DeusEx style music and atmosphere, great story, some surprising voice actors I've recognized like the scientist from LOST'sAmazing game. I was a bit worried if it will live up to the fame of the cult classic form 94 or if it will be entertaining enough in this day and age, but this was a 40hours long ride full of fun for me. Engaging tactical battles, politics, research, HQ building, DeusEx style music and atmosphere, great story, some surprising voice actors I've recognized like the scientist from LOST's orientation videos, Im completely satisfied here. Yes, it has been a bit simplified compared to the original, but that's understandable and it doesn't ruin the experience. My only complain is the lack of customization for your squad since building your dream squad is the main fun here, at least for me, the final battle also left kinda weak impression as I have headshotted the final boss in one turn, but other than that, this is an awesome reboot of the X-COM classic. 9/10 Expand
  12. Jun 23, 2014
    9
    XCOM is a great game. It does have a few annoying flaws however: Every time you mess up, which will probably happen every now and then, you can't access the menus during the enemies' turn. That means you have to watch 1-2 minutes of your team dying or restart the game, instead of being able to reload instantly.
    Same problem with your soldiers' class: It's randomly chosen after the first
    XCOM is a great game. It does have a few annoying flaws however: Every time you mess up, which will probably happen every now and then, you can't access the menus during the enemies' turn. That means you have to watch 1-2 minutes of your team dying or restart the game, instead of being able to reload instantly.
    Same problem with your soldiers' class: It's randomly chosen after the first level up instead of letting you pick it. There are ways to get the class you want, but it's still a stupid design decision.
    I get what they're trying to do with these things, but let people play however the hell they want, damn it.

    Except for these things, it's a great strategy game.
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  13. Jun 10, 2014
    8
    Pese al pavor que tenía porque lo hubieran hecho mal, es un digno sucesor del juego original (que es uno de mis favoritos). Han tenido que simplificar algunas mecánicas y parte de la gestión pero sigue teniendo ese regusto a batalla épica a la desesperada que te generaba el primero. Vale la pena comprarlo aunque es una lástima que el multi no te dejen jugar en cooperativo contra los aliens.
  14. Jun 11, 2014
    9
    I have always been a huge fan of Firaxis Games. I love the Civilization games and was very interested to try XCOM: Enemy Unknown, to see how a new spin on turn-based strategy might play out. I was pleasantly surprised. The game is very fun and very addictive. It's also challenging and forces you to try different strategies to finally win.

    It's not without it's faults, however. The
    I have always been a huge fan of Firaxis Games. I love the Civilization games and was very interested to try XCOM: Enemy Unknown, to see how a new spin on turn-based strategy might play out. I was pleasantly surprised. The game is very fun and very addictive. It's also challenging and forces you to try different strategies to finally win.

    It's not without it's faults, however. The game has some pretty bad line of sight issues and the AI can sometimes seem glitchy. However, these issues are not constant and overall don't detract from the fun and addictive gameplay. I also wish the XCOM base progression wasn't as repetitive and mundane. It's still fun, but gets a little old toward the end of the game.

    All in all, I have many more praises than complaints and I highly recommend this game for anyone, let alone those gamers that love turn-based strategy!
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  15. May 19, 2015
    8
    A squad-based tactical game that makes the most out of it's quite simple mechanics. Outside of combat you manage the overseeing operation - a nice peace of micro management between combat missions. Combat is basically cover-based, turn-based and probability-based gameplay. Easy to understand mechanics but the AI will challange you with tactics and numbers. The special thing about XCOM isA squad-based tactical game that makes the most out of it's quite simple mechanics. Outside of combat you manage the overseeing operation - a nice peace of micro management between combat missions. Combat is basically cover-based, turn-based and probability-based gameplay. Easy to understand mechanics but the AI will challange you with tactics and numbers. The special thing about XCOM is the way the game promotes a feeling of significance for every single action you take. whether you move a highly trained veteran soldier from cover to cover while enemies take potshots or choosing the next facility to build or research to undertake.
    Graphics are in a somewhat cellshading style and will age well, though lacking any amazement factor. Sounds are solid and underline the "enemy unknown" atmosphere well.
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  16. Jun 22, 2016
    9
    Long content, all customizable, multiple situations to explore and really well done. Cant raech 10 because it gets a bit repetitive after the hours. Go ahead g2a and try is 5 euros or download the demo
  17. May 6, 2019
    8
    Hikaye = 8
    Oynanış = 9
    Grafikler = 7
    Sesler =7
    Keyif = 8
    Atmosfer = 8
    Süre = 7
  18. Jun 11, 2022
    0
    Russian nazi language is there, but no Ukrainian. 0 from me. I'm so tired of this...
    Game is great tho.
  19. Apr 24, 2020
    0
    Removed without notice from GeForce Now, I purchased a game I can no longer play.
  20. Sep 29, 2021
    10
    I fell in love with this game when I first started playing it, but then something went horribly wrong. If you only intend on playing the game once or maybe twice then this game is a fantastic gem; a great experience. If you want to play more than that then it has some surprises in store. First of all the UI and controls are ok but they could be so much better on the PC. Every once in a
  21. May 22, 2016
    9
    Just finished. Although must admit It took a while for me. Maybe because I didn't follow what I was supposed to do. Heck I build a foundry and uncovered a whole bunch of upgrades and units I could make only towards the end of the game. By then my soldiers were beefed up so I managed. Gotta give it credit because it was kind of addictive. Great ending too.
  22. Feb 24, 2016
    5
    Great game on normal difficulty, but at classic and above it's hideously broken and causes bitter anger!
    I've carefully inched my way through a building, clearing it totally, then positionto hit the next room....Then BOOM!!! 3 Thin Men materialise right behind my sniper and one shot him.
    I've thrown battle scanners and they reveal a clear area, with enemies at the far edge. So I advance,
    Great game on normal difficulty, but at classic and above it's hideously broken and causes bitter anger!
    I've carefully inched my way through a building, clearing it totally, then positionto hit the next room....Then BOOM!!! 3 Thin Men materialise right behind my sniper and one shot him.
    I've thrown battle scanners and they reveal a clear area, with enemies at the far edge. So I advance, then BOOM, 3 mutons materialise right in the middle of my squad. Enemies shouldn't jump from position to position, it makes it impossible to come up with a battle plan and instead makes you set up a shooting gallery and hope you survive the waves of attack.
    I skillfully and precisely position myself so that a precision grenade opens a killer shot, then interface error makes me grenade my own troops.
    90% arc thrower failing 3 times in a row. The RNG is awful - it feels more like it had to pick every number 1-100 once before it resets. I play poker so I understand chance and this does not feel at all random.
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  23. ave
    May 22, 2018
    8
    Even if I'm an "old gamer", I never had the chance to play the original XCOM. Nonetheless, this reboot entirely satisfied my preference for squad-based tactical turn-based games, like FallOut Tactics did in the past.

    Even in "easy" difficulty, the game is hard and may require a lot of strategy guides and videos to watch in order to grok how the game is supposed to be played, especially
    Even if I'm an "old gamer", I never had the chance to play the original XCOM. Nonetheless, this reboot entirely satisfied my preference for squad-based tactical turn-based games, like FallOut Tactics did in the past.

    Even in "easy" difficulty, the game is hard and may require a lot of strategy guides and videos to watch in order to grok how the game is supposed to be played, especially how to deal with visibilty, pod triggering, cover and flanking ; and of course the details of base management.

    Even if I started many (many) campaigns, I actually finished only two, but they were very satisfying (except maybe for the last boss).

    I strongly recommend you to play Enemy Unknown before diving into Enemy Within.
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  24. Feb 2, 2015
    6
    Constant crashing to desktop, a nonsensical save game order, uselessly fast and clunky mouse wheel scrolling, a WAY overcomplicated menu traversing process to obtain one simple piece of information, and occasionally glitchy camera spoil what is still a decently fun turn-based strategy game. Great quality models, animations, maps, music, and gameplay mashed together into somethingConstant crashing to desktop, a nonsensical save game order, uselessly fast and clunky mouse wheel scrolling, a WAY overcomplicated menu traversing process to obtain one simple piece of information, and occasionally glitchy camera spoil what is still a decently fun turn-based strategy game. Great quality models, animations, maps, music, and gameplay mashed together into something resembling a playable game by confused utter incompetents that obviously struggle with basic logic and the simplest fundamentals of interface design make scoring this game very challenging.
    The elements that are great are really impressive, but the stupidly bad elements are tooth-grindingly frustrating. Whoever supervised and approved the incredibly clunky HQ UI and obviously piss-poor coding that causes persistent grief throughout needs to be removed from the video game industry immediately and forever.
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  25. Nov 9, 2014
    9
    Review of the "Elite Edition" (MacOSX)
    Turn-based strategy games are something of an outcast class in the present game developing environment. No publisher seems keen on investing in these. Firaxis, with their well known pedigree of impecable and all-consuming strategical games, changed the "Outcast" part for "Outclass" in this wonderful modernization of the future (of a past game).
    THE
    Review of the "Elite Edition" (MacOSX)
    Turn-based strategy games are something of an outcast class in the present game developing environment. No publisher seems keen on investing in these. Firaxis, with their well known pedigree of impecable and all-consuming strategical games, changed the "Outcast" part for "Outclass" in this wonderful modernization of the future (of a past game).
    THE GOODNESS GALORE
    They managed 3 things I think vital: There is no need to be a fan or have played XCOM to like this game; if you are an XCOM fan you will recognize and understand the changes made to this game; and they adapted TBS to be a heart-thumping bonanza of action kickasserie! (without sacrificing any of the methodical rhythm needed and cherished by fans of the genre, such as myself).
    All-around graphics are of a very high calibre. Detailed environments and creature models bring the world to life, ample customization make your troops feel unique in a way even more profound I have found on some (pseudo) RPG games, a well set tone and story development more than submerge you totally integrate you with the plight of a world facing a patently undefeatable enemy, unless you organize your meager initial resources (men and women, tech, money and time) to mount the best counterattack Earth are capable of, and give humanity at least a fighting chance.
    The game has been streamlined in the right places, such as merging facilities, limiting the size of your team to a 6-man squad more than the sometimes unwhieldy 20-unit troops, but vital aspects such as difficulty, strategy requirements and complex interactions between your resources are still gratifyingly intricate.
    Replayability is enormous, with 4 different levels of difficulty and the discenrning-masochist prefered choice: Iron Man. Which means you have nothing but the game's AutoSave to finish the campaign, therefore every choice you take is uncheangeable, so the stakes get so high they're airplane hazards.
    Best thing about the Mac version? The game is a stand-alone unit, so no need for any Steam nonsense (although you will get all the usual iTunes or AppShop foolishness if you buy the app or iOS version.)
    The game is fortunatelly very stable, so don't worry too much about crashes or glitches since there are only a few, but, as with any game, it's not free of issues...
    THE NAUGHTY BITS
    The environments will get "samey" on further playthroughs since maps will be re-used. There are no attacks on the XCOM base, which would have given Enemy Unknown such a thrilling level of added desperation to your already fragile situation. Some clipping will take place generating cheap deads on your team (or on aliens too for that matter, devaluing your efforts a bit) when they get detected, thus shot, through roofs or sturdy walls, which is not a big deal on most cases except on "Iron Man" where you depend so highly on not screwing up. The aircombat is primitive and uninvolving, and would've benefited the experience (and maybe the story) if it included more than basically just wishing your pilots well by clicking one button at a certain moment.
    CONCLUSION
    But these grievances have no real impact on wheather you should buy or not this game. You MUST. Earth and the TBS market demands it that you do... to give them a chance to survive.
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  26. Dec 2, 2015
    10
    It has been a great many years since I have been so compelled and drawn in to an IP as deeply as I have been with XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

    A re-imagining of the classic if infamously counter-intuitive XCOM series, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a highly interactive, highly immersive and surprisingly replayable game with hundreds of hours of gameplay to be had. The story is interesting and
    It has been a great many years since I have been so compelled and drawn in to an IP as deeply as I have been with XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

    A re-imagining of the classic if infamously counter-intuitive XCOM series, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a highly interactive, highly immersive and surprisingly replayable game with hundreds of hours of gameplay to be had.

    The story is interesting and well-told enough for you to really be drawn in without becoming overbearing or cripplingly long-winded or cryptic.

    Perhaps one of the strangest things about this game though is how strongly you as a player become attached to your troops. Even to the most unimaginative of folks, players can't help but form little backstories and personalities to their characters and care about them as a Commander most likely would.

    The expansion pack also adds a significant amount of content, both in terms of story and in terms of new units and upgrades.

    All in all, this game has done a great job of reviving the dying genre of turn-based strategy and has quickly become not only my favourite game of 2012 but one of my favourite games of all time.

    If you've been curious about the upcoming sequel and wonder if the first game is worth giving a go, I would wholeheartedly shout YES!
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  27. Feb 5, 2015
    9
    To put it succinctly, PLAY THIS GAME. I came into this game not knowing exactly what to expect, and I was absolutely blown away. this game is incredibly fun and addictive, with excellently nuanced gameplay. If you mess up in this game, it is your fault. The game almost never cheats you out of a victory. I can't say it enough: play it. Play it. PLAY IT.
  28. Aug 1, 2014
    9
    Utterly immersing and satisfying. If you like first person shooters as well as turn based grand strategy games (think total war series) then this merges the two in a perfect way. As a newbe to the xcom series, I have been left very impressed.
  29. Mar 27, 2017
    10
    Coming back to this game after playing the second one, it is a tighter experience overall and does not need mods to give it a feel of pressure like in XCOM 2.
  30. Dec 24, 2015
    8
    Solid tactical game with a strong feeling of retro inspired mechanics. Simple but pretty addictive, this game has brought some emotions up that other games of this generation lack ability of.
  31. Dec 14, 2015
    7
    This is a remake of 1993 XCOM UFO Defense which is very well done yet lacks some strategic depth of the original.

    The good: - in many things, the game tries to stay very close to the original - more alient types, including heavily armored robots - all aliens and your soldiers have new special abilities - more weapon types, including shotguns - great music, some tracks remind Deus
    This is a remake of 1993 XCOM UFO Defense which is very well done yet lacks some strategic depth of the original.

    The good:
    - in many things, the game tries to stay very close to the original
    - more alient types, including heavily armored robots
    - all aliens and your soldiers have new special abilities
    - more weapon types, including shotguns
    - great music, some tracks remind Deus Ex Human Revolution
    - great graphics
    - the story is accompanied with many cutscenes and voiced comments from your staff, which helps build drama
    - great detailed tutorial
    - mind control requires the target to be in sight (no more mind controls at the very first turn)
    - you can research additional upgrades to weapons and other things in the Foundry building

    The so-so:
    - 2 action points instead of 50-70 like in the original, soldiers normally just walk once and shoot once. This takes away some depth yet makes you camp less
    - can only take 6 soldiers in a mission instead of 14 -> faster turns but fewer tactical options
    - night missions have the same visibility as daytime ones, no flares -> easier, but micromanaging flares was fun and night missions used to be real challenge
    - a strange cover system: when a mob is behind an edge of a wall, it still can be shot at, yet with a high penalty. Most battlefields are filled with tree logs, groups of stones, stairs-like elevation levels which makes the battles mostly about running from cover to cover and staying on Overwatch
    - critical hits are important -> more randomness
    - soldiers have no stats (which grew from "usage"), instead the game randomly assigns them to specializations (sniper, heavy, assault, support). Specializations offer a few special abilities though
    - after getting max rank ("Colonel"), soldiers won't improve anymore (only psi abilities, if they have psionic powers), which doesn't let you train super-ninzas and forces you to send new soldiers to let them train as well
    - a few new types of missions which are heavily scripted and linear, usually with a turn limit
    - can only build facilities in one base, no storage limit, no ammo -> less micromanagement but feels too casual
    - mobs' facing doesn't play any role: they see equally well all around them, and attacks from behind don't inflict more damage (though usually a mob won't have a covering object behind it and will be considered "flanked")
    - no arctic/desert/jungle maps but many varied urban maps
    - a soldier can take just 1 extra item (e.g.1 grenade) in addition to main weapon and pistol

    The bad:
    - most battles are scripted and not randomly generated. Enemies appear when you pass trigger tiles and take a free move to get behind cover right after they appeared. Some fall directly from above (out of thin air) behind your troops, switching to Overwatch and pinning all your soldiers down. Some will run very close to you, all while you're waiting for their animation to finish. This takes away much strategic feeling as all your battle plans are trampled by script. Worse, it makes playing on higher difficulty or iron man mode pointless, as it feels unfair to lose when you didn't know in advance a scripted situation
    - camera always tries to zoom in on the next selected soldiers which is very annoying if you want to keep camera zoomed out for a tactical overwiev
    - camera sometimes fails to correctly detect the tile under the cursor -> it may take many attempts to open a door with V key (and rotate the camera for that a lot), or sometimes the solder will run to a wrong tile which is on a different floor and visually behind the one you wish to go to
    - if a soldier sees an enemy during movement he doesn't stop and can even lose sight of the enemy by the end of the move (it was the same in the original XCOM but there you could walk tile-by-tile, and in JA2 soldiers stopped when seeing a new enemy)
    - no base defense missions
    - although everything is destructible you can't shoot at objects, except if your weapon misses an alien and hits an object instead, or you throw a grenade or fire a rocket launcher
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  32. Nov 17, 2014
    8
    A highly enjoyable and strategically strong game borders on being perfect aside from some annoying glitches and bugs. Fans of the turn based action games will enjoy and those looking for a challenge will love it.
  33. Feb 18, 2015
    9
    If you've never played a turn-based tactics game, this is the one to pick up. The difficulty options allow for anybody from a total amateur to a hardcore expert to have a well-balanced experience. It isn't too short or long either, and has enough randomization that someone who loved it could replay the game and love it all over again.

    The story isn't much to write home about, and the
    If you've never played a turn-based tactics game, this is the one to pick up. The difficulty options allow for anybody from a total amateur to a hardcore expert to have a well-balanced experience. It isn't too short or long either, and has enough randomization that someone who loved it could replay the game and love it all over again.

    The story isn't much to write home about, and the characters are little more than sketches, but there's enough game here to please anyway. I also with there had been a bit more variety in the units (both friendly and hostile) as well as the mission types, but I'm sure that the inevitable sequel will have those things.
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  34. Jul 24, 2020
    7
    Great game with an interesting story. Can spend hundreds of hours playing this game. But to be honest I prefer the second one.
  35. Aug 7, 2019
    3
    Love tactical turn based strategy games but this game has serious issues. First of all there is nothing fair about the difficulty of this game. The aliens deal just as much damage as you but thats where the fairness stops. They are way more accurate than your soldiers, there's way more of them, they have more classes as well, and they can also shoot through (blow up) walls which only oneLove tactical turn based strategy games but this game has serious issues. First of all there is nothing fair about the difficulty of this game. The aliens deal just as much damage as you but thats where the fairness stops. They are way more accurate than your soldiers, there's way more of them, they have more classes as well, and they can also shoot through (blow up) walls which only one class in the game can do on the Xcom side. Your soldiers can't hit the broad side of a barn, theres just WAY too many misses in this game, even while flanking. Too many elements of random chance for a tactical strategy game. I tried really hard to like this game but the flaws inherent in the combat mechanics prevented me from doing so. Expand
  36. Oct 5, 2022
    8
    Everything is great, but if you mess up something in early game, and you finally in late game. You just have to start all over, so make sure you plan accordingly or "scum save." Also, I shouldn't be missing a 90% chance shot so often.
  37. Apr 29, 2016
    8
    I didnt play the former XCOM before, so I came into the game without any previous impacts. But I can understand the critics: unfortunately the game was written for consoles and you can see it on 2 things: the graphics is really old, this is how games looked like in 2010, but not 2012 or 2013. In addition the controlling was not good enough for a PC game.
    If we stay in the negative
    I didnt play the former XCOM before, so I came into the game without any previous impacts. But I can understand the critics: unfortunately the game was written for consoles and you can see it on 2 things: the graphics is really old, this is how games looked like in 2010, but not 2012 or 2013. In addition the controlling was not good enough for a PC game.
    If we stay in the negative aspects, I can add some more:
    What annoyed me, was the few informations you get to make decisions. As if the programmer didnt want to overinform us stupid gamers...I needed to look a lot in XCOM Wikia to understand, what effects my decisions will have. In addition you need to load often during a mission, because you never know, if your soldier will have vision after changing your position. This game means a lot of fun in the beginning, but after 15 hours, you see through many mechanism and the missions begin to look similar.

    But the game has some very good sides: The gameplay itself is complex and for me motivating. They present you the story very well und you really want to protect the earth because of the aliens.

    Result: A good game, but you need the addon, because it makes the main campaign much better
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  38. Aug 8, 2014
    9
    This game is turn based game, but you must try it. The graphic game is great. The storyline is very good. This game has psychic power that can use for weapon, control enenmy, etc.
  39. Mar 20, 2016
    6
    There is a good game somewhere in there, buried under a thick layer of incompetence. The developer clearly lacked the brain power to flesh out the tactical aspect of the game. They reducedthe tactical formula to a roll of the dice. From a technical standpoint, the game is glitchy, with enemies capable of shooting behind walls, which essentially renders what is left of the tactical aspectThere is a good game somewhere in there, buried under a thick layer of incompetence. The developer clearly lacked the brain power to flesh out the tactical aspect of the game. They reducedthe tactical formula to a roll of the dice. From a technical standpoint, the game is glitchy, with enemies capable of shooting behind walls, which essentially renders what is left of the tactical aspect useless.An embarrassing effort. Expand
  40. Dec 4, 2019
    3
    Please remove XCOM from the title, it's casual game with good graphics but not like original X-COMs from 90s. I've preordered it on Desura (RIP) and waited more than Second Coming but after release i was broken af. Absolutely linear and all **** with score 0-5 already said everything about this game and i can't add something new and original to it.
    PS:
    If you not familiar with old X-COMs
    Please remove XCOM from the title, it's casual game with good graphics but not like original X-COMs from 90s. I've preordered it on Desura (RIP) and waited more than Second Coming but after release i was broken af. Absolutely linear and all **** with score 0-5 already said everything about this game and i can't add something new and original to it.
    PS:
    If you not familiar with old X-COMs from 90s i can recommed it, may be it'll be your favorit game.
    PPS:
    Now i'm happy with Xenonauts and Phoenix Point!=)
    Peace!
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  41. Feb 24, 2016
    8
    This game is relly good and really fun. It is a bit different animal than the original from 90s'. But it is cool. It requires a brain. It looks good. It plays nicely. The downsides are a bit limited gameplay in comparison to the original and the need to finish the campaign soon. The game starts to get difficult quite fast, so you are pressed to progress fast. I am not so sure I liked that.This game is relly good and really fun. It is a bit different animal than the original from 90s'. But it is cool. It requires a brain. It looks good. It plays nicely. The downsides are a bit limited gameplay in comparison to the original and the need to finish the campaign soon. The game starts to get difficult quite fast, so you are pressed to progress fast. I am not so sure I liked that. Apart from that, very nice gaming experience. Firaxis made an excelent job in honoring the original classic. Expand
  42. Aug 21, 2014
    1
    Having played the original version i was extremely disappointed and surprised that they simplified it so heavily, when they had the option to keep the complexity and add better graphics, but chose not to.
    Graphics are good, but again mostly made up of preset animations, and not depending much on what you actually do, meaning the same thing happens over and over, also when it comes to
    Having played the original version i was extremely disappointed and surprised that they simplified it so heavily, when they had the option to keep the complexity and add better graphics, but chose not to.
    Graphics are good, but again mostly made up of preset animations, and not depending much on what you actually do, meaning the same thing happens over and over, also when it comes to damage (i actually it could not be true).
    Line of sight is sadly also broken.
    1 point for decent graphics.
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  43. Mar 29, 2016
    5
    I wanted to like this game but ended up uninstalling after a few missions. I was spoiled by the original. way back when, I suppose, and this game barely pays homage to the original. Yes, it's turn based. Yes, it involves aliens attacking Earth and you sending "custom" squads to defeat them in various locales. Yes, it has limited action/move points per turn and makes good use of "cover"I wanted to like this game but ended up uninstalling after a few missions. I was spoiled by the original. way back when, I suppose, and this game barely pays homage to the original. Yes, it's turn based. Yes, it involves aliens attacking Earth and you sending "custom" squads to defeat them in various locales. Yes, it has limited action/move points per turn and makes good use of "cover" and "oversight" mechanics to determine firefight outcomes. I liked the level design even if I didn't like the style of the graphics, which i admit is entirely subjective and not a big determinant of the real objective value of the game. Yes, the program ran fine on my modest system, and seemed to be technically "clean" in my case. That gets it up to about 40% in my books, but to get higher marks from me, the game has to be clever, engaging, challenging, and most of all fun . I didn't find these things like others did. I found that the game relied more on "cheating" to make the playstyle challenging, rather than a real intelligent A.I. I found it to be frustrating to use the best possible moves, mathematically speaking, only to be defeated at the goal line by unbelievable and "cruel" odds. The choice of "dice-roll" success/failure as opposed to a real feeling of skill impact was the single most frustrating thing for me. I soon found the game to be frustrating rather than fun and ragequit/uninstalled after a particularly unbelievable run of luck on the part of the a.i. destroyed my (better by far) strategy in seconds. It was almost as if the devs were saying "Here, we just rolled boxcars 6 times in a row, and you LOSE, Jack... it's called STRATEGY...." it sounds childish, I know, but my frustration was that personal. Maybe it was just my particular taste, or my gamer's need to feel a sense of fairness in a strategy game, but I didn't like this one too much. Sorry, folks, not quite a pass for me as pretty as the game is. I get the feeling that this is another one of those games that you either "get" or you don't, and I am sorry to say that I don't. I am giving it a revised score of 50% because when i look back on it now, the engine, level design, interface, and game mechanics were quite well done in my view, so there was some skill and effort put into the game for sure, it's just that the fun factor wasn't ever really there for me personally. Expand
  44. Feb 23, 2016
    9
    XCOM: Enemy Unknown starts like how a good strategy game should start, and thankfully, it ends like how a good strategy game should end. Or at least, some parts of it.
  45. Aug 10, 2015
    8
    Loved this game but:
    enemies do not move until you approach them
    Inventory is gone
    missing some rpg elements
    missions are too similar

    Overall the game is fun and enjoyable
  46. Jun 24, 2015
    9
    A fantastic game, that puts the strategy from Civilization series and management from any type of tycoon game, put in some aliens and the world to take over and eliminate the world, and you've got a fantastic and hard game, I have been waiting to buy this game and I must say it is the best strategy game I've played, although the game does encounter bugs and glitches which may bother youA fantastic game, that puts the strategy from Civilization series and management from any type of tycoon game, put in some aliens and the world to take over and eliminate the world, and you've got a fantastic and hard game, I have been waiting to buy this game and I must say it is the best strategy game I've played, although the game does encounter bugs and glitches which may bother you while playing, its a good game to play Expand
  47. Oct 28, 2014
    9
    Fantastic game, good combat system. good successor to the 1993 title (which in my opinion is a 10), even with his small flaws, totally worth playing!!!
  48. Jul 11, 2014
    5
    This is a review of the base game with all DLC except Enemy Within.

    XCOm is a very polished but ultimately after about the first 100 hours I was bored with it. The challenge and excitement is all in the beginning but once my research and engineering catches up and my soldiers become strong enough to become a match for the aliens the missions start to become a chore to play and I just
    This is a review of the base game with all DLC except Enemy Within.

    XCOm is a very polished but ultimately after about the first 100 hours I was bored with it. The challenge and excitement is all in the beginning but once my research and engineering catches up and my soldiers become strong enough to become a match for the aliens the missions start to become a chore to play and I just can't be bothered to finish the rest of it. The original XCOM UFO Defence managed to keep me hooked all the way to the end because of its randomness, variety and customisability. All these attributes are sorely lacking in this version of XCOM.
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  49. Feb 11, 2019
    9
    Very enjoyable well paced game. Doesn't hold your hand all the time, actual mistakes can be made.
  50. Aug 18, 2014
    9
    This new XCom can proudly bear it ancestor name. While it isn't the old XCom game in new dressing, it keeps the essence of the old title.

    It is simpler in many aspects, like you don't have to care for munition -- making it or using it, only issue is to reload the guns in battle, but the munition supply is infinite, which has an impact on tactics, since you can shoot all the time, even
    This new XCom can proudly bear it ancestor name. While it isn't the old XCom game in new dressing, it keeps the essence of the old title.

    It is simpler in many aspects, like you don't have to care for munition -- making it or using it, only issue is to reload the guns in battle, but the munition supply is infinite, which has an impact on tactics, since you can shoot all the time, even when % is very low. And its fun to kill an alien with a 10% chance! Also, you don't choose the kind of equipment a soldier will use. After the first graduation each soldier will go automatically to Sniper, Assault, Support or Heavy, and from them on can only use weapons for his or her class. But this isn't a problem, its cheap to get new soldiers and you can choose which ones to take on the missions (use the Clear button on the mission rooster to change them) (Also, its good to have many soldiers and train them all. It can be important along the game).

    One little point I disliked is that soldiers can hold just a weapon, a side weapon, armor and one extra item, like grenades, medikits or any other of the later developed items. It seems to me that some items, like a Scope or a Helmet, should be used besides these ones, but no, you have to give up on grenades/ medikits to have these ones.

    One funny aspect is Engineering can build anything instantly (provided you have money and materials for it). Also, you can't sell equipment. All you can sell are alien items you get on battle -- and this isn't really a good idea, you will need them to build items with alien tech.

    Another thing that for me doesn't look great is how hard it is to get all satellites in the air (if you loose a country, you cant recover it back later, so at first its all efforts to put satellites everywhere), and how easy is to have money after that is done. This side of the game is very intense at first but too easy after the satellites. You research all that is to research really quick, I didn't even build any Laboratory (playing on Normal), just built two Workshops to have enough Engineers to built the satellites. It would be more interesting if you could make some super special hard mission to recover a lost country later...

    Because of these small points I don't give the game a 10.

    On the plus side, graphics and sounds are phenomenal. Really great. Sceneries are also great, even if a little more variations would be good. On old XCom games we could end walking around the scenery looking for that last alien to kill, but this wont happen here, sceneries aren't very big (it would be great to have some variation in size, it would be more interesting), and there is an interesting hearing cue to tell you where the aliens are. Animations are also great. The way camera changes when a soldier or alien shoots is great (and sometimes when a soldier moves), adds a lot to the game.

    Interface is also great. I had a little trouble to understand how to use mouse wheel (to raise/lower levels of view), but after I got it right, everything with interface was easy and fun. One little issue: at the end of a turn, we could have a button to put all the remaining soldiers on Overwatch, instead of going one by one. Also, after a mission start, you cant choose the sequence the orders are given to soldiers (when clicking the button to go from soldier to soldier, or Shift key). It could be like you manually choose the order the first time and the game could remember the sequence and repeat it instead of using its own sequence all the time. This makes we jump from a side of the scenery to the other with each soldier instead of solving movement for all that are together. This using the Shift key to change soldiers. Of course you can click on the next soldier too (the cue that you are on the correct point to click is very good, its hard to do it wrong).

    After a while playing the game, you can turn on Ironman. On Ironman you can't save the game while in a mission, making things much, much harder. (Of course you can always return to a saved game before the start of that mission that went very badly, but don't do so, its cheating (: )

    The tactical aspect of the game is very well thought. At first there's no difference what kind of weapon you use, but after the game progress it is essential to have the correct ones (before each mission, game tells you what kind of aliens you should find in the mission). Or, you can solve the problem without the right ones, but its much more difficult. Also the tactical positioning is essential. On missions where the UFO landed (opposed to crashed down), you can't approach it heads on, there will be a ton of aliens shooting at your soldiers at the same time. So you have to find other ways to approach... (here a bigger scenery could be more fun. But it is already very interesting the way it is!).

    All in all, a very recommended game and one I will play for a long time. Already crossed the 200 hours on it!
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  51. Sep 22, 2014
    5
    Ita amazing - this piece of s... still playable and even not bad in spite of, ALL good what was in original X-com was failed, ruined or remaked in absolutly stupid way. My english too poor to describe all, but i try:
    - two-turn stupid system for stupid kids, i wonder
    - no aiming - no inventory - no casulty shots (you can shoot ONLY your target or you miss even if target stay in huge
    Ita amazing - this piece of s... still playable and even not bad in spite of, ALL good what was in original X-com was failed, ruined or remaked in absolutly stupid way. My english too poor to describe all, but i try:
    - two-turn stupid system for stupid kids, i wonder
    - no aiming
    - no inventory
    - no casulty shots (you can shoot ONLY your target or you miss even if target stay in huge crowd and you soot from mashinegun)
    - ruined economic. All prices very funny. And stupid (like all other in game)
    - no more strategy, only one base and stupid "sattelite" instead another base
    - terror missons always theree and you alweys fail two. No, no more two or how you like ships for closing all mission.
    - "timer" mission its something from hell. Im cant remeber anything so idiotic and so not fitted ot plot like this.
    - hm,... "plot"... yes, its make you facepalm again and again
    - even video search report failed. Original 200x300pix ufopedia pages was much better. Im dont know, how firexis make this but its true.
    - and many more, i suppose, i just lazy to start game again for remember all of this.
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  52. Jan 18, 2019
    8
    This game is hard to review, mostly because it is a "re-imagining" of one of my favorite games. The short story is: I like it. I am playing it. So, it gets an 8. Could it have been better? Oh yes. As an X-Com remake, it falls a bit flat. Simplified is a commonly used description, "on rails" is how I'd describe it. It seems that somewhere out there in a secret gaming steering committee, an…
  53. Jan 8, 2016
    10
    Having played the original UFO, this is like a remake but with much better graphics and gameplay. In my view, this is the best game I have ever played. Really enjoyed the turn-based battle and management aspects of your base.
  54. Nov 24, 2014
    8
    A solid turn based strategy game that i am glad to see/play. Solid customization features. You definitely get attached to your squad so you definitely get upset when they get killed which is how it should be. Not overly complex which some may like and others not, but you can definitely ramp the difficulty up until it is painful.
  55. Dec 5, 2014
    8
    Great game EXCEPT that in making strategically planned moves, the percentage calculator seems waaay off.. do these guys know what 65 or 75% actually means? almost all the time my guys (professionally trained soilders) can't hit the broad side of a barn to save their lives. I consistently see 6 of them miss a target at near point blank range. this happens far too often.. only to see themGreat game EXCEPT that in making strategically planned moves, the percentage calculator seems waaay off.. do these guys know what 65 or 75% actually means? almost all the time my guys (professionally trained soilders) can't hit the broad side of a barn to save their lives. I consistently see 6 of them miss a target at near point blank range. this happens far too often.. only to see them killed because you had expected and planned on the fact that they could hit at least some of the time.. my only gripe about this game, the rest is good Expand
  56. Jan 21, 2020
    1
    Sıra tabanlı oyunlardan keyif alan oyuncular için güzel bir oyun olabilir. Ancak oyundan hiç hoşlanmadım.
  57. May 19, 2015
    10
    As a fan of the xcom games I was a bit scared, when I read that the game should become "more accessible" to a larger audience. But what a great job the developers did!!! Still has a lot of depth and is a lot of fun to play. One of the best turn-based-strategy games I know.
    But after playing this game twice, unfortunately there is not much replayabillity
  58. Dec 29, 2015
    6
    The game feels as "almost finished" - buttons for soldier commands change their position after a command is issued, positioning of camera is sometimes ridiculous even in static moments and nauseating when you try to point with mouse where you want to throw grenade or fire rocket - the viewport moves rapidly and the size of transition seems kind of random.

    The game does not push you to
    The game feels as "almost finished" - buttons for soldier commands change their position after a command is issued, positioning of camera is sometimes ridiculous even in static moments and nauseating when you try to point with mouse where you want to throw grenade or fire rocket - the viewport moves rapidly and the size of transition seems kind of random.

    The game does not push you to use all possible technology advances to keep up with aliens, not at the normal level. You're constantly running out of resources and the scientists had nothing to research for about half and a month. The advantage from capturing live alines was quite limited.

    The visual style from research reports is shoddy - no alien picture, no details, no fun.

    The number of equipment slots for soldires is too low - why I shoud choose between a vest (worn on body) a scope (mounted on firearm) and grenade ? Does not make any sense.

    ...
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  59. Jun 4, 2015
    5
    I just wanted to address this, that this game when ever I went into soldier loadout or customisation I could get out of it and had to quit my game. Even if I got sent there to promote the soldier I couldn't get out. I tried every button but it didn't work. I still loved the game but this just makes it "sad" since I want to customise my characters. It's sad. I hope I'm not the only oneI just wanted to address this, that this game when ever I went into soldier loadout or customisation I could get out of it and had to quit my game. Even if I got sent there to promote the soldier I couldn't get out. I tried every button but it didn't work. I still loved the game but this just makes it "sad" since I want to customise my characters. It's sad. I hope I'm not the only one that has experienced this. Expand
  60. Dec 2, 2020
    10
    greattttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
  61. Jun 19, 2017
    3
    this game has no excuse being as buggy as it is 5 years after launch.
    fix your game firaxis.
    _________________________________________________________
  62. Feb 26, 2020
    8
    Amazing game, so many great and different elements coming together.mit gets a bit boring thougn once you become really good at it.
  63. Jul 12, 2016
    8
    XCOM: Enemy Unknown and its addons are de facto re-issue the game UFO Defence game 1993 year edition. Established Firaxis Games and published by 2K new game turned out pretty not bad. The basic details and the scenario were simply transferred from the 1993 year game: as the war with the aliens, turn-based tactics, tactical role-playing elements.
    The mission of the player is protection the
    XCOM: Enemy Unknown and its addons are de facto re-issue the game UFO Defence game 1993 year edition. Established Firaxis Games and published by 2K new game turned out pretty not bad. The basic details and the scenario were simply transferred from the 1993 year game: as the war with the aliens, turn-based tactics, tactical role-playing elements.
    The mission of the player is protection the planet from alien attacks, their operations on the ground and in the air. For ground operations under player control will be a special detachment. It is replenished by hiring for the money, so long as you have money and you will have recruits. But a large number of detachment on base senselessly because the operation can only use a limited number of soldiers 5 in the original game; 6 in addon Enemy Within. After successful operations soldiers who took part in the operation may be promoted in rank then become available new options and opportunities. The game has 4 classes of soldiers, -heavy infantry, support, assault, sniper and unique class - psionic - a soldier who has psionic abilities. The soldiers of different classes differently armed and have different skills. What classes to use depends on the player and his chosen tactics. Battle goes step by step: the player and the enemy take turns. During the battle each fighter can perform two actions (move / open fire / reload weapon / etc.). To win, the player has to fulfill the mission goal (to clean the area from aliens, rescue civilians or hostage). Enemy are various forms of aliens - their number, skills and capacity increases according to the game passage. To destroy alien aircraft, XCOM need to buy aircrafts, but unlike the recruits its construction takes time.
    The player has a secret base. In a bunker is a research center, engineering department, a command post, a hangar for XCOM aviation, satellite control center, barracks, etc. The player decides which conduct research, what structures build, what type of equipment use for soldiers who will took part in operation. Project XCOM financed by 16 countries. Due to aliens attack, if XCOM ignore countries request of help, country can leave project. If 8 countries leave project - player lose.
    Since the game is turn-based tactics not possible not to pay attention to the entourage of battles in XCOM. The battles with aliens take place throughout the planet and the question remains, why the location is almost indistinguishable from one another. The same cars, houses, people in Beijing, in London, in Cairo, in Lagos. This is pathetic, seems what game was created not a company with over 100 man crew, but several people who raised money on kickstarter.
    Despite some disadvantages, the game still came worthy sequel to the original game of 1993.

    8/10
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  64. Dec 9, 2015
    9
    This is one of my favorite pc titles in years. Mercilessly difficult on higher settings, especially with the Ironman setting (No save-loading).

    Never played the previouits X-Coms, so this one was a surprise. Easy to get wrapped up in this one. Invariably you'll be faced with difficult choices, you may have to sacrifice a soldier for the team, leave one behind in a hasty retreat, or
    This is one of my favorite pc titles in years. Mercilessly difficult on higher settings, especially with the Ironman setting (No save-loading).

    Never played the previouits X-Coms, so this one was a surprise. Easy to get wrapped up in this one. Invariably you'll be faced with difficult choices, you may have to sacrifice a soldier for the team, leave one behind in a hasty retreat, or choose which country to abandon to alien abduction and invasion.

    Can be frustrating. You will learn to hate Thin Men if you don't already.

    Some missed opportunities and bugs but the pluses are too numerous to list and outway the detractors.
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  65. Jan 7, 2016
    8
    (English and Italian Review)
    Good strategic game. I played ufo: enemy unknown back in the day and this game is a good successor.
    The fighting system is turn based but is not too deep and runs quite fast. Recomended for anyone not only strategy lovers because the strategy part of the game is not too deep. Nowadays i find it quite cheap for less than 15 Euros or less. Un buon gioco di
    (English and Italian Review)
    Good strategic game. I played ufo: enemy unknown back in the day and this game is a good successor.
    The fighting system is turn based but is not too deep and runs quite fast.
    Recomended for anyone not only strategy lovers because the strategy part of the game is not too deep. Nowadays i find it quite cheap for less than 15 Euros or less.

    Un buon gioco di strategia. Ho giocato al vecchio Ufo anni fa e questo capitolo è un degno successore. Il sistema di combattimento è strategico (a turni) ma non troppo complesso...il che permette combattimenti veloci e non appesantisce troppo le partite. Lo raccomando anche a chi non è un patito degli strategici perchè non risulta troppo complesso per i neofiti ma offre comunque soddisfazione a chi mastica pane e giochi a turni. Compratelo: si trova nei negozi ed in rete a prezzi bassi sotto i 15 euro.
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  66. Jan 16, 2016
    6
    This game is decent as a whole, but suffers from hastly development and flaws such as dumbed down mechanics as well as limited options on the RPG side of things. The exciting part comes when you discover your new, good weapons, such as the laser ones and plasma, which are miles ahead your standard balistic weapons as well as leveling your classes for the first time and exploring the newThis game is decent as a whole, but suffers from hastly development and flaws such as dumbed down mechanics as well as limited options on the RPG side of things. The exciting part comes when you discover your new, good weapons, such as the laser ones and plasma, which are miles ahead your standard balistic weapons as well as leveling your classes for the first time and exploring the new skills makes you keep playing it.

    More specifically, some of the features I found sad were, having only 4 classes that are random while only 2-rows of skills to choose from when you levels up. Where's the variety in that if I can't have more stuff to choose for my specialists? After the initial 4 guys that are all scripted to have a different class each, your next rookies are sooner or later gonna receive a class you already got accustomed to. In addition to that, the story is something you expect and not anything different that older alien-related titles.

    Overall an okay experience if you're playing it for the first time, but gets quite boring as you advance on the story as well as on the next playthroughs.
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  67. Nov 5, 2019
    9
    There is nothing more satisfying with creating the perfect attack againts your aliens opponents one soldier is obove hiding ready to use overwatch while you have 2 sodliers on the ground hiding ready to throe grenades on all the aliens taht stand togheter. This game can get super intersting and is a streategy game that does things right. This is definetly a must buy for everyone.
  68. Oct 8, 2016
    7
    really cool and unique strategy game with a lot of depth. This is a must have for every fan of the strategy genre! It's really frustrating though when you lose that character that you had since the start of the game : (
    And sadly there are also some **** mechanics that can screw you over really easily : /
  69. Apr 17, 2017
    9
    I'd been aware of the XCOM series for some time, but it never interested me until I tried the demo for Enemy Unknown, but even that wasn't enough. It took a love for Darkest Dungeon and a realization that there were a number of turn-based games I'd enjoyed over the years, when I had previously just told people that I don't like them. So I waited for a sale and grabbed the complete pack.I'd been aware of the XCOM series for some time, but it never interested me until I tried the demo for Enemy Unknown, but even that wasn't enough. It took a love for Darkest Dungeon and a realization that there were a number of turn-based games I'd enjoyed over the years, when I had previously just told people that I don't like them. So I waited for a sale and grabbed the complete pack. Coming from DD, XCOM is both more forgiving (especially if you use the Save Scum modifier) and significantly more tactically complex. I had some experience with squad-based tactics from Dawn of War II, though this is on a smaller scale: You are limited to a single squad and control each soldier individually. It also uses small, often single digit numbers for damage and health, something it has in common with DD, combined with visual bar sections, making it very easy at a glance to see where you're at tactically. There are certain tactical shortcomings that I'm told are addressed in the sequel, such as not knowing wether a position you are moving a soldier to will give them a view on potential targets until they get there- but i've also heard its much harder to get a guarenteed hit in the sequel, even if your trooper is pressing a gun to an enemy's face. Ups and downs, I suppose.

    Enemy Unknown has layers of complexity that few other games have, though series veterans will still tell you its "dumbed down." Individual soldiers are highly customizable both in their abilities and appearance, especially if you have all the DLCs. You can name them, give them medals, and arm them with a variety of extra goodies. They start out as pathetic FNGs with the accuracy of the on-screen Stormtroopers of Star Wars, and dont even have a class, which they are assigned the first time they rank up: Assaults, Heavies, Snipers or Supports. These four classes are further split by players into two subclasses based on perk choices, though you may mix and match perks to your liking. However, you CANNOT respec your soldiers: choose perks carefully. With some planning, luck and maybe a few reloaded saves, they become apex examples of what human warriors can do- some of them may even become psychics. Then you can take them beyond that in Enemy Within, granting them genetic enhancements or cybernetic augmentation. XCOM resonated with me very strongly in this regard: Evolution is a powerful weapon indeed. One of my very first recruits from the post-tutorial mission, my first Support, went on to be my Volunteer. These are not just random grunts. They are your disciples. Their stories are yours.

    Combat can go very smoothly or completely sideways, and the difference can be as subtle as the positioning of a single trooper, or which soldier you place on "Overwatch" (Which causes them to fire upon the first enemy that moves within their vison during their turn) You must take into account flanking, elevation, line of sight and variety of other factors. This variety increases as you level your soldiers and their capabilities expand, as do the variety of enemies you face. One of the most useful such capabilities in my experience has been a perk for Snipers called Squadsight, which permits them to fire on any target visibile to another XCOM soldier, so long as they also would have line of sight to that enemy. Properly positioned, this enables the Sniper to hit targets from across the map: as my first Sniper did when he saved the afforementioned Support from a Chryssalid on the now-infamous "Site Recon" mission. When things go right in XCOM, it is immensly satisfying. When they don't... oh boy, do they not.

    XCOM is an incredible, in-depth experience and I enjoyed it from the first mission to the very last. It is easily one of the finest games of this decade. It permits you control of your characters in a manner that would be more common in a traditional RPG, and the random elements become less of a hassle as you progress, as the time and effort you put into your soldiers' development pays off as they become nigh-unstoppable post-human super-warriors that puts EDF's Storm Team to shame and would give Commander Shepard's crew a run for their money. I found myself with the same fondness for them that I had for my heroes in Darkest Dungeon. It is clear that an uncommon degree of care and respect went in to Enemy Unknown's creation, with its purely asthetic "highlight camera" when making a killing shot and its excellent soundtrack. More big-budget releases could benefit from its example, and it can be played as casually or as intensively as one prefers, thanks to its range of difficulties and modifiers. If you enjoy squad tactics games, turn-based RPGs, or strategy games of any kind, I encourage you to try the demo. I understand that it offends the sensibilities of XCOM purists, and as such a person as regards to other series I totally get where they're coming from: but Xenonauts exists, and from what I can tell they should just play that.
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  70. Jul 30, 2016
    9
    My first game in the XCOM franchise and certainly hope it wont be my last. The difficulty can be harsh sometimes or maybe all the time, but that what makes the game better. All in all, a wonderful game.
  71. Dec 21, 2016
    10
    Fantastic game.
    Love the turn-based strategy.
    Love the strategically scarce resources -- can't buy the stuff you really want (i.e. what you need to build laser and plasma weapons), and can't harvest enough resources to build out everything you want/need all at once. Makes you feel on edge the entire time, unlike its namesake 1990's predecessor in which you could essentially run a
    Fantastic game.
    Love the turn-based strategy.

    Love the strategically scarce resources -- can't buy the stuff you really want (i.e. what you need to build laser and plasma weapons), and can't harvest enough resources to build out everything you want/need all at once. Makes you feel on edge the entire time, unlike its namesake 1990's predecessor in which you could essentially run a money-printing manufacturing operation to buy everything you want.

    Love that it's not possible to handle every alien threat at the same time like you could in the game's predecessor. You make your decisions on how to handle what you can based on trying to manage the world's perception of you and what rewards are being offered. Again, puts you on edge the entire game. No sitting back and feeling comfortable.

    Love the story, learning about the aliens' motivation (hint: it's not the classic "harvest the planet" alien invasion story) which also explains why there's a progression of difficulty.

    Scalable difficulty makes the game more accessible, despite the fact that it can get pretty hard even on Easy mode.

    Love "Iron Man" mode -- makes it so you can't just save at good points and load when things go wrong, you have to live with your decisions. Playing that way, even on Easy the game gets really hard.

    Love the squad customization, rank advancement, abilities and team-building strategies.

    The only thing other than occasional glitches that I don't like about the game is that there aren't enough unique stages. Chances are you'll end up doing a mission on the same stage as one you did previously at some point in the game. The stage design is really good -- dispersion of cover, destructible objects, plenty of ground to cover and search for aliens -- but there aren't enough of them. The original XCOM: UFO Defense didn't have that problem, because stages were procedurally generated. I can imagine that would be possible to do while still maintaining the appearance of good stage design, but they chose not to do that. Makes the game feel stale on the second, third, nth run through it.
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  72. Sep 8, 2018
    9
    When I first played Xcom 2, I instantly fell in love with the game. Then I quickly realized that a lot of people were saying the same thing about Xcom 2. That it’s not as good as the first one. Xcom: Enemy Unkown was a much better game so I knew that I had to give the game a shot.

    Enemy Unkown plays the exact same way as Xcom 2 and that made me very happy. If I could go back and redo
    When I first played Xcom 2, I instantly fell in love with the game. Then I quickly realized that a lot of people were saying the same thing about Xcom 2. That it’s not as good as the first one. Xcom: Enemy Unkown was a much better game so I knew that I had to give the game a shot.

    Enemy Unkown plays the exact same way as Xcom 2 and that made me very happy. If I could go back and redo the 2016 Game of the Year then Xcom 2 would have been on it. Regardless Xcom: Enemy Unkown is a turn-based strategy game where you level up units and send them on missions. Its a very stressful game because on top of its difficulty and the random nature of the shots there is also permadeath. What I mean by “random nature of the shots” each shot taken by a unit has a percentage chance of hitting. It could be 62% chance, 83% or 99%. You never know for sure whether the shot is going to connect, I have had shots in 90’s miss but I’ve also had shots in the 20’s hit. That’s what I mean by random nature when you take essentially dice rolls and mix that with permadeath. Stress levels go up.

    The one thing that impressed me above all else is this is a good game. Its extremely well made and since its turn-based the game mechanics don’t feel out of date. It’s also important to note that this game can be played on the Xbox One so you don’t even have to bring out your old Xbox 360 to play it.
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  73. Mar 14, 2017
    7
    ¿Quieres un buen juego de estrategia, "difícil" y con una buena historia?, este es tu juego.

    Es complicado hacer un análisis de un juego de estrategia (sobre todo para un amante de este genero) ya que hay muchas cosas de las que hablar, pero intentare abreviar para no alargarme demasiado, pero siempre tocando cada uno de los puntos que considero esencial. Historia: Una historia, que
    ¿Quieres un buen juego de estrategia, "difícil" y con una buena historia?, este es tu juego.

    Es complicado hacer un análisis de un juego de estrategia (sobre todo para un amante de este genero) ya que hay muchas cosas de las que hablar, pero intentare abreviar para no alargarme demasiado, pero siempre tocando cada uno de los puntos que considero esencial.

    Historia: Una historia, que sin ser muy original, cumple muy bien con su función.

    Control: Normalmente es excelente, pero tiene algún que otro problema cuando se trata de altura (quieres a un personaje arriba pero sin querer pulsas abajo...).

    Variedad: Hay bastantes unidades, tanto aliadas (humanos con diferentes clases, híbridos y robots) como alienígenas (tanques, voladores, guardianes, atacantes,etc), además de variedad de armas, armaduras y mapas.

    Dificultad: El comienzo es bastante complicado, las unidades mueren muy rápido, tienes malas armaduras y armas, por no decir que no tienes prácticamente opciones en cuanto a las habilidades de las unidades, y se hace bastante difícil que no mueran unidades en un comienzo, pero cuando consigues endurecerlas por los combates y por tener nuevo equipamiento, he de decir que en pocas ocasiones he tenido miedo de perder alguna unidad.

    Repetitividad: No nos vamos a engañar, es muy difícil camuflar la repetitividad en los juegos de estrategia, y aun mas difícil hacer que no sea repetitivo, y este juego... lamentablemente apenas consigue lo primero. Logra mantenerte enganchado durante bastante tiempo probando cada una de las cosas nuevas que consigues a medida que vas jugando, pero una vez que has visto todo te deja una sensación de "vacío", ya que siempre se juega de la misma manera, tener la mejor equipación posible y jugar lo mas defensivo que se pueda.

    Duración de la campaña: Yo he tardado 25 horas para ver y probar practicamente todo lo que ofrece el juego y terminando la historia, no obstante, se puede tardar menos si vas mas rapido, si simplemente te centras en la historia, o por el contario, puedes tardar aun mas que yo si quieres probar y hacer cada una de las cosas que ofrece.

    Multijugador: Esta parte suele ser "importante" en este genero (lo pongo entre comillas por que depende mucho del juego y de la persona que este jugando), y lamentablemente no os puedo decir nada de el, ya que no lo he probado.

    Gráficos: Este apartado es el ultimo por que es el menos importante en un juego de estrategia, pero siempre hay un mínimo aunque este sea bajo. En este apartado el juego cumple, y mucho.

    Todo esto se junta y hace de este un juego de estrategia prácticamente obligatorio para todos los amantes de este genero, he inclusive, es un juego que puede gustar a aquellos que no se suelen acercar mucho a este genero.

    No obstante, considero prácticamente obligatoria la compra de la expansión, ya que si no el juego queda muy vacío.
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  74. Jul 30, 2017
    8
    I think that this is truly a unique game and I would recommend that if you are a fan of this type of genre then I think you should give this game a try.
  75. Jun 14, 2019
    7
    I played both XCOM Enemy Unknown and XCOM Enemy Within. The games are 80% the same, same plot, same events, same actors, same stories, with the only difference in Enemy Within there are a bit more of new events, the human enemy Exalt, and few new enemies. There is no reason to play both since i see the second more complete and vast. If you want to play, just play the second. For the game,I played both XCOM Enemy Unknown and XCOM Enemy Within. The games are 80% the same, same plot, same events, same actors, same stories, with the only difference in Enemy Within there are a bit more of new events, the human enemy Exalt, and few new enemies. There is no reason to play both since i see the second more complete and vast. If you want to play, just play the second. For the game, i appreciated really, even if it is not at the high level of the original X-COM. But is well done and made modern. I had anyway the feeling that the authors tried to make more commercial and accepted by a wider range of gamers, exemplifying the gaming. For example, I found less researches es to do, and also the combats are made easier with less commands. So i say 7 for the first, and 8 for the second. Expand
  76. Jul 22, 2021
    9
    good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good
  77. Jan 16, 2018
    10
    This has remained my favourite game since its release putting several hundred hours into it. It is endlessly replayable, with its challenging difficulty settings and ironman mode as well as plenty of mod support.
  78. Oct 29, 2020
    5
    Game is decent but with some hard flaws for me. After few missions combat starts to be extremely repetetive and uninteresting, even boring. Skill set of your characters is very limited, hate that move and shot once per round system.. and those misses.. those misses.. its practically rnJesus fest. move, fire, try if you hit, reload, repeat.. that's all what combat is about on higherGame is decent but with some hard flaws for me. After few missions combat starts to be extremely repetetive and uninteresting, even boring. Skill set of your characters is very limited, hate that move and shot once per round system.. and those misses.. those misses.. its practically rnJesus fest. move, fire, try if you hit, reload, repeat.. that's all what combat is about on higher difficulty. Another thing I really hate is that enemy spawning system. Its ridiculous. No more aliens roaming through map, clashing with your x-com fighters as they dig deeper on map. They just spawn when you move, which makes really stupid situations like when you move with your last guy when others already spend all their atcions and accidentaly trigger spawning of another cluster of 3 enemies. It just force you to minimalize your movevement during combat because no, you really dont wanna accidentally spawn another enemies :D And why the hell can't i escape to menu durring enemy turn, forcing me watch those slooow animations watch over and over even if I know its rnJesus reload time? Thats really grrr... Expand
  79. May 22, 2019
    8
    XCOM Enemy Unknown is surprisingly addictive for a strategy game. The combat is super fun.
  80. Oct 24, 2022
    10
    An amazing turn based strategy with perfect game play, great story full of twists and turns. I must have played through this game at least 5 times. If you are a fan of scifi and turn based strategy and have not played this you are doing life wrong.
  81. Feb 27, 2018
    8
    Great game with fantastic strategic gameplay in both the field missions and the base management. I recommend playing on at least normal with Ironman mode enabled to maximise the pressure of each mission and make each soldier count. Also the story has some great themes to it and I personally found it really thought provoking, and the voice acting is so bad it's good.
  82. May 31, 2019
    6
    XCOM: Enemy Unknown fulfills a very specific niche with a very high production budget, but falls short in terms of mechanical and quality-of-life polishing. The game entails an extraordinary amount of downtime bundled up with arithmetic calculations on the RPG layer coupled with a plethora of lengthy, pointless animations; more than 50% of the experience is sitting back and watching theXCOM: Enemy Unknown fulfills a very specific niche with a very high production budget, but falls short in terms of mechanical and quality-of-life polishing. The game entails an extraordinary amount of downtime bundled up with arithmetic calculations on the RPG layer coupled with a plethora of lengthy, pointless animations; more than 50% of the experience is sitting back and watching the screen, worsened by the frequency the player must swap their attention between watching the individual unit animations execute and proceeding to issue new orders. This is worsened by the fact that for any given gameplay session, the frequency of meaningful decisions and risks is very low.
    The difficulty of the game does not scale well at all, scaling- for some reason- inversely with the player's performance. That is to say, if the game detects that you are doing well, it gets easier, whereas if you are struggling, it gets harder. This is especially frustrating due to the way the game recycles content; the main campaign can be "lost", which is especially cumbersome due to its immense length.
    I only ever played the game with the DLC "enemy within" so I cannot speak as to the quality of the base game.
    The game's storytelling leaves a lot to be desired. Whatever attempt this game makes at talking about transhumanism or whatnot falls entirely flat on its face. The aesthetic quality of the game is pleasant and refined, but it doesn't integrate with any sort of storytelling.
    For those interested in getting into the series for the first time, it would be a much better experience to play XCOM 2 twice instead of XCOM: Enemy Unknown once and XCOM 2 once. This games sequel practically resolves all of the issues with the original, save for the content recycling; and the quality of the content makes the recycling less aggravating.
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  83. Dec 16, 2018
    1
    It is a disgrace, not a tactical game. It is really difficult to comprehend how was it possible to create such a piece of crap having the initial xcom as an example. Even the game is called tactical, there is no tactics, it is just a turn based shooter with idiotic rules. For example - how do you like a door that can not be closed once opened in a TACTICAL game? The game is full of idiocyIt is a disgrace, not a tactical game. It is really difficult to comprehend how was it possible to create such a piece of crap having the initial xcom as an example. Even the game is called tactical, there is no tactics, it is just a turn based shooter with idiotic rules. For example - how do you like a door that can not be closed once opened in a TACTICAL game? The game is full of idiocy like that.
    The graphics are terrific, the research tree from the first game became better and all these cosmetic improvements make it even more difficult, it looks so good but plays so bad .
    Primitive, dull turn based shooter with good graphics. that's what it is
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  84. Nov 29, 2022
    7
    Sonuna doğru biraz tekrara bağlıyor. Onun haricinde gerçekten çok iyi......
  85. Apr 12, 2019
    8
    X-COM was my first contact with based turn tactical games... and I'm delighted. Addictive gameplay, okay graphic and cool setting. Sure, game has, for me, some issues with RNG and moments when a soldier shoots through wall spoils immerse, but still I really like X-COM. Especially I'm a fan of large amount of customization options (like color of your soldiers armors or giving themX-COM was my first contact with based turn tactical games... and I'm delighted. Addictive gameplay, okay graphic and cool setting. Sure, game has, for me, some issues with RNG and moments when a soldier shoots through wall spoils immerse, but still I really like X-COM. Especially I'm a fan of large amount of customization options (like color of your soldiers armors or giving them nicknames). Game which lands on a shelf "Must Play". Expand
  86. Dec 5, 2019
    10
    Possibly the greatest strategy game of all time. The gameplay is intuitive and an absolute blast to play. It's intense, engaging, and results scale very much with skill. Anybody who likes chess or turn based combat in any form, this game is for you. Even if you have never tried a turn based game and don't have much interest in chess, I still recommend you try out XCOM.

    For anyone who
    Possibly the greatest strategy game of all time. The gameplay is intuitive and an absolute blast to play. It's intense, engaging, and results scale very much with skill. Anybody who likes chess or turn based combat in any form, this game is for you. Even if you have never tried a turn based game and don't have much interest in chess, I still recommend you try out XCOM.

    For anyone who has played the Civilization series, this game takes that whole model and applies it to a tactical shooter, and it works brilliantly. There is research that takes a certain amount of days just like Civ, and the tile-based movement system in combat is also very familiar. It works brilliantly in this new setting, perhaps even better than in Civ itself.

    One of my favourite things about this game is how the story is created organically. This is not because of dialogue trees or any effort to make the campaign have branching paths (in fact, the campaign is quite linear). It is because the best parts in this story will be made in gameplay by you, the player. And to me this is the absolute peak of what a video game story can achieve. Your soldiers, who start off as homogenous uninteresting rookies, will quickly win a place in your hearts through their heroic feats and resulting promotions. At any point, you can mess up and a soldier can die, and that's it, they will be gone forever. A soldier who has been with you from the first day the aliens attacked, gone forever all because you were careless and put them in a position where they are exposed. I cannot even describe the anguish it is possible to experience from a moment like that. The emotions and attachment I built with my soldiers in this game surpasses my attachment to basically any other video game story I have experienced. I recommend not reloading old saves when a squad favourite is lost, but to roll with the punches, your experience will be all the richer.

    There's a lot of thought gone into this game to make this game engaging as a whole and to provide proper support for the innovative core gameplay mechanic. The base building aspects are satisfying and the perfect addition to the campaign, making you feel invested in what's to come as well as properly dealing with progression and time. The world map and councils offer impactful decisionmaking to be possible within the constraints of a fixed plot.

    Lastly, I should add that if you are a newcomer to the XCOM series, I recommend you first check out XCOM 2 and then XCOM 2's expansion War of the Chosen. This is because XCOM 2 does everything right in making XCOM even better and there's no reason to not start with the best the series has to offer. War of the Chosen is possibly the greatest video game expansion of all time. Anyone who has tried out XCOM 2 and is wondering whether the original is worth it or dated, look no further. Although the graphics are a bit weaker, the gameplay is equally stellar, and for XCOM 2 fans it is easily worth it for the plot alone.
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  87. Jun 4, 2019
    7
    Interesting additions to the original. Could not motivate me to complete another playthrough of the game though.
  88. Feb 20, 2020
    7
    A solid, tight tactical game. It's a little finicky with some of the UI elements and it was hard to stay motivated through the base building element. Still a quality game.
  89. Nov 18, 2019
    9
    One of my favorite tactical strategy games.
    Very challenging in all good aspects. Lots to do in campaign which has a good story.
    Every lose of your teammate is painful :)
  90. Oct 19, 2020
    8
    Dynamic chess with plasma rifles and absurd randomness. The game has no analogues, tho.
  91. Mar 21, 2022
    6
    XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a 2012 turn-based tactical video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games. The game is a "reimagined" remake of the 1994 cult classic strategy game X-COM: UFO Defense (also known as UFO: Enemy Unknown) and a reboot of MicroProse's 1990s X-COM series. Set in an alternative version of the year 2015, the player controls an elite multinationalXCOM: Enemy Unknown is a 2012 turn-based tactical video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games. The game is a "reimagined" remake of the 1994 cult classic strategy game X-COM: UFO Defense (also known as UFO: Enemy Unknown) and a reboot of MicroProse's 1990s X-COM series. Set in an alternative version of the year 2015, the player controls an elite multinational paramilitary organization called XCOM during an alien invasion of Earth. The player commands troops in the field in a series of turn-based tactical missions; between missions, the player directs the research and development of technologies from recovered alien technology and captured prisoners, expands XCOM's base of operations, manages finances, and monitors and responds to alien activity. Expand
  92. Jun 29, 2020
    9
    Great turn-based strategy. Classic story in the new graphics. Interesting gameplay.
  93. Jun 29, 2020
    9
    This was my first XCom game and I loved it immensely. Sure, there are a few annoyances (I hate the base-building) but the character connections and situational gameplay is fantastic.
  94. Jun 29, 2020
    10
    It's fantastic and highly tactical. The game runs well and the graphics are good.
  95. Apr 10, 2023
    5
    It must have been amazing game back in 2012, but in 2023 it is just a famous name, nothing else. I'm glad they basically invented the genre - it spawned so many amazing games since then.
  96. Jun 14, 2021
    8
    Это свершилось, оно вышло, и даже не ударило в грязь лицом, это хорошая стратегия, которая продолжает UFO, с которым я познакомился в детстве
  97. Aug 19, 2023
    9
    Very good game. I enjoyed playing this game a lot. I strongly recommend this.
  98. Mar 7, 2021
    10
    The perfect, quintessential strategy game, and a classic favorite of mine. I still play this game every year.
  99. Apr 22, 2021
    7
    i liked it, honestly. i think it's an alright reboot - i love strategy so this was right up my alley
  100. Aug 18, 2021
    8
    Fun little game for people that like strategy games on a square grid with a little bit of bit of bean counting. Not without a challenge.
Metascore
89

Generally favorable reviews - based on 57 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 57
  2. 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. 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.
  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.