XCOM: Enemy Within

The game was so finely balanced that I thought adding to it would disrupt its strategic flow, but Firaxis has released an expansion that slides between Enemy Unknown’s cracks, filling in some gaps I didn’t even realize existed, further diversifying the tactics without disrupting XCOM’s delicate balance.

EXALT adds an extra level of tension to this strategic management layer.

Enemy Within is a terrific expansion to an already awesome game. It gives classic XCOM a delightful twist, fighting aliens and corrupt Exalt agents with superheroes and mechs instead of normal soldiers.

Augmented XCOM is better, although it does not fix some basic flaws. Great the first time you play it. [Dec 2013]

The new toys fit in seamlessly with what came before, changing the game for the better. [Issue#142, p.110]

If you’re a lapsed player this is a perfect reason to return; Enemy Within significantly improves a game that was pretty damn excellent to begin with.

Enemy Within is how XCOM was meant to be played. It takes all the great things from the original and refurbishes them with all sorts of cool new additions to the gameplay. If you haven’t been introduced to the XCOM universe yet, this would be the right time to start.

More tactical variation, more individual character development, more challenge, more fun: Enemy within makes XCOM better than ever.

Any fan of Enemy Unknown should pick this up without a doubt. The new upgrades are awesome and the new missions and maps keep things fresh well into the 20 hour mark. Fans of strategy games should look into this as well, as it has something for everyone.

Enemy Within delivers a huge amount of good content that gives the player a plethora of new tactical options. This is just what the doctor ordered for Enemy Unknown, prolonging the game with hours of fun.

It’s a new game with an air of familiarity. It’s a new reason to play XCOM a few more times. It’s what is widely considered illegal human experimentation masked by grand speeches about the “greater good.” It’s more of what you love for a very reasonable asking price.

With new content such as new soldier types, upgrades and enemies, this expansion will have you grinding your teeth over the new choices you’ll be making. For the loyal fans it’s a reason to replay their beloved game, all the while newcomers get the best version of the game, although they might get overwhelmed with a tidal wave of tactical details.

Fans of tactics will find XCOM: Enemy Within a very interesting title and a worthy successor. It provides a good amount of changes to the original game, such as a new campaign with more enemies, more missions and new events ready to test our skills. It's not exactly the same game as last year's game thanks to some of the new mechanics but it's similar enough for not being scared of changes. XCOM: Enemy Within is a high level game and with great quality.

By adding more content, more depth, and more choice, Enemy Within enhances rather than alters the core XCOM experience, and in doing so makes a great game even greater. A must-have.

XCOM: Enemy Within is a really good expansion for an excellent game. After a few hours of gameplay it's impossible to think that we used do play without it. And even though there's no new campaign, there's so much new stuff, that you can happily rediscover Enemy Unknown. This expansion isn't cheap, but the money definitely won't go down the drain.

Once again, it's quite beautiful how all the mechanics just snap into place like in a well-oiled machine. The new features integrate so seamlessly into the campaign that you'd be forgiven for thinking they had always be there. Most impressively, through this, XCOM gains breadth and depth without losing any of that infectious accessibility that made the main game such a hit.

It expands itself from a very solid base, and adds the content fans needed to feel comfortable and keep enjoy the series.

For all the XCOM veterans out there, you'll find a solid amount of new activities to engage in, as well as an unprecedented amount of squad customization. In other words, this is now the definiive Enemy experience.

If you've already dumped countless hours into dozens of campaigns with XCOM: Enemy Unknown, this game is fresh enough to add countless more. If you've been on the fence about the XCOM reboot, there's no better time to find your new obsession.

Enemy Within makes for an incredible, and fresh, journey as you fight to save the world one more time, and it’s definitely worth picking up eventually. We would totally understand though, if you wanted to wait for a steam sale or something.

XCOM: Enemy Within takes an already excellent game and makes it bigger and better. The addition of Meld, Gene Mods, Cybersuits, and the EXALT faction creates a wholly new experience -- a must-have for fans of the core title.

Much like the genetic modifications that it champions, XCOM: Enemy Within is an experience that gets under your skin.

This is an XCOM refresh – resetting the rules of the game you once knew, and encouraging you to play it in ways you’d never tried to. In my mind I’ve merely dabbled with these changes, and still have so many ideas I’d like to try. I’ve played it for 27 hours.

While Enemy Within isn't a huge makeover, it's enough of a facelift to make the trauma of devastating loss worth enduring, be it for the first time or the fifth.

An amazing expansion to a brilliant tactical game.

Enemy Within isn’t the definitive version of XCOM, but it’s a smart and satisfying extension of a game ideal for enticing players back for a second, third, or fourth playthrough.

The developer failed to eradicate all the bugs from the previous game but it doesn’t change the fact that Enemy Within can be honestly recommended both to veterans and those who want to check out a tactical turn-based game for the first time. [13/2013, p.62]

You find yourself caring about your veteran solders, grinding your teeth in frustration when the odds go against you and you lose one of them, and basking in success when a risky strategy pays off. Those characteristics in a video game are rare indeed.

Like the soldiers in the game, XCOM: Enemy Within takes everything introduced in Enemy Unknown, polishes it, enhances it, and redeploys it into the field. It’s stronger, it’s meaner, and it’s awesome.

The fantastic Exalt missions, gene mods, and MEC Troopers are an excellent reason to play more XCOM.

This expansion simply makes the original game better. A few annoyances persevere, like iffy controls and visual bugs, but that doesn’t weigh up to the amount of great content Enemy Within ads.

Enemy Within gives you the excuse you need to play XCOM once more. The new faction EXALT changes the rules completely, and new features make each campaign unique. The story is the same with a few tweaks, but like any good board game, it's how you get to the end that matters.

After the continued and renowned support for the mainstay Civilization series, Firaxis couldn’t do less with its reboot of the historic XCOM series. Enemy Within is the first true expansion to XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which radically changes the gameplay experience and also makes up for some “youthful indiscretions” like the small number of playable maps.

Quotation forthcoming.

It doesn't fix larger flaws, but it's still a solid expansion. [Jan 2014, p.80]

The right way to stomp on the alien scum and drive it off our planet, wielding a flamethrower. Enemy Within doesn’t bring new stuff but builds on what was already present – and does it so well even an alien would embrace it. [Issue#237]

Like you needed an excuse to play more XCOM. [Jan 2014, p.64]

XCOM: Enemy Within is a good expansion. I envy those who had never gotten around to playing the game until now.

At the end of the day, it was the gameplay that made last year’s XCOM: Enemy Unknown a standout title and that remains intact, but XCOM: Enemy Within is the dessert package to go with the main course you just ate, adding that sweet delight on top of an already pleasing and tasty meal.

A worthy expansion that refreshes and improves XCOM: Enemy Unknown in just about every way that matters.

The great expansion pack upgrading the original game in many things, it lengthens it out, and it brings both neat new missions and enhancements, making you to play it and finish it again.

Enemy Within is a perfect Firaxis expansion. It still has that great tactical atmosphere from Enemy Unknown, with some fresh new additions. There are a few cons – visual imperfections- but fans of the first hour will have hours of fun with this title.

Enemy Within adds more variety to a game that still shines months after. Some problems are where we remember them, but Enemy Within is a good excuse to replay the game or buy it if you didn't.

Makes one of the best tactical games out there even better, but takes the safest road to do so, and loses some challenge in the transformation. Still, it's a great expansion.

Players who enjoyed 2012′s XCOM: Enemy Unknown already know whether they will enjoy Enemy Within. For devotees still playing, or folks who want to pick XCOM back up after focusing on other things for a while, Enemy Within introduces compelling new ways to combat the alien invasion that are well worth the asking price.

XCOM: Enemy Within is a good expansion pack, but some elements are not well integrated with each other. If you love Enemy Unknown, you will like it.

Enemy Within doesn't fundamentally change the XCOM experience, but it does add a number of new challenges and strategies for veterans of Enemy Unknown. This expansion may be a little too much to handle for newcomers, but the XCOM faithful will find a whole new series of important decisions to obsess over.

Enemy Within is a solid expansion to an excellent game, with options like MECs, medals and gene mods that make you want to stomp aliens all over again in exciting new ways. The first two thirds of the campaign are definitely improved, but EW doesn't solve the problem of slogging through the endgame.

If you are addicted to Enemy Unknown, then we can only advise you to upgrade it with Enemy Within. This DLC fixes all the problems of the first game and enriches tactics and management.

That seems to be the pattern of XCOM. The tale always grows in the telling, and with this entry, you find yourself in a world richer and more enjoyable than the one you experienced before. With a world this finely crafted, it's fitting that we should get to save it all over again.

I loved the huge variety of new maps but felt the meld upgrades sapped some of Enemy Unknown’s bite. The other half of that sentiment is that I now feel empowered to pick up my Hard / Ironman run again. The neatest summary I can give is this: if you want an excuse to play more XCOM, you’ve got it.

Equal parts frustration and elation, XCOM: Enemy Within is a bonafide fist-pump producer, taking players through the same emotional peaks and valleys of the original. Like most expansion packs, Enemy Within is targeted towards the experienced. But Firaxis once again manages to balance XCOM's disparate elements, resulting in a challenging and satisfying experience.