XCOM: Enemy Within

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 820 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 655 out of 820
  2. Mixed: 90 out of 820
  3. Negative: 75 out of 820
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  1. Mudget
    Nov 20, 2013
    8
    Adds a ton of content to an already content-full game. Additions: Medals that can be awarded to your favorite soldiers (you even get limited buff customization options with each medal). Several layers of added game depth (a covert operation sub-plot, for one). Additional alien types. Gene splicing. Mechs. Gobs of new maps. On the plus side, this is what all DLC should be. Robust.Adds a ton of content to an already content-full game. Additions: Medals that can be awarded to your favorite soldiers (you even get limited buff customization options with each medal). Several layers of added game depth (a covert operation sub-plot, for one). Additional alien types. Gene splicing. Mechs. Gobs of new maps. On the plus side, this is what all DLC should be. Robust. On the downside, it's a little pricy for DLC we're almost in 'full game cost' territory for this one. That's where this title takes a hit on score from my perspective. If it was standalone or about ten bucks cheaper, I'd rate this a 10. But the bottom line is that the add-on really fleshes out the original game and integrates superbly into it, adding hours of new content and fun to a game that already provides many hours of fun and tons of content. 7.5/10… Expand
  2. di6turbed
    Nov 20, 2013
    9
    XCOM:EW adds so much fun to the original game. I bought it on an impulse having a calm weekend ahead of me I intended to spend on the new X game. Instead I was just glued to this title for two days. New aliens, new alien craft, new human enemies, lots of customization options for your soldiers.. the game is really worth it.
  3. doOborg
    Nov 20, 2013
    10
    Bugs were patched quickly.... The new adds in the game give it a great new feeling and a good way to replay the game.... Despite of having the same base story, there is a "new" way of telling you the same story and to fit the new content. Great new adds of mechs and genetics adds look perfect and are well balanced.... Can be considered a DLC, but a great and VERY BIG content DLC.

    For    Bugs were patched quickly.... The new adds in the game give it a great new feeling and a good way to replay the game.... Despite of having the same base story, there is a "new" way of telling you the same story and to fit the new content. Great new adds of mechs and genetics adds look perfect and are well balanced.... Can be considered a DLC, but a great and VERY BIG content DLC.

    For me, it worths every cent.... PERFECT!!!!    … Expand
  4. Renew81
    Nov 20, 2013
    8
    A decent amount of content comes with this dlc if you have never played xcom enemy
    unknown before then this might be the time to purchase the game.
    For console users there is a disc available that gives you the game plus all the dlc unfortunately if you already own Xcom EU there is no seperate disc or other way available to play Xcom EW you will have to purchase the complete set.    A decent amount of content comes with this dlc if you have never played xcom enemy
    unknown before then this might be the time to purchase the game.

    For console users there is a disc available that gives you the game plus all the dlc
    unfortunately if you already own Xcom EU there is no seperate disc or other way
    available to play Xcom EW you will have to purchase the complete set.

    For pc there is the digital download and if you already own the game there is no need
    to purchase it again however even on the pc i find the price for this dlc to be a bit high.
    I payed 30 Euro's 40 Dollars for this dlc and although it comes with a decent amount
    of content it still relies on Xcom EU for the most part adding new items a new class a good
    variation of maps and a new recource called meld wich lets you do some pretty awesome stuff.

    All of this gives Xcom a fresh look and its worth another playthrough tho i can imagine some
    of the veteran xcom players might be dissapointed by its price and by the fact that some of the
    the bugs are still present in the game and in my own playthrough it felt like the starting months
    of xcom enemy unknown wich also came with its bugs and quirks its a shame that these have
    not been fixed however it can still be patched in the future.

    All in all i had a great time with Xcom Enemy Within and i am still playing it as of this writing
    if you like xcom and you want more of it then purchase this dlc if you never played xcom but
    you want to then you will get the most value out of your purchase if you are on a budget
    you might want to hold off for a while until it go's on a discount.    … Expand
  5. cawpikolo
    Nov 19, 2013
    8
    The expansion is great however it's not worth the price it's at. The expansion does a great job of implementing itself into the game by being a secondary storyline that slightly affects the main storyline by putting in Exalt which is an organization bent on mixing human and alien DNA. The design of Exalt is great and the creators leave subtleties as to their background such as theirThe expansion is great however it's not worth the price it's at. The expansion does a great job of implementing itself into the game by being a secondary storyline that slightly affects the main storyline by putting in Exalt which is an organization bent on mixing human and alien DNA. The design of Exalt is great and the creators leave subtleties as to their background such as their uniform and base of operations. Their clothing obviously shows these men just got off of work and are ready to serve Exalt at a moments notice and the fact their base is just a normal office building with fancy decor like your rich grandpa's house is a nice touch. Back to the game play the addition of meld is right off the bat it's on the first mission you play. With meld you can build Robotic troops and also genetically modify your troops to jump two stories or ensure they only get knocked out when hit with a fatal blow (without the loss of will if rescued) with the secondary heart modification. These troops make the earlier part of the game significantly easier as the new troops are admittedly overpowered; however they equal out as the game progresses. It is also highly satisfying to combo mec trooper skills together such as combining their proximity mine ability with the grenade launcher for high damage that kills most aliens. The addition of medals in this game is merely novelty as they only give a few low stats and they only give you 10 medals or less out of the entire game to award your troops with. The new maps are also a good add as they give urban ufo crash sites and a side mission that ensures you are given an entire squad (4) of people with psionic abilities. Onto the negatives this expansion is ultra glitchy which was surprising given the company that made the product. An example is the game freezing on the enemy turn as in you can still move the screen and click around the enemy just glitched and it won't end its turn or during a council event where enemies fall out of the sky. If they fall onto a proximity mine the game crashes. I also experienced crashes when an alien just coincidentally falls onto the same square a soldier is occupying. some visual ones too as my frame rate suddenly went down in the middle of the game causing some skips and my operatives' arms swinging around or bending behind their back randomly. overall yes it is a fairly good expansion but it is not worth the price it is at given the current state of the game.… Expand
  6. JonoR
    Nov 18, 2013
    8
    Enemy Within adds a lot of good things to the game.

    *The new MEC class and augmenting soldiers gives you a wider range on upgrading your soldiers making them more unique in ability and performance instead of simply just equipping everyone with the same tech lvl armour or weapons. *There is a much greater variety of maps. You don't repeat the same maps as frequently any more,    Enemy Within adds a lot of good things to the game.

    *The new MEC class and augmenting soldiers gives you a wider range on upgrading your soldiers making them more unique in ability and performance instead of simply just equipping everyone with the same tech lvl armour or weapons.

    *There is a much greater variety of maps. You don't repeat the same maps as frequently any more, particularly noticeable for UFO shoot downs since you're not always in the same spooky forest anymore.

    *More customisation for soldiers is fun. In terms of gameplay it offers nothing, but its a fun little distraction to adjust how your soldiers look. The addition of languages is also nice. You could argue for more languages and maybe even English accents (Eng, US, Aust, etc), but again not important to gameplay, but cosmetic stuff.

    However, there are some things that prevent me giving it a ten.

    * Power creep: While the new classes and super-humans are great it does make the game a bit easier as you can get quite power troops quite early. This isn't immediately countered by the aliens as the introduction to new stronger enemies is more of less staggered the same as EU. Chryssalids are much less scary if you can one shot them with a MEC's kinetic strike.

    * Price: Of the two points I've taking off this I weight less than the power creep above, but it is still a factor. In my view it is overpriced for what you get, that at least 20% should be knocked off the price. Not great value for money, but if I was overly concerned about it I'd never buy any game until at least its 6 months old and the price starts to drop.

    On the bug side I've only had one and that was on the release day where I went to mission control and it zoomed me in too close and got stuck. Haven't had it happen since then though so I've had a very stable experience.

    Overall, the expansion does what it should. It expands the game in a overall enjoyable manner so that it makes it worth your time to return to it.    … Expand
  7. MetalS0ldier
    Nov 18, 2013
    9
    I really liked the new customization options.

    You can really take things to the next level with this DLC, and it actually adds even more replay value to it. It's a bit childish at times (what is going on with those salutes man.. seriously), which is strange given some of the really graphic animations that go on, and some of the insinuations made by the npcs. Anyhow, bottom line,    I really liked the new customization options.

    You can really take things to the next level with this DLC, and it actually adds even more replay value to it.

    It's a bit childish at times (what is going on with those salutes man.. seriously), which is strange given some of the really graphic animations that go on, and some of the insinuations made by the npcs.

    Anyhow, bottom line, the game is worth purchasing in general. And if you want to take it further, this DLC is kind of like icing, and a cherry on top of the whole cake.

    I'll score it a 9/10, due to the occasional bug.    … Expand
  8. Seryin
    Nov 18, 2013
    5
    Enemy Within takes an already amazing game (Enemy Unknown), and adds a new class, some new maps and new enemies. That is pretty much it. Literally. Same campaign, story, characters and everything else as the original.
    "Back in my day," we called this a PLUG-IN. It is certainly not a DLC or expansion by any modern use of the words.
    I had fun playing Enemy Within, just as much fun as I    Enemy Within takes an already amazing game (Enemy Unknown), and adds a new class, some new maps and new enemies. That is pretty much it. Literally. Same campaign, story, characters and everything else as the original.
    "Back in my day," we called this a PLUG-IN. It is certainly not a DLC or expansion by any modern use of the words.

    I had fun playing Enemy Within, just as much fun as I did Enemy Unknown, and that is the problem.

    I believe this entire DLC is very misleading and anyone who beat Unknown already is going to be as confused as me when they find themselves just playing the same exact game as before.
    I liked Enemy Unknown enormously and gave it a 10/10, but that did not give them the right to think they could resell me the exact same experience at a whopping 30 bucks.

    "Oh you want a Mech in your XCOM game? We will add it as a new class, and then resell you the entire game with a new subtitle." 100% Genuine Real Authentic Firaxis Employee Quote

    Its a great game and fun experience, but If you played Unknown, you have already played Within.    … Expand
  9. sungod
    Nov 18, 2013
    9
    My experience with X-COM goes way back to around '97 when I first discovered X-COM Apocalypse, and since then I've been hooked. Enemy Unknown was an amazing reboot of a great game, and the team did a fantastic job make it engaging, entertaining and challenging. Enemy Within continues the trend of this newly-reborn franchise with a lot of new maps, a very challenging new opponent in ExaltMy experience with X-COM goes way back to around '97 when I first discovered X-COM Apocalypse, and since then I've been hooked. Enemy Unknown was an amazing reboot of a great game, and the team did a fantastic job make it engaging, entertaining and challenging. Enemy Within continues the trend of this newly-reborn franchise with a lot of new maps, a very challenging new opponent in Exalt (which wiped my entire team several times the first time around), new research, and apparently base invasions as well (I'm apparently playing too awesomely to be invaded right now lol).

    Overall a great experience and worth the minimal cost for an expansion. I've scanned some of the user reviews that complain about value for money, but it's an expansion and everybody else but them seems to understand that, so I'm not sure what some people are complaining about. I paid almost $65 for the disaster that is Rome 2, and I'm getting far more value for money from Enemy Within.

    In terms of stability I've had only one minor "hiccup", which was nothing more than a ~10 second lag that passed without incident, caused no problems and never occurred again, so my guess was it was background activity on my machine. The only legitimate bug I've seen so far has been with characters who wear the skeleton suit and use the grappling hook twice I've had them hook to a roof and end up elsewhere. Once I ended up in a basement, the other time I went through a solid wall and ended up in a different room. Not a huge deal, and I'm sure something that will get fixed it happens. But overall, Enemy Within has been basically solid as a rock and performs reliable on maxed-out settings on my rig.

    In a year where both SimCity and Rome 2 experienced disastrous releases due to awful design decisions are poor technical implementations, Enemy Within is a breath of fresh air that's keeping me glued to my desktop into the wee hours of the morning. Thank you Firaxis! Well done!    … Expand
  10. Adingetorix
    Nov 18, 2013
    9
    I was really looking forward to this and they didn't disappoint. Makes all the little things that annoyed me in the base game, go away for me. I hope there is more to come.
  11. Type4101
    Nov 18, 2013
    1
    If there was no Enemy Unknown, then Enemy Within would be a 9 or a 10 game. But Enemy Within, the so-called "expansion," is nothing more than a glorified patch and a few maps, which should have cost $5 at most. It costs thirty dollars. It adds a new minor human enemy, one or two new aliens, and a few maps. That's it. It calls itself an "expansion" and that is a lie. An expansion wouldIf there was no Enemy Unknown, then Enemy Within would be a 9 or a 10 game. But Enemy Within, the so-called "expansion," is nothing more than a glorified patch and a few maps, which should have cost $5 at most. It costs thirty dollars. It adds a new minor human enemy, one or two new aliens, and a few maps. That's it. It calls itself an "expansion" and that is a lie. An expansion would have added significant gameplay, an expansion or continuation of the story-line/plot...basically a new experience. Enemy within offers none of those things. You play the exact same game as before, only with a tiny amount of new "stuff" that costs almost as much as a full game. If you never played XCOM: Enemy Unknown, then this is a great purchase as a stand-alone product (Steam requires you buy the original, so don't do it!). I can recommend it as a first-time game, since it is a fantastic game on its own. But don't buy this "expansion" if you already own the first game, or at least wait until this map pack is more appropriately priced ($5 max). I was ripped off again by unscrupulous game publishers. Don't suffer the same fate.… Expand
  12. Borreh1973
    Nov 18, 2013
    9
    We are seeing an evolution of XCOM EU for a new game. History repeats almost everything but new things are over it. Some errors will be fixed soon, I believe. Hours of fun guaranteed reaching all success of the original.
  13. JuggernautOfWar
    Nov 17, 2013
    10
    This feature packed expansion adds so much to the base game it's pretty unbelievable. Fixed all the existing bugs as well. Firaxis is a great company and I am so glad I picked this up.

    There are however still some multiplayer issues, but who plays XCOM for the MP?
  14. Xsonic
    Nov 16, 2013
    10
    I am putting a 10 just to offset some of the more ignorant comments below. The game is still great, with the addition of several unique features. You can still play Enemy Unknown if you choose to do so before starting the game.

    For those people asking why 2K is charging a lot more in Australia, please stop making yourselves look bad and do some research why your government has put    I am putting a 10 just to offset some of the more ignorant comments below. The game is still great, with the addition of several unique features. You can still play Enemy Unknown if you choose to do so before starting the game.

    For those people asking why 2K is charging a lot more in Australia, please stop making yourselves look bad and do some research why your government has put taxes on games. Don't blame the dev/publishers for what your leaders are doing.    … Expand
  15. lMasterBetal
    Nov 16, 2013
    9
    To put it short, XCOM Enemy Within will fix many of the problems you had in Enemy Unknown. This includes Dr. Vahlen never shutting up, removing all items from soldiers (In order to find that one person who has that medkit to give them to someone else), bringing back the freshness of exploring new maps, combating new and dangerous foes, fighting against humans, customizing your characterTo put it short, XCOM Enemy Within will fix many of the problems you had in Enemy Unknown. This includes Dr. Vahlen never shutting up, removing all items from soldiers (In order to find that one person who has that medkit to give them to someone else), bringing back the freshness of exploring new maps, combating new and dangerous foes, fighting against humans, customizing your character even more, and a new branch of missions from the council.

    This game gets a 9/10 since some of the problems haven't been fixed by Firaxis but XCOM Enemy Within is a great expansion with a great TU to the original game.

    Buy it    … Expand
  16. tailrecursion
    Nov 16, 2013
    9
    Makes the game even better must have for every Xcom fan :D
    The Expansion introduces 2 new aliens and a complete new fraction. There are new landing sites so the missions are not all the same anymore and of course you got 2 new traits besides the PSI-theme: you can modify your soldiers with genetic improvements and you can rip the limbs from them and put the soldier in a big ass mech    Makes the game even better must have for every Xcom fan :D
    The Expansion introduces 2 new aliens and a complete new fraction. There are new landing sites so the missions are not all the same anymore and of course you got 2 new traits besides the PSI-theme: you can modify your soldiers with genetic improvements and you can rip the limbs from them and put the soldier in a big ass mech suite that brings some PUNCH to the aliens great stuff :D    … Expand
  17. TUHD
    Nov 16, 2013
    2
    From what I managed to play, it isn't too bad but not an huge improvement either. Most problematic however is that the game WILL NOT START after you shut it down after the install and this is all across the board, from nVidia cards to ATI cards, from PC to Xbox. I give the game ONE week to solve this, but so far I'm giving it a two due to the repeating tricks, imbalance and mostly theFrom what I managed to play, it isn't too bad but not an huge improvement either. Most problematic however is that the game WILL NOT START after you shut it down after the install and this is all across the board, from nVidia cards to ATI cards, from PC to Xbox. I give the game ONE week to solve this, but so far I'm giving it a two due to the repeating tricks, imbalance and mostly the fact it's just broken as hell.… Expand
  18. Gnawer
    Nov 16, 2013
    10
    Excellent addon to an already great game. It is just a content pack to the same game, not second game of the series, however it adds more than some second games. I would pay this price for XCOM 2 without even thinking, and this content pack is definitely the next best thing.
  19. Awesumo
    Nov 16, 2013
    5
    It's a nice expansion, but there isn't really that much new content.
    Definitely not good value for money. I would recommend getting it when it inevitably gets it's 50+% discount in a month or so.
  20. FrAvatar
    Nov 15, 2013
    9
    Great DLC. A proprer Expansion Pack as they used to be known. Other companies should pay attention on how it's done right. Quite worth the price if you enjoyed the first game at all.( I'm looking at you Sega and your cutting game features out and selling them separately. 3$ for a blood and gore graphics toggle, ridiculous)
  21. AD1980
    Nov 15, 2013
    3
    While I would like to give this game a very positive review, due to the number and frequency of game crashing bugs I cannot. I encourage anyone interested in the game to first check out forums for the game to get an idea of how often they occur. Personally, I haven't been able to complete a session of Enemy Within without the game freezing at one point or another. This is of course afterWhile I would like to give this game a very positive review, due to the number and frequency of game crashing bugs I cannot. I encourage anyone interested in the game to first check out forums for the game to get an idea of how often they occur. Personally, I haven't been able to complete a session of Enemy Within without the game freezing at one point or another. This is of course after verifying drivers, verifying game files and the such.

    It's almost amusing that the developers advertise modes like "Ironman" when their game isn't capable
    of delivering a crash free play through.    … Expand
  22. Cytokinesis
    Nov 14, 2013
    9
    I wrote a pretty mediocre review of Enemy Unknown and this fixes MOST of the problems there were in the original game. Again, people who love the original xcom and refuse change still aren't going to like it but anyone who even remotely liked EU are going to love this. The re-balancing of workshops/labs with all the new structures and economy is phenomenal: it's no longer a workshopI wrote a pretty mediocre review of Enemy Unknown and this fixes MOST of the problems there were in the original game. Again, people who love the original xcom and refuse change still aren't going to like it but anyone who even remotely liked EU are going to love this. The re-balancing of workshops/labs with all the new structures and economy is phenomenal: it's no longer a workshop spamming escapade. The depth in soldier customization is really good now and makes it even more personal which breathes new life into ironman mode. On top of that it adds a TON of new maps and scenarios and even randomizes some spawn points on old maps which makes it really fresh and exciting for experienced players. It puts that fear back into playing when you have no idea what's coming and will take a long time to memorize this many maps rather than 3-4 playthroughs like with EU. It is really fresh and anyone who even remotely enjoyed EU and doesn't get this is doing themselves a huge disservice.… Expand
  23. Cailore
    Nov 13, 2013
    6
    Overpriced for what is essentially a double-sized DLC. Wait until it goes on deep discount.

    Do you think anyone from the design team reads these? I was excited about the medal feature when I was surprised by its inclusion, until I saw my 'soldier' dressed in a frumpy uniform saluting like she was a 4 year-old. For the love of Pete Firaxis, look at some military people when making    Overpriced for what is essentially a double-sized DLC. Wait until it goes on deep discount.

    Do you think anyone from the design team reads these?
    I was excited about the medal feature when I was surprised by its inclusion, until I saw my 'soldier' dressed in a frumpy uniform saluting like she was a 4 year-old. For the love of Pete Firaxis, look at some military people when making 'military' animations, not bad B-rated sci-movies.

    Also, I had hoped that the accuracy estimation would have gotten better, but I still seem to miss an 80% chance to about 66% of the time.    … Expand
  24. NinerJonny
    Nov 13, 2013
    10
    A great game made even better! Firaxis has done a masterful job of fixing any little issues this game had and expanding upon what made this game great. There is no question that this add-on is worth every penny of the $29 I spent. By far the best 'expansion' to come along since Heart of the Swarm for StarCraft II. If you played XCOM in the past, this is definitely a must buy!
  25. Ogr
    Nov 13, 2013
    9
    This Addon makes XCOM even better, sadly there is no new campaign, but playing it again with all the new maps and improvements makes as much fun as playing it for the very first time. Good job.
  26. Procopper
    Nov 12, 2013
    5
    The XCOM franchise is excellent. Enemy Unknown is a very good game, and may have single-handedly brought back turn-based strategy games. Enemy Within is a respectable DLC addition, but will ultimately disappoint, as it does nothing to address significant annoyances from the first game.

    Firaxis has chosen to go with big-ticket, flashy upgrades, while leaving the core play mechanisms    The XCOM franchise is excellent. Enemy Unknown is a very good game, and may have single-handedly brought back turn-based strategy games. Enemy Within is a respectable DLC addition, but will ultimately disappoint, as it does nothing to address significant annoyances from the first game.

    Firaxis has chosen to go with big-ticket, flashy upgrades, while leaving the core play mechanisms alone. In fact, even the new gameplay mechanics boil down to reliance on tried and true XCOM formula.

    Remember bomb-disarmament missions? Well, they're back, except now when you click, your're collecting mind-goo, not disarming bombs. That's the crux of the DLC. Yes, it earns you cool, new stuff. The mind-effects and mech-suits look really good. Bad guys die really flashy, (though with a weird delay after you shoot them).

    But at the end of the day, you're disarming bombs. Except now its collecting mind-juice.    … Expand
  27. kikmeister
    Nov 12, 2013
    9
    God bless Firaxis Games! They did a fantastic job with XCOM Enemy Unknown and then again with XCOM Enemy Within. These guys should be in the hall of fame for game designers. No kidding. The game is not perfect (bugs) but it's good enough to stand with the likes of Starcraft and other iconic games. It's really good. Enough said.
  28. AnotherGamerFRA
    Nov 12, 2013
    9
    But for the relatively high price for a DLC, Xcom Enemy Within is definitely a must-buy if you are a fan of Xcom Enemy Unknown or the genre in general
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Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best PC Game of 2013
61
#61 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
59
#59 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 52 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 54
  3. Negative: 0 out of 54
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 11, 2014
    90
    Augmented XCOM is better, although it does not fix some basic flaws. Great the first time you play it. [Dec 2013]
  2. GameCritics
    Jan 16, 2014
    65
    Xcom: Enemy Within is a decent expansion to a slightly flawed original.
    Read full review
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Dec 30, 2013
    80
    It doesn't fix larger flaws, but it's still a solid expansion. [Jan 2014, p.80]
See all critic reviews »