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
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. rodericrinehart
    Jul 22, 2014
    10
    I would put this game in the pantheon of strategy games, without question. SCORE: 97/100.

    I loved this game from start to finish and everything about the tactical gameplay is amazing and engaging. There are a great variety of classes (with upgrade paths, ranks, and different equipment) and enemies, diverse maps, good base technology and items, and just a complete package that is fun and    I would put this game in the pantheon of strategy games, without question. SCORE: 97/100.

    I loved this game from start to finish and everything about the tactical gameplay is amazing and engaging. There are a great variety of classes (with upgrade paths, ranks, and different equipment) and enemies, diverse maps, good base technology and items, and just a complete package that is fun and replayable.

    This is a game that you will play again, and you will be glad you did.    … Expand
  2. Battlemankiller
    Jan 10, 2014
    10
    If nothing else, Enemy Within gave me a reason to replay XCOM, and boy was it worth it. There is just so much more to do and enjoy. If you like Enemy Unknown, you will love Enemy Within!
  3. LD9000
    Jun 28, 2014
    10
    This game is the definition of the AAA title. Fun all the way through, great visuals, sound and nice plot twists. Saving the earth has never felt that good before :)
  4. Asaghon
    Nov 23, 2013
    10
    If you liked EU you will certainly like this. I was worried MECs would unbalance the game like panzers did in silent storm but they will die quite fast if your reckless on classic. And the rush for meld makes the game alot more intense as well.
    The new exalt faction is a nice addition as well, though some more mission types would be nice. But its a different expierence than fighting    If you liked EU you will certainly like this. I was worried MECs would unbalance the game like panzers did in silent storm but they will die quite fast if your reckless on classic. And the rush for meld makes the game alot more intense as well.
    The new exalt faction is a nice addition as well, though some more mission types would be nice. But its a different expierence than fighting aliens.
    The new maps are great as well, finally some more variety.
    I'l really enjoying the expansion and its well worth the price for me.    … Expand
  5. apox
    Nov 22, 2013
    10
    Great expansion refreshes the Enemy Unknown experience. None of the new features fundamentally change the gameplay already established in Enemy Unknown but they do add some significant new variety to the game, including new maps, some new enemies and new upgrades to your troops.

    Part of me still yearns for a more in depth experience as in the original XCom games, but this was also    Great expansion refreshes the Enemy Unknown experience. None of the new features fundamentally change the gameplay already established in Enemy Unknown but they do add some significant new variety to the game, including new maps, some new enemies and new upgrades to your troops.

    Part of me still yearns for a more in depth experience as in the original XCom games, but this was also frustrating at times (how many ammo clips do I give each soldier?!). EU/EW greatly streamlines the experience and lets you focus on the more fun aspects, the battles, research, resource management, etc.

    Gathering meld now forces you to explore maps faster than you might otherwise (especially on harder difficulties) and introduces new upgrades for your soldiers: MECs, which are awesome cyborg soldiers, and gene modifications to improve your regular troops. The satisfaction of a MEC punching an alien through a wall never gets old, though be careful you don't also destroy something you didn't mean to! The only downside is that later in the game these allow you to really upgrade your troops and leads to most missions becoming quite easy (unlike the first couple of in-game months which are really difficult).

    The human Exalt forces are another fun new twist, offering a quite different experience to alien hunting. With no need to capture them alive and equivalent weapons/armour/tech in the early mid game, they can be fairly challenging, or you can just grab rockets and grenades and destroy everything. I feel they could have built this more into a story with more cutscenes or backstory but I still enjoyed it.

    A few other great features: soldiers can speak their own languages, base attacks and enemy mechs are more robust than in the original.

    Some of the mechanics of the game I feel are a little too scripted, more so than the originals. While this ensures a more consistent experience, it also reduces the replayability significantly. I can't see myself picking this up many more times, though the recently added 'second wave' options allow you to change a number of game mechanics e.g. soldiers can have randomly generated abilities and stats.

    I've only experience two minor bugs during my playthrough, so I don't see any major issues there at all, and the game looks and sounds as good as ever with it's distinctive B-movie feel. I feel the price is fair for the amount of time you can spend on the new features. It's still one of my favourite games of recent years and this expansion just adds to it.    … Expand
  6. Miskin
    May 29, 2014
    10
    It's an interesting expansion, I give it an 8 for mundane colors (some colors wouldn't hurt) and unbalanced difficulty (too hard in the beginning too easy in the end).

    I loved the mission at the fishing village by the way...

    ** EDIT ** Updated my score from 8 to 10. 430h on steam and still playing it, it has endless replayability. I only wish we had more content...
  7. 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
  8. 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!
  9. 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.
  10. Tibster
    Jun 18, 2014
    10
    Its a good 8 imo, but to many ppl giving it 0, cus they have no clue or dont understad the game or how computers work. So i gave it a 10 to compansate a little!
  11. 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?
  12. gracjanski
    Apr 29, 2016
    10
    You should play XCOM Enemy Unknown with this addon. The campaign will be much better: The graphics look better and not soooo old, like in Enemy Unknown, the new missions are looking much nicer than the old one. In addition they improved the variety of the missions, because they offer you new tasks. The addon gives you more possibilities in the gameplay, so it is a bit more complex.You should play XCOM Enemy Unknown with this addon. The campaign will be much better: The graphics look better and not soooo old, like in Enemy Unknown, the new missions are looking much nicer than the old one. In addition they improved the variety of the missions, because they offer you new tasks. The addon gives you more possibilities in the gameplay, so it is a bit more complex.
    Unfortunately the game is very easy, even in the normal level, especially the last level could be a bit more difficult.

    So in the end they changed a lot of weaknesses, but one weakness stays: Because you dont know many informations, you need to look in the internet or load a lot, or both.    … Expand
  13. Deathmarch
    Dec 5, 2013
    10
    Further expands on great game. If you ask why I would give it 10 because you have to compare it to whats available now. Seeing only Jagged alliance online in the same category I would give Xcom a 20 but I cant so 10 will have to do. Introduction of MECs, Gene Mods, Exault and a few surprises including the best mission in the whole game the notorious "Fishing Village" have fun
  14. orctown-troll
    Dec 13, 2013
    10
    Great set of enhancement for an already great game. More maps. More campaign elements, more inventory to manage. While the new additions of meld and medals may make the endgame easier on easy setting, they won't help you on classic or impossible ironman so much. The criticism that this makes the game too easy are invalidated by the fact that the game has hard settings, and ways to evenGreat set of enhancement for an already great game. More maps. More campaign elements, more inventory to manage. While the new additions of meld and medals may make the endgame easier on easy setting, they won't help you on classic or impossible ironman so much. The criticism that this makes the game too easy are invalidated by the fact that the game has hard settings, and ways to even make it harder from there. Arguments that the expansion is overpriced ignore the fact that this is targeted at people who already play the game and want more. In this context the price is reasonable. Indeed I'm surprised that fans of the game would not be happy to expand their play experience and support the developers at the same time, with a price that is good for everyone. If you like X-COM Enemy this is a no-brainer, get it today. If you are in here giving it a red score on the basis of price, you are a no-brainer, who probably needs to get a job.

    Orctowngrot.    … Expand
  15. 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
  16. PeregrineOmega
    Nov 21, 2013
    10
    Firaxis and 2K deserve a Nobel prize for restoring faith in modern PC game expansion. Enemy Within is complete, polished, and full of goodies that not only expand the game, but actually improve on what was already a great product.

    It's still a tough game that isn't afraid to be challenging, yet it throws a diverse assortment of interesting upgrade paths, cool weapons, super soldiers and    Firaxis and 2K deserve a Nobel prize for restoring faith in modern PC game expansion. Enemy Within is complete, polished, and full of goodies that not only expand the game, but actually improve on what was already a great product.

    It's still a tough game that isn't afraid to be challenging, yet it throws a diverse assortment of interesting upgrade paths, cool weapons, super soldiers and much more new content than most of the so-called "DLC" packages we see these days. This might just be the best Expansion Pack since Lord of Destruction. Well worth the price of entry.    … Expand
  17. tmasterr
    Nov 23, 2013
    10
    Great game. Great expansion. It let me replay the game I had already enjoyed again with new surprises, new maps, new units etc.

    Started at only $30 dollars, too! Not bad, considering I've already put 30 more hours into it. Sounds cheap to me!
  18. QuantumX
    Dec 1, 2013
    10
    The new XCOM games is excellent, a true modern re-make of the original games... I cannot stress enough that i really liked this game.. The expansion just makes a good game, an excellent game! For me there are not games like this one...
  19. poisonedyouth
    Jan 7, 2014
    10
    While it doesn't reinvent the wheel here, it adds some interesting new variety to an already superb tactical strategy game. If you enjoyed Enemy Unknown, do yourself a favor and expand the experience further!
  20. tiaga
    Mar 19, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. THIS IS EPIC!!! Did I get your attention? Good.

    Now then, the first thing I liked about this DLC was the fact at some point or another you actually get to defend inside your own base. It's just like the old X-com from the 90's. The whole "LOOK MA I'M A ROBOT" with cool, chunky looking mechs that could have come from a anime is a great touch!!! I also love the genetic changes that even further customize the look and play of your characters.

    My biggest love for this game is the well balanced difficulty and limited resources that really make you think before you buy gear and sell stuff on the grey market. If your really good at the game, it doesn't really matter what difficulty you play. Must of the time I just obliterate something the same turn I see it. (Classic). Overall, I would strongly recommend this game for those that love turn based and strategy.    … Expand
  21. DanteV
    May 23, 2014
    10
    Brilliant mechanics, awesome gameplay, cool new features like MEC-trooper and augmented soldier, new enemy like Exalt forces definitely make this a great expansion.
  22. mrlordloganman
    Jun 16, 2014
    10
    This added on soo many great additions to an already great game and I added on over 50+ hours to a game I had already played for 60+ hours. This content was perfectly integrated into the already almost perfect game. 10/10
  23. Pendra
    Jun 26, 2015
    10
    It worths every penny!

    I'm a massive fan of the old X-COM games. I played them through billions of times. When I first saw the new XCOM game, I was less than thrilled. No AP, no thanks. Then I tried it for some reason. At first I didn't like it all that much. It was weird and restrictive, but by the time I completed it, it grew on me. It is not the old XCOM for sure but the updates    It worths every penny!

    I'm a massive fan of the old X-COM games. I played them through billions of times. When I first saw the new XCOM game, I was less than thrilled. No AP, no thanks.
    Then I tried it for some reason. At first I didn't like it all that much. It was weird and restrictive, but by the time I completed it, it grew on me.

    It is not the old XCOM for sure but the updates and improvements are working really well. The new XCOM is extremely fun and addictive on its own. This reboot was risky, but Firaxis pulled it through perfectly, Big Thumbs up.    … Expand
  24. shatarah
    Dec 2, 2020
    10
    greattttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
  25. Acronymous
    Aug 14, 2018
    10
    Basically this was my first turn-based game since the original Fallout and i love it. Spent so much time playing it that i can call it hands-down one of my favourites. Instant classic, no doubt about it!
  26. dopp
    Jul 26, 2020
    10
    Amazing tactical game, with great replayability value, great graphics and immersive story, a lot of pseudo sci-fi technical stuff and researches, which i LOVE!! very fun! There are some caveats here and there, UX is not well thought, a little bit disbalanced soldier types out and few bugs here and there, but i forgive it, as it's the first game in franchise.
  27. dimvla
    Jan 31, 2021
    10
    xcom enemy within long war is probably the king in the turn based strategy games. unparalleled stategic and tactical options, a ton of mods and a magnificent soundtrack. highly recommended for the genre fans
  28. Wazzles
    Feb 5, 2015
    9
    A surprisingly deep expansion to an incredible game that gave me a reason to go back and play it again. That alone is reason enough to buy Enemy Within.
  29. 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
  30. sherbz
    Dec 3, 2013
    9
    This is a solid expansion and well worth the money. Firaxis have built on what was already an excellent game and made it even better. Its like they have combined 2 of my favorite games of the 1990's Syndicate and enemy unknown. My only criticism is that the game still plays out in a fairly linear fashion and strategic options in the worldview are fairly limited. There are also aThis is a solid expansion and well worth the money. Firaxis have built on what was already an excellent game and made it even better. Its like they have combined 2 of my favorite games of the 1990's Syndicate and enemy unknown. My only criticism is that the game still plays out in a fairly linear fashion and strategic options in the worldview are fairly limited. There are also a number of scripted missions and minor balancing issues. That said though, the real meat of the game, the tactical combat, plays out superbly and the new toys you get to play with make an already great game even better.… Expand
prev
Page:

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 »