XCOM 2

 Xbox One
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 119 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 82 out of 119
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 119
  3. Negative: 21 out of 119
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  1. Professorfett
    Apr 21, 2020
    7
    In 2012 we got Xcom Enemy Unknown which brought back turn based strategy on the console. I adored Enemy Unknown and pushed people to play the ever loving **** out of it. Xcom 2 takes what was good about the original Xcom and makes it difficult to the nth degree. The game has so much bull**** that occurs that it makes it more stressful than fun. I know there are some General S. Pattons outIn 2012 we got Xcom Enemy Unknown which brought back turn based strategy on the console. I adored Enemy Unknown and pushed people to play the ever loving **** out of it. Xcom 2 takes what was good about the original Xcom and makes it difficult to the nth degree. The game has so much bull**** that occurs that it makes it more stressful than fun. I know there are some General S. Pattons out there that never lost a soldier, but I found myself constantly reloading after a plethora of swears exited my mouth. Hopefully I don’t spend this whole review **** about this game because there are many positives, but the things that pissed me off just truly chapped my ass.
    The game’s premise is humanity has integrated with the aliens and you return as the Commander. You are leading the resistance to kick these alien bastards off of our planet. The story from there is basically make it up as you go along. Eventually you unlock story bits like them using humans as energy. (I wonder where they got that from?) But for the most part it is just the character talking in length on how important getting our planet back is.
    The gameplay is a squad based turned based strategy game. Those who don’t know think if Gears of War cover based game with the squad taking turns and missing half the **** time. I’m going to try and get the positives out first before my negatives. The game is truly fun when you are in combat. When one of your soldiers takes out one of their alien snake **** then you just feel good. The customization of your soldiers is a stupid amount of fun. FYI do not make your friends then tell them you put them in the game, because when you tell them “oh you died in the game” you oddly are shammed more than you’d think. The classes for your troops are few but important you have sniper, engineer, heavy gunner, and assault. I do love that each class is a must for the mission you would fail fairly quick if you sent in a squad of snipers into battle. It is nice to have an diverse team. The game has a base build feature which was somehow more complicated than the first game. I never really knew what I needed to actually have. They leave it free form but a little handholding wouldn’t be a sin in my book. The game also has way too many counting clocks in it. Many missions you have so many turns until mission fail, or the story has this doom clock that is counting down to slow it down you must do main missions. The issue is the main missions are difficult for my troops to undertake so the game is constantly is me sending my guys out on this Dirty Dozen suicide mission. I sit there and tell my troops “most of you won’t make it out of this alive. I’m sorry, but I suck as a commander.” That is really my main issue with this game it starts you out nice and slow, but jacks the difficulty up so high you are just getting **** in the ass constantly. Example of this the have these enemies who can clone themselves, turn off your weapons (forces you to have to reload), and teleport. That is an overpowered enemy, and they are a common foe.
    Sadly I know my issues with the game stem more off my lack of skill then the game itself. I just found the game barrier of entry higher than the first which ended up hindering my enjoyment of it. I didn’t hate the game as much as I wanted to. I give it a 3/5. I feel like if you are a badass strategist and bent the first game over and made it your **** then get this game. If you just enjoyed the game or are curious about this one I say rental for sure. It is worth checking out. I only wish it was amazing, and a bit more mainstream so we can get a few more turn based strategy games. Well folks this is B-rod saying if aliens come to Earth do not put me in charge of the resistance.    … Expand
  2. Nasic
    Jul 25, 2019
    5
    It was a blizz in the beginning and a WTF at the end.
    I personally adore strategy games, so I couldn't overlook this title. I've played almost every Commando and absolutely love Jagged Alliance . But this one is a bummer .
    It all started well, good mission design, great combat design and the overall look. But then it hits you hard. As the games evolved, more types of enemies are    It was a blizz in the beginning and a WTF at the end.
    I personally adore strategy games, so I couldn't overlook this title. I've played almost every Commando and absolutely love Jagged Alliance . But this one is a bummer .
    It all started well, good mission design, great combat design and the overall look.
    But then it hits you hard. As the games evolved, more types of enemies are introduced. But this is where all the trouble starts. Enemies start to shoot/pull you through massive walls, mini bosses appear in mid story missions and knock out half of your team, which you have to carry around to save them. As if the mission wasn't hard enough, even on easy settings.
    After three years after release this game still is clustered with countless bugs and glitches.
    I can see why many people like this game, but after playing it for some time, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
    Could have been way better!    … Expand
  3. Daelus
    Oct 23, 2016
    7
    XCOM:EU/W ranks as 1 of my top 10 favorite games all time (even though releasing EW as a full standalone was massive cheese). 4 years ago that game was everything I love about turn-based games. It was a breath of fresh air in what had become a stale, under-served genre. 4 years on and this game adds nothing significantly new and plays significantly worse than the last....this deserved soXCOM:EU/W ranks as 1 of my top 10 favorite games all time (even though releasing EW as a full standalone was massive cheese). 4 years ago that game was everything I love about turn-based games. It was a breath of fresh air in what had become a stale, under-served genre. 4 years on and this game adds nothing significantly new and plays significantly worse than the last....this deserved so much better.

    Pros
    Turn-based combat remains an enjoyable alternative to action games.
    Revamp brought parity to the classes and allows many different playstyles with some replayabilty,

    Cons
    Foremost is the game is buggy, crashes are not frequent, but not infrequent.
    Menu is very floaty, clearly not designed for a controller,
    far too many loading scrrens (2 to get into a mission and 2 to get out) and they take far too long for the size of this game.
    Graphics are dated, about on par with the last game
    In a genre and a game that begs for innovation, other than basically inverting the story line from the last game that added very, very little to this game.

    Massive Chalice, which 100% copied EU, was more innovative and a better game than this was.....sad.    … Expand
  4. DarkW0lf
    Sep 13, 2020
    7
    This review comes three years later than it probably would have. Three years minus 10 rating is 7/10. The game itself is excellent. I loved the first game and this has done nothing But improve that concept. My main complaint and the reason the game failed to meet the rating I would have probably given it is because of greedy business tactics. I realize this is probably falling on deaf earsThis review comes three years later than it probably would have. Three years minus 10 rating is 7/10. The game itself is excellent. I loved the first game and this has done nothing But improve that concept. My main complaint and the reason the game failed to meet the rating I would have probably given it is because of greedy business tactics. I realize this is probably falling on deaf ears 4 years after release but that’s how long it’s been and this game is still $60. What about the gamers who are on a budget and can’t afford your game for full price and don’t have time to go shopping for a used disk somewhere. I was lucky enough to catch this on a sale for half price but I don’t have a lot of time to watch the store for when sales pop up. I periodically checked on this game for over three years while they greedily kept the price at full price in the online store. That is very poor almost COD like business that I don’t want to see this new franchise Become. It’s a great game well worth the $60 but why not drop the price after four years to include some of the players that will not pay full price. And I can tell you, it’s just good business to offer a price drop regardless of how well a game performs; this was the very reason I quit buying COD games. I have plenty of money and honestly could have bought this game at any point since release but for gamers like me, and there are plenty, buying any game for full price makes you a sucker, no offense intended. People like me like to think we are getting a great game for a deal and never dropping the price is going to rule those buyers out of ever buying your product. The fact that there is not even a small $5 compromise four years later just looks really bad IMO. More importantly, there are some people who have very little in the way of money to spend on games; maybe you could make it more affordable for those people to enjoy your game while it still has any relevance. We’re looking down the barrel of next gen consoles not too long from now. Do you want to be the company that drops your price at the last instant that you realize it may be severely ignored soon and you want to scrape a last few bucks or do you want to be the developers that people love because the game is dropped in price and people can enjoy it while their friends are still playing it. It’s never as fun when you get a game so far down the road that most people have left or don’t even think about it anymore. I love the game but the fact that I’m playing it three years later than I probably should have been able to get a minor discount and Then only because I randomly happened upon a sale really sours the experience that otherwise would be a 10/10. It also means that I have less time to be exposed to the dlc content and potentially spend more money when I don’t play a game I have been looking forward to for a long time. And it makes me assume the price will never drop on those either so again I am getting suckered into buying something for full price when most reputable gaming companies drop the price within a year and continue minor drops after each year or two after that. I love the game and the effort put into it. I cannot understate what an excellent Job has been done on the game itself. Just please don’t become another activision; gaming has suffered enough of that. I would just lastly say there is at least one game that I consistently spend money on DLC and part of it is that I feel they have been loyal and fair price wise to the customer in the past. I buy their stuff at full price When it first releases even though it’s not in my usual nature because they have earned my loyalty and continue to release content worth the money. I was initially very impressed when I picked up Xcom 1, an excellent game for a very fair price. The fact that xcom 2 has not dropped even a little in price in four years blows my mind and does serious injury to my first impression of the game.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Best Xbox One Game of 2016
39
#39 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2016
22
#22 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. The Digital Fix
    Nov 3, 2016
    90
    XCOM 2 is a tour de force of the tactical turn-based shooter genre. The game can be relentless and its AI unyielding, but this just makes you want to go back in for more!
    Read full review
  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Nov 1, 2016
    90
    A masterpiece - one of best games on Xbox. [Dec 2016, p.74]
  3. Critical Hit
    Oct 18, 2016
    89
    XCOM 2 manages to improve a formula that had almost nothing wrong with it to begin with, adding a sense of urgency to the already unpredictable nature of its turn-based combat. It’s a rewarding experience, if not sometimes cruelly unfair.
    Read full review
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