The core XCOM 2 gameplay, at least for those who have played Enemy Unknown, remains mostly intact. This is still a third person, isometric strategy shooter that focuses on dice rolls each turn to determine the outcome of battle. There are times when things will go in the player’s favor, and then there are times when it goes the complete opposite direction. This can be a random experience, and most of the time it becomes very stressful. Unless you save scum all the way through the campaign, the chances of surviving every battle with no casualties is highly unlikely. That problem derives mainly from some occasional confusing hit percentages and reactions. There’s nothing like seeing a soldier stand two feet in front of an enemy with a gatling gun and shoot through the unfazed alien with a big failure text pop up taunting you. At the very least there should be more animations showing the opponents dodging your bullets, not just standing there clueless.

As the final battle cutscene came to a close, the Commander is pulled from his Avatar by those aboard the Avenger, and it's quite possible that the remaining ethereals utilized their psionic power on the Avatar's body to not only cling to life, but find a way to rebuild and bring the fight to XCOM in the coming years. Truthfully, in the closing seconds of the game XCOM gave the ethereals exactly what they were seeking: a powerful avatar to host their bodies. It's entirely possible this gaff by Bradford and his crew may cost countless human lives in the near fut

Of course, the battle on the field is just one aspect of management that players will face. The base management has gone through an overhaul as well, and Firaxis has done well to get rid of the UFO hunting minigame that felt out of place and awkward in the first title. The SLG game story guide puts a much higher importance on individual scientists and engineers, which makes rescuing them in optional timed missions an important judgement call for players. One rescued, the scientists provide research bonuses so players can unlock gear faster, and engineers can be placed in varying rooms to provide a wide aspect of bonuses, from increasing the resistance's communication network to helping troops recover from wounds fas

XCOM 2 is not a game for those who think about what’s going on in a single instance. Everyone will need to think three turns ahead in every aspect of the campaign, and even then, it’s mostly about luck, creating an incredibly random experience in the process. Even from the beginning, players believing they’ll be able to keep everyone alive will run into a harsh reality check, whether they’re on the easiest or hardest difficulty settings. It’s not primarily the combat that can be difficult though, it’s the world management that can be a bit stressful. Similar to Enemy Unknown, there’s a time component to XCOM 2, ensuring you don’t take your sweet time to level up characters and accept every side mission that becomes available. There will be crucial choices to be made, but instead of ruining reputations based on countries and risking resources, these are classified as larger reaching outcomes to alien progression in the world. There’s so many systems at play that anyone could easily see themselves overwhelmed, and it doesn’t help that there’s an unfortunate lack of explanation on the various mechanics.

Why You Should Play It: Despite a few hiccups at launch, XCOM 2 builds on the refined strategy experience that Firaxis Games delivered a few years ago. There’s more depth to building your squad, greater tension to the battles, and a story that goes in some really unexpected directions. Even those who may not be intrigued by strategy titles should give XCOM 2 a l

In the meantime, Firaxis is supporting XCOM 2 with what ultimately amounts to a Season Pass. Players have the option to purchase the Reinforcement Pack DLC, which will release three bonus collections of content between Spring and Summer later this year. In the meantime, modders are actively supporting the title with puppy-based weapon

Regardless of these occurrences, Firaxis has done a great deal to enhance the overall XCOM experience by adding variety to its combat. For example, melee is a new feature to the XCOM universe, dealing massive damage to enemies at the risk of having a character exposed out in the open. This generally does significant damage in comparison to standard projectiles, which adds a new layer of strategy outside of hunkering down or providing cover fire. This also ties somewhat into the improved character class system that allows for additional customization outside of the rather robust selection of aesthetics. Just as Enemy Unknown contained, each character has their own class tree that will be accessible based on promotions on the battlefield. The higher a character traverses in their class, the more powerful and capable they become, learning additional traits and abilities. There are some deviations from the traditional format in that the classes are specialized, and their traits feel like they provide far more assistance than ever before. For example, the new Ranger class that can wield a sword can pick up a skill that ensure concealment even after your party initiates a battle, or straight up do greater damage. Depending on their skillset, they can be completely different from a character in the same class, which can lead to some interesting pairings, especially later in the game when more party slots open up.