I just started to replay Xcom 2 after a few months of inactivity and this what I thought of the experience after the break. It was awesome, the scale at which the game lets you play is a fantastic RTS experience and an excellent turn-based strategy that will challenge and entertain you. Everything from the base building to the turn-based gameplay will have some appeal to the strategy enthusiast. I should explain why I feel this way and why should care about a game that is a few years old.
The first real reason that there are not many new strategy video games released anymore. We get a few here or there but not as many as we used to. So when exceptional games are made we have to remember them and keep up the fuel for this great genre. The fact that Xcom 2 is just getting some new DLC in 2018 is a good sign that the publisher hasn’t forgotten and we shouldn’t either.
The second reason is more to do with the game itself more than the genre. Xcom 2 has this great sense of suspense and hope in the atmosphere. The closest thing that I can compare it to was if it is was a rebel alliance game for star wars. You no longer have the full funding or a mighty military at your back. Instead, you have a commandeered spaceship and some ragtag rebels to fight for you. The whole game really works on this premise, making you feel like you are humanities only hope.
The game’s story even makes you feel cool because it actually starts with you being rescued by the rebels and the game only goes up from there. Every operation that your forces conduct you personally oversee, every piece of research you choose. You are literally the reason why your forces succeed or why they eat a plasma ball.
The ship that serves as your main base is an awesome factor in the game. In the first game of the new series, you were given a hidden underground base that you could customize. The second game takes that idea and says ”what if you ever wanted your own spaceship”. The first answer is yes, I have always wanted my own spaceship. The second is that this thing is awesome to play with. You can customize your ship by adding power generators, uplinks, and even defenses in case you are attacked.
Likewise, the Xcom soldiers are customizable like the ship and they are just as varied. You can customize everything from there hair to there uniform. A fun thing is that you can even give your characters tattoos to give them a little more personalities. In more practical matters you can pick your soldiers armor, weapons, and gear based on your research and supplies. It makes it worthwhile to do the research and give your soldier a plasma rifle just to see how awesome it looks.
The aliens have changed this time around, they’re not invaders but are instead evil leader. They have a more advanced tech and far more manpower than they did in the first game. They have started to experiment on their own soldiers. These produce unique new aliens but one of the most significant changes was to the little gray men from the first game who are now huge and scary. There are new enemies as well and the later missions do a good job of combining the two so that you and your men are challenged.
The graphics of the game are also fantastic whatever you are doing. When it comes to combat both your soldiers and the aliens look fantastic with just the right amount of cartoon nature. The internal of your ship are no different and even the geo-globe from the first game gets an update to look more three dimensional. The aliens not only look good but now there is a greater diversity in there ranks allowing for some cool new looks to come to the forefront.
The game is a remarkable step up from the predecessor that came before it and that was still a great game on its own. The step ups in this game can be both subtle and loud but they are step ups and I personally love it. The idea of more content coming to this game is a welcome one and I’m excited about it. It’s exciting to think that the makers of the game haven’t forgotten it and that means we shouldn’t either.
For the best gameplay from this game, I would recommend the collection from Amazon. Here is the link.
For Xbox XCOM 2 Collection – Xbox One
For Playstation XCOM 2 Collection – PlayStation 4
For Pc XCOM 2 Collection [Online Game Code]
Image from https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=xcom+2
The Multiverse Man 