XCOM 2 Reviews

Author's Note: Cross-posted from my Gamefaqs account; originally published 4-4-24. I have made minor edits in order to adapt for TrueSteam. Enjoy

XCOM: Red Dawn

Having played Firaxis' rebooted XCOM: Enemy Unknown and it's expansion pack Enemy Within, I followed those up with my first playthrough of XCOM 2. That was...an intense playthrough. Going through now on my second playthrough and revisiting the game again from the beginning, I felt it right to finally review this title.

1. Story

XCOM 2 takes place 20 years after EU. The story goes, the governments of the world surrendered to the aliens, and XCOM was defeated. Now years later, the aliens have fully occupied Earth, setting up a puppet government called "ADVENT." Propaganda is pushed onto humanity constantly, keeping people fat, dumb, and happy (post-COVID, sound familiar?). Despite all this, XCOM survives on the fringes, in the shadows, as guerilla fighters. Returning from EU/EW is John Bradford, IE "Central," who organizes an operation with resistance fighters to rescue 'the commander' from ADVENT. The commander (the player-character in EU/EW) was captured, and for twenty years has been the Alien's prisoner. Thus begins the player's journey of once again commanding XCOM, this time to throw off the alien yoke and save humanity from it's overlords. All the while, XCOM must also contend with the looming threat of ADVENT's "Avatar Project." Working alongside Bradford is Chief Engineer Lily Shen (daughter of the late Raymond Shen) and Chief Science Officer Doctor Richard Tygan.

DLC as follows:

- Alien Hunters: Following XCOM's defeat, Dr. Vahlen went underground and experimented with alien subjects to produce "super soldier" variants of several alien species. Tracking down her lab (Bradford accompanies you on this mission btw), the PC discovers Vahlen's work, and comes face to face with her creations. After confronting her work in combat, other alien subjects will escape and harass the PC and their teams during normal missions. These "alien rulers" are exceptionally difficult, but the payoff for killing them are special armors made from their skins. Also adds additional soldier customization options.

- Resistance Warrior Pack: An aesthetic DLC, this pack offers the PC various soldier customization options, along with an additional soldier in the barracks when you start a new game.

- Anarchy's Children: Another aesthetic DLC, this pack also offers soldier customization options, if you're really into 1980s British punk fashion.

- Shen's Last Gift: While Dr. Vahlen escaped when XCOM was defeated, Chief Engineer Raymond Shen escaped too. Just as the player was able to create human cyborg mechs in EW, Shen began work on fully robotic mechs. Accompanying you on the mission to find Raymond's final robotic project is Shen's daughter Lily. Completing the DLC will grant the player access to a new robotic soldier class known as SPARK.

- Tactical Legacy Pack: This is a "flashback" mission pack that explores the roots of XCOM's resistance operations. Following the defeat of XCOM in EU/EW, Bradford managed to survive on the fringes. Through four different mission packs (Blast From The Past, It Came From The Sea, Avenger Assemble, The Lazarus Project, seven missions each, for a combined total of 28 different scenarios), the player can relive XCOM's rebirth as a resistance organization. The payoff is that each pack grants the player in-game rewards in the main campaign, including unique weapons and customization options.

- War Of The Chosen: The singular expansion pack for XCOM 2. This challenging DLC explores XCOM's battle with 'The Chosen,' three human-alien hybrid warriors who are tasked by the Elders to hunt down and destroy XCOM. Just as the PC contended with EXALT in Enemy Within using covert operations, the player is able to do the same here. Aiding XCOM in their fight are three separate resistance factions, including the Reapers, Templars, and Skirmishers. These are all rival organizations to one another but are united under the commander's leadership. Like EXALT, the Chosen can sabotage the player's economy and infrastructure, and even ambush the PC during regular missions. The Chosen will attempt to capture XCOM soldiers in combat, in order to interrogate them for information on the whereabouts of XCOM's flying fortress. To counter the Chosen, the PC can launch covert ops, discovering the headquarters of each of the three Chosen. In an ironically similar vain to Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War and the Uruk officers, the Chosen have specific strengths and weaknesses that the player would be wise to take advantage of. Should the Chosen identify XCOM's location, they will launch an attack on the PC (another throwback to the XCOM Base Defense mission from Enemy Within). Defeating and killing the Chosen will not only allow the PC breathing room to not worry about being hunted down, but also grant the player the Chosen's own weapons, including a katana, sniper rifle, pistol, assault rifle, and shotgun. WOTC also introduces the player to the "The Lost:" human civilians that turned into mindless zombies, a result of the radiation caused by the alien devices that crashed into Earth during the first game.

2. Gameplay

Gameplay is much the same from EU/EW. Using Firaxis' usual 4x model, gameplay is divided between global scanning, base/economic development, RPG soldier development, and of course, combat. While XCOM 2 reuses a lot of elements from EU/EW, it changes all of it up enough that the game becomes a "variation on a theme" rather than a carbon copy. As I've noted in my EU/EW reviews, everything is tied together. Global scanning allows the player to progress time and unlock more events and missions. Completing missions earns economic as well as soldier rewards, while economic/financial development allows for base/soldier upgrades that ensure your success on the battlefield. Likewise, as previously stated, the game is not a full carbon copy of it's predecessors, but rather adds more layers and complexity to each element of the game.

- Soldier classes: All the original classes return, but with a twist. "Specialists" are the new 'support' class, and while they are still your basic riflemen/medics, they also come equipped with drones; these drones can administer medical aid to your soldiers, but if upgraded can also unleash powerful tech attacks on enemy robotics, including the ability to hack and control/stun enemy mechs. "Rangers" are the new 'assault' class, and while they can still 'run and gun' with a shotgun, are also equipped with a melee weapon (swords, batons, etc). "Sharpshooters" are the new 'sniper' class, and while they have some new (and old) abilities are relatively unchanged; their pistol is a solid backup weapon, that the other classes lack. "Grenadiers" are the new 'heavy' class, and just as they still use heavy machine guns, can also utilize grenade launchers (no more "shot wide!" rocket attacks like in EU/EW). The biggest class change is psionics: in EU/EW, all of your soldiers could be tested for "The Psionic Gift," and if gifted, could be trained to use psionic abilities alongside their main class abilities. Now in XCOM 2, psionics are their own class: The Psi Operative. Equipped with a rifle, their psionic abilities are greatly expanded, and in addition to mind control (which lasts the entire mission instead of just three turns), can be trained to use at least a half dozen other abilities that wreak havoc on the Aliens. Finally, the SPARK class, introduced with Shen's Last Gift, is a throwback to EW's "MEC Trooper," but rather than a human cyborg is a fully functioning robotic soldier. Additionally, the resistance factions all send XCOM one of their unique soldiers: Reaper, Templar, and Skirmisher. These are specialized classes that are essentially powerful variations of the base classes. Reapers are sharpshooters, but are also highly trained stealthy saboteurs. Templars are melee based psionics that have modified abilities. Skirmishers are like Rangers, in that they engage enemies in close combat, but with a gauntlet shiv and SMG; they also have a grappling hook, allowing them to dart across the battlefield. The player is also able to generate & customize soldiers from the main menu, which they can then hire via the barracks onboard The Avenger.

- Abilities: While each soldier class (including Psi Operatives and SPARKs) has their own unique ability tree, the player can also train individual soldiers in extra abilities using one of the new base upgrades. Using "ability points" earned from leveling up as well as in-combat kills/actions, the player can train specific soldiers in additional abilities that make them even more lethal. Some upgrades are passive, while others are combat feats like rapid fire, 'run and gun,' etc. In lieu of the 'meld' resource that genetically enhanced your soldiers in EW, these additional abilities can maximize the lethality of your soldiers. Another new feature are soldier bonds: working together on missions, two soldiers can form a bond - this gives them certain advantages in combat, including aim bonuses, granting their 'bond buddy' an additional combat action, etc.

- Base Development: Whereas in EU/EW, the player's base was located underground, XCOM's base in 2 is an actual flying fortress. Using a salvaged alien ship, the "Avenger" is XCOM's mobile base. As is formula, the player is able to develop their base with numerous upgrades, giving the player access to a psi lab, laboratory, workshop, power relay, as well as new buildings including the resistance comms, shadow chamber, guerilla tactics school, and more. Additionally, Lily Shen and Richard Tygan work in their foundry and lab, respectively. Scientific developments can still be researched, as well as tech/weapon/armor upgrades too. Soldiers can still be viewed and checked on in the barracks.

- Global Scanning: By scanning the globe, the player moves time forward, unlocking more missions and specific scanning sites. Money is earned through making contact with new resistance regions, as well as building comm networks in each region. Whereas in EU/EW the "doom meter" was impacted by XCOM member nations leaving the council, the new 'doom meter' represents ADVENT's research into the "Avatar Project." This is a horrific experiment that if completed will spell the end of XCOM and humanity. Additionally, ADVENT can also obtain combat perks of their own, called "Dark Events." These are sometimes passive, sometimes combat active bonuses ADVENT can earn over time if left unchecked. While they can become a nuisance, they are temporary.

- Mission types: In EU/EW, the player was able to tackle a variety of different missions, in addition to the small handful of actual story missions. Similarly in XCOM 2, the PC can undertake a variety of missions too, including guerilla ops (your generic missions that encompass different objectives, all of which are meant to counter the aforementioned "Dark Events"), council missions (extract/escort/assassinate VIP), supply raids (neutralize enemy targets while looting ADVENT supply crates), attack a landed UFO (self-explanatory), alien facility assault (in order to hamper progress on the Avatar project), retaliation missions (save human resistance camps from ADVENT attacks), Avenger defense (the Avenger is taken down with an EMP and the PC must fight back the alien attackers), Ambush (when your covert operatives are tracked down during covert ops and you must extract them). These missions all produce various rewards for the player, be it resistance soldiers, money, intel, alien loot, etc.

- Covert Operations: Covert ops (part of WOTC) return from Enemy Within, but with a twist. Whereas covert ops in EW allowed the player to exfil and recover their undercover operative, covert ops in XCOM 2 have changed. While the main goal is to root out and destroy The Chosen, the player is also able to send troops on covert ops with the resistance factions that grant soldiers stat upgrades, including to their health, aim, etc. Other bonuses include "resistance orders" (perks that can be assigned to various factions that grant bonuses to XCOM) as well as money and intel (intel is used to buy various items, be it enemy advances or items from the resistance's Black Market).

- Combat: Obviously, the real meat and potatoes of the XCOM franchise. Combat is turn based, allowing the player breathing room to strategize and tactically dominate the battlefield. This is chess, not checkers: players must calculate risks and rewards of every action, including enemy counter-attacks, soldier health, abilities and perks, weapon specialties, etc. Like the Tactics games of old, the battlefield is varied, with high and low elevations, cover, and the player must use critical thinking, small unit tactics, and strategy to defeat overwhelming odds. Which leads to my next point:

- Alien units: Like the rest of the game, the aliens have also undergone significant changes since EU/EW. While some alien types return (Mutons, Berserkers, Sectopods, Chryssalids, Sectoids, all of course with new lethal abilities thanks to genetic enhancements), many were discontinued (Thin Men, Outsiders, Floater, Cyberdisc, Mechtoids, Drones, Ethereals, and Seekers). Of course, while some enemies are no longer around, they've been replaced with even more lethal upgrades. New enemies include a host of ADVENT troops (riflemen, officers, Mechs, psionics, as well as melee troops), Vipers (the original Thin Men were these snake-like enemies in disguise), Archon (a highly intelligent flying enemy who is armed with a plasma staff, and who also can reign down orbital bombardment), Spectre (nanobot soldiers who can also KO your soldiers and clone themselves off of your soldiers), Codex (a psionic tech based soldier who can disable your soldier's weapons), Andromedon (essentially a Mechtoid like in EW but who can shoot toxic AOE blasts), Gatekeepers (a floating psionic brain encased in an armored shell, who can launch AOE psionic abilities as well as revive downed aliens to become psionic zombies), the three Chosen (warlock, assassin, and hunter, respectively), and finally, the Avatars. These are highly powerful human/alien soldiers that utilize dangerous psionic abilities, including mind control, AOE psionic attacks like dimensional rift and null lance, and can also regenerate health.

Additionally, with the Steam workshop, player-made mods allows for countless more hours of playthroughs, increasing the game's overall replay value exponentially.

3. Cons

With so much to offer, how does XCOM 2 fare on the whole? Unfortunately, there are some downsides to the game, which I have to mention. Here's the thing - while EU/EW had a few downsides, they were outshined by the fact of how revolutionary those games were. Firaxis really put their heart and soul into those games, and even with the small number of cons, I was happy to give both of those games a solid 10/10 each. So why am I giving XCOM 2 a 7/10? Here's why.

Pacing. What made EU/EW doable for new players was the fact the developers didn't overburden the player right as they started the game. Yes you had some cutscenes, and introductions, but the missions were paced out in a way that you were not being constantly harassed by the game just trying to get started. Not so with XCOM 2. At the beginning of the game, after the commander is rescued, you seemingly can't go for a few days scanning the globe without getting interrupted by this, that, and the other, whether it's Bradford or the Chosen badgering you, or throwing missions at you while you're just trying to get used to the new features and UI.

Integrating the new DLC. If you're a new player, you don't know what "integrated DLC" means when you start a new game if you click that option. Boy was I in for a horrible surprise. What this option means is that the two smaller DLC mission packs (Shen's Last Gift and Alien Hunters) are "ready to go" as soon as you start playing. Without having to play their respective story missions that introduces you to the Alien Rulers or the new SPARK units, they are already present in the game. So imagine my shock when I'm running around the battlefield with just a few sergeants and a squaddie, when I get ambushed by one of the Alien Rulers who absolutely wrecks me. RELOAD PRIOR SAVE. While I eventually beat my first playthrough, that was quite a battle. On my second playthrough, I unchecked "Integrate DLC" which allowed me to actually play the DLC story missions, which was nice. I managed to fight the alien rulers later on, with soldiers that were up to the task. Which leads to my next point:

Have you ever had to use a console command because there was some horrible glitch that nearly broke your game? Well hey, it's only the 21st century, why not have some? Speaking of alien hunters, if you don't do the initial scanning mission early on in the game before Shen's Last Gift, guess what, you'll never get the actual story mission. What do I mean? Both of these DLC packs are two-parters: first part consists of scanning a site, the second part is where the scan will lead you to the actual story mission. Because on my second playthrough I was weary of starting the alien rulers DLC too early, I left the mission alone. When I was finally ready, I started it. I scanned the mission, and as is custom with XCOM, the next part of the mission would pop up a month later in-game. Months went by...no Alien Hunters Part 2 popped up. What happened? Reading through various forums on Steam and even Reddit, I found that the DLC is bugged. If you don't scan before Shen's Last Gift, the actual story mission will never appear, and the player will miss out on fighting the alien rulers. BUT, there was a fix: other players found you had to first enable the game console, then type in a console command to trigger the alien rulers story mission. Well imagine that! Good job Firaxis! So glad I had to scour the internet to find out how to fix your mistakes!

Covert Operations. There's nothing inherently wrong with these, and while many of the elements from EU/EW were recycled 'with a twist' in XCOM 2 so the sequel wouldn't be a clone copy, I feel that covert ops actually lost some of it's appeal here. What made covert ops really fun in Enemy Within was the extraction of your covert operative. Finishing their mission, the operative would signal for extraction, and the player would have to send in a team of soldiers to pick them up, while fending off waves of EXALT soldiers. Covert ops in XCOM 2 are a different affair entirely. While sometimes you may get ambushed (and you will have to escape to an extraction point to survive), the majority of the covert ops are more like sidequest mini-games (the older Assassin's Creed games where you would deploy your assassins to various cities around the Mediterranean comes to mind). What could have been an amazingly fun redub of covert ops (still sending in a team to extract your soldier while fending off waves of ADVENT troops) turns into a simple "send soldier and scientist or engineer, wait several days, soldier returns, reward earned" routine. There's no charm or tactical element to it, it's just a barebones feature. Yes, the rewards are nice (jacking up your soldier's stats or recovering alien loot), but one yearns for the extraction missions of yesteryear.

Finally, there's something to be said for story integrity. The biggest shock playing XCOM 2 is the revelation that somehow, despite all the hours of playthroughs in EU/EW, humanity was defeated....what? Veteran players will recall that at the end of EU/EW, the PC sent in "the volunteer" to end the alien threat, saving humanity. Well guess what? IT NEVER HAPPENED. Apparently, barely a few months into the original invasion in the 1st game, the aliens defeated XCOM and took over Earth....What??? Canonically speaking, XCOM actually was defeated during EW's base defense, and the commander was captured. Thus the other 3/4 of the game, where the PC makes scientific and technological breakthroughs, trains in psionics, recruits Annette, fights dozens of battles, boards the alien mother ship and defeats the Elders....never happened. It was all simulations in the commander's mind, while he/she was hooked up to ADVENT's network, during their imprisonment. Of course, this is only vaguely hinted at in-game, and I only learned this from reading through game forums where other fans discussed XCOM lore & canon. For real. What an insult. So lore-wise, what was even the point of EU/EW? None of the amazing things the player accomplished in the first game ever happened, nor did they recruit Shaojie Zhang or Annette Durand and her three compatriots. Story integrity is a big thing to me...retconning major elements because the writers went "meh!" is an instant turn-off for me, shows ineptitude and an inability to properly follow through on one's own story. A game's story can really amp up it's value even if the gameplay is lacking (vanilla KOTOR2 for example, sure it was incomplete but the journey made the whole game worthwhile).

4. Conclusion

Overall, because EU/EW was new, they revitalized the XCOM franchise with their gameplay. Despite their small faults, those could be overlooked because of how revolutionary and addicting the gameplay was. Their small errors could be forgiven for also being Firaxis' first foray into tactics based games. Both those games earned 10/10 from me, and I will stand by that. For XCOM 2, maybe the developers had strained the series by 2016; perhaps Firaxis' arrogance and overconfidence from EU/EW's success led them to make casual mistakes. However, those mistakes caused more problems that couldn't be overlooked, and unfortunately, despite my enjoyment with this title, I have to take it down a few pegs. Originally, even with all the faults I found, I was going to give the game an 8/10; however during the writing of this review, I had to use a console command to fix a bug Firaxis never sorted out, and I am forced to drop it down to a 7/10.

XCOM 2 is still fun, and whether you're an XCOM veteran or a new player to the series, I'd still recommend this title. Supposedly XCOM 3 is around the corner, and despite the faults, this game is still worth a playthrough.