Patience is Key
I downloaded a package of XCOM games during a Steam sale a few years back on a friend’s recommendation. He was adamant I would love the game, based on my enjoyment of another game he had introduced me to; Final Fantasy Tactics. However, I have difficulty going back to older games these days and I didn’t make it that far. Like Fallout before it, I needed an update of a classic PC series to understand the hype. Enter XCOM: Enemy Unknown, a superb turn-based strategy game by Firaxis.
To point out, I played the Xbox 360 version on easy difficulty with the Slingshot DLC. The game is split between two equally tense game play scenarios; XCOM base management and turn-based combat missions. Base management revolves around preparing XCOM to combat the aggressive alien threat. In real time, players outfit soldiers, upgrade weapons, develop technology and autopsy aliens. What creates tension is the scarcity of resources, which are provided through XCOM’s member nations and retrieved from missions. I found myself carefully planning which soldiers were going to get upgraded equipment and who would have to go without in order to build a satellite. Balance between immediate upgrades and long-term building/research is key. The world can be scanned for alien activity, which advances time faster to identify new missions or allow research/construction to complete. It sometimes feels like playing a slot machine; wondering if you’ll receive your monthly XCOM funding before a new mission is revealed.
Missions involve assembling a squad of XCOM soldiers to be flown in to different combat scenarios across the globe. These include UFO crash sites, alien abductions and terror sites. As soldiers rank up on these missions, they are assigned a class at random; sniper, assault, support and heavy. The game’s strength lies in how distinct each class feels and how intuitive it is to use them. Support units focus on extended movement range and healing, while assault units get up close and personal with shotguns. While class squad composition is important, so are the variety of skills you can choose between to advance your soldiers. The skill choices feel very impactful and change how you play each class. I further defined my squad by choosing to have my support soldier carry extra medikits and my sniper to attack any target visible. Coordinating attacks on a variety of alien types feels satisfying, as you combine skills and hope to hit (also a gamble). Combat can quickly descend into chaos if a shot is missed or a soldier is lost. It can be a real scramble to finish a mission short a soldier, only to return to base and try to find a replacement. Whether in a fire fight or managing your base, this high tension atmosphere created is where the game shines.
The game falls short in a few areas, which I hope will be tweaked in a sequel. First, aliens never appear to seek you out in an encounter. The game teaches you to be cautious, which generally makes starting an encounter a pain. Advancing slowly, with no aliens in site, until the game finally nudges you in the proper direction. This cascades to another problem, wherein aliens receive a free turn as soon as they are revealed. This was especially frustrating on terror sites, as revealed aliens would murder a group of civilians I was supposed to save (before I knew either of them was there). It’s also unfortunate that outside of three core missions, there is very little to distinguish one mission from the next. I would have appreciated a little more narrative throughout, as the text received from alien autopsies and research is so well written. The Slingshot DLC, while brief, does a little more to beef up the story. On a minor note, it is annoying that there are only North American voices to customize your characters. It’s an oversight when the XCOM’s membership includes countries from all over the world.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a bright-spot in the turn-based strategy genre; a type of game I’d like to see more often. While it demands careful planning and patience (even on Easy), ordering the last shot to wipe E.T. off the map is a real thrill. If you are even mildly interested in this game, I suggest you buy it and prepare to be challenged.
Quick Thoughts:
- I showed preferential treatment to my Canadian soldiers and always made sure they had the best equipment. It’s fun how attached you can get to your go-to squad members.
- I hid outside of the last room of the last mission with all but one of my soldiers on over-watch. I lured the boss into that room without touching any other enemy and had him down with two critical hits from a heavy and a sniper. I suppose that’s only possible on easy.
- I didn’t touch multiplayer at all.
Next Up:
- Sleeping Dogs
