XCOM 2 Reviews

XCOM 2 is ranked in the 96th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Feb 10, 2016

Firaxis continues its excellent work on the XCOM franchise with XCOM 2, a game that improves upon all the elements of its predecessor and delivers a phenomenal strategic experience.

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PC Gamer
Top Critic
94 / 100
Feb 1, 2016

Exceptionally tough, rewarding strategy and a masterful reworking of the XCOM formula. We'll play this forever.

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Essential
Feb 1, 2016

Punishing and precise, Firaxis has created one of the most demanding - and thrilling - strategy games ever.

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Dan Stapleton
Top Critic
9.3 / 10.0
Feb 1, 2016

With a focus on variety and replayability, this sequel has an answer to most of my complaints about 2012's excellent XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and aside from some mostly cosmetic bugs, it comes together brilliantly. Thanks to a new spin on the same great tactical combat, plus unpredictable maps and randomized objectives and loot, XCOM 2 is an amazing game I'll easily put hundreds of hours into.

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Sep 30, 2016

Impossible to recommend ahead of the PC version because of some issues with the port, but nonetheless one of the most unique experiences on console.

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Jan 12, 2016

With an arsenal of new gadgets and upgrades at your disposal, XCOM 2 feels like XCOM: Enemy Unknown with a million mods enabled, creating a deep and engrossing strategy game.

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9.5 / 10.0
Feb 1, 2016

Alien firefights play out like deadly games of chess. The difficulty tests your resolve, but XCOM remains one of the deepest and most rewarding strategy games on the market

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Polygon
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Feb 1, 2016

In spite of a few glaring technical issues, XCOM 2 represents a high water mark for the entire franchise. Firaxis successfully tells an evocative story. It treats players with respect and includes so many small quality of life improvements over the original they are simply too numerous to mention. It is challenging enough at its basic difficulty level to feel like a complete experience. Despite the bugs, it's still the best-looking, most exciting turn-based tactical game I've ever played.

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9 / 10
Feb 1, 2016

Firaxis turn-based strategy sequel brings major improvements to the multilayered XCOM formula.

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Feb 11, 2016

Firaxis delivers a fantastic sequel in many regards, but a large assortment of technical issues plague the overall experience.

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Unscored
Feb 5, 2016

A fresh, fast tactical strategy game that makes 2012's XCOM feel ancient.

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3.5 / 5.0
Feb 16, 2016

We really wanted XCOM 2 to be something amazing, but unfortunately it falls short.

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Unscored
Feb 1, 2016

XCOM 2 is an improvement on its predecessor in every way and the vast majority of those improvements have been applied so intelligently that they risk making Enemy Unknown obsolete. That game was a smart remake of a classic. XCOM 2 is a classic in its own right and as good a sequel as I can remember.

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9 / 10.0
Feb 25, 2016

It's a game that creates moments you'll remember with characters you've created and care about and is quite possibly the best example of its genre to date.

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8.5 / 10.0
Oct 4, 2016

One of last generation's best sci-fi games returns to consoles and continues apace, changing very little but adding a lot to the mix.

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8 / 10
Oct 6, 2016

XCOM 2 is more tense and thrilling than a turn-based strategy has any right to be. There are some great additions to the original gameplay, but the port to console is an imperfect one.

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9.5 / 10.0
Feb 14, 2016

XCOM 2 succeeds in being the most varied and refined installment in the series. With randomized missions, diverse squad customization options, and a tough as nails enemy AI, XCOM 2 is an amazing game that I will gladly revisit multiple times and I recommend you do too.

Review in Arabic | Read full review

Erik Kain
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Feb 20, 2016

There's a lot to love in XCOM 2, and hopefully patches and mods will shore up its weakest elements. Even though I think it misses what ought to have been a super easy shot in many ways, it's still among the funnest and most rewarding games I've played in months.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 4, 2016

XCOM 2 rises above these small errors, and is still a highly recommendable strategy game for those both new and familiar with the franchise. Both friendly and hostile upgrades are doled out to yourself and the opposition over the course of the entire campaign, ensuring variety through to the end. Whether or not you will make it there is entirely on you, which is why success is celebrated and losses so discouraging. XCOM 2 introduces new elements that keep the strategy game fresh, continues to overwhelm the player with options, and challenges you to overthrow the alien overlords in power. There isn't much more I could ask for.

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8.7 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2016

A great port that only could have been better including the steam Workshop integration. We know that's impossible, but it's an issue that makes this version worse than the original.

Review in Spanish | Read full review