XCOM 2 Reviews
All in all XCOM 2 is a solid sequel. In many ways, it's more of the same with some new enemies, mechanics, skills and weapons to make it feel like a true sequel rather than a mere expansion. It doesn't make any big changes to the formula but improves upon the original. Fans of the first should find a lot to like here, but newcomers may want to start with the original XCOM. At the end of the day, it's a solid, fun, and incredibly unforgiving strategy game that will test your wits and your patience. Don't get too discouraged when your favorite soldier is disintegrated by a lucky crit from a laser beam. That's just the XCOM experience.
Firaxis has outdone themselves with 'XCOM 2'. It is a tactical experience without peer, better even than its predecessors. It is draining and agonizing, but in a good way. The high difficulty may turn off some gamers, but it's worth every second.
XCOM 2 improves on its predecessor in every aspect and yet manages to keep its core elements untouched. Addictive game play, amazing and realistic battlefields, a must-have title for all strategy fans.
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This game is a true diamond in the genre. A rough diamond, admittedly, but it shines through all the same. I've been waiting for this sequel for the longest time and, as expected, Firaxis delivered. XCOM 2 is genre-defining and exceeds expectations - it's a game you don't want to miss.
XCOM 2 is a tour de force of the tactical turn-based shooter genre. The game can be relentless and its AI unyielding, but this just makes you want to go back in for more!
An almost perfect sequel, only spoiled by some frustrating bugs.
Relentless strategy defined by tactical brilliance
There are still only a few games that do what XCOM does, and even fewer that do it so well.
XCOM 2 is everything a sequel should be, keeping the things that everyone loved about the first game while changing things up as much as possible.
Small technical issues hold XCOM 2 back, but it's still as compelling as ever.
XCOM 2 hits Xbox One and PS4, letting console gamers feel the tension, desperation, and satisfaction of strategy for themselves.
Technical issues aside, XCOM 2 stands as an outstanding sequel to an already amazing strategy game.
XCOM 2 is not without flaws and shortcomings, but it has enough quality substance to overcome most of its problems.
XCOM 2 encourages a holistic kind of thinking that was never really necessary in its predecessor.
XCOM 2 manages to raise the stakes and challenge of its predecessor without ever becoming too frustrating. Defeat will be frequent and death even more so, but victory is all the more sweet for it. In short, it's bigger, better, broader, and even more brutal!
XCOM 2 is a big success that delivers in just about every way you could ask for. Fans of the franchise or the strategy genre in general will love it.
XCOM 2 doubles down on the trademark gameplay of the franchise while adding some new elements to help keep things fresh. A challenging jaunt, the game is at its best when testing players' limits and layering the feeling of dread and hopelessness from fighting a superior foe. The random nature of the game can feel unfairly difficult at times and an assortment of bugs and niggles keep XCOM 2 from achieving perfection. For lovers of strategy gaming, however, the game is an excellent representation of the genre.
XCOM 2's brand of tactical strategy might have its roots in the golden age of PC gaming, but its sights are set square on building a future. By limiting your reliance on safe, defensive play styles and pushing you to work quickly and attack, Firaxis has built one of the most tense, demanding and addictive strategy games ever, where every choice has repercussions and every soldier, every victory counts. If you buy it, clear your schedule: this one will keep you gripped for months.
Overall, the ingenious method XCOM 2 deploys is keeping so much of the same, but adding just enough new features and slight changes to make it absolutely phenomenal.
While the occasional technical issues might hamper the experience somewhat, XCOM 2 remains a superb strategy game that expertly weaves stellar mechanics and emotional story-telling into an engrossing campaign in which every choice that you make feels genuinely important. It can be both brutally difficult and depressingly ruthless, but the scant moments of joy that you'll experience in your attempts to overthrow the alien regime should provide more than enough incentive to keep fighting the good fight.
