X-Com 2
I should start by saying I played the original X-Com back in 1993 - and I absolutely loved it. One of my all-time favorite games and I happen to think the Gollop brothers are among the best game designers of all time. I have nothing but fond memories of X-Com, Laser Squad and Lords of Chaos. I still feel bad about Dreamland Chronicles being cancelled.
As for the "reboot" that came out in 2012 - I enjoyed it and completed it, but ultimately didn't feel it lived up to its legacy.
I didn't care for the streamlined "2 action" system and I still don't care for it. There's a significant loss of tactical nuance when you impose a rigid and abstract action-limit upon the player - and it ends up feeling more like a boardgame than a tactical simulation. Now, I understand this is probably what they're going for - especially when coupled with the board-gamey strategic layer, complete with "Dark Event" cards and an imposing time-limit for the Avatar project. This reminds me of games like Arkham Horror and it's clearly inspired by boardgame conventions.
The thing is, though, that there's a natural reason to streamline and simplify boardgames that simply doesn't apply to computer games to the same extent. It would be impractical to keep track of action points and complicated factors when sitting with friends around a table.
But a computer is fully capable of doing complex calculations and present a reasonably accessible interface for the player to focus on, instead of the math.
Obviously, since the reboot of X-Com was a success, they've chosen to stick with the same basic formula. This includes the tiresome limitation on inventory and strange time limits on lootings and so on.
I can accept that - and once I got past it, I managed to enjoy my time with the game greatly. They've improved upon most aspects of the game, and even with the 2-action limit, the tactical game feels rich and reasonably varied.
It looks amazing for a turn-based game focused on cerebral stimulation. I'm not used to playing this kind of game with this level of visual fidelity. The battlefield looks positively alive - and there's a great variety in everything from the procedurally generated levels and wide array of enemies to the meaty arsenal of weaponry and the fully customizable soldiers. They all look great and imaginative - and the animations are quite superb.
That came at a cost, however, and the game suffers a lot when it comes to performance. I have a very high-end rig, and yet it stuttered and felt strangely lethargic at times. It also takes its sweet time showing individual actions in what I would call a very relaxed manner. Thankfully, what's shown is very satisfying and the game is so full of tension that this very deliberate pacing isn't as frustrating as it would be in a lesser game. But be warned, it's not a fast or smooth experience.
Then there's the controversial focus on having time-limits in most missions. I admit, I was worried when I first heard about it. I tend to have a strong distaste for time-limits in games that are otherwise focused on giving you reasons to be careful and to take your time doing things right. It's a somewhat conflicted design philosophy.
However, I must admit that I completed the game on Veteran without a single time-limit inspired problem. Well, ok, I did feel real tension on those "rescue civilians" missions - but that's pretty appropriate
Such missions SHOULD feel tense and they should force you to take some chances.
So, ultimately, I don't think it's a problem on Veteran difficulty. I imagine it's a problem on higher levels - and it's not really my favorite kind of challenge. But I can't claim it's not a reasonably good fit for what they're trying to convey. You're supposed to be desperate and under immense pressure. Maybe that's not the best overall design - but you have to respect what developers are trying to do when you're reviewing their product.
As for the strategic layer, it's also quite improved - but I guess I'm not as thrilled with the direction as other players seem to be. To me, it goes back to my dislike for putting boardgames in my computer games. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy boardgames - but I prefer to play them with real friends in real life. I don't enjoy simplifying and streamlining when it actively works against what could have been rich and layered.
Personally, I think the choices you make on the world map feel entirely too binary and you're essentially never much in doubt about what your priority should be. Why? Because there's a rigid timer in place - and the consequences are always spelled out for you. This means the strategy involved is always picking the lesser of 2-3 evils - and that's it, really.
To me, the original X-Com was much more interesting at the strategic level, because the base-building was less straightforward and the tactical layer was directly involved - because of base invasions and so forth. You spent more time building up your economy and I quite enjoyed the involved process of arming your ships and so on.
So, to me, it's the wrong direction and it's not as big of an improvement as I feel it easily could have been.
Still, the strategic layer is better than in the first one.
Possibly my favorite part of the reboot and this sequel is the enhanced RPG aspect of the game.
The great skill-trees are back - and they've expanded them to include "random skills" and leader skills. I love the way you get to customize your team both in terms of class setup and skill choices. It's not greatly expanded from the first game, but still enough to make it feel fresh, especially with the additon of the Ranger class - and the hacking Specialist class. The hacking aspect feels a bit undercooked, however, but at least it's there.
They've also added Weapon modifications and though it's somewhat simplistic, it still manages to add to the feeling of making interesting choices and you feeling the progress of getting better gear. I just wish they'd expand upon it and go for a more exploration-oriented game. I'd love to roam the maps in "Jagged Alliance 2" style and search alien containers for strange and potentially useful loot. In fact, I've always felt one of the greatest parts of X-Com is the search for alien artifacts and the research process involved with making use of it. While there's a lot to research in X-Com 2, I still feel they could go much further with this part of the game. It wouldn't have to be that costly in terms of development resources. Just a smart elaboration of existing content with just enough flavor research text and so on. It would go a long way to extend the lifetime of the game.
Anyway, in terms of the RPG elements - the game remains very strong and is one area where the design is flat-out superior to the old X-Com-
Finally, I can't write a fair review without mentioning the bugs and quirks of the game. There's no way around the fact that this release wasn't quite ready. I experienced at least two game-breaking bugs during tactical missions - which forced me to reload a save from much earlier in the fight. One example was a downed soldier that I simply couldn't carry - because the game didn't recognise her existence. It's apparently a known bug with unconscious soldiers involving inconsistency with tile-placement. On several occasions, the animations associated with soldiers and/or enemies would "stop being there" - and you'd simply see the result without the actions taking place. This happened quite frequently and really disrupts the flow of the game. It can be fixed with a reload, however. Then we have the performance issues - which are quite significant.
So, ultimately, there are many reasons this game can't get a perfect score - but I have to reward it for being so damned engrossing. I'm a veteran gamer of more than 30 years, and it's almost unheard of for me to sit glued to my screen like I did with this game.
Most of that is due to the core formula first created by the Gollop brothers - but it would be unfair to pretend the Solomon team at Firaxis is undeserving of praise too. Even though I would have gone in a different direction in many ways, they've still managed to put their own touch on X-Com - and the end result is a fabulously entertaining game.
8.5/10.
