XCOM: Enemy Within - Review @ PC Gamer

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PC Gamer reviews XCOM: Enemy Within and gives the game a final score of 85/100.

XCOM is a game of resource management and tactics more than a game of chance. I can pretend it’s the dice roll that decides who lives and who dies, but it’s my decisions. Because I decided to spend money on laser rifles instead of body armor, I had to send an under-equipped soldier on a difficult mission, and I pulled him out of cover to collect Meld for my laboratories. And now he’s dead. In that respect, it’s more vitally a game about sacrifice, ethics, and responsibility.

Enemy Within muddies up those ethical waters with even more excruciating decisions, requires more complex tactics, and promotes an even deeper connection to the soldiers I dearly want to protect. It doesn't significantly address Enemy Unknown’s shortcomings, but adds more great, challenging experiences to an already great game.
More information.
 
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I frankly find it quite lame how so many sites are giving this a 80-90 score and not even mentioning the countless bugs NOT fixed from the original. Moreover, the fact that it retains the very lame story and terrible ending missions...how does this not lower the score? $30 for the same game?

Let's face it: Enemy Within is clearly the "director's cut" version. Other developers give that type of content for free (Witcher 2) or a small fee (DX: HR DC). For those of us who have played the base game 2+ times...the idea of suffering through the same bugs and same horrible ending missions...just not appealing for $30!

Anyway! $30 should have given us a whole new alternate story or alternate scenarios...not just some new units/skills/maps. I know I'm not the only one who feels this is too litte, too late, too expensive, too buggy, too rehashy.
 
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I got it and I love it so far. Haven't encountered a single bug in the 5-10 hours I've played at this point.

Plenty of new content and it's definitely not a "director's cut" - and I think it's a quality expansion, even if it's not a huge one.

Price tag is high, but I never buy anything on Steam. I find a reasonably priced key somewhere unless I want to support the developers directly, which I can't do with the traditional publisher model.
 
I frankly find it quite lame how so many sites are giving this a 80-90 score and not even mentioning the countless bugs NOT fixed from the original. Moreover, the fact that it retains the very lame story and terrible ending missions…how does this not lower the score? $30 for the same game?

Let's face it: Enemy Within is clearly the "director's cut" version. Other developers give that type of content for free (Witcher 2) or a small fee (DX: HR DC). For those of us who have played the base game 2+ times…the idea of suffering through the same bugs and same horrible ending missions…just not appealing for $30!

Anyway! $30 should have given us a whole new alternate story or alternate scenarios…not just some new units/skills/maps. I know I'm not the only one who feels this is too litte, too late, too expensive, too buggy, too rehashy.

Have you played it or are you basing your opinion on reviews/previews?

Yes, the story is the same, although you get two new storylines as sidequests. But was has changed is the normal game. Some of your tried and true tactics don't work anymore. The meld, which you need for all the cool new units, is on a timer for example, so moving into the map slowly and carefully might cost you all the meld.
The aliens do play smarter, overwatch doesn't freeze them on the spot anymore, so you can't hold them in a flanked position.
The abilities have been rebalanced. With the second wave option "Training roulette", you get soldiers with almost completely different abilities, making them a lot more precious than in the earlier game and the different combinations open whole new strategies.
The amount of experience needed for level up has changed, so getting soldiers as a reward is suddenly worthwhile, because your own soldiers won't be at that level or at least your B-squad won't be.
MECs come fairly quickly and are powerful but they are out off ammunition pretty fast and they can't use cover at all. So although they can take some hits, you have to play them smart.
Some of the new missions are really amazing and keep you at the edge of your seat. At least if your playing Ironman and you're not sure if you can take your soldiers back home alive.

I can't really say much about the Gene modified soldiers. I had some complete squad wipes on Classic Ironman, so I haven't been able to use them.

Have played for around 30 hours since release and I had one small bug which cost me the meld. No other problems, no teleports, no flanking bugs, nothing.

So, yes, the story hasn't changed much and the ending is the same but it is not the same game as before.
 
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