X-COM 2

[chf]

Anyone else playing this? I just picked it up this week, and it's not hugely different from the last Xcom outing, but they've tweaked a bunch of the combat/squad mechanics. More timed missions, so you can't just sit in overwatch and wait for the aliens to come to you.

Usual frustration at you soldiers dying after you've grown attached to them.

Still a bit buggy, but overall, another real strong entry in the tactical/strategy arena.

I can tell it's going to be a 100-200 hour time sink.

Humour element that is probably only funny to me.

On a rescue civilians mission this afternoon before work, and one of the civvies dies, and 'Oscar Robertson has died' pops up on the screen.

'You bastards, you killed the Big-O!'

Heh.

I haven't figured out how to find them online yet, but a cool feature is character sharing. So you can customize soldiers completely. People have been doing pop culture icons, sports stars etc. One that made me laugh was a scarred blonde Geralt Rivia.

You just get a friend to email you the .bin file and you can open and use their custom soldier creations.

One of these days i'm going to give a go and creating a Russel Wilson and Richard Sherman.

 

[PatsFan2003]

I will most definitely will get this game. Just biding my time so that I have the hours to dig into it.

I'm not a fan of timed missions but I think they wanted to keep the tension level up as the game probably got easier as people played it more. I thought it was a great example of good game design and implementation.

Did they improve the map-building? In the first series they rotated through about 10-15 different map types.

 

[chf]

I will most definitely will get this game. Just biding my time so that I have the hours to dig into it.

I'm not a fan of timed missions but I think they wanted to keep the tension level up as the game probably got easier as people played it more. I thought it was a great example of good game design and implementation.

Did they improve the map-building? In the first series they rotated through about 10-15 different map types.

Yes map repetiition not nearly as bad so far. I'm not all that far in, still trying madly to keep the aliens from winning the worldwide tactical portion, while I rank up my squaddies. Still havent' even got pisonics yet. So a long ways to go.

 

[PatsFan2003]

I just got it on a weekend sale. So far it's great but I just started and I think the game is about to get harder in terms of balancing priorities..

 

[PatsFan2003]

Well I just finished my first game with a good deal of luck on the last boffo mission.

Overall an excellent addition to the X-Com series..

 

[LongtimeRamsFan42]

Anyone who likes this type of gameplay should check out Wasteland 2(if you haven't already)...Similar fighting mechanics and a pretty damn good story so far(not too deep into it yet though). Lots of options on places to go, things to do. Have to admit, I'm a bit partial since I did play and finish the original Wasteland in the last 80's.

Only thing about Wasteland I don't like, you can't zoom way in like X-com...

 

[chf]

Anyone who likes this type of gameplay should check out Wasteland 2(if you haven't already)...Similar fighting mechanics and a pretty damn good story so far(not too deep into it yet though). Lots of options on places to go, things to do. Have to admit, I'm a bit partial since I did play and finish the original Wasteland in the last 80's.

Only thing about Wasteland I don't like, you can't zoom way in like X-com...

I did Wasteland too, solid title, but as a crowdfunded indie, it was a bit less polished.

 

[Clayton]

Anyone who likes this type of gameplay should check out Wasteland 2(if you haven't already)...Similar fighting mechanics and a pretty damn good story so far(not too deep into it yet though). Lots of options on places to go, things to do. Have to admit, I'm a bit partial since I did play and finish the original Wasteland in the last 80's.

Only thing about Wasteland I don't like, you can't zoom way in like X-com...

I picked up Wasteland 2 and I liked the character creation and some of the encounters but the experience as a whole is very uneven. The world map segments seem a little silly and roaming around in the various maps usually leads to a lot of downtime. The whole thing feels about 20 years old which isnt always a dealbreaker but Ive got a pretty big backlog of entertainment options.

Xcom2 is coming out for X1 and PS4 in September I believe.

 

[LongtimeRamsFan42]

I picked up Wasteland 2 and I liked the character creation and some of the encounters but the experience as a whole is very uneven. The world map segments seem a little silly and roaming around in the various maps usually leads to a lot of downtime. The whole thing feels about 20 years old which isnt always a dealbreaker but Ive got a pretty big backlog of entertainment options.

Xcom2 is coming out for X1 and PS4 in September I believe.

I think they kinda made it in that "throwback" way to appeal to fans of the original. Know what you mean about the uneven-ness to it though, but for a small indie game like this, I guess they could only do so much...

 

[Clayton]

I finally picked up XCom2 and it's fantastic. The stealth makes the game a lot faster paced and the scenarios really speed you up into making mistakes. The gameplay is so much more rewarding than something like the Division. The only issue I have is that there is some choppiness in the movement and camera angles that break the mood but maybe that's a console problem.

 

[PatsFan2003]

Yep. Extremely well done. They made it harder with more timed missions but you do get used to it fairly quickly.

 

[chf]

Haven't played this in months, may have to fire up my desktop.

 

[Clayton]

Yep. Extremely well done. They made it harder with more timed missions but you do get used to it fairly quickly.

You get used to it quickly but the first time you see a new type of alien you might as well kiss at least one or two of your characters goodbye.

The older XCom games gave me bad habits going into this. I'd play it as slow as possible to keep everyone alive and 2 is more of a balancing act. You really need coordinated fire to make up for bad luck on shots and a bad hack completely ruins your mission.

Unfortunately I've lost 2 Snipers already because they haven't been fast enough to get to the evac point so that game congratulates me for owning the mission from a great snipers nest and then I lose a badass character. The tactics with the newer classes are a lot more difficult and therefore a lot more interesting than the older classes.

The luck factor in this game is what makes it so great but you'll see some crazy stuff. One of my characters is named Philip J Fry and for some reason he survives everything but can't kill anything.

Apparently this game is super cheap on PC right now with a humble bundle.

 

[PatsFan2003]

You get used to it quickly but the first time you see a new type of alien you might as well kiss at least one or two of your characters goodbye.

The older XCom games gave me bad habits going into this. I'd play it as slow as possible to keep everyone alive and 2 is more of a balancing act. You really need coordinated fire to make up for bad luck on shots and a bad hack completely ruins your mission.

Definitely. The timed missions requires you to push it more and take more risks but you do get used to it.

Unfortunately I've lost 2 Snipers already because they haven't been fast enough to get to the evac point so that game congratulates me for owning the mission from a great snipers nest and then I lose a badass character. The tactics with the newer classes are a lot more difficult and therefore a lot more interesting than the older classes.

They've toned down the snipers a bit but they still seem to be the closest "sure" shot you get.

I like how they you can build mods for the soldiers which gives you specific boost.

The luck factor in this game is what makes it so great but you'll see some crazy stuff. One of my characters is named Philip J Fry and for some reason he survives everything but can't kill anything.

Apparently this game is super cheap on PC right now with a humble bundle.

I like the event "cards" which require you to balance which advantage you want to give the aliens.. Sometimes it gets real tough.

 

[Clayton]

Definitely. The timed missions requires you to push it more and take more risks but you do get used to it.



They've toned down the snipers a bit but they still seem to be the closest "sure" shot you get.

I like how they you can build mods for the soldiers which gives you specific boost.



I like the event "cards" which require you to balance which advantage you want to give the aliens.. Sometimes it gets real tough.

The main issue I have with the game is that I feel like the programmers assume you are just going to reload an old game file when your guys die.

In Xcom Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within, I was able to go through the game on normal with a couple of guys dying here or there and the difficulty never became overwhelming. In Xcom2, the snowball effect is much larger and in order to play that way, I've had to lower the difficulty to Easy which I am not a fan of doing.

I had 3 guys die in a mission, spent 75 supplies to get 3 rookies to replace them and then realized that I had no supplies to give them things that would help them stay alive and complete missions. If they never stay alive and the enemies keep getting tougher than you can get underwater in less than a couple of hours.

So its reload a new file or easy mode and easy mode seems like the more entertaining route.

 

[PatsFan2003]

The main issue I have with the game is that I feel like the programmers assume you are just going to reload an old game file when your guys die.

In Xcom Enemy Unknown and Enemy Within, I was able to go through the game on normal with a couple of guys dying here or there and the difficulty never became overwhelming. In Xcom2, the snowball effect is much larger and in order to play that way, I've had to lower the difficulty to Easy which I am not a fan of doing.

I had 3 guys die in a mission, spent 75 supplies to get 3 rookies to replace them and then realized that I had no supplies to give them things that would help them stay alive and complete missions. If they never stay alive and the enemies keep getting tougher than you can get underwater in less than a couple of hours.

So its reload a new file or easy mode and easy mode seems like the more entertaining route.

I reload. Because over time I've gotten to point where it's happens less often where I felt the need to reload.
So I can accept the death of some soldiers. It is hard because you do get attached to the ones you've built up, just to lose them to a bad sequence. It's still challenging.

 

[Clayton]

I finally beat it. I feel a bit lame for beating it on Easy but only 20% of the people who have bought XCom2 have the game completion on any difficulty trophy so I'll take that as a sign of accomplishment.

I also beat the game with only one character standing at the end. In a way it was kinda pathetic to lose all of my guys in the final mission but at the same time it was pretty epic.

Now that I know what to expect, I bet I could go through it on Normal. It takes about 35-45 missions to beat the game so as long as I dont get completely wiped out I could get it done.

 

[PatsFan2003]

I finally beat it. I feel a bit lame for beating it on Easy but only 20% of the people who have bought XCom2 have the game completion on any difficulty trophy so I'll take that as a sign of accomplishment.

I also beat the game with only one character standing at the end. In a way it was kinda pathetic to lose all of my guys in the final mission but at the same time it was pretty epic.

Now that I know what to expect, I bet I could go through it on Normal. It takes about 35-45 missions to beat the game so as long as I dont get completely wiped out I could get it done.

There are a couple of ways to make the final battle very doable.

Spoiler: tip

Taking mind control of one of their orbs really, really helps. They are are such tanks and they complete dominant the attention of the enemy. They can make the final battle a breeze.

The avatars re-teleport when damaged and very often they'll teleport right into range of your characters. And then you take them out which is the key to winning the final battle.

The most fun is building the best squad. Love the Rangers of course but you do need a mix. Gotta have at least 1-2 Grenadiers, one Super Sniper, a loaded Support guy etc.

Also the weapons lab is great for building new weapons and armor. I usually have more than I know what to do with at the end

 

[Clayton]

There are a couple of ways to make the final battle very doable.

Spoiler: tip

Taking mind control of one of their orbs really, really helps. They are are such tanks and they complete dominant the attention of the enemy. They can make the final battle a breeze.

The avatars re-teleport when damaged and very often they'll teleport right into range of your characters. And then you take them out which is the key to winning the final battle.

The most fun is building the best squad. Love the Rangers of course but you do need a mix. Gotta have at least 1-2 Grenadiers, one Super Sniper, a loaded Support guy etc.

Also the weapons lab is great for building new weapons and armor. I usually have more than I know what to do with at the end

Yeah, I did all of that. Mind Controlling the Gatekeeper was an mvp play. My issue was that at the end of the first half of the mission, I accidentally pulled enemies from all 3 directions and my snipers were out of position. I went in with 3 snipers, 1 psychic, 1 ranger, 1 specialist and the commander. If I was doing it again, I'd probably leave the ranger and 1 sniper and add another specialist and a grenadier.

I knew it was a botched run but I got lucky abusing the commanders powers.

 

[PatsFan2003]

Yeah, I did all of that. Mind Controlling the Gatekeeper was an mvp play. My issue was that at the end of the first half of the mission, I accidentally pulled enemies from all 3 directions and my snipers were out of position. I went in with 3 snipers, 1 psychic, 1 ranger, 1 specialist and the commander. If I was doing it again, I'd probably leave the ranger and 1 sniper and add another specialist and a grenadier.

I knew it was a botched run but I got lucky abusing the commanders powers.

There are definitely those times where you walk into a hornets nest.

Or how about when you shoot at something that you think is pretty safe and suddenly half the world is alerted to your presence?

3 snipers seems something of a stretch. They don't move and shoot well. 2 together is pretty fun though.