XCOM: Enemy Unknown Review

I should say now that I have never played the original XCOM game. I have never really been a fan of turn based tactical games. I picked up Final Fantasy Tactics on PSP a few years ago and couldn't stand it. However, I decided to give the genre another go with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. And I'm very glad I did.

Story

The story takes place on Earth in 2015, which has just been invaded by aliens with far greater technological superiority than our own. Our reponse to this force is XCOM, a scientific and military organisation that is tasked with defending Earth from extra terrestrial attack. The player takes the role as commander of XCOM, and must command troops through battles in a war that humanity will never forget.


Gameplay

As mentioned before, the game gives the player the role of commander of XCOM. This will give you the ability to command your troops in combat against the alien threat. The missions are broken up by returning to the XCOM base of operations, where the player can research new technology, expand the base with new facilities, hire new soldiers, and purchase new equipment, as well as expanding XCOM's global effectiveness by launching satellites able to detect alien presence across the world. All of this will cost money and/or resources which are obtained through battles.

The battles are purely turn based and will put you in command of between 4 and 6 soldiers of varying classes (Support, Heavy, Sniper or Assault). Each battle will have its own requirement for victory. Troops that take part in battles will earn XP, and when levelled up, will earn new skills to use in future battles. However, if the soldier is killed during battle, their death is permanent. Soldiers can also be out of action for a certain amount of time if they are wounded during battle too. You can customise each soldiers loadout, including special items which can assist in battle. For example, the medkit will allow you to heal any wounds sustained. Soldiers can also take cover behind objects, with the objects size being a factor into how much protection it will offer. The special abilities include being able to take a reaction shot against an enemy when they move into a soldiers line of sight, limiting enemy vision with smoke grenades, and healing allied units. I have found myself addicted to this sort of gameplay, and despite my first playthrough being on easy, money was still very tight, and I had to plan my next move carefully, whether it was expanding the base, or launching an assault on an enemy.
Visual and Sound

It is not as visually appealing as most other games released last year, and there isn't a lot of colour. A lot of the maps also look identical to each other, and I found myself getting tired of the scenery pretty quickly. The cutscenes are very nice, but again, they don't stand up to anything else other games released offered. There isn't too much to say about the sound either, as you'll either be hearing dialogue or the beeps of computers at work. Music in the game is very limited, and will usually be drowned out by the sounds of units moving or firing. However, I don't mind this too much, as it helps set the mood for the game.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer portion of the game takes the battle part of the game online, where you can play ranked battles with strangers, or private matches with friends. There is a slight difference in regards to how you deploy soldiers. Each troop type will cost you points, and the player who has spent the least will go first. As I'm new to and not very good at turn based tactical games such as this, I do not enjoy playing against opponents who are clearly more tactically skilled than me. However, multiplayer is a great place to learn new tactics and get better at the game.

The verdict: While it will not impress visually, and the story isn't as in depth as other games dealing with extra terrestrials, XCOM: Enemy Unknown does a very good job of providing addictive gameplay and really makes you consider the choices you make before you make them.

9/10

I hope you enjoyed this review, and I am always open to feedback and criticism.

Thank you!