XCOM 2

So this is game is very special to me. Xcom 2 is by far my favorite game of all time. I’ve logged close to 1000 hours onto the game, with dozens of playthroughs within the save files. The depth of the complexity of all the systems that work inside of it hit every note that I want in a game. The customization is insane, the developers are active members of the community, actively releasing new content every couple of months. The modding scene makes the game suddenly gain hundreds upon hundreds of extra hours worth of content, as bugfixes and brand new fan made content pours in. I could praise it for hours, but lets actually talk about it now.

The Core gameplay is twofold. Half of it is a squad and base management simulator, as you lead a resistance group in global efforts to fight the alien oppression. The other have, and subjectively the better half, is a turn based cover shooter, using sightlines, vantage points, and firepower to overwhelm your enemies. The combat is based off of percentage based chance to hit, but any veteran of the game can tell you, never trust the percentages. The best way to go about combat is learning how each enemy alien fights, and exploiting their weaknesses. Then, using flanking, or explosive to destroy their cover, you find it much easier to hit your opponents.

In the base management portion, you work out ways to carefully divvy out the meager resources you gain throughout the campaign to better equip your base to function better, new gear for your soldiers, and new buildings important to the plot to finish the fight.

The story of Xcom 2 is interesting as well. All throughout the first Xcom, you are an intrepid commander sent out to guide Earth’s forces to fight the alien menace. After the end of the final battle, it appeared that you won. SPOILER WARNING: you didn’t. you lost super hard. 20 years later, the remnants of the resistance recover you from an alien facility, and its time to fight back, this time as the insurgent force.

I honestly could go on and on about this game, and I really would love to, but that would keep you from going on steam and playing it yourself. Do yourself a favor and try it out. The price you pay for it and it’s expansions will be more than made up in lost afternoons.