XCOM 2
About
The game continues the previous game line: XCOM Enemy Unknown. In XCOM 2 we see the Earth under the rule of aliens. The order established by them is based on total control but is proclaimed as the realm of prosperity and security. However, on the periphery of large cities, there are those who consider it a dictatorship and are struggling to restore independence to people. Thus the new XCOM, the organisation of freedom fighters, is reborn. The base for the organisation's soldiers is now the alien ship "The Avenger", converted to the needs of the defenders of the Earth.
The player will have to travel around the global map, contact guerrillas in various places, look for resources and perform partisan attacks on the critical points of the enemies. The tactics of the organisation have changed - now they are in the minority. The factories for the production of weapons and other equipment were closed 20 years ago, so you have to collect any found equipment and resources.
The game introduced many new enemies, but there are aliens from the previous game too. The hero of the game has a unique ability to be in contact with the psi-network uniting all the aliens. This ability makes him a turning point in which the enslavement of the Earth can be reversed.
System requirements for Nintendo Switch
System requirements for macOS
System requirements for PC
- OS: Windows® 7, 64-bit
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E4700 2.6 GHz or AMD Phenom 9950 Quad Core 2.6 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5770, 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 or better
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 45 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound card
- Additional Notes: Initial installation requires one-time Internet connection for Steam authentication; software installations required (included with the game) include Steam Client, Microsoft Visual C++2012 and 2013 Runtime Libraries and Microsoft DirectX.
- OS: Windows® 7, 64-bit
- Processor: 3GHz Quad Core
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: 2GB ATI Radeon HD 7970, 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 or better
- Storage: 45 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX compatible sound card
System requirements for PlayStation 4
System requirements for Linux
Where to buy
XCOM 2 reviews and comments
You start as a commander of a small crew fighting against an alien invasion. You have to keep your soldiers in check, upgrade them and promote them, assign them unique abilities, research new facilities and technologies, maintain your mothership, contact different regions on the globe for missions, and make sure that you don't run out of time and attack the alien headquarter before their plan is executed.
Now for the game. It started as a boring, seemingly redundant game with too little help on how to plan for future (but that's the point, right?!) but over time, I didn't even notice how hooked up I was.
The gameplay is complex as well as simple. Complex because you have to plan on Strategic level, Tactical level, and Operational level. Yes, ALL 3 levels of war planning. The simplicity is within each level. You may win battles, but with wrong strategy lose the war, and I'm talking about just Medium level.
As far as the gameplay is concerned, it's quite unique and I haven't come across any game so distinct. Maybe the closest example is commandos 3. The graphics are not bad at all, special effects don't seem to be overdone.
The reasons for not calling it exceptional are minor. A glitch here and there, some lags on explosions, occasional crashes and blank screens, sometimes a mission is buggy and ends up as a failure.
Overall, a really enjoyable experience.
Final Score: A-
Edit: Oh and I actually preferred playing with a controller over playing with mouse and keyboard!
Edit 2: Loading times are quite long.
Microsoft from Deutsch
The time-limit imposed by Avatar project was a little annoying, but on the normal difficulty, it's actually not that hard to beat. The same goes for time-limits in missions: many people disliked them, but I never had much problem, even though I'm not a very good player.