XCOM 2 Review: The Stress Of Strategy Now On Consoles

While XCOM 2: War of the Chosen does a great job shaking up the game from top to bottom, it isn't without cost: the Shen's Gift DLC mission is sacrificed by default to rebalance the game, being replaced with a simple research task. While player's can re-enable this in the options menu, we wish there was a way Firaxis could have kept the original content in balanced fashion. We also ran into a few minor glitches as late-game content progressed, so we recommend those trying ironman playthroughs perhaps consider a regular playthrough for now to avoid any potential post-launch err


The final nail in the coffin for story upgrades that this game needs is a better balancing act. One would think Square Enix would be more interested in showing off its gameplay rather than its text for a demo. It seems someone was thinking the opposite because the few battles in here are about an hour apart each. Hopefully the final game won’t burden players so much with too much story all at o


Announced during the most recent Nintendo Direct, Triangle Strategy is an upcoming tactical JRPG being developed by Square Enix. Though the game has a visual style similar to that of Octopath Traveler , the game's gameplay appears to be more akin to that of games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre , and Fire Emb


Beyond this, players can bolster their own forces with a few clever additions to the original formula. Soldiers can now gain ability points for performing tactical moves, like flank shots or ambush kills, and spend them on additional skills to use in battle. While the original menu of two skill options still exists, a few seemingly random third skill slots are available for purchase now, making each soldier's respective skill tree even more unique. Soldiers can also bond with squadmates they spend time on the battlefield with (a la Fire Emblem ), and commanders will even be able to rank up these skills so that bonded soldiers can utilize unique combat moves in battle. Soldiers also require rest after each mission lest they become fatigued and more susceptible to developing fears that can impact them in bat


Many of these abilities are also far more reliable than the Psy-Operative suite early on, and this can make them far more worthwhile to train and invest in. Psy-Operatives were often considered overpowered in the original XCOM 2, but new and old players can save tons of time by just filling that role with a Templar inst


While some sidequests could only be available to players who made certain choices, the completion of other sidequests could potentially provide additional context to a problem at hand, giving the player insight into how making a given choice may impact the p


Similarly, having key boss fights be dictated by a player's decision-making would truly drive home the themes of the game. Perhaps a character that is a playable ally if certain choices are made becomes a major adversary that must be dealt with in another route. These would give the game's various routes more identity while giving the player immediate indicators of how their choices are impacting the slg Game Forums's st


Many would consider Specialists to be lackluster, considering they have few damaging abilities to match the likes of Rangers of Sharpshooters. However, they exist to provide support for your team through healing effects and stat buffs, something that you'll almost always need despite being slightly unexcit


To combat the new threat, XCOM can recruit 3 new player-friendly factions into the fray: The Skirmishers are direct combat units with multiple actions, The Reapers are stealthier than anyone else in the game, and The Templars' unique melee and ranged psionic attacks can make a world of difference. As players perform certain covert missions on behalf of these factions, they'll earn the trust of their respective leaders and be able to activate monthly bonuses, like starting a mission with a turncoat ADVENT on the player's side, or have enemies drop more loot. As can be expected, learning how to use each Faction to its fullest potential is quite a learning process, and it's likely some bodies will drop during the proc


With the GTS building, players can buy the Squad upgrade, allowing for an extra soldier to be sent on missions. Like any turn-based RPG , the action economy always favors the side with the most characters, making this upgrade extremely valuable, especially in the early game. Having an extra spot open also means that one more soldier will be gaining experience with each XCOM 2 miss


Although having at least one soldier level up quickly is imperative to unlock GTS upgrades, having more than a single squad to handle tough missions can be very important. Soldiers will often have downtime as they recover from wounds or mental trauma, or when they are sent on dispatch missions. This means that, on many occasions, players might find themselves surprised by important missions and will not have their ideal squad available. For this reason, it can be crucial to have at least two squads that can handle difficult missi