XCOM 2 Review: The Stress Of Strategy Now On Consoles

Players once again resume the roll of The Commander, who has been kept on ice by aliens for the last twenty years. Recovered after a desperate gamble by the sweater-loving Bradford, the linear plot then guides players to a climactic and intense final mission, with random events occurring all across the board as players race to beat the clock against a mysterious alien proj


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 slg game Analysis, 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


Players of Stellaris aren't "Evil," but only brave souls would dare venture into the vastness of Stellaris and its 4X experience. Similar to other strategy games, Stellaris players control their own colony , this time in space. Additionally, alongside this premise are the usual things found in 4X games. These include resource gathering and tech trees, diplomacy and warfare, and even dealing with various wacky scenar


The core thrill of seeing a squad erupt from 'Overwatch' to let barrages loose on an unsuspecting enemy is augmented by the new tweaks to Squaddie classes. The standards remain (Sniper, Grenadier, Specialist), but the 'Assault' class has been replaced with the fearless and furious Rangers. And before player assume the name means these fighters are ranged characters, realize that sprinting across a battlefield to unleash a sword attack point-blank has a distinct melee feel. The turn-based gameplay remains the same (although clearly increased in difficulty), leaving the fiction to inform the meaning of the mechanics - scrounging alien technology, attacking research centers and extracting assets - and in turn, letting the desperation of the campaign amplify the story ramificati


The Lost add an entire new layer of strategy to missions, as players need to tread carefully lest they find themselves boxed in a back alley surrounded by swarms of ashen zombies on all sides. They're not a huge threat compared to the ADVENT, but they certainly throw a wrench in otherwise routine missions. That's likely why Firaxis Games has introduced unique mission modifiers called sit reps, which can fill a map with volatile explosives or require that only low-ranked soldiers be sent on certain missions. It's all about a variety of added challenges, and War of the Chosen provides this in spa


The world map also gets a facelift, and players will now find themselves flying their mobile base to different destinations. Everything takes time in XCOM 2 , including traveling to and setting up before missions. As a result, players will need to analyze which missions are worth doing and keep a constant eye on the clock. This is true in more than a sense of foreboding, as the game suggests that if a certain doomsday clock reaches zero, it's game over for XC


Unlike other 4X games without a linear story, and unlike other strategy games that constrain players into a specific storyline, Total War: Warhammer 2 has a bit of both. In this hybrid title, players can opt to play through the Eye of the Vortex campaign. This narrative mode tells a unique story befitting the Warhammer Fantasy franchise. However, players can also play under a traditional 4X setup. With this setting, factions try to conquer the world map with diplomacy, subterfuge, and warf


The Chosen can be defeated by performing a series of covert operations and a tough final assassination mission, a process which takes some time. Don't take too long, though: these aren't static enemies. The longer they exist, the more strength they have. That isn't to say they don't have weakness either, as they follow a nemesis system that takes heavy inspiration from the likes of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor . They're easily the most difficult addition to the game, but they add plenty of flavor to the experience and much satisfaction when they're finally taken d


When it comes to strategy games, Civilization probably remains as one of the most memorable in the bunch. After all, it's this series that popularized the 4X genre, and it's staying strong to this day. Thanks to Civilization 6 , gamers can relive making a civilization from scratch and see it thrive with better graphics and gameplay. Moreover, the wide variety of world leaders to choose from can make for a ton of fun historical scenar


Although the XCOM 2 expansion carries a hefty price tag, Firaxis Games justifies it with an add-on that switches around the strategy and balance of the game from to to bottom. At its core, War of the Chosen adds new player-friendly factions that have their own unique soldier classes, three of 'The Chosen' alien commanders that repeatedly attack the player throughout the game's missions, a new unfriendly-to-everyone zombie force called The Lost, and strategic and interface touch-ups gal