XCOM 2 - Thoughts

My first playthrough of XCOM 2 did... not go well. Having completed the previous game on Normal Ironman mode (where character deaths are permanent), I thought I was more than properly equipped for the sequel when it came out in 2016. But when several members of my A-Team bit the big one during a risky mission, I knew I was on a death spiral to annihilation. Rather than push on with my last living sniper and her squad of wide-eyed rookies, I hung up my hat and didn't return until four years later. Which is a huge shame because only now do I understand that XCOM 2 is a fantastic, well-balanced experience.

My failure in 2016 didn't make me dislike XCOM 2, but my perception of the game had always been warped due to being bullied into a corner. Since I've been making a conscious effort to wrap-up any half-played games in 2020, I was determined to liberate humanity from its xeno-dystopia with a brand new playthrough—Ironman mode still intact. I wasn't sure how to avoid making the same mistakes this time around, but that wouldn't matter because my second shot at saving Earth was a resounding success. My A-Team was so implacable that had the final mission thrown twice as many enemies at me, it would've been no sweat to come out on top. Finally, it was the aliens cowering in a corner, not I!

Despite the disparity between my two playthroughs, I wouldn't deign to label the game as "swingy" or "poorly balanced". The honest truth is that I simply played wiser in the second playthrough, less content to leave the survival of my squad hinging on a single RNG shot. Two tough missions kept me the game from feeling like a walk in the park (both of which had rooftop-perched units falling several stories down), and even in retrospect I wouldn't call XCOM 2 an "easy" experience. What you'll be ever-aware of while playing is that even when a mission is going well, you're usually one mind-control, critical hit, or accidental pod reveal from the operation devolving into a bloody, casualty-infested brawl.

One of the things that makes XCOM 2 the superior experience compared to its predecessor XCOM is that enemies aren't so gung-ho on slaughtering your units. Sure, they want your forces splattered across the battlefield as much as you want that for theirs, but ADVENT is more keen on using buffs and disables to win this time around. There will still be plenty of fire fights (especially when your units get flanked) but expect priorities to change in battle as your units are marked, bound, and suppressed. This plays up the strategic aspect of the game and makes it feel considerably less like a series of die-rolling face-offs. Sometimes a fight will inevitably boil down to making that (seemingly unlucky) 70% shot, but I appreciated how much more flexibility XCOM 2 offered, thanks to enemies like the Shieldbearer, Archon, and Codex manipulating unit placement on the battlefield.

Even though it boasts a meaty playtime, what helps to keep XCOM 2 a smooth, fast-paced experience is its repeated use of timers. From extraction missions to ADVENT retaliations, XCOM 2 cares more about you being bold than being safe. As much as I adored the vanilla version of the previous game, its gradual overwatch crawl is its most glaring flaw, transforming otherwise tense missions into endurance marathons. Thankfully, you can't get away with that tactic here. If anything, a couple of the timers are probably a bit over-tuned, since on more than one occasion my squad escaped without a single turn to spare. But having to make tough decisions with the clock always on your mind trumps playing it safe and losing units only when complacency sets in.

Probably the only thing I like more about the previous XCOM is its premise, and even that comes with a subjective caveat. I'm generally more into "command an elite army to stop an invading alien force" than "establish resistance networks to slow down your oppressor's operation", but I still appreciate how ambitious Firaxis was about shaking things up. After all, XCOM is a beat-for-beat reimagining of UFO Defense, and no matter how much I gel with that theme I have to admit that XCOM 2 is the bolder of the two modern titles, carving a truly unique space out for itself. While it may stand on the shoulders of a giant, that itself is standing on the shoulders of an older giant, it doesn't negate the fact that XCOM 2 is arguably the pinnacle of the series. It's the most board-gamey and tactically balanced of the franchise, almost always offering you (and your foes) a fair fighting chance.

While I'm not upset that my initial failure kept me away from XCOM 2 for so long, I am very glad I returned to finish the fight. My first squad had been precious to me, but the struggles of Smokey, Paladin, Hat Trick, and Earth's MVP Sarah "Lockdown" Becker was one for the ages. We were a finely tuned alien-disposal unit that blew up robots and headshot officers from across the damn world with 110% accuracy. And while Classic Ironman sounds like a headache to play for vanilla XCOM, I'm more than willing to jump into Commander Ironman for XCOM 2, excited to face a stronger adversary. Where a Terror from the Deep clone would've sufficed, Firaxis went above and beyond for XCOM 2, crafting what is probably my favorite strategy game released in the last twenty years.