XCOM: Enemy Unknown is about assembling an elite squad of exterminators to bloody the nose of an alien invasion, but that's not what it feels like. It feels like tip-toeing upstairs at midnight, kitchen knife in hand, to find out what that rattling noise was in the attic. Most strategy games place too much information at your disposal to inspire dread - you'll always where the enemy is and, more importantly, what the enemy is.
But exploring a map in XCOM can be as harrowing as heading to Silent Hill for the weekend. Anything could be lurking outside the field of view - spider-crabs who breed by stuffing their eggs into people, alligators holding plasma bazookas, flying saucers that unfold into bristling origami sculptures of doom. You just don't know.
Time doesn't proceed till you scan for alien activity, so there's leisure to pick over the minutiae of your base, zooming to inspect an industrious cluster of eggheads or to watch a man eating dinner in the barracks. Once you do spin the big blue hologlobe, however, there's no telling what the game might throw at you.
Unknown unknowns
You may be called on to quash a spate of abductions, or fish a VIP out of a tight spot. A UFO might take a pop at one of your satellites, threatening to plunge an entire continent into darkness unless you scramble an interceptor to splash it. You don't have to respond to each event, and when the sickbays are full, it may be wiser to hold off. But doing so will cost you political capital, which translates to a smaller payout each month.
Worst of all are the Terror Missions, genocidal pogroms where the idea is to save as many civilians as you can. Fail to answer the call of duty, or allow too many innocents to perish, and the country affected will pull support in protest. Lose eight sponsors, and it's game over.
Nowhere is XCOM's cocktail of short and long-term risk and reward more potent than in soldier customisation. A veteran trooper is worth his weight in gold, whether he's armed with a kevlar vest and grenades or an Archangel flight suit and a plasma rifle.
Battle itself couldn't be further from the bland, archers-behind-spearmen routines of many Japanese turn-based strategy games, and is let down only by presentational glitches like units occasionally shooting through objects. Range and angle heavily affect accuracy, so victory is about luring enemies into a killzone without exposing your squad in the process.
The AI is sharp enough, but you'll find it harder to fox fellow Earthlings in multiplayer - a pick-and-mix affair where each player has a certain number of points to allocate on units, abilities and gear from both the alien and human line-ups. This feature feels a little perfunctory, but XCOM doesn't really need an inventive mode selection to entertain. Thanks to the sheer number of variables in play, the smallest of dust-ups has the potential to erupt into a two-hour disaster movie beyond Michael Bay's wildest nightmares.
33 comments so far...
kronk10 on 8 Oct '12 said:
Booked the day off on friday just to play this gem of a game so glad i pre ordered it fingers crossed this will get developers to make more strategy games
Clanger67 on 8 Oct '12 said:
Damn wished i was able to get this and Dishonoured.Will definitley be trying to get it before xmas though.Which doesn't look like it might be too bad we already have a couple of high scorers this week.And FC 3,Hitman,Hitman HD (i hope) too look forward to as well yet.
Not to mention the new Minecraft update.
Plamsa wing on 8 Oct '12 said:
Can't wait! I'm really hoping it comes on Wednesday.
Question time, Ed can you name your peeps in-game? I've always wanted that ability in my strategies/RPG's.
kronk10 on 8 Oct '12 said:
you can name your soldiers go to oxm's you tube page and look at matts videos they are very funny and fun to watch! Do not think you will get it wednesday its due out this friday for us in the uk. Would be good if it did come out mid week
Plamsa wing on 8 Oct '12 said:
I kept meaning to watch the rest of Matts videos, I'll check them out when I get home. Gotta say I love that sort of customisation, makes the game even better for me.
I'm getting my copy from Shopto, I usually get my pre-orders on the wednesday with them, so you never know.
comabob on 8 Oct '12 said:
Is this 1200points?
OXM ETboy on 8 Oct '12 said:
Nope, it's a retail game.
EdDeRs1 on 8 Oct '12 said:
to tell the truth, i feel a little disappointed in the game, i remember the initial previews and how it looked like a totally awesome FPS with strategy elements mixed, a bit like Battalion Wars 2 on the Wii, and now its a pure turn based RTS, and while i love RTS games, with games like Age of Empires still being one of my all time favorites, i was really looking forward to the origonal draft
NinthGeorgesw on 8 Oct '12 said:
Isn't the FPS a different game? I'm pretty sure it's still being released eventually.
fracturedrich on 8 Oct '12 said:
mines there wed if not defo thursday ime so glad this hit a 9 and i hope the sales go well so they make more games like it
fracturedrich on 8 Oct '12 said:
oh and i wont be reading eds class guide as i want to explore and learn everything for myself the weekend cant come fast enough for me.
EdDeRs1 on 8 Oct '12 said:
ah yes your right, the FPS is just plain XCOM, and has been delayed heavily, according to the internet it will come out sometime after April next year, so come on OXM lets get some info about it
That_kid96 on 9 Oct '12 said:
I've actually been looking forward to this game for so long. but i'm guessing that as its released friday and its now monday then there will be no demo? Also what are your opinions on game rental services such as Lovefilm?
Leemundo on 9 Oct '12 said:
Lovefilm Rental is about £10 a month and you can borrow as many games as you can play and post back to them within the month. I found that there were games I kept for like three weeks before I had completed them, constraints of work and social life. So it didn't't really benefit me when most of the games you cold buy for around £10, never mind rent them.
Back on Topic...
You can only name soldiers if you pre-ordered I think?!
I also booked time off for this, and Hitman, and Black Ops... I haven't used any time off for an actual holiday, just games releases... Does that make me a hardcore gamer? Or geek?
fracturedrich on 10 Oct '12 said:
its wednesday today and my local gameshop just phoned me and told me to pick my copy up at 1.30 the long wait is finally over its not out till friday but thats what you get for supporting smaller game shops i work nights and i will not want to go to work tonight but cant afford time of with halo bl ops 2 played the demo for this twice this morning and its short but defo leaves you wanting more i was sold on this 6 months ago i hope it does well with dishonoured hitting shelves at the same time
Meders on 10 Oct '12 said:
This is one of those very rare anoying games where I had no idea it existed until a few weeks ago and now can't wait to have it! It just seems to have appeared from no where.
I havent had a game that involves any real thinking since Portal 2 so can't wait!
Somthing to keep me gaming until Halo 4 now. Good times!
Uncle dozens on 10 Oct '12 said:
This was exactly the game I have been waiting to play.
Until now I have been having to get my tactical fix playing field commander on PSP and ghost recon shadow thingy on 3DS. What's even better is that I never even realised it was due. I had seen enough articles about this game and pegged it for a future based sci fi shooter which are not my usual games.
I was pleasantly surprised to learn I was wrong and watched the videos. Then I realised the demo was out and have played through three times now.
Needless to say I preordered the game, and can't wait for it to come out. Shame I have run out of holidays.
fracturedrich on 11 Oct '12 said:
i picked this up yesterday smaller game shops have to get by to and i love it ok it plays a bit slow but its differant i played through 4,5 hours of the camp and 2 matches of multiplayer got tea bagged on my 1st game by a guy who repeatedly told me he was going to rape me but the second game i learnt through my mind controling phsych blasting badboy alien that this is a complicated game which you learn fast from .the single player the place where i will be spending most of my time is really tough and it kills you when you loose a team member youve spent ages customising,you can change the names of soldiers at will but you might need to level them up for nicknames it seems like the replay value is really high and well done firaxis for having the balls to make this game i hope they put the time in to bring out loads of add ons and updates extra upgrades more troops and i hope they invest and make this into a franchise i love this game and if anyone wants to get together for some quick matches as ranked matches are 90 secs per turn and friendlys are 120 just message me fracturedrich is my gametag
FishyGinger on 11 Oct '12 said:
Got the demo still downloading so might give it a blast tonight. Never played the original xcoms and don't know much about this. Could do with a tactical slower paced game though.
I've never understood people speaking over live like that. I've only had one abusive message sent to me, a voice message in which he ranted and called me several amusing words. Think the lesson is when you're defending a bombsite in bad company 2 in a night time snowy level don't just run head first into the forest. Other than that and some spanish kid talking non stop in a high pitched voice and I thought he was going to give me tinnitus, I've not had anything but generally in party chat when online.
kronk10 on 11 Oct '12 said:
the game sounds great cannot wait till i play it as the demo got me wanting more! I have had many abusive messages etc while playing FPS games etc a bit of a surprise to hear that kind of talk coming from a game like this? I am slightly miffed as GAME dispatched my copy 2 days ago so i was eagerly awaiting my copy today but looks like i will have to wait for friday!
Uncle dozens on 12 Oct '12 said:
So I got this game today, and I have managed about 4 hours of play once my kids were in bed. Impressions? Good but tough and unforgiving.
Inspired by the OXM videos I gave my chaps names, even my own Kitkat Chunky and Tom Selleck but they got wasted early on.
I actually thought I was doing well and was up to a five man squad with a few mid level soldiers when I went into my first ever terror mission. I wish I had ignored it instead.
By the time the aliens had killed off all of my team I hadn't managed to save a single person, and this was on normal mode too. I either suck, or I need to seriously alter the way I play and fast.
R.I.P
Ted Danson
Chaz Dingle
Taylor Swift
Cannon Fodder
Simon Phoenix
DGR1980 on 13 Oct '12 said:
so . . . many . . . beards
fracturedrich on 14 Oct '12 said:
i must suck to ive had the same thing happen ive started it again 6 hours in and i got smashed all over see how next playthrough goes very hard for some thing so simple
DGR1980 on 14 Oct '12 said:
Wow i suck at this.
Even playing on easy. The OXM videos having nothing on my deaths
michaelhill2110 on 16 Oct '12 said:
This is one of the best games I've ever played, I'm actually doing quite well on normal though I restarted after I realised that selling stuff on the grey Market should really be a last resort, taking on a base with plasma weapons but only 1 set of charapace armour tends to end in slaughter of all troops no matter how high they are ranked.
fracturedrich on 20 Oct '12 said:
ime ashamed of the sales in the uk everyone moans for a game like this then everyone to tight to buy it i hope it sells enough over the coming months to warrant similar things to come this is the best game ive played in a long time mind you i got dishonoured today and thats defo up there with the best
Uncle dozens on 22 Oct '12 said:
I'm having more success now. I went on a few websites to get some tips first. My best hints are as follows
1. Don't build labs. - totally not necessary.
2. Build as many satellite links and satellites as you can. Build them adjoining for the additional satellite they can handle.
3. Don't have rookies. Get them experienced ASAP.
4. Get a soldier promoted to the top ASAP for the officer training perks. This is easier with a sniper who can hang back and still be useful.
5. Don't waste money on laser weapons if you don't have to. Go straight to plasma.
6. Better armour always comes before better guns.
7. Always give rookies a decent gun plus scope to make sure they are effective long enough to earn a promotion.
8. Move slowly covering each other.
9. Always have some of the team on over watch.
10. Reload between fights so you don't get caught out.
michaelhill2110 on 22 Oct '12 said:
I concure, however I would say to get the laser sniper as I found that a plasma sniper takes a while to get.
And zapp loads of aliens with the arc thrower, as you get to capture there weapons intact saving you a hell of a lot of cash and parts, which can then be spent on the stuff that can't be captured. E.g captured 5 plaster rifles from mutons, gave 3 as a council request, and spent the cash earned on a new plasma sniper and ghost armor for my sniper, next mission = 7 kills to Samuel "agent" Edgerten, 0 Human casualties.
Uncle dozens on 24 Oct '12 said:
Brilliant advice there mate I will be sure to take it on board. I still don't have ghost armour and am currently holding back attacking the alien base until I can kit my heavies out with plasma guns. Everyone else has them though so I'm pretty pleased with my team.
michaelhill2110 on 24 Oct '12 said:
Heavy plasmas can be recovered from muton elites, but since you haven't done the base yet you may not have encountered them yet. if that is the case then I apologise for the spoilerXD
NicoThaDon on 27 Oct '12 said:
Class game done about 6 hours and loving it. Word of advice, invest in Armour upgrades early it really helps later on.
michaelhill2110 on 29 Oct '12 said:
Any clues as to when the first patch comes out, I'm getting peed off with enemies randomly apearing beside my troops, or disappearing all together so I roam around aimlessly, then have to reload my save. I've also heard roomers of a DLC on its way.
http://www.xcom.com/enemyunknown/articl ... oming-soon
Can you confirm?
Uncle dozens on 3 Nov '12 said:
A note for anyone thinking of buying this, although this is something that has made me furious since I pre-ordered it at full price from Amazon.
Gamestation are selling this today for £22.99
I cannot believe I could have saved £17 just by waiting a couple of weeks. This isn't the first time I have been stung like the too.