XCOM: Enemy Unknown Review
When you look at all of the game’s big picture items, Firaxis has really done quite well. X-COM core mechanics such as ground combat, soldier progression, base building, and researching new technologies have all been successfully updated and polished to modern standards. This is what X-COM games are all about, and this is why XCOM: Enemy Unknown is so much fun to play.
Where the game falls short is in some of the smaller details. The most glaringly obvious disappointment is the ship combat. I fully realize that having some AAA quality jet/spaceship combat simulation just isn’t possible. That would be an entire game itself. However, what currently exists in the game is almost laughable if it wasn’t so depressing. The developers have talked about all the changes made during the development process and this is likely an area where something probably got scrapped at the last minute requiring a quick fill-in. The end result that currently exists looks like it could be imagined, designed, implemented, and tested all within a day or two.
Another element which failed to get a 21st century update is the narrative. During the vast majority of the game things never progress beyond the simplistic notion that there are bad aliens and you need to stop them. An almost complete lack of any sort of character development makes it hard to establish any sort of personal ties with what’s going on.
Towards the end of the game you begin to realize that more could have been done to keep combat encounters more interesting. The endless variations of the few basic types of aliens seemed to get a bit stale as time went on. There are many times in the game when you are just trying to pass the time while you wait for something you’re building to finish. Continually getting pulled into the same random encounters can sometimes feel like a hassle.
The game could have benefited from a smoother progression system. Early in the game there are a million things to spend money on and it seems like you can’t afford any of them. The logical answer to this problem is to figure out what is needed to make more money. Shortly after dumping your resources in these areas you end up with more money than you are able to spend and money becomes a non-issue.
You also need to be aware of the save bug. After you’ve created a certain number of saved game files, your most recent saved games won’t show up when you try to load your game. The solution is to delete older save files that you don’t need anymore. Your most recent save files will then show up again.
In XCOM: Enemy Unknown, you and the forces you control are required to make bold choices in order to save humanity. Though the stakes are not as severe, the decision by Firaxis to put major effort into a turn-based tactical game was bold as well. A bold decision that resulted in success.
Source: Game Informer