XCOM Enemy Unknown Review Performed on Xbox 360
For people who don’t recognize the brand XCOM, it was/is a sci-fi game franchise best known for being a generally difficult turn-based, RTS. In 2010 2K games announced they would reboot the beloved PC classic and now we have XCOM: Enemy Unknown, which is a beautiful reimagining of the classic series.
Enemy unknown isn’t necessarily an updated remake of the original UFO Defense, but much like Terror from the Deep and UFO Defense, EU instills a certain sense of fear. The Earth is under attack by aliens (again) and we’re to eliminate that threat, no questions asked. Fixraxis doesn’t stray from the original idea of creating a fearful environment in its narrative. Flying saucers ripping through the sky are only there for one reason, and it’s up to you as commander of the XCOM organization to rid the Earth of this threat.
Gameplay is divided into two phases; the strategic view is the bread and butter of XCOM games and allows you to manage your time, resources and money. You begin by choosing a location for your base of operations from several possibilities, albeit choices are more limited than in the original and you are only able to utilize a single base. You also focus on equipment and technology upgrades, launching satellites and invest in XCOM’s underground infrastructure while extracting whatever secrets you can from alien artifacts.
Upon learning of an alien threat, you select units from your barracks to fill up your squad and move out. You can command up to 6 squad members, which is half of the original. Cover is large part of keeping your squad alive, misplace a unit and you could find them dead in one shot. Moving from cover to cover is ideal when possible, giving the enemy less of a chance to land shots on your squad. Although each soldiers’ actions on the battlefield are constrained to a basic list of commands, the strategic possibilities are practically endless. Each squad member gets 2 actions per turn, but there are ways for some soldiers to extend that number. Soldiers that survive the mission level up and gain new abilities that you can assign at the base. You can also spend funds on weapon upgrades, armor and a variety of other enhancements.
With that said, I found myself more invested in my units then in that of the original. Units in the UFO Defense or Terror from the Deep often felt dispensable; in EU I became attached to my units by being involved with their struggle directly and spending a lot of time tweaking them beyond their loadout, giving them names of friends and loved ones, changing their hair styles and colour of their armor. The squad atmosphere creates a particular unity that makes your units feel more like a team and less replaceable. Although you may not become as attached as I had to my squad, you will at least come to rely on the skill of your veteran soldiers. Losing an effective soldier in battle can be heartbreaking, but downed soldiers can be saved by units with a medikit or if you happen to defeat the enemy before your unit bleeds out.
You must also manage the counties that provide funding for the XCOM project. That funding is important because you use it to perform research, enhance your squads and purchase new facilities at your base of operations. Facilities produce things like engineers for researching upgrades in your foundry or allowing you to place more satellites around the globe.
Satellites allow you keep track of what’s going on in other parts of the world. Satellites can detect nearby UFO’s and if so, engage players in a minigame in which an interceptor attempts to take out the enemy craft. Interceptors are another unit that cost funds to upgrade abilities and weaponry, so it is good practice to keep each country well protected. If a population were to panic due to attack or lack of protection, they could pull from the project which will directly and negatively affect your income. You have the option of selling alien parts you find after battle if you’re in dire need, but those are often used for research and manufacture upgrades, so it is not desirable.
As much as I appreciate XCOM’s balance and design, there is room for improvement. I generally saw maps repeat more often than I’d like and restricting the new equipment you can research largely to guns that do more damage and armor that grants more health is disappointing. The endgame super-armors that let you fly and turn invisible are a breath of fresh air, but where are the flamethrowers, the flash-bangs, the incendiary rockets, the crazy alien weapons? Even the psionic abilities you eventually unlock within your operatives have disappointingly straightforward effects.
Occasional line-of-sight problems are the pretty much the only gameplay issue you’ll find. Sometimes you don’t get a shot on an alien that looks like it should be there, or run into a cover bonus when you thought you had an enemy flanked. Losing a squad member because it looked like he could shoot an enemy (who instead turns around and blasts him) is far more frustrating than a death due to your own poor decisions.
Multiplayer is essentially a deathmatch mode where two players’ squads are pitted against one another. Soliders/aliens are customized up based on a set point value and generally the first to strike is a large indication of the victor. The number of maps is limited and with no ranking system I hardly see the allure of online play unless it is with a buddy to just see what it’s like to beat the crap out of each other.
The best part of XCOM is that the interface is comfortable and aesthetically pleasing whether you’re using a keyboard and mouse or a gamepad, giving and old and new gamers alike an opportunity to enjoy this re-hashed classic. With tension-filled turn based action, XCOM delivers an experience that rivals and in some respects surpasses that of its predecessors. Do yourself a favour, break free from the mold of mainstream gaming and experience what is not only an homage to one of the best turn-based strategy games of all time, but one of the best releases this generation.
