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Preview: XCOM 2

XCOM 2 prides itself on being difficult.

Taking place twenty years after the events of Enemy Within, its premise is simple: XCOM lost. The once global powerhouse, propped up by cash from nations around the world, is nothing more than a guerilla resistance movement. Its Commander, missing in action and about to be presumed dead by even the most hopeful of soldiers. A small, dedicated few remain, cobbling together weaponry and support resources as best they can, but losing ground each and every day.

Earth’s surface has been drastically changed; new, gleaming, sterile city centres have emerged, their towering spires calling out to humanity as beacons of hope under the most false of pretenses. The aliens who control the world don’t have to force humans to enter said centres; promises of free health care and a better way of life mean refugees flock to them. While most merely concern themselves with the notion their cancers can, quite literally, be washed away, others know better and doubt the sincerity of Earth’s new extra-terrestrial overlords. Still, without a better option, they travel towards the metropoles.

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The operatives of XCOM have the odds stacked against them, and so too do you as a player. After three hours of trying, I was only able to beat XCOM 2’s tutorials. I made countless attempts at the two missions available for preview, and was decimated each time. On Normal difficulty, I must add. It was a tad frustrating, sure, but I always was able to identify what I’d done wrong. For the first hour, I was too aggressive and made moves without trying to keep my team concealed. In the second, I basically blew my wad, using all of my advanced tactics to eliminate half the field only to have empty hands (and clips) for the second half. Each repeat of the missions at hand really proved XCOM 2 is very procedurally generated; nothing was the same, so I couldn’t cheese my way through.

While the basics of XCOM 2 are the same as in XCOM: Enemy Unknown or its follow-up, Enemy Within, additions like customisation are in place to help a player regain the advantage. New guerilla training can be used to put rookies through their paces, assigning them into a specialisation you choose. The Ranger specialisation, as an example, then will allow for branching skills. Rather than going down the medical path, I chose the hacking path; where I was once being trashed by robotic enemy guard towers and turrents, I began to use newfound skills to make towers go dark, turn turrets against each other or, at the very least, to send powerful electricity into units to make ‘em blow up. I still ended up failing that mission, but damnit, I did a lot better.

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While the same engine is in use and some assets have been recycled, this sequel looks great and, like Leo said at E3, is fluid and polished. Hell, UI elements crackle and fizzle when you throw grenades, for Chrissake. While I take the excuse with a grain of salt (or, rather, a whole barrel of the stuff), XCOM 2’s look and performance is one of the biggest reasons developer Firaxis says the sequel will only appear on Windows PC. Another main reason for the lack of console support, even in the wake of post-Fallout 4 news, is that Firaxis really wants to support modding this time around; 50GB of assets will be provided to gamers to get creative with in conjunction with the Steam Workshop.

Other changes in the world are evident; the Thin Men are gone, instead revealing their true form as snake-like harbingers of doom. Kill (or rather, shoot) cams get up and close and personal to put you right into the action, watching intently as alien brains go flying… or as you erratically shoot everything but your opponent, even with a promise of 84% accuracy. Good or bad, they’re still as satisfying as ever.

I basically have two options with XCOM 2 when it comes out on 5 February 2016: train up and move slowly and methodically or dumb down difficulty. I think I’ll try the former option first, though I’m never above the latter.

Stevivor was flown to Sydney last week by 2K to preview XCOM 2 and interview Firaxis’ Greg Foertsch.


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.