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2 March 2016 - 19 May 2016
It turns out the last game (XCOM: Enemy Within) was all just a simulation. The real fight against the alien menace begins now, as a resistance movement against an established occupation. But it's worse than that: the aliens have a sinister plan, and a larger element moves in the shadows...
It's amazing how much last impressions can taint how I view the game.
Let's not mince words: the last mission is poorly designed. There are an infinite number of enemies, but they'll only come 'round the corner if they're visible. That means you have two choices: make your stand in the last room and get swarmed, or stand outside in a great ambush location but wait an intolerably long time for the bad guys to come to you.
If not for that last mission, the rest of the game is an improvement over the formula Firaxis used for their previous installment. Solid enemy design, good plot pacing, and the time limit on the missions makes logical sense and keeps you pushing forward towards a clearly defined goal. Each loss of a soldier hurts, but is not too punishing.
The weapon designs are pretty, the customizations can get downright silly (especially with the Anarchy DLC), and the sound design will make you fear every hit or relish every clear shot. There's actually a little bit too much joy in the visuals, as there's quite a lot of pausing and automatic re-centering of the camera so you can (theoretically) see what's going on.
I played on the "Normal" setting, which is far more forgiving and doesn't give the aliens too much of an upper hand. They're still devastating if you let them use their powers, but any situation is completely doable with a good team and a semi-decent strategy.
That last mission, though: the final operation in Enemy Within was basically the same as any other in the game, albiet with higher stakes and with an enemy type you'd never seen before. In this sequel, that appears to be true, but then they throw in infinitely-respawning waves of enemies. And not just Advent troopers, though that would be bad enough; actual, hard-hitting aliens.
If I could redesign it, I would have the Avatars (yes, there's more than one, even if you never let the project reach fruition) spread out through the final base. Let you encounter one straight out of the gate with its escort, then realize that there are two more. So then you have to fight through the base to locate them. Even if all you do is up the number of enemies in the mission - which would make sense, as this is their base, and it's enormous - it would be a challenge, and use the lessons the game taught you about strategy and moving foward towards an objective.
There's another point there about the ticking clock: throughout the game, you're constantly fighting the progress of the Avatar project. But we never actually find out what it is. It's clearly not the development of actual, flesh-and-blood-and-psychic Avatars, because they have at least four of those ready to go at a moment's notice. So then why is the destruction of those Avatars the end game? What, actually, is the Avatar project? Why would its success entail the end of all life as we know it? What is the larger force the aliens are fighting against? So many questions, so few answers.
Worth playing once. Before I played the last mission, I was contemplating another playthrough. But it will take a while before I'm willing to tackle the game again, knowing what awaits at the end.