Info about XCOM® 2:

Official game description:
  
_XCOM 2_ is the sequel to _XCOM: Enemy Unknown_, the 2012 award-winning strategy game of the year.  
Earth has changed. Twenty years have passed since world leaders offered an unconditional surrender to alien forces. _XCOM_, the planet’s last line of defense, was left decimated and scattered. Now, in _XCOM 2_, the aliens rule Earth, building shining cities that promise a brilliant future for humanity on the surface, while concealing a sinister agenda and eliminating all who dissent from their new order.  
Only those who live at the edges of the world have a margin of freedom. Here, a force gathers once again to stand up for humanity. Always on the run, and facing impossible odds, the remnant _XCOM_ forces must find a way to ignite a global resistance, and eliminate the alien threat once and for all.  
*   **XCOM ON THE RUN:** Take command of the Avenger, an alien supply craft converted to XCOM’s mobile headquarters. New open-ended gameplay lets you decide where to guide your strike team, how to grow popular support, and when to combat enemy counter-operations.  
*   **RECRUIT RESISTANCE FIGHTERS:** Five soldier classes, each with its own skill tree, let you create specific soldiers for your tactical plan.  
*   **TACTICAL GUERRILLA COMBAT:** New gameplay systems offer more tactical flexibility in combat. Use concealment to ambush enemy patrols. Loot enemies for precious gear and artifacts. Rescue VIPs and save fallen comrades by carrying them to the extraction point.  
*   **A NEW BREED OF ENEMY:** A diverse cast of enemies from powerful new alien species to the ADVENT, enforcers of the alien regime, offer a distinct tactical challenge.  
*   **RESEARCH, DEVELOP AND UPGRADE:** Configure and build rooms on the Avenger to give XCOM new capabilities on the battlefield. Use your Scientists and Engineers to research, develop and upgrade weapons and armor to fit your preferred tactics.  
*   **EACH MISSION IS A UNIQUE CHALLENGE:** Go on missions around the world, from wildlands to the heart of the alien-controlled megacities, to the depths of alien installations. There are virtually infinite combinations of maps, missions and goals.

Release date: 4 Feb, 2016

Categories: Turn-based Strategy, Tactical Combat, Base Building, Resource Management, Character Progression, Character Customization, Mod Support, Single-player Story


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Exceptional Turn-Based Strategy (weight 1): Players consistently praise the game as a masterpiece and a gold standard in the turn-based strategy genre. It offers deep tactical challenges, strategic depth, and a rewarding gameplay loop that keeps players engaged for hundreds of hours, often being cited as one of the best games ever played.
- Improved Sequel in XCOM Series (weight 0.34): The game is widely regarded as a superior sequel, improving upon its predecessor, XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Within, in nearly every aspect. It refines core mechanics, enhances graphics, expands the narrative, and introduces new elements that elevate the XCOM franchise to new heights.
- Thriving Modding Community (weight 0.31): The game benefits immensely from an active and dedicated modding community, particularly through the Steam Workshop. Mods significantly enhance replayability, add new content, customization options, and even overhaul core gameplay, making the experience virtually endless and often surpassing the vanilla game.
- Deep Soldier Customization & Bonds (weight 0.23): Players highly value the extensive soldier customization options, allowing them to personalize units with unique appearances, names, and backstories. This fosters a strong emotional attachment to their squad, making victories more satisfying and losses more impactful, especially with permadeath.
- Dynamic & Challenging Missions (weight 0.2): Missions are praised for their variety, procedural generation, and dynamic nature, ensuring that no two playthroughs are alike. The constant sense of urgency, timed objectives, and evolving enemies create a challenging yet rewarding experience where every decision feels critical.

Common complaints:
- Excessive Difficulty & Frustration (weight 0.47): Players consistently report the game as excessively difficult, even on lower settings, leading to high frustration. This is attributed to unfair mechanics, overwhelming enemy numbers, and a steep, unbalanced learning curve that punishes minor errors severely.
- Unreliable Hit Chance Mechanics (weight 0.27): A major source of player frustration stems from the game's hit chance system. Players frequently report missing high-percentage shots (e.g., 90-99% accuracy) at point-blank range, while enemies often land low-percentage critical hits, making combat feel unfair and luck-based.
- Repetitive & Rushed Missions (weight 0.23): Many missions are criticized for being repetitive, especially in the late game, with similar objectives and enemy types. The frequent use of strict mission timers forces players to rush, negating tactical planning and leading to a stressful, rather than strategic, experience.
- Tedious Save-Scumming Requirement (weight 0.13): Due to the game's high difficulty, punishing mechanics, and unreliable RNG, players feel compelled to frequently save and reload. This 'save-scumming' becomes a tedious and time-consuming necessity rather than an optional strategy, diminishing enjoyment.
- Persistent Bugs & Performance Issues (weight 0.12): The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including crashes, freezes, animation glitches, and UI problems, which significantly detract from the gameplay experience. These issues, combined with long loading times, contribute to a sense of an unpolished product.
- Poor Enemy AI & Encounter Design (weight 0.08): Players are frustrated by enemy AI that often seems to know player positions even when concealed, leading to unfair ambushes. The 'pod activation' mechanic, where all enemies in a group get a free turn upon discovery, frequently results in squad wipes and undermines tactical planning.
- Inferior to Predecessor (XCOM 1) (weight 0.08): Many players view the game as a downgrade from its predecessor, XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Within. Criticisms include simpler base building, less engaging gameplay, worse art style, and a general feeling that the sequel fails to improve upon or even match the original's quality.
- Unengaging Story & Narrative (weight 0.06): The game's story is widely considered uninteresting, cliché, and lacking depth. Players often skip cutscenes and dialogue due to its poor quality and logical inconsistencies, indicating that the narrative fails to captivate or immerse them.
- DLCs Introduce Balance Issues (weight 0.05): Several DLCs are criticized for introducing unbalanced elements, particularly powerful bosses that can appear too early and overwhelm players. This often leads to frustrating encounters and a feeling that the DLC content is poorly integrated or designed to artificially inflate difficulty.
- Late Game Becomes Too Easy (weight 0.04): While the early game is brutally difficult, many players report that the late game becomes too easy once powerful gear and abilities are acquired. This creates an uneven difficulty curve, where the challenge diminishes significantly, leading to a less engaging experience.

Gameplay feedback:
- Challenging Turn-Based Strategy (weight 0.21): The game offers a highly difficult and punishing turn-based strategy experience with permadeath, complex mechanics, and significant reliance on RNG. Players must engage in careful planning and tactical decision-making to overcome overwhelming odds, leading to high replayability and a steep learning curve.
- Resistance Against Alien Occupation (weight 0.15): The game's narrative places players as the last XCOM commander, leading a resistance movement against an alien occupation. This involves guerrilla warfare, managing a mobile base, contacting resistance cells, and fighting to liberate Earth from alien rule.
- Squad-Based Tactical Combat (weight 0.11): Core gameplay revolves around leading a squad of elite soldiers in turn-based tactical battles against alien forces. Permadeath for soldiers, resource management, and strategic deployment are crucial, with players needing to carefully position units and utilize class abilities.
- Strategic Base Management (weight 0.08): Beyond tactical missions, players manage a mobile base (the Avenger), building facilities, researching new technologies, and crafting equipment. This strategic layer involves resource management and upgrading capabilities to support the resistance effort.
- Deep Soldier Customization & Progression (weight 0.06): Players can extensively customize individual soldiers in appearance, abilities, and equipment. Soldiers gain ranks, unlock branching skill trees, and specialize in different classes, fostering investment in their success and strategic squad composition.
- War of the Chosen Expansion Impact (weight 0.06): The War of the Chosen DLC significantly expands the game, introducing persistent 'Chosen' enemies, new soldier classes, factions, and mission types. It adds considerable depth and replayability, making the game more complex and offering varied difficulty options.
- Ironman Mode for Hardcore Play (weight 0.04): The game features an 'Ironman' mode that disables manual saving and loading, making all decisions and losses permanent. This mode significantly increases difficulty and tension, appealing to players seeking a truly unforgiving experience.
- Concealment & Tactical Ambush Mechanics (weight 0.04): Missions often begin with soldiers in concealment, allowing players to scout, plan ambushes, and utilize stealth. The game emphasizes cover, height advantages, and strategic positioning to gain tactical superiority before engaging enemies.
- Avatar Project Strategic Timer (weight 0.03): A core strategic element is the 'Avatar Project' timer, which progresses over time and leads to a game over if it fills. Players must complete specific missions to counter this alien research, adding a constant sense of urgency and a race against time.
- Long War Mod Enhances Depth (weight 0.03): The 'Long War' mod is highly regarded for extending the game's length and strategic complexity. It introduces new mission types, infiltration mechanics, and deeper resistance management, fundamentally altering the gameplay experience.
- Story is Functional, Not Central (weight 0.02): While the game has an interesting premise of leading a resistance against alien occupiers, the main story is generally considered average or serviceable. Its primary role is to set the stage for the compelling gameplay rather than being a standout feature itself.

Performance notes:
- Mixed Performance & Bugs (weight 0.06): Player experiences with performance and bugs are highly varied. Many report smooth gameplay with few to no issues, even on older hardware, while others encounter frequent frame drops, stuttering, and minor graphical glitches, even on powerful systems. Some suggest that updating drivers can resolve minor bugs.
- Optimization & System Requirements (weight 0.04): The game's optimization is a significant concern for many players, leading to performance issues even on high-end PCs. While some find the system requirements reasonable, others feel they are too high for the game's visual quality. An SSD is considered essential due to long loading times.
- Graphics & Visuals (weight 0.03): Opinions on graphics are generally positive, with many players feeling the visuals have aged well and still look good. Some note that graphics are typical for the game's development year, while others mention glitchy intro cutscenes.
- Long Loading Times (weight 0.02): Many players report excessively long loading times, particularly between missions and on devices like the Steam Deck. This issue persists even when using an SSD, significantly impacting the gameplay flow.
- War of the Chosen Improves Performance (weight 0.01): The 'War of the Chosen' expansion is noted to significantly improve loading times and overall graphics management, leading to a smoother experience for players.
- Game Size & Features (weight 0.01): The game's file size is considered large by some, though others find it manageable. Players also suggest adding modern features like DLSS and frame generation for improved performance.
- Mod-Related Performance Issues (weight 0): One player reported extreme performance issues, including their computer overheating, when running the game with Star Wars mods, indicating potential instability with certain modifications.
- Automatic Saving (weight 0): The game features automatic saving every turn, which is a functional aspect of gameplay.

Recommendations:
- Highly Recommended Strategy Game (weight 0.42): The game is overwhelmingly recommended for fans of turn-based strategy, tactics, and RPGs, often cited as one of the best in its genre. Many players express deep enjoyment and replayability, despite acknowledging its challenges.
- Challenging and Frustrating (weight 0.33): The game is known for its high difficulty, potential for frustration, and reliance on RNG, which can lead to both intense satisfaction and soul-crushing defeats. It's recommended for players who enjoy a significant challenge and emotional rollercoasters.
- Buy on Sale with DLC (weight 0.33): A significant number of players strongly advise purchasing the game, especially the complete collection with all DLCs, during frequent and substantial sales (often 90%+ off). This is seen as the best value for money.
- XCOM Series Comparison (weight 0.1): Many reviews compare the game to its predecessor, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, with some recommending playing the first game for context or even preferring it. However, XCOM 2 is often seen as a worthy successor and a great starting point for new players to the series.
- Enhance with Mods (weight 0.05): Players highly recommend using mods, particularly quality-of-life improvements and the 'Long War' mod, to enhance the gameplay experience, address minor issues, and extend replayability after an initial vanilla playthrough.
- Start on Easier Difficulty (weight 0.05): For newcomers to the genre or the game, it's widely advised to start on easy or normal difficulty to grasp mechanics and atmosphere before attempting harder modes or 'Ironman' challenges.

Other player notes:
- High demand for XCOM 3 (weight 0.1): Players express strong anticipation and desire for a sequel, XCOM 3, often comparing it to previous titles and hoping for specific improvements like updated engines, enhanced soldier customization, and a return to certain mechanics. Many have been fans of the franchise for a long time.
- Extensive player engagement (weight 0.07): Many players have invested hundreds, if not thousands, of hours across multiple platforms, often replaying the game numerous times and completing it on various difficulties. This indicates significant replayability and a dedicated player base.
- Turn-based strategy niche (weight 0.04): The game is a prime example of the turn-based strategy genre, appealing to fans of similar titles like Fire Emblem and Baldur's Gate. While not for everyone, its unique mechanics and alien theme are highly appreciated by its target audience.
- Affordable pricing and sales (weight 0.03): The game and its DLCs are frequently available at significant discounts, making it an accessible purchase for many players. This low price point often includes all major expansions, offering substantial value.
- Story continuation from XCOM 1 (weight 0.02): XCOM 2 directly continues the narrative from XCOM 1, though playing the predecessor isn't strictly necessary for understanding the plot. The story depicts humanity's resistance against an alien-controlled ADVENT government.
- Legacy and age of the series (weight 0.02): The XCOM franchise has a long history, with the original game dating back to 1994. While the current game is several years old, its legacy and influence on the strategy genre are widely acknowledged.
- Desire for genre evolution (weight 0.01): Some players express a desire for more games in this specific turn-based tactical genre, lamenting a perceived lack of innovation or new titles that prioritize consumer satisfaction.
- Original X-COM mechanics noted (weight 0.01): Players recall specific mechanics from the original X-COM, such as physical bullets, voxel-based cover, and active enemies, highlighting differences and perhaps a preference for certain older design choices.
- Memorable 'Avatar Project' quote (weight 0.01): A specific in-game quote about the 'Avatar Project' has become iconic and frequently referenced by players, highlighting a key narrative element and a sense of urgency within the game.
- Vanilla experience for first-timers (weight 0.01): It is generally recommended that new players experience the vanilla game first before delving into DLCs or mods, to understand the core mechanics and story as originally intended.
- New EULA concerns (weight 0.01): A new End User License Agreement (EULA) introduced in February 2025 has caused some concern, particularly regarding multiplayer access for those who opt out, indicating potential issues with user rights and online features.
- Limited multiplayer campaign (weight 0.01): While some players enjoy shared campaigns, there's a desire for a more integrated multiplayer component within the main campaign, suggesting a potential area for future development or community interest.
- Decent graphics and PC requirements (weight 0.01): The game's graphics are considered decent, though not groundbreaking, and its PC requirements are reasonable. This makes it accessible to a wider range of hardware configurations.
- Overall positive development (weight 0.01): The game is seen as having interesting overall development and continues to attract players through updates and additional content, indicating ongoing support and engagement.
- Confronting dangerous aliens (weight 0.01): The game features challenging encounters with dangerous and resilient alien adversaries, simulating a difficult resistance against a superior alien civilization.
- Suitable for teens and adults (weight 0.01): The game's content and themes are appropriate for a mature audience, specifically teens and adults, indicating its target demographic.
- Comparison to Girls' Frontline 2 (weight 0.01): Some players compare the game to 'Girls' Frontline 2,' with one reviewer stating that playing XCOM 2 made them unable to enjoy the other game, suggesting XCOM 2 offers a superior experience in a similar vein.
- Language setting issues (weight 0.01): Some users encountered difficulties changing the game's language, specifically to Chinese, requiring manual adjustments in launch options. This indicates a minor usability issue for non-English speakers.
- Comparison to Baldur's Gate 3 UX (weight 0.01): A reviewer compares the game's user experience to Baldur's Gate 3, noting that BG3 offers more detailed information on items, units, and attack/move previews, suggesting areas for potential UX improvement in XCOM.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.3): Players feel satisfied by the game's excellent tactical and strategic gameplay, often highlighted by its depth, challenge, and replayability. The robust modding community, character customization, and the value offered by DLCs significantly enhance this enjoyment, leading to a sense of accomplishment and a high perception of the game's overall quality and enduring appeal.
- Frustration (weight 0.18): Frustration primarily stems from the game's perceived unfairness, particularly the unreliable RNG (Random Number Generator) for hit chances, leading to missed high-percentage shots and devastating soldier losses. Technical issues like frequent crashes, bugs, and long loading times also contribute significantly, alongside challenging mission timers and overpowered enemies, creating a sense of helplessness and unfair difficulty.
- Excitement (weight 0.1): Excitement is driven by the game's engaging and addictive tactical gameplay, offering a unique challenge and emergent narratives. The War of the Chosen DLC and the extensive modding community are frequently cited for enhancing the experience, providing new content, and increasing replayability, leading to a thrill of tactical victories and anticipation for future content.
- Disappointment (weight 0.08): Disappointment arises from the game's perceived flaws, including persistent bugs, balance issues, and a lack of innovation compared to its predecessor. Players also express dissatisfaction with the uncaptivating plot, repetitive missions, and the game's overall inability to meet expectations or hold interest, often leading to abandonment or regret over the purchase.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.07): Players experience enjoyment from the game's fun and challenging gameplay, particularly its turn-based combat and strategic depth. The ability to customize characters and the availability of numerous mods further enhance the fun, allowing players to immerse themselves in the game despite its inherent difficulties and frustrations.
- Admiration (weight 0.03): Admiration is expressed for the game's status as a masterpiece and a gold standard in the turn-based tactical strategy genre. Players praise its enduring quality, tactical depth, and the significant contributions of the modding community, often considering it one of the best games of all time and a benchmark for its genre.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger is primarily directed at the game's perceived unfairness, especially the 'broken' RNG for hit chances that leads to illogical misses and undeserved soldier deaths. Frustrating game design choices, such as overpowered enemies and game-breaking bugs, also provoke anger, leading to a strong sense of injustice and dissatisfaction with the overall experience.
- Joy (weight 0.02): Joy is derived from the game's extremely fun and addictive turn-based combat, often enhanced by mods that provide hundreds of hours of entertainment. Players find joy in the strategic process, the satisfaction of killing aliens, and the overall engaging experience, even embracing the game's challenging difficulty.
- Engagement (weight 0.02): Engagement stems from the game's addictive and captivating nature, drawing players in with its tense, tactical turn-based combat and immersive atmosphere. The emotional investment in soldiers, the dynamic generation of maps, and the constant need for strategic thinking keep players hooked, leading to many hours spent in the game.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance is caused by various quality-of-life issues and design choices, such as the automatic camera zoom, constant notifications, and slow enemy turns. Bugs, repetitive dialogue, and the pressure from mission timers also contribute to a sense of irritation, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the game is expressed through deep enjoyment and engagement with its challenging nature, replayability, and brilliant design. Players develop strong emotional bonds with their squads and appreciate the game's ability to provide a compelling and rewarding experience, often considering it a long-time favorite in the XCOM series.
- Challenge (weight 0.01): The game's high difficulty and steep learning curve are the primary causes of this emotion, with players frequently noting how punishing and unforgiving the early game can be. The constant need for strategic thinking, risk assessment, and the brutal consequences of soldier loss contribute to a demanding yet often rewarding experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation is shown for the game's modding community, which significantly extends its longevity and variety. Players also value the game's depth, challenging design, and the overall improvements made over its predecessor, recognizing the development effort and the well-balanced difficulty that enhances the strategic experience.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): Addiction is driven by the game's engaging and rewarding gameplay loop, which compels players to continue playing for extended periods. The strategic possibilities, soldier progression, and the compelling nature of the XCOM franchise create a 'just one more mission' syndrome, making it difficult for players to put the game down.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement often arises from the game's 'cruelty' and unpredictable outcomes, particularly the absurdity of missing high-percentage shots, which players sometimes describe humorously. Emergent narratives, minor visual bugs, and the challenging nature of the game also contribute to a sense of lightheartedness despite the underlying difficulty.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion stems from unclear game mechanics, such as the logic behind hit rates and the base system, which lack sufficient explanation. Players also express confusion over design choices, like enemy spawns changing based on playstyle, and initial struggles to understand the game's systems, leading to a sense of bewilderment.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.01): Nostalgia is triggered by fond memories of older X-COM titles, with players often comparing the game to childhood favorites like X-COM: UFO Defense. This connection to past experiences creates a sense of warmth and familiarity, making the game a cherished revisit or a continuation of a beloved series.
- Stress (weight 0.01): Stress is caused by the game's constant pressure, including mission timers, frequent notifications, and the increasing difficulty. The potential for permanent soldier losses, the need for save-scumming, and the unpredictable outcomes of combat due to probability contribute to a high-stakes and anxiety-inducing experience.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope is primarily focused on the prospect of a future XCOM 3, with players expressing a strong desire for a sequel to continue the series. This anticipation reflects a positive outlook on the franchise's potential and a wish for future installments to maintain or surpass the quality of the current game.
- Attachment (weight 0.01): Attachment develops through the emotional investment in customized soldiers, who grow and gain unique personalities over time. The permadeath mechanic intensifies this bond, making the loss of a beloved operative a significant emotional event and fostering a deep connection to the squad members.}