XCOM® 2: Initial Encounter

I've spent three weeks trying to determine what to write about XCOM® 2 (and yes, that's actually the official name).

My difficulties were solved when my save files disappear ad, fifteen hours into a campaign. Presumably extraterrestrials infiltrated my computer and deleted the files to sabotage any resistance. At that moment, I realized I didn't want to play it again. I wanted to continue Xenonauts. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Let's start at the beginning. A few years back I defeated the Alien invasion in, XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) on Normal, so when I heard that the Aliens won, I determined to oust them from Earth. While XCOM: EU described its difficulties as Easy, Normal, Classic, and Impossible, XCOM® 2 renamed them Rookie, Veteran, Commander, Legend. I chose Veteran, and for an additional challenge, I activated the Ironman option (can't save scum), figuring I'd save humanity on the first attempt. Three abandoned campaigns and thirteen hours later, I admitted the truth to myself: XCOM® 2 is unfair on Veteran difficulty (or at least substantially more difficult than the 2012 release). I later went on to record fifteen hours in a Rookie campaign, before the ill-fated, alien instituted, data-wipe. Twenty-eight hours in total, and the following is my conclusion:

The remakes of the original series (also confusingly called UFO: Enemy Unknown or X-COM: UFO Defense) re-imagined themselves by attempting an innovation around combat. Unfortunately, the concept the developer chose as their core is the source of XCOM's difficulties. The remakes distinguished themselves from the original XCOM (1994) series and the true remake Xenonauts (2014), by drastically altering how soldiers develop and function. Because of this change, the 2012 and 2016 games suffer from too much value concentrated in a single solider and mission. Soldier become stronger as they inflict casualties and complete missions. They “level up”, acquiring unique, game-changing abilities in the process: transformational, singular superpowers. Nothing as simple (and boring) as additional health or a slightly better aim percentage. Heroes can learn to shoot multiple times in a turn or avoid enemy attacks. Advanced heroes become over-sized assets: too valuable to lose and to valuable to risk, because the loss of even a Corporal will ensure the loss of future missions. The difficulty increases swiftly, new foes are introduced every second or third mission, and any setback in Corp advancement will prevent future success.

In truth, it would be more correct to call XCOM® 2's soldiers what they really are: superheros. Each level of advancement expands their power exponentially, and the loss of any one is a terrible burden for those who remain. XCOM® 2's mistake is compounded by another. Both the remake and the sequel allow the player to field four heroes at the beginning, and six by game's end. XCOM markets itself as a tactical sim, but one can't believe this claim based on game-play. No tactical depth can be achieved by four super-soldiers. Contrast this limitation to the faithful remake, Xenonauts, which allows the player to deliver eight soldiers into battle on the first mission, and twelve on the last. When the aliens invade a base, the commander is able to deploy the entire contingent, a couple dozen. Even when the Aliens shoot down your super, flying, mobile base in XCOM® 2, only nine soldiers can enter the field. The others sit on-board, twiddling their thumbs until a comrade dies and they can replace them.

At this point, I've discarded any attempt to defend XCOM® 2: No Subtitle, in favor of Xenonauts. Of the three options to to new players, searching for a semi-realistic, tactical and strategic battle against a persistent extraterrestrial foe, Xenonauts is the only choice. While not as flashy as the 2K remake, it largely reconstructs the original but with some innovations. I've tried X-COM: UFO Defense, and my assessment, and reason why I didn't play more than two hours, is the date interface.

But unlike XCOM® 2: Restricted, Xenonauts and UFO Defense deliver a challenging experience. Instead of abilities, soldiers have attributes (Action Points, Health, Bravery, Reaction, Accuracy, Strength) which vary significantly from rookie to rookie, and allow the player to determine how to use them best. There are no classes, and players can experiment with different equipment setups for the best result. Soldiers improve slightly as they succeed in their missions. The highest ranked, experienced soldiers are the best, but they're only soldiers. If the commander is foolish enough to risk a General or Marshall on a desperate action, the soldier is as likely to die as any other. And while their death will set back the resistance, the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit has a diverse pool of candidates, nearly one hundred strong, to draw a replacement from. Xenonauts has a true strategic element grafted to its tactical battlefields, unlike XCOM® 2 which forces the player to stare at a glowing globe searching for missions, but limiting them to only a two or three locations of action.

When the 2012 remake was released fans of the original asked the question: what happened to my game? This is my thought:

It's clear 2K and Firaxis decided on one thing: soldiers needed to feel unique. They needed to be characters, around which the player could tell a story. Both the 2012 and the 2016 offered a myriad of customization options including renaming, nicknames, armor color, and accessories. Soldiers needed unique abilities. And since extraterrestrials couldn't be weaker than mere humans, the power level spiraled higher and higher until even Vegeta's scouter couldn't keep track. At this point the developers must have realized they couldn't balance a game with eight, or twelve super-soldiers. Too much power, too much uncertainty. Instead, the developers chose to reduce the number of heroes available for each mission. Thereby increasing their value, and the penalty for any losses. And while 2012 was a difficult challenge, the developers recognized the need to control the chaos of superheros and villains fighting for global supremacy. But 2016 invests the Extraterrestrials with an increased number of soldiers, and an expansive range of abilities, of many deadly varieties, it can't help but be too variable, especially in the beginning where the loss of a soldier or a mission is devastating.

Before I lost my save file, I XCOM® 2 played for twenty-eight hours over three weeks. XCOM® 2, in spite of what I've written above is a good game, and half of my frustration is from the difficulty of Veteran, and because I lost a fifteen hour campaign. I have no intention of returning to it. And if I had to pick between two I'd choose XCOM 2012 over XCOM 2016.

But I'd rather be playing Xenonauts!