XCOM 2 Impressions
I definitely have some mixed feelings about XCOM 2 (and similar games in general). Technically, it's good. C'mon, it's a major title, there's not much doubt about that these days. But, it's all about the details.
In general, I like the tactical game. The RNG element is the stuff stories are made of - awesome, terrible, or just wild. That alone can be incredibly uplifting or frustrating in itself. But, I can accept it, as it's at the core of the game. The things that bug me are 1) an element I'll come back to in a minute as it affects the entire game and 2) it's really easy to mis-click and completely blow an action, turn, or even a mission. I also wish the timed missions has maybe one or two more turns, which would make a huge difference in some of the examples I've seen so far. But the system works well and is engaging. To my mind, I find it fun to plot out and execute moves. I particularly like being able to start out missions in concealment most of the time.
The strategic side, I find stressful. I like building a base and developing technology, but the looming timers on everything are stressful in a way that is effective for mood, but I find decidedly unpleasant. Getting interrupted by an emergency mission feels huge. Actually getting through a project without interruption, on the other hand, feels lackluster by comparison.
But the big... down side (?) to the game is it has an inherent learning curve that radically changes the game. On your first playthrough, as I am, you're pretty much stuck figuring everything out yourself. A new alien on the battlefield is a totally unknown set of abilities. A new ability on your side may be very unclear in effect until you actually put it to use. An available weapon upgrade will increase firepower, but you don't really know by how much until you spend the resources to make it. Expansion to base or territories will hit roadblocks you didn't know existed because the game only tells you once you're there. There's very little detail in descriptions of anything - certainly not to the level that matters when put into use. There's some "realism" to this approach, but it inherently means your first time doing anything will be harder because you don't know how to plan accordingly. And for a game that sort of encourages replay, that means the game itself changes greatly based on experience of the player. You can suffer defeat due to poor skills, poor luck, or just plain being clueless because there's no possible way you would have known things behave this way. That's kind of rough.
In general, I like the tactical game. The RNG element is the stuff stories are made of - awesome, terrible, or just wild. That alone can be incredibly uplifting or frustrating in itself. But, I can accept it, as it's at the core of the game. The things that bug me are 1) an element I'll come back to in a minute as it affects the entire game and 2) it's really easy to mis-click and completely blow an action, turn, or even a mission. I also wish the timed missions has maybe one or two more turns, which would make a huge difference in some of the examples I've seen so far. But the system works well and is engaging. To my mind, I find it fun to plot out and execute moves. I particularly like being able to start out missions in concealment most of the time.
The strategic side, I find stressful. I like building a base and developing technology, but the looming timers on everything are stressful in a way that is effective for mood, but I find decidedly unpleasant. Getting interrupted by an emergency mission feels huge. Actually getting through a project without interruption, on the other hand, feels lackluster by comparison.
But the big... down side (?) to the game is it has an inherent learning curve that radically changes the game. On your first playthrough, as I am, you're pretty much stuck figuring everything out yourself. A new alien on the battlefield is a totally unknown set of abilities. A new ability on your side may be very unclear in effect until you actually put it to use. An available weapon upgrade will increase firepower, but you don't really know by how much until you spend the resources to make it. Expansion to base or territories will hit roadblocks you didn't know existed because the game only tells you once you're there. There's very little detail in descriptions of anything - certainly not to the level that matters when put into use. There's some "realism" to this approach, but it inherently means your first time doing anything will be harder because you don't know how to plan accordingly. And for a game that sort of encourages replay, that means the game itself changes greatly based on experience of the player. You can suffer defeat due to poor skills, poor luck, or just plain being clueless because there's no possible way you would have known things behave this way. That's kind of rough.
Comments
Post a Comment