Based on the classic turn-based strategy game released by Microprose all the way back in 1994, XCOM 2 is a sequel to the 2012 reboot of the series, XCOM: Enemy Unknown. The game largely continues the strategy gameplay of the first title while adding new elements to reflect the XCOM military force’s demoted status after losing to the alien invasion.
How to Download XCOM 2
You can download the game from Steam alongside with its expansion War of the Chosen and the DLC Shen’s Last Gift. You can play the game on personal computers with Windows, Linux or macOS onboard as well as on the consoles: PS4 and Xbox One.
The Game Review
For those of you that may not remember the original series, XCOM back in 1994 was an alien invasion game that came to market during the height of the television sensation, The X-Files, and largely capitalized on the public’s fascination at that time with alien abductions and mysterious little grey men. The original game’s story revolved around the nations of the world teaming together to form XCOM, a defense force against unidentified flying objects, that would also be tasked with discovering more about the alien visitors, their technology, and their ultimate purpose here on Earth.
Following a narrative set 20 years after the conclusion of the first game, XCOM 2 switches the modus operandi for the main XCOM organization from protective military force to that of a resistance organization. Because of this, there are different, new options available to the player in terms of tactics and units that reflect this guerilla warfare bend in the new game. The aliens, for their part, are now the conquerors of Earth and are an omnipresent force but one that is in a different, and somewhat more vulnerable, position than it was in the first game.
XCOM 2 prides itself on a blend of hardcore strategy and accessibility. The first game, while more accessible than the original series upon which it is based – a game that was notoriously hard even by early PC gaming standards – was still somewhat impenetrable for newcomers to turn-based strategy games. You issue commands to soldiers in the field as well as manage resources and research back at base. As in the first game, the soldiers fighting for XCOM have an amazing range of customization options from equipment loadouts to specific personality types.
Graphics are an admixture of realistic and science fiction comic book. Employing all of the tropes commonly associated with alien invasions, XCOM 2 keeps the theme fresh by positing humans in a subordinate position to their alien invaders. Of course, in terms of design and weaponry, the divide between humans and aliens is quite large at the onset but you narrow this technology gap through research and development.
An expansion for XCOM 2, War of the Chosen, was released in August of 2017. In addition to new enemies, the expansion introduces three rebel factions that grant the player specific benefits when in an alliance.
Building upon the successes of its forebear without isolating its returning players, XCOM 2 is a natural progression of both the series’ lore and gameplay. On the same token, the changes allow for newcomers to start fresh with XCOM 2. The game does not require, either for narrative purposes or to grasp gameplay concepts, players to have played through the first game.
