Re: XCOM 2 (PC/PS4/XB1)
Eurogamer: War of the Chosen review - Recommended
RPS: Wot I Think – XCOM 2: War Of The Chosen
Eurogamer: War of the Chosen review - Recommended
You do need to be reasonably careful about investing too heavily into just a single squad of soldiers, however, as War of the Chosen also introduces a new mechanic called Fatigue. You'll likely want to take your new hero classes with you on every mission, but instead you'll be encouraged to give them a break after every few missions as they grow tired. Taking fatigued soldiers out on missions isn't prohibited and sometimes you'll probably have to just that, but it does mean they'll be more susceptible to panic and can also pick up negative traits that will stay with them until you build an Infirmary. These negative traits are never game-breaking, but can be fairly inconvenient. A soldier may grow obsessed with having their weapon fully loaded at all times or become particularly worried about fighting Sectoids (which is entirely understandable).
Outside of the missions themselves, you'll also be encouraged to send soldiers out on Covert Ops on the strategy layer. This usually has you sending between 2-3 soldiers out on a mission outside of your control, to gain resources, improve relationships with one of the factions, or locate the hiding place of one of the Chosen. There's always a risk that these soldiers will run into trouble and pick up injuries, or even fight off an enemy ambush (at this stage you'll need to step in and take control). And this has two quite interesting effects on your campaign, I think. Soldiers can gain experience while out on Covert Ops, which offers another way to ensure lower ranked operative are getting into shape. Which is useful, because alongside the fatigue system, relying on Covert Ops means that you won't always have access to the soldiers you want to use. More than ever, War of the Chosen encourages XCOM 2 players to manage a larger roster of troops, rather than a single squad.
Outside of the missions themselves, you'll also be encouraged to send soldiers out on Covert Ops on the strategy layer. This usually has you sending between 2-3 soldiers out on a mission outside of your control, to gain resources, improve relationships with one of the factions, or locate the hiding place of one of the Chosen. There's always a risk that these soldiers will run into trouble and pick up injuries, or even fight off an enemy ambush (at this stage you'll need to step in and take control). And this has two quite interesting effects on your campaign, I think. Soldiers can gain experience while out on Covert Ops, which offers another way to ensure lower ranked operative are getting into shape. Which is useful, because alongside the fatigue system, relying on Covert Ops means that you won't always have access to the soldiers you want to use. More than ever, War of the Chosen encourages XCOM 2 players to manage a larger roster of troops, rather than a single squad.
War of the Chosen proves once again that Firaxis really know how to handle an expansion. There's just so many new systems being introduced here, that it's hard not to be impressed that they didn't hold onto all of this stuff for an inevitable sequel. Don't let the first mission fool you, this is a wildly different beast to the core XCOM 2 experience. So much so, that I really wouldn't advise playing War of the Chosen without having already completed the original game - I think you'd find it too overwhelming, too busy. However, if you have defeated the Avatar Project before now, there's now a fantastic reason to do it once again.
If you enjoyed what Enemy Within added to the previous title, you're in for a treat. War of the Chosen makes the last game's expansion seem meager by comparison. And I bloody loved Enemy Within.
If you enjoyed what Enemy Within added to the previous title, you're in for a treat. War of the Chosen makes the last game's expansion seem meager by comparison. And I bloody loved Enemy Within.
RPS: Wot I Think – XCOM 2: War Of The Chosen
Where once XCOM’s arms race had specific weapon/armour tech requirements needed to reach or survive certain elements, now it’s a freeform dash in multiple directions, to the point that each and every soldier on your roster is materially different in ability to all the others. A Ranger is not a ranger, no two snipers are quite the same and, again, there are all these skills and items I’ve not even had the chance to research or use. I didn’t unlock plasma rifles until 26 hours into the campaign, because I was already able to tackle high-level foes with a combination of new and complementary soldier skills and special weapons unlocked by defeating the Chosen bosses and new research upgrades.
In my next campaign, I’ll probably fold in a few psychics and SPARK mechs or equip everyone with weird and wonderful stuff built in the Proving Grounds. Where once my XCOM 2 squads always ended up taking roughly the same shape, next time they’ll be dramatically different to the guys I’m fielding now.
I’ve got guys who drag enemies towards them with grappling hooks, I’ve got snipers who live in perpetual stealth, I’ve got a new class of warrior/psychic hybrids who dance around the map with psionic blades and can swap places with friends or foes, I’ve got swordsmen who cannot miss, I’ve got medics with rifles that never seem to run out of ammo, I’ve got people who can make cars explode remotely, I’ve got weapons with more upgrade slots than I could possibly fill, I’ve got, basically, the Power Rangers. (No robo-animal vehicles yet, admittedly, but it feels like just a matter of time at this point).
Coupled with additions from the previous DLC and the now further-expanded tech offerings from the Proving Ground room in the base, the range of loadout options is vast, and that means we’re long past the point where a soldier was just a class.
In my next campaign, I’ll probably fold in a few psychics and SPARK mechs or equip everyone with weird and wonderful stuff built in the Proving Grounds. Where once my XCOM 2 squads always ended up taking roughly the same shape, next time they’ll be dramatically different to the guys I’m fielding now.
I’ve got guys who drag enemies towards them with grappling hooks, I’ve got snipers who live in perpetual stealth, I’ve got a new class of warrior/psychic hybrids who dance around the map with psionic blades and can swap places with friends or foes, I’ve got swordsmen who cannot miss, I’ve got medics with rifles that never seem to run out of ammo, I’ve got people who can make cars explode remotely, I’ve got weapons with more upgrade slots than I could possibly fill, I’ve got, basically, the Power Rangers. (No robo-animal vehicles yet, admittedly, but it feels like just a matter of time at this point).
Coupled with additions from the previous DLC and the now further-expanded tech offerings from the Proving Ground room in the base, the range of loadout options is vast, and that means we’re long past the point where a soldier was just a class.
This is XCOM writ so damn large, so wide and wild and all-consuming, that it gets the same intractable hooks into me that XCOM games always have while also taking me to new places, occupying even more parts of my obsessive brain. It’s true that it’s this ridiculous carnival of ideas and not necessarily complementary themes, and that it would have been better to have a root and branch rethink of the strategy map rather than make it a frenzy of nagging, but despite – maybe even because – of all that, this is the first time that an XCOM or X-COM game can be truly described as an epic.
Where XCOM 2’s campaign could feel like the drawn-out prelude to the foregone conclusion of the climactic fight, this feels like, if you’ll excuse the term, a long war.
Where XCOM 2’s campaign could feel like the drawn-out prelude to the foregone conclusion of the climactic fight, this feels like, if you’ll excuse the term, a long war.
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