XCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWN

FROM THE MAKERS OF CIVILIZATION, COMES A GAME ABOUT CIVILIZATION'S 

LAST STAND

 

You are our last hope, as the commander of an elite paramilitary organization known as XCOM, you control Earth's defenses against a terrifying alien invasion.

I think most people have heard at one point or another in there life time, about the "UFO" crash in Roswell New Mexico in 1947. Well if you have... This may be what's really going on.

An ultra top secret program to defend the planet from alien invasion, consisting of a council of nations to operate and conceal from the public the existence of the XCOM project, it's technologies, missions and the existence of the threat that looms over our very skies.

Recovery of alien artifacts is paramount to the success of the XCOM operation, and backwards engineering of recovered technologies to advance humanity's chances of surviving a rising wave of terror, from the dark, coldness of space.

Choice will be the most potent weapon you can use against insurmountable odds from a smarter, more powerful and unrelenting enemy. You'll have to create items in your manufacturing lines that are hot off the research labs press. From advanced body armor, to more advanced weapons to take the fight to the enemy, such as; hyper advanced aircraft, heavy armor for your troops in the field and advanced laser weaponry.

Careful management of your monthly income from the council of nations is needed, as the more money you receive each month, will impact your ability to fight the enemy and whether or not you will be fit for command. This is judged by your successes and failures. Be warned, nations can and do leave the XCOM project, and no longer fund your resistance effort if you neglect them.

Your base is subterranean, and to expand to accommodate more facilities, you need to build down. This takes time, money and costs maintenance every month. Basically, the further down you tunnel, the more it costs. As you progress through the battle, you will be able to hire new units, able to deploy from your arsenal at any given time. Some units will be wounded and whilst they are in recovery, it's best to obtain some experience for the newbies, in the event of the death of one or more top level soldiers. It wont hurt the war effort as much in this event.
 

 

Obviously, this is not ideal, as it leaves you vulnerable financially. The best and easiest way to combat this, is to get as many satellites above each region as possible, because if you loose one nation in that region, the bonus from that region goes with it. Unless your base is in that region.

The enemies could be considered as a near copy of the grey aliens people are said to have encountered, they appear in the game as the Sectoid and the Muton. The Sectoid is the front line soldier of the invasion force. They are relativity smart, and can out-flank you if you don't cover your sectors properly. The Muton however, is typically as dumb as a flaming paper bag full of dog crap on your doorstep, but is tough, and will take out your entire squad unless you rain a hailstorm of lead down upon the raging behemoth. As your weapons and attachments progress to higher levels, it will become easier to kill these mountains of flesh. However, I always prioritise this particular enemy upon contact. A combination of flanking and suppression maneuvers will aid you in defeating them.

Autopsies and interrogations also play a pivotal role, as very valuable intel can be learned this way. These are performed as a part of the research branch of your facility.

  
The turn base strategy, gives you time to calculate the best path of action to take to kill the enemy with as little damage to the alien craft or technology possible. Overwatch will always slow down the advance of your squad, but wont put them at undue risk. Being able to react to the enemies movement by opening fire upon them, or reactive shots, is a massive advantage to your forces. But beware, the enemy can employ the same tactics against you.

There will be ways of making money on the side on the "Grey Market", selling excessive stocked items like dead Sectoid corpses, weapon fragments and navigation computers, just to name a few resources. 

Graphics are what is expected from a famed developer such as FIRAXIS and 2K Games. Flawless, whilst functional, it leaves an impression on you, wanting just one more turn without fail every time. Gameplay is easy to grasp, you will be picking up expert battle tactics in no time. 

This game is very addictive and will provide almost endless entertainment, as the enemies spawn randomly each time. Their tactics vary, and if you're not careful, your men will die and the fate of the Earth will be sealed forever. Now is the time to stand together and unite against a common foe, for united we stand... Divided we will fall. Rise up and fight to your last breath Commander, this may be the last fight of our civilization. 

I Rate This Game 9.5 / 10

Remember, Commander We Will Be Watching

All Images and video Courtesy of FIRAXIS and 2K Games all rights reserved