XCOM 2 follows it's predecessor in many ways. Too many ways, in my opinion. The best upgrade in the game is the Strategic Map and Base Building aspects. There are always many choices to make and you can agonize over picking the correct one for what you intend to do on harder difficulties. The enemy abilities and AI are much expanded from previous games, and the concealment factor is a fun new improvement. Setting up ambushes are a great deal of fun.

What detracts from this game is that they played it safe. I expected a game that had you scrounging for equipment and resources in true guerilla style warfare, but in the end you just follow the first XCOM reboot's system of research and facility building. In the tactical combat, the same old 'find a pack of enemies and dispatch them' is the exact same as the first in just about every mission. It's rare to get ambushed yourself unless you are playing poorly, and objectives are rather easy to complete with a skilled hacker. In the first XCOM games there were solo enemies hiding, groups of enemies, and you never knew what to expect on any given map. This is not the case in XCOM2.

I hope that in a future expansion, the RPG inventory system where you can create your own style of class through gearing up your squad makes a return, and isn't completely overwhelmed by the skill trees. Want to make a ranger? Find a soldier with high mobility and give them a sword and shotgun. Want a heavy soldier? Give him heavy armor and a much greater assortment of weapons with their own pros and cons rather than the new tradition of '2 upgrades of the same weapon that hit harder and look slightly different'.

This is definitely a dumbed down/streamlined version of XCOM and while it's incredibly fun, it's very little short of 'babies first tactical squad game'. It's the Civilization: Revolutions of the Civiliation games.

More ability to customize characters beyond straight upgrades would be a great deal of fun. Classes and skills can be kept in, but not as the pinnacle of tactical choice. If you combine weaker skills with a great deal of inventory management you will have a deeper system with much more ways to make each soldier different and memorable.

When compared to the XCOM reboot, this is a straight upgrade. When compared to XCOM reboot + Long War, this is a game that needs another Long War mod in order to get this game into excellent status. If you don't want to add a true inventory system, at least give us more classes to play as. Playable MEC's in XCOM: Enemy Within was a step in the right direction if you think sales will take a drastic hit if you make this game more complex. Long War would bring this game to excellent status.

Each new game of XCOM2 feels exactly the same as a previous game. So what if some maps are randomized? Cover is always available and there is very little reason not to build 'optimal' builds for your classes, rather than interesting new builds by using inventory to modify and specialize a soldier.

When compared to old XCOM: 5/10. When compared to new XCOM: 8/10. This is not the game I expected it to be.

It is recommended as an entry point into tactical strategy games.

XCOM 2 follows it's predecessor in many ways. Too many ways, in my opinion. The best upgrade in the game is the Strategic Map and Base Building aspects. There are always many choices to make and you can agonize over picking the correct one for what you intend to do on harder difficulties. The enemy abilities and AI are much expanded from previous games, and the concealment factor is a fun new improvement. Setting up ambushes are a great deal of fun. What detracts from this game is that they played it safe. I expected a game that had you scrounging for equipment and resources in true guerilla style warfare, but in the end you just follow the first XCOM reboot's system of research and facility building. In the tactical combat, the same old 'find a pack of enemies and dispatch them' is the exact same as the first in just about every mission. It's rare to get ambushed yourself unless you are playing poorly, and objectives are rather easy to complete with a skilled hacker. In the first XCOM games there were solo enemies hiding, groups of enemies, and you never knew what to expect on any given map. This is not the case in XCOM2. I hope that in a future expansion, the RPG inventory system where you can create your own style of class through gearing up your squad makes a return, and isn't completely overwhelmed by the skill trees. Want to make a ranger? Find a soldier with high mobility and give them a sword and shotgun. Want a heavy soldier? Give him heavy armor and a much greater assortment of weapons with their own pros and cons rather than the new tradition of '2 upgrades of the same weapon that hit harder and look slightly different'. This is definitely a dumbed down/streamlined version of XCOM and while it's incredibly fun, it's very little short of 'babies first tactical squad game'. It's the Civilization: Revolutions of the Civiliation games. More ability to customize characters beyond straight upgrades would be a great deal of fun. Classes and skills can be kept in, but not as the pinnacle of tactical choice. If you combine weaker skills with a great deal of inventory management you will have a deeper system with much more ways to make each soldier different and memorable. When compared to the XCOM reboot, this is a straight upgrade. When compared to XCOM reboot + Long War, this is a game that needs another Long War mod in order to get this game into excellent status. If you don't want to add a true inventory system, at least give us more classes to play as. Playable MEC's in XCOM: Enemy Within was a step in the right direction if you think sales will take a drastic hit if you make this game more complex. Long War would bring this game to excellent status. Each new game of XCOM2 feels exactly the same as a previous game. So what if some maps are randomized? Cover is always available and there is very little reason not to build 'optimal' builds for your classes, rather than interesting new builds by using inventory to modify and specialize a soldier. When compared to old XCOM: 5/10. When compared to new XCOM: 8/10. This is not the game I expected it to be. It is recommended as an entry point into tactical strategy games.