XCOM 2: War of the Chosen - Now talking about the new WOTC Long War Mod

[coopasonic]

I kind of see what Blackhawk is talking about and I have probably reinforced it in my criticism of other people's comments on the game. When I play the game, if the enemy takes a shot, I consider it a failure. I think the tactics are still solid and make sense, but with qualifications. There are some enemies that demand specific and immediate responses if you value your soldiers lives. There also are reasons not to wait for the enemy to walk into your fire. You want to control the engagement which changes the tactical choices you make. I think some of this can be explained by the fact that, where XCOM is a game about defense, XCOM2 is much more about offense and guerilla combat. There is more time pressure because reinforcements mean death and the Chosen just take that to the next level. Be aggressive. B-E-Aggressive.

Honestly it's impossible for me to view the game without the biases of my experience. I've played the whole campaign so many times, I practically know every move every enemy is going to make and I can prepare for that so it's a different game for me than it is for someone new to the game.

Don't melee the Mutons. I don't care how great your ranger is. Don't do it. Chryssalids around? It's overwatch time. Gatekeeper or Sectopod, kill it NOW. Sectoid, kill an Advent first to distract it for a turn. Just some of the rules that are lodged in my head.

[TheMix]

Don't melee the Mutons.

I forget that one every time I start a new game (ED: I don't play Ironman - so it's just a reload). I mean... I shouldn't. They tell you in the description. Though maybe that's after you've researched it. But I still do it and am invariably surprised when it destroys my attacker.

Every. Time.

[Blackhawk]

Be aggressive. B-E-Aggressive.

That may be part of it. I am, in every strategy game I play, a defensive player. I like to establish a hard front and move it forward, not go all Rommel/Ghost Division.

[Blackhawk]

I think I'm still pining for Jagged Alliance 2. Sigh. Maybe I'll go give Silent Storm a shot.

[TheMix]

I was about to suggest Phoenix Point. I also tend to be a defensive player.

Then I remembered the ambushes... Though I think there is a mod that will turn those off. There will still be a few where you have to push a bit, but how much is probably up to you.

Edit: Which probably means I don't play XCOM 2 "correctly".

[coopasonic]

I think I'm still pining for Jagged Alliance 2. Sigh. Maybe I'll go give Silent Storm a shot.

On that front I am 100% in agreement with you. JA2 was my go to for tactical combat until I couldn't stand how outdated it felt... and by that time XCOM was there for me. So many attempt to reboot and remake Jagged Alliance... and so much disappointment.

[LordMortis]

Been playing this vanilla on the 2nd easiest level before moving in to War of the Chosen, as I never actually finished the game. I don't remember sucking at this nearly so bad as I do. I'm at the point where they both have overwhelming numbers and shields as well as armor and I've barely progressed at all. Time for a reset and to ponder what I'm doing so slowly that I've not done so slowly before.

To think I'm on the easy but not overly so level. I can't imagine playing anything more difficult without save scumming constantly.

[dbt1949]

How close are you to psi ops?

[LordMortis]

I was pretty close on the game I was playing but I killed it. I was just so outclassed with the game moving so quickly I must have been way off in my game. There were already three Advent sites I couldn't get to. I just got the resistence comms room up but didn't have the intel to expand the network. The whole thing was played rather poorly. I guess I was either much luckier or had much better instincts before.

[LordMortis]

Most days I play a couple of tactical battles. I think I may have finished the nonWotC variant though I don't remember doing so. I'm deep into the shadow project, I think and I remember variants of all of the missions that led me here.

[dbt1949]

I have finished the game of course but when I replay it there comes a point where I don't feel like going on towards the end and I don't finish it. Since I got the game I don't think I finished it more than a half dozen times.

[LordMortis]

I have finished the game of course but when I replay it there comes a point where I don't feel like going on towards the end and I don't finish it. Since I got the game I don't think I finished it more than a half dozen times.

I'm sure if I have finished it, it hasn't been more than once. I just finished blowing up the gate and I know I've played that far before. I don't know how close that is to the end. I set the game down doing the Avatar autopsy. I assume completing the autopsy puts me at end game. I don't remember doing end game before but I didn't remember defeating the gate until I saw the gate and when "Oh yeah, make sure I remember the surprise."

[coopasonic]

Only part I don't actually like is the final mission. I still play it each time, but it is just a slog. Actually the pre-mission to the final missions is also not very interesting to me. So yeah, great game where the parts that should be the best are the parts I like the least.

[LordMortis]

I'm on the final mission now. And nope. Never did it. Looks like I got right up to the final mission last time and got distracted. I hope it's not as anticlimactic as the finale in the original XCom. I'm sure I'll finish and play WotC again, though possibly not right away.

[Kraken]

Only part I don't actually like is the final mission. I still play it each time, but it is just a slog. Actually the pre-mission to the final missions is also not very interesting to me. So yeah, great game where the parts that should be the best are the parts I like the least.

I'm toying with playing again, but I don't want to slog through the endgame again. I enjoy developing and evolving my squads and bases, but I can't face riding the same rails to the same end for a fourth or fifth time. If they had provided just 2-3 variations on the boss mission the game would be far more replayable.

(edit) Has there been any chatter about XCOM 3?

[coopasonic]

(edit) Has there been any chatter about XCOM 3?

Yes, that it was put on the back burner when they got the opportunity to make a Marvel game (Midnight Suns). I suspect we still have a good long while to wait.