• Xcom 2 Gene Mods List
• Xcom 2 Gene Mods 2

Inventory Uses XCOM 2 Mods. There are a lot of items in XCOM 2, so trying to figure out which ones to sell or keep can be rather annoying. However, this mod by btysgtmajor will show users what. Here is a straightforward guide (with commentary) on the Gene Mods for XCOM: Enemy Within just for you! If there's any details I left out, be sure to put them in the comments section to help out.

XCOM: Enemy Within is an expansion pack for the turn-based tacticalvideo gameXCOM: Enemy Unknown. The expansion pack primarily adds new gameplay elements to the base game, as well as introducing new themes of transhumanism via aggressive gene therapy.

XCOM: Enemy Within was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in November 2013. In June 2014, Feral released both XCOM: Enemy Within and its base game XCOM: Enemy Unknown for Linux. The game also came to the iOS App Store and Google Play Store a year after the initial release, on November 12, 2014. On March 22, 2016, the game was released on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation Vita.

The Windows, OS X and Linux editions require XCOM: Enemy Unknown to play; Enemy Within was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as part of the Commander Edition bundle with Enemy Unknown. The iOS and Android versions were released as stand-alone apps not requiring the original mobile port of Enemy Unknown to play. The PlayStation Vita version is only available bundled with Enemy Unknown under the title, XCOM: Enemy Unknown Plus.

• 1Gameplay

Gameplay[edit]

The gameplay and plot of XCOM: Enemy Within largely remains the same as XCOM: Enemy Unknown with some additional features. The player manages the XCOM headquarters in almost real time progress, but much of the gameplay consists of turn-based battles against the invading aliens and some with the rogue human faction EXALT across the globe. Similar to the numerous expansions of the Civilization series, the pack retains the core storyline but adds a broad variety of content.

New features[edit]

• A new resource, called 'Meld', is introduced. XCOM operatives will be forced to advance swiftly in order to secure Meld canisters with delay-activated self-destruct systems; some of the aliens' more sophisticated cybernetic units such as Mechtoids also grant Meld when killed. Meld is a suspension made up of billions of cybernetic nanomachines. These nanites are each made up of organic and mechanical components. It is required for some of the newly introduced XCOM transhuman technologies.
• Alien robotic units have gained an increase in effectiveness, as well as introduction of two new units:
  • The Seeker is an airborne squid-like machine with a cloaking device armed with plasma blast as primary weapon. The cloaking ability doesn't last indefinitely and will run out. If it gets close to a lone XCOM operative while cloaked, it can use its Strangle ability.^[1] It usually appears in a pair and will cloak when discovered. Their AI will avoid direct confrontation with XCOM operatives, preferring to cloak until the soldiers engage another group of aliens. At that point the Seeker strikes - sneaking up on an lone unsuspecting human and activating the strangle ability on the target, which deals increasing amounts of damage until a soldier can shoot it off the targeted squadmate.^[2]
  • The Mechtoid is a Sectoid fitted into a large, heavily armed suit of powered armor armed with two plasma mini cannons. The Mechtoid can shoot twice in a single round on a single target.^[3] Sectoids can Mind Merge with the Mechtoid, providing the Mechtoid with additional psionic shielded health. Killing the Sectoid in this state does not kill the Mechtoid as it does when two Sectoids merge, but merely removes the shielded health.^[4]
• Alien autopsies and Meld allow XCOM scientists to modify operatives of existing classes to give them superhuman abilities, e.g. to leap several stories, to sense nearby enemies, or a backup heart.
• Alternatively, they can be modified into the brand-new class 'MEC Trooper', which is capable of wearing Mechanized Exoskeleton Cybersuits into battle; however, they are rendered unable to participate in combat without a MEC, as the cybernetic modification includes amputation of all four limbs. MECs are large bipedal combat platforms with a cyborg pilot in their upper torso; while staggeringly expensive to deploy and upgrade and unable to take cover behind objects, they are more robust, better-armed and more mobile than conventional operatives. Additionally, XCOM's more basic S.H.I.V. a.k.a. Super Heavy Infantry Vehicle combat robots receive upgrades as well.
• EXALT, a new enemy faction in the form of a covert paramilitary human organization is introduced. EXALT seek to embrace the aliens' technologies and outlast their invasion in order to rule the world afterwards. They undermine XCOM's war effort with a variety of underhanded tactics through the covert cells located across the globe by stealing funds, creating more panic in Council nations and delaying research on important technology.^[5] The player is actually not obligated to actively engage them, and they will not seek open combat either; to root out their cells around the world, the player would have to perform Intel Scans and send soldiers on Covert Missions.^[6] EXALT's main base is located in one of the countries of the Council and with each successful covert operation, hints are given about which country it is, and the player has the option of launching an assault to take it down for good. However, performing a raid in the wrong country will cause it to withdraw from the Council. When forced to fight XCOM head-on, EXALT deploys 'men in black'-style operatives that mirror those of XCOM troops with the same combat roles, squad tactics and equipment.^[7]
• Enemy Within re-introduces the Base Defense mission. Without forewarning or a chance for the player to select and arm a squad, XCOM headquarters fall victim to a number of acts of sabotage caused by multiple instances of mind-controlled personnel, followed by an alien assault. Failure of this mission leads to immediate defeat.
• Operation Progeny, originally scheduled to be released as a separate DLC, is included. It allows EXALT to make an inferred early appearance and includes three missions over the course of which XCOM recovers four talented psionics from alien captivity, including the one responsible for the base attack.
• Site Recon further details the effects of the alien invasion on Earth's ecosystem. XCOM operatives investigate a fishing village in Newfoundland, discovering a Chryssalid infestation using a whale as an incubation chamber.
• Thanks to collating localization voice files, XCOM soldiers can now be customized to speak in one of several languages.
• 47 new maps have been added for the single player game, adding to the existing 80 maps bringing the total to well over 120 maps. Eight new multiplayer maps have also been added to the existing five, bringing the total to 13 multiplayer maps.^[8]

Development and release[edit]

Xcom 2 Gene Mods List

XCOM: Enemy Within was originally announced with a scheduled release date of November 15, 2013.^[9]XCOM: Enemy Within was released in stores on November 12, 2013 in the US, and November 15, 2013 internationally. The game was released for digital distribution via Steam on November 11, 2013.^[10]

Mods[edit]

Long War is a partial conversion mod originally developed for XCOM: Enemy Unknown. After the release of Enemy Within, development of the mod switched to Enemy Within.^[11] The mod makes changes to many of the game's existing features, adds entirely new features, and brings back concepts from UFO: Enemy Unknown.^[12] Changes include the ability to send a larger number of soldiers into battle, additional soldier classes, psionic abilities, weapons, and items, and an expanded technology tree. In the mod aliens and EXALT conduct their own research and get stronger over the course of the game, a process that speeds up or slows down based on the player's success in stopping missions launched by the hostile forces.^{[13][14][15][16]} The mod was heavily praised by Enemy Unknown lead designer Jake Solomon and producer Garth DeAngelis.^[17]

Reception[edit]

XCOM: Enemy Within received generally favorable reviews from critics. Ben Reeves of Game Informer lauded the game, advising that 'anyone who loves an intense firefight should test their mettle on Enemy Within,' although also noting that 'Despite Firaxis’ improvements, the developer wasn't able to fix the line-of-sight issues' of the main game and that 'acquiring new squad members still feels unbalanced; since you can't assign your soldiers' roles, and they only learn their specialty once they've ranked up, it's easy to end up with holes in your squad'.^[24]Eurogamer's Stace Harman echoed similar statements, stating that despite its flaws, 'Enemy Within is an improvement on an already excellent game,'^[23]Destructoid's Chris Carter proffered similar praise, headlining his review with 'It almost feels like a sequel.' Regarding all the new content, he thought that it was 'a really weird way' to approach an expansion due to its blending of old and new content, but summarized his review by saying, 'If you haven't played the newest XCOM yet, now is a perfect time to do so with the Enemy Within package.'^[22] Matt Lees of VideoGamer.com similarly summarized his review with, 'The best game of 2012 is back, and it might be the best game of 2013.'^[28]

IGN's Dan Stapleton criticized the late-game, stating that all the new content and unlockables make the later half of the game too easy; however, Stapleton still ultimately awarded the game a 9/10, calling it 'an amazing expansion to a brilliant tactical game', and that it 'is best enjoyed in Iron Man mode on Classic difficulty to enhance the emotional highs and lows of victory and permanent defeat.'^[27] Conversely, GamesRadar's Ryan Taljonick argued that 'Enemy Within's new additions don't make the experience any easier [because] the added benefit of having access to gene mods and MEC Troopers is offset by new alien types and a whole new faction of fanatical humans. If anything, saving the world is harder than ever.'^[26] Although GameSpot's Leif Johnson applauded the game, he was critical of the expansion pack's pricing disparity between PC and consoles: 'All of [its content] is certainly enough for PC players to fork out the $20 for the upgrade, but unfortunately, console players face the more daunting task of buying Firaxis' new creation for almost the price of a new game.'^[25]

References[edit]

1. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within Will Make You Fear The Seeker'. Cinema Blend. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
2. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within Introduces the Paranoia-Inducing Seeker'. Escapist Magazine. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
3. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within's Mechtoid Shoots Twice, Splits Targets, Says Firaxis'. Softpedia. Retrieved September 28, 2013.
4. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within'. Giant Bomb. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
5. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within – A welcome expansion to an already fantastic game'. Venture Beat. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
6. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within Hands-On Mission'. IGN. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
7. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within's clandestine 'Exalt' wants to rule the world'. joystiq. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
8. ^''XCOM: Enemy Within' Pits You Against New Aliens'. Mashable. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
9. ^http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/08/21/xcom-enemy-within-is-an-expansion-out-15th-november/
10. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within on Steam'. Steam. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
11. ^'Long War'. NexusMods. January 4, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
12. ^Meer, Alec (September 3, 2015). 'Have You Played… XCOM: Long War?'. Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
13. ^Moore, Bo (November 17, 2014). 'This Mod Is the Absolute Best Way to Play XCOM'. Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
14. ^Livingston, Christopher (November 15, 2014). 'Mod of the week: The Long War for XCOM'. PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
15. ^Bratt, Chris (June 24, 2015). What is XCOM Long War? It's not a bad time to find out (YouTube video). Eurogamer. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
16. ^Pitts, Russ (May 27, 2014). 'Embiggening XCOM: A long weekend with the Long War mod'. Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
17. ^Stapleton, Dan (June 8, 2015). 'XCOM 2's Exciting Modding Potential – IGN First'. IGN. j2 Global. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
18. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
19. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within for PlayStation 3 Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
20. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within for Xbox 360 Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
21. ^'XCOM: Enemy Within for iPhone/iPad Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
22. ^ ^abCarter, Chris (November 11, 2013). 'Review: XCOM: Enemy Within'. Destructoid. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
23. ^ ^abHarman, Stace (November 11, 2013). 'XCOM: Enemy Within review'. Eurogamer. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
24. ^ ^abReeves, Ben (November 11, 2013). 'Firaxis Polishes A Prized Alien Alloy - XCOM: Enemy Within - PC'. Game Informer. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
25. ^ ^abJohnson, Leif. 'XCOM: Enemy Within Review'. GameSpot. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
26. ^ ^abTaljonick, Ryan (November 11, 2013). 'XCOM: Enemy Within review'. GamesRadar. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
27. ^ ^abStapleton, Dan (November 11, 2013). 'XCOM: Enemy Within Review'. IGN. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
28. ^ ^abLees, Matt (November 11, 2013). 'XCOM: Enemy Within Review'. VideoGamer. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
29. ^Fretz, Andrew (November 21, 2014). ''XCOM: Enemy Within' Review – Killing Aliens? Check. With Huge Robots? Check. Instabuy? Check'. TouchArcade. Retrieved October 4, 2018.

External links[edit]

XCOM 2 is a turn-based tacticsvideo game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux in February 2016, and for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in September 2016. The game is the sequel to 2012's reboot of the series, XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Taking place 20 years after the events of Enemy Unknown, it follows the continuity that XCOM, a military organization trying to fight off an alien invasion, has lost the war, and is now a resistance force against their occupation of Earth and their established totalitarianregime and military dictatorship. The expansion XCOM 2: War of the Chosen was released in 2017.

• 2Plot
• 6Reception

Gameplay[edit]

As with previous games in the series, XCOM 2 casts the player as the commander of the eponymous military organization, now reduced to a resistance force opposing the ongoing alien occupation of the planet. Players take control of the Avenger, the new mobile base for XCOM. Players give commands to squad members in battles against aliens during missions, while commanding the engineering and research department of the base between missions to create and research improved and new gadgets, weapons and technologies to assist players in battle.^[3] Soldiers can be recruited, with each soldier class having their own skill trees and abilities. For example, the Grenadier class can gain access to explosives and grenade launchers, while the Ranger is equipped with melee weapons like swords.^[4] Armor and weaponry can also be researched and upgraded by the player in the Avenger base. Each mission's environment is influenced by the world's state, while maps are procedurally-generated to create a wide variety of levels, in which every map features different terrain and buildings in each play-through.^[5][6]Mods are also supported. Campaign, class and enemy types can be created by users and can be shared through Steam Workshop. A one-versus-one multiplayer mode also returns from Enemy Unknown. New enemies are also featured, such as units from the new faction, ADVENT, and more alien types like the Viper.^[7][8][9]

At the start of most missions, the player's squad will be concealed and will not be detected by any enemies. They can position their troops to plan their battle and ambush enemies.^[5] The player can also loot corpses of enemies to obtain weapons, upgrade parts and artifacts. Melee weapons are also featured. Players can also hack into enemies' mechanical weapons like turrets and temporarily shutdown or control them for themselves.^[10] Soldiers in the squad can be killed by enemies; however, their bodies can be carried back to extraction to keep their equipment should the player deem it necessary to abort the mission.^[10] Likewise, if a soldier is critically wounded and it is deemed necessary to abandon the mission, a soldier can carry the wounded soldier to extraction where they are revived upon leaving the map.^[10]XCOM 2 features faster combat than Enemy Unknown, as there are a lot of 'hit-and-run' missions where players must rush into facilities to complete their objective quickly and return to the extraction point immediately.^[4] This includes semi-random attacks on the Avenger by alien UFOs, which will cause an automatic game loss if failed. The mission structure of the game is also different from other XCOM video games, as XCOM 2 features secondary objectives for the first time in the series.^[4] Reinforcements play a bigger role, and depending on the mission, ADVENT will continuously deploy new enemy troops. Another feature added is the Avatar Program, a research project run by the aliens, that gradually proceeds over time, and if completed is an automatic loss. This can be delayed by sabotaging alien research facilities and other semi-random events.

Customization also returns from Enemy Unknown, in which players can customize their soldiers' personalities, names, uniforms, and costumes. Furthermore, genders, nationalities, and weapons can also be customized.^[4][5][11] Bonus customization options are available in the downloadable 'Resistance Warrior Pack.' which was given for free as a pre-order bonus as well as being made available for purchase. ^[12][13]

Plot[edit]

The game is set in 2035, 20 years after the events of XCOM: Enemy Unknown and its expansion, in a scenario in which humanity was defeated by aliens. XCOM proved incapable of attenuating the alien threat and was quickly betrayed by the council nations, who surrendered to the aliens shortly after the invasion began. XCOM became nothing more than a resistance force, and went off the radar to avoid persecution at the hands of the aliens. Most of its members either submitted to alien rule and left behind their past or, some, like Central Officer Bradford refused the alien administration and went into hiding. Earth is now controlled by the aliens through the puppet ADVENT Administration, and XCOM has been long-forgotten, members silenced and records erased. ADVENT has done much to gradually improve public opinion of the aliens, most notably by the propagation of the belief that the aliens came in peace, and that the forces of Earth retaliated aggressively and with prejudice. (This is presumed to have happened right after the player researches MECs, as stated by the autopsy of an ADVENT MEC.)

The player again assumes the role of the Commander, who had up until recently been placed in alien stasis for them to make use of their strategic thinking via a brain implant. After the Commander is rescued by Central Officer Bradford, XCOM launches an attack on an alien convoy and steal an elerium core used to power the Avenger, an alien supply barge that has been converted into XCOM's mobile base.^[14] In the Avenger, the Commander has the support of rogue ADVENT scientist Dr. Richard Tygan, replacing the now-missing Dr. Vahlen, and Chief Engineer Lily Shen, daughter of and successor to the now-deceased Dr. Raymond Shen, with whom the Commander was familiar in the prior game.

Story[edit]

The game begins with Bradford leading a raid on an ADVENT gene bank and rescuing the Commander, who had been captured and put into stasis. The Commander is then brought to XCOM's mobile headquarters, the Avenger, where they meet support staff Dr. Richard Tygan and Lily Shen. Tygan explains to the Commander that while they were in stasis, ADVENT had connected their brain directly to their global psionic communication network in order to act as a battle simulation computer. The Commander is then contacted by the Spokesman, the last remaining loyal member of the Council. The Spokesman orders the Commander to unite the various resistance groups scattered around the world, as well as discover the true nature of ADVENT's top secret Avatar Project.

As the Commander leads XCOM in the fight against ADVENT, they raid numerous secret ADVENT research facilities and slowly begin to piece together what the Avatar Project is. Through their research, Tygan and Shen discover that the Elders, the leaders of ADVENT, have been slowly dying from an irreversible physical degeneration of their bodies. In order to escape their imminent demise, the Elders started the Avatar Project, which involves processing kidnapped humans and turning them into raw material to build new bodies for themselves, called Avatars. They also track the Elders' headquarters to an underwater base, accessible only by a special psionic portal. With their hand forced, ADVENT decides to accelerate the project and process all 'non-essential' humans into the Avatar project, under the guise of curing all disease at their gene clinics. The Spokesman is presumed killed when he sacrifices himself to warn XCOM about the plan, ordering them to hijack ADVENT's global communication network before they can make the announcement. XCOM manages to hack the network and transmits proof of ADVENT's crimes to the entire world, causing a mass global revolution against the Alien occupation.

With ADVENT busy trying to maintain order, the Commander takes psionic control of an uninhabited Avatar stolen from one of ADVENT's facilities, and XCOM stages a raid on the Elder headquarters. The Elders plead with the Commander to stop the fighting and rejoin them, claiming that they are only trying to strengthen themselves and humanity against a greater threat. The Commander ignores the Elders' pleas and destroys all of their Avatars, triggering the destruction of the base. The Commander's Avatar stays behind to battle the enraged spirits of the Elders as the rest of the squad escapes.

Afterwards, the Commander wakes up in their own body, and learns that without the direction of the Elders, ADVENT's grip on Humanity crumbles. The ranks of the Resistance swell as people abandon the ADVENT-controlled cities, and the Resistance begins to overwhelm the remnants of the ADVENT forces. However, in the ocean underneath the ruins of the Elder headquarters, a strange energy begins to glow. In the War of the Chosen expansion, one of the factions that helped in XCOM's victory, the Templars, notice the glow, and their leader affirms that it is the sign that a new war is about to begin.

Development[edit]

On May 18, 2015, a new but untitled AAA title was announced by Take-Two Interactive in its annual earning reports.^[15] On May 25, 2015, approximately a week after the announcement, a teaser website called 'Advent Future' was launched. It featured an advertisement of the 'Advent Administration', whose aim was 'creating a world free from hunger, pain, sickness, and war', but later revealed that the Administration had more sinister plans.^[16] The game was officially revealed on June 1, 2015 by IGN and its debut cinematic trailer was released, while the gameplay of the game was revealed during Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015 on June 15, 2015.^[7] Jake Solomon, the creative director of Enemy Unknown, returned to direct XCOM 2. According to him, players' feedback of Enemy Unknown 'played an important role in the development of XCOM 2.'^[16]

XCOM 2 is set in a future where the organization XCOM failed to defeat the aliens, and were forced into hiding. Adding to the guerrilla nature of XCOM 2, XCOM's technology is no longer on par with that of the aliens, and thus has to work with 'old world' weaponry. The Avenger, a mobile airship named after a ship in the original UFO: Enemy Unknown was introduced as the player's base; an alien supply-ship retrofitted for XCOM's resistance. According to Jake Solomon, the game's creative process is 'gameplay driven'. As a result, the setting was introduced after Firaxis decided to make changes to character classes and add stealth to the game. Despite the introduction of stealth, players will not be able to complete levels with stealth, or to use stealth as a way to replace combat.^[17]

The concept of procedurally-generated levels had been previously scrapped in Enemy Unknown, as Firaxis had reason to believe that it would prove disadvantageous and buggy. They also thought that those procedurally-generated objects did not fit in with the atmosphere. Resultantly, Enemy Unknown features hand-crafted maps that were all designed by Firaxis. While the reception of these maps was generally positive, players complained that these maps eventually get repetitive. As a result, Firaxis decided to introduce a system called 'the plot and parcel system' to alleviate the workload of the team. The game's producer, Garth DeAngelis, described the game's maps as 'quilts'. Each maps features holes that are randomly generated, which are of different sizes. Each hole will fit in an object or a building, which is crafted by Firaxis. According to Firaxis, these buildings are all destructible, and are expensive for them to make. In addition to scenery items, side-missions, enemy placement and reinforcements and multiplayer maps are also randomly generated.^[18]

DeAngelis and Solomon considered the lack of mod support in Enemy Unknown a regret for the team. As a result, the game's modding aspect will be significantly expanded. Furthermore, Firaxis will release the Unreal Development Kit for players upon release, allowing players to create their own content. Solomon considered mod support a 'win-win' method for both players and the company, as they thought that such solution can effectively expand the game's lifespan and longevity. Firaxis realized the modding potential of the series when the team discovered a mod for Enemy Unknown called Long War.^[19] Firaxis also partnered with Long War Studios (now Pavonis Interactive) to develop three day-one mods for the game.^[20] On January 19, 2017, Pavonis Interactive launched Long War 2 for XCOM.^[21]

Xcom 2 Gene Mods 2

When developing the game's art, the team took inspirations from movies like Elysium, Oblivion and Blade Runner. When designing the game's weapons, characters and environment, the team looked at some science fiction-themed video games.^[22]

Release[edit]

Unlike Enemy Unknown, which was released on PC and consoles, then later on mobile devices, XCOM 2 was initially a PC-exclusive video game solely distributed through Steam. Firaxis Games stated the reason behind the decision was the company's experience in developing PC games. Moreover, Firaxis believed that making XCOM 2 a PC-only title would allow them to introduce new features - such as procedural levels - and that developing for a single platform would be simpler.^[23] The game featured gamepad support, added after the game was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux.^[23][24] The game was scheduled for release in November 2015,^[23] but on August 28, 2015 it was delayed until February 5, 2016 to allow Firaxis to further polish the game.^[25]

The game became available to pre-order on September 10, 2015 and came coupled with the 'Resistance Warrior Pack' which adds bonus soldier customization options.^[12][13] In December 2015, Firaxis also offered a Digital Deluxe version which could be pre-ordered instead of the base game. Although it cost more than pre-ordering the basic game, it promised three DLC packages as they were released. The packages are 'Anarchy's Children', which adds new soldier customization items, was released on March 17, 2016;^[26] 'Alien Hunters', a pack which adds a new mission, more powerful equipment, additional soldier customization, and new gameplay, was released on May 12, 2016;^[27] and 'Shen's Last Gift', ostensibly named after the chief engineer of Enemy Unknown and including a sixth soldier class, a new story mission and map, was released on June 30, 2016.^[28]

A prequel novel written by Gregory Keyes titled XCOM 2: Resurrection was released on November 10, 2015.^[29]

On June 7, 2016, it was announced that XCOM 2 will be released on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 6, 2016 in North America, September 8, 2016 in Australia and September 9, 2016 in Europe. The console versions of the game were developed by The Workshop.^[30][31] It was later delayed to late September so that the team could further refine the game. The console versions were released on September 27, 2016 in North America and September 30, 2016 for other territories.^[32]

War of the Chosen[edit]

An expansion for XCOM 2, titled War of the Chosen was announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017. It was released on August 29, 2017.^[33]Lords of the fallen champion gate.

The expansion adds several new enemies to the game, including the titular 'Chosen', three elite alien warriors with unique skills and weaponry that appear randomly to attack and kidnap soldiers in their mission to recapture the commander. The Chosen appear several times during the game, even after being previously defeated, and also have the ability to interfere on the strategic layer, but carry exclusive equipment that can be collected to bolster XCOM's arsenal. Other new enemies include the 'Lost', humans turned into zombie-like creatures by an alien bio-weapon that infest ruins of abandoned cities who despite being weak individually, attack in large numbers, and new ADVENT units with exclusive abilities.

The game also introduces three rebel factions that antagonize each other, but grant special hero classes once their allegiance is earned; the Reapers, specialized in sniping and stealth, the Templars, who developed unique psionic abilities and the Skirmishers, former ADVENT soldiers with exclusive equipment and tactics. Other new features include a revamped strategic layer and the 'Bond' system, in which pairs of soldiers develop special abilities that are accessible when both are deployed during a mission, and when bonded soldiers are killed, their partners enter temporarily in a 'berserk mode', ignoring orders but with a great boost in their stats.

Reception[edit]

XCOM 2 received 'generally favorable' reviews, according to video game review aggregatorMetacritic.^[34][35][36] Critics praised the new concealment system as adding a new layer of depth, as well as the procedural generation of maps that kept players from falling into set patterns. Additional praise cited XCOM 2's difficulty, addition of modding tools, and its retention of the old mechanics from Enemy Unknown, while criticism was mainly directed at its poor performance on many computers at launch.^[48] Firaxis has subsequently issued a performance patch.^[49]

It sold over 500,000 digital copies on Steam within its first week of release.^[50][51]

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Greening, Chris (August 13, 2015). 'Firaxis confirms Timothy Wynn is scoring XCOM 2'. Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
2. ^Stapleton, Dan (June 5, 2015). 'Why XCOM 2 Had to be PC Exclusive - IGN First'. IGN. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
3. ^Hussain, Tamoor (June 1, 2015). 'XCOM 2 Revealed, Coming to PC First in November'. GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
4. ^ ^abcdJacques, John (June 11, 2015). 'New 'XCOM 2′ Gameplay Details: Enemies, Classes and Tactics'. Game Rant. Archived from the original on June 7, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
5. ^ ^abcStapleton, Dan (June 2, 2015). 'XCOM 2: Welcoming Our New Alien Overlords - IGN First'. IGN. Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
6. ^Sarker, Samit (June 1, 2015). 'XCOM 2 coming this November exclusively to PC'. Polygon. Archived from the original on June 2, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
7. ^ ^abStapleton, Dan (June 1, 2015). 'XCOM 2 Announced - IGN First'. IGN. Archived from the original on June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
8. ^Reeves, Ben (June 17, 2015). 'XCOM 2: We Nearly Got Murdered At E3, And We Loved It'. Game Informer. Archived from the original on June 19, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
9. ^Chalk, Andy (July 18, 2015). 'Every time you kill an XCOM 2 Viper, a baby cries'. PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 18, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
10. ^ ^abcMcGee, Maxwell (June 17, 2015). 'XCOM 2 abandons the past for a glorious, alien future'. GamesRadar. Archived from the original on June 17, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
11. ^'You can customize almost every aspect of your weapons in #XCOM2. You can even name them! What will you name yours?'. Twitter. August 30, 2015. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
12. ^ ^ab'XCOM: Enemy Unknown is Free-to-Play on Steam this Weekend'. September 10, 2015. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
13. ^ ^ab'Pre-purchase XCOM 2 on Steam'. Steam. September 10, 2015. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
14. ^Savage, Phil (June 2, 2015). 'XCOM 2 announced, is PC exclusive'. PC Gamer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
15. ^Osborn, Alex (May 18, 2015). '2K Games Working On Unannounced Triple A Title'. IGN. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
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External links[edit]

• Official website