Let's talk about XCOM
Let's talk about XCOM
As a beloved cult classic franchise, XCOM has been around a long time and seen many forms of gameplay. While I eagerly await XCOM3 with a fervor that would put half-life 3 to shame, I'd love to hear your thoughts, stories and future hopes for the franchise. Spoiler warning, obviously.
My personal favorite is probably XCOM2, if only for the sheer number of mods that allow me to customize a single character for hours (only for them to die on their first mission) and completely overhaul the challenges and theme of the game.
I started with the XCOM reboot, which was such a delightfully crunchy little game full of steroid abusers wearing armor made out of hastily repurposed fridges. I would later look at a retrospective of the series and appreciate that the reboot simplified inventory management and condensed the base building down to just one base, which meant you could enjoy the strategy side of things without it wearing out its welcome. Just a fondly remembered game experience all around.
The DLC for XCOM was very welcome as well, adding new toys to play with but only letting you have them if you got off your ass and stopped over watching every turn. It was a good change that forced me to be aggressive in order to get a giant stompy mechsuit or a team full of go-go-gadget soldiers. It definitely refreshed the game for a playthrough or three.
Then came XCOM2, which turned the formula on its head and left me stunned that I canonically lost the last game. This inversion of not responding to random strikes all over the globe but /being the one doing them?/ I was SO in. Even on launch the game was a blast but they came out with some seriously solid DLC.
War of the Chosen is the closest I've seen to the universally praised (and regrettably copyrighted) Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor since that game came out, and they adapted it quite well to the style of the game. It rebalanced a few things, added new toys to play with, and gave you just another chance to have a massive wrench thrown into your plans to train up your all-rookie backup squad.
XCOM 2.5 episode 1 Chimera squad. Honestly? I liked it. I think it should stay a side project, a spin-off I can happily say is part of the XCOM family but it isn't required reading to understand the rest of the franchise nor is it a massive experience you can't miss on its own merit. It's good for when you're itching for a change but still want some XCOM. Can't complain.
I love this series, one day I'll go back and try the OG if I can ever get over the controls. Until then I'll just stay here enjoying good company. So, what are your thoughts and experiences with the franchise (pre or post reboot)? Any legendary tales to share?
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My first experience with XCOM was with Enemy Unknown, although I'd heard whispers about the earlier games for years. My campaign was a wild experience and it fully sold me on the concept of permadeath.
I had a mid-game mission go terribly; I lost half my squad (Cyberdiscs, ugh) including my most senior officer. By this point in the game, I'd developed a taste for the randomness, and I started inventing narratives in my head for my troops. When it came time to recruit replacements, my newest assault Rookie was a British woman named Sarah Jones. Between the way her first mission played out and my growing confidence in being more aggressive with my troops (especially the new recruits), my headcanon set her as this plucky, reckless newbie. A couple missions later, when the game assigned her the nickname "Geronimo," the narrative was set in stone. This was how I was going to play the character.
Rookie Jones became Colonel Jones, making it all the way to the last mission, becoming the star of my run. By the end, she became a little bit tempered by experience, but she was still Geronimo. Looking back, savescumming would have robbed me of that experience (a trap I'd sadly fall into with XCOM 2). I still think about Sarah Jones from time to time.
Mine was Sarah "Vandal" Hashim from Egypt. Tomboy haircut and black armor. I can't count how many times she has saved my ass from tight situations.