Game review: XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Published on 30/01/2013 13:54

A reboot of veteran developer Julian Gollop’s 1994 masterpiece UFO: Enemy Unknown, XCOM delivers a smart and strategic take on mankind’s last stand against an alien invasion.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

£39.99, PC/PS3/Xbox 360

As head of the XCOM project, it falls to you to manage the initiative’s resources, designate research and command your agents in the field.

Good strategy starts at home, as you must build up your underground base with agent training facilities, research labs and engineering stations, all geared towards understanding the alien menace and using that knowledge to create better equipment for your soldiers.

For example, shooting down a UFO and investigating the crash site could see your team in possession of new alien power sources or weapon fragments, leading to improved firearms for your members, or better armour to defend yourself against alien attacks. Everything feels important here, and fuels progression in a tangible 
manner.

In the field, you must participate in turn-based battles against lethal alien foes that can see your soldiers killed in action. As such, you must use great care to protect your seasoned soldiers as much as possible, creating a unique sense of dread and tension during each turn.

This plays out like a killer game of speed chess as you figure out who must move where, gauging their attack and defence stats, vulnerability and more. If you’re a fan of strategic play that doesn’t cut corners, then XCOM: Enemy Unknown is an essential purchase this year.