- Publisher: 2K Games
- Release Date: Oct 9, 2012
- Also On: iPhone/iPad, PC, PlayStation 3
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Mar 6, 2013100By virtue of how it stokes more parts of my brain than any game of the past decade, I’m inclined to consider XCOM: Enemy Unknown one of the most important titles of this generation. This game will test your disaster-management skills, levy you with suffocatingly difficult choices on how to spend your resources and cause you to grow so fond of your chess pieces that each skirmish takes on the flavour of a Whedonesque drama.
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Nov 12, 2012100It's [a] tough and punishing game, but in the best way possible. Every loss compels you onward in the war and the story. Where most games are frustratingly punishing, XCOM delivers a masterclass in challenge and escalation.
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Oct 24, 2012100XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a wonderful game, which, despite being based on a near 20-year-old release, feels somehow fresh and stands apart from its rivals. It's deep, engaging, intuitive and inclusive, and is likely to invade consoles and PCs for quite some time.
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Oct 18, 2012100Despite some of the tough love that XCOM: Enemy Unknown dishes out, it's a game that definitely, absolutely should not be missed.
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Oct 16, 2012100The cleverest part of XCOM: Enemy Unknown is how it bundles up all of its complexities and interdependencies and presents them in a package that, while not easy, is at least easily digested. It's often overwhelming, but in the best way possible.
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Oct 11, 2012100For those players who can exercise a little patience and restraint, it's quite simply one of the best games you'll play all year.
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Oct 15, 201295XCOM: Enemy Unknown is not just the best strategy game this year, it's the best strategy game this generation and possibly the best ever strategy game on consoles.
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Oct 15, 201295XCOM: Enemy Unknown is challenging, satisfying, and heartbreaking. It's also one of the best strategy games this generation, and potentially of all time. If you're itching for a game that will either last you a long time, or challenge both your mind and your fortitude, this is it.
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Oct 5, 201295Both of XCOM's layers present life-or-death conundrums to which there is no right answer. No matter what you pick, something or someone is going to suffer for it. This kind of tension and terror rarely occurs within mainstream gaming, and almost never with this level of skill in the execution. Don't let the "turn-based strategy" moniker scare you off; XCOM is a singular achievement that every gamer deserves to experience.
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Oct 10, 201291XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the best approach in delivering deep strategy to the consoles without dumping down the level of complexity we've seen so far. Literally every step you make in XCOM is linked to a tough decision with direct consequences. If you're even slightly interested in turn based strategy, XCOM is the best thing to spend your money in many years.
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Dec 1, 201290It's like The Sims, but with much shorter life expectancies. [Issue#91, p.66]
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Oct 24, 201290Thankfully the combat controls are simple and intuitive.
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Oct 17, 201290Firaxis has created an excellent update of this classic franchise, producing an addictive and solid strategy game that should be considered as one of the finest releases of 2012.
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Oct 17, 201290Don't be fooled by low-fi visuals: XCOM's as strategically sound as Advance Wars. [Dec 2012, p.68]
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Oct 14, 201290A rare gem, especially in the console environment: a demanding but highly satisfying game that will fully please every strategy lover. A must buy.
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Oct 11, 201290Whether it's letting China succumb to public panic as you divert resources to cover the American continent, or sending in a rookie to soak up damage on a suicide run so that your veterans don't die, XCOM will give you a scary appreciation of the harsh realities of being a leader in a time of crisis.
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Oct 8, 201290Not just one of the best strategy games of all-time but one of the best video games of any kind – and one that excites your emotions just as much as your brain matter.
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Oct 8, 201290An alien invasion is coming. We are in charge of XCOM, a military organization that will put end to this extraterrestrial assault. XCOM: Enemy Unknown offers a full package tactical turn-based strategy game, with tons of options for single-player which uses a mind-blowing squad customization system, and interesting modes in multiplayer. Old school meets new age.
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Oct 8, 201290XCOM: Enemy Unknown will have you swapping horror stories at the watercooler, and loving almost every minute of it.
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Oct 8, 201290Sophisticated, unnerving and reliably unforgiving, XCOM: Enemy Unknown isn't just Xbox 360's finest strategy experience - it's also a strategy game which changes how you think about strategy games. Go into it expecting a deadening flow of unlocks and build queues, and you'll get a nasty surprise. Approach the game as you would an odd noise in the basement, and the Earth might just have a fighting chance.
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Oct 8, 201290It's a game that should absolutely be played by anyone interested in a more strategic take on the cliched alien invasion story--so long as you're not afraid to lose a fight once or twice.
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Oct 8, 201290At the end of the day I just get this sense that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is one of those sleeper hits in the latter half of 2012. The smooth interface, sharp looking visuals, and surprisingly tense tactical turn-based gameplay are simply a blast.
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Oct 13, 201288Very simplified re-imagining of a true classic. Now it is scripted, very fluid, very fast tactical turn-based action game, and luckily not a bad one at all! I'm still waiting for a technically modernized carbon copy of original UFO, thank you very much. [Oct 2012]
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Nov 10, 201287XCOM is something we don't get too often nowadays; a challenging, different, bold game that is not afraid to try new things and also a successful reboot. Yes it has some issues but not nearly any bad enough to stop you playing. And yes, it is hard but that should be commended. No one said saving the world would be easy.