I originally loved this game but due to the updated 2k terms of service that allows them to apply Kernal level spyware I must give this a negative review.

9/10 - A great game that every strategy fan should have played.

Trash publisher 2k updated the TOS to access and process unnecessary data, on your PC that the game is installed on, that doesn't improve the game at all. Obviously they sell it to 3rd parties and god knows do whatever else with the data. I would advise uninstalling and not purchasing or supporting anything that 2k is involved with until this garbage tier TOS is removed or changed.

Steam should remove this intrusive literal spyware off the store and a class action lawsuit should be in order because most of us purchased the game before this new, surrender you're soul to 2k TOS was in effect.

a classic

i liked it...

Seems like an amazing game. Glad there are several different versions of this game to play. Having fun for sure

me like game, game fun

pretty good strategie game

Super addictive and fun, tons of replay value.

One of the first game bundles I purchased one of the games that got my feet wet when it came to 'Western' turn-based strategy games. Highly recommend if you're a beginner to turn-based strategy. Review is based mostly on the Enemy Unknown bundle as a whole, with Enemy Within included.

Don't let the fact that this is a 'strategy' game turn you away. The game is very attentive and loves to hold your hand in the beginning, especially if you don't turn off any 'tutorial' options in the settings. It'll explain the basics of combat/flanking and other useful tips. The magic comes from the player. How will you use these basic strategies to develop your own grand strategy? How clever do you think you are in your approach? Can you beat the computer at its own game? And remember that no one judges you for playing on easy. It's your experience after all. Losing is okay!

If you want a brief synopsis of the setting and what's going on, I can give a brief rundown. Aliens (Firaxis' modern take on the original) invade earth, cause some serious trouble and the world unites to combat the threat by initiating the XCOM project. XCOM is essentially the result of all these countries pooling their resources together (mainly funding and bodies) to combat this new threat instead of waging wars with each other. Men and women from all sorts of different nations will join your roster and you can even customize some to have them speak in a *limited* set of international languages. It's a very wholesome concept and I'm a sucker for 'everyone uniting together to defeat evil' tropes. Do note that the 'international' aspect is very limited and unfortunately applies to more 'popularized' & generic nations (such as United States, UK, China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Australia, Brazil, etc.). Don't expect to see much of SEA, Africa, or some of the more obscure Baltic nations. If you like that stuff though, you'll love this game.

Combat is kinda like chess (to give a more easily digestible idea) in that you move soldiers around the field on a 'per-turn' basis as a commander. Lots of flanking, taking cover, and grid based combat. Enemy will have their turn to move, so on and so forth. Where XCOM takes this in an interesting direction is in the weapon/character design department. When you start the game, you're not engaging aliens with super high tech weaponry yet. You're combating them with basic ballistic weaponry provided by government funding. Stuff meant to kill humans, but abides by international wartime engagement laws etc. Same goes for the invaders. Neither realize the threat posed to one another and it's all a matter of testing the waters. You'll mostly fight 'grunt' enemies, the iconic being the Sectoid (tiny guy in the screenshots). They're easy to engage and don't do much (unless you play on a much harder difficulty. Once the game progresses, you'll begin researching the tech you recover from the aliens and your scientists/engineers realize that you can use that scrapped tech to develop more powerful tools/equipment that may help you defeat the aliens quicker. Laser, plasma, robotics, cybernetics. And as you might've guessed already, the aliens have the same idea planned. They realize they'll need to start sending in their best due to the resistance XCOM puts up to their advances. Bulkier aliens with more health, deadly tech, more elite troops. A real showdown/race against time, so to speak. Following the development tree was exciting and it was always enjoyable seeing what came next as the alien invasion progressed.

All this leads into another aspect of the game: management mechanics. As stated before, funding for XCOM comes from the international support. The more XCOM supports these nations, the more consistent the funding, which leads to better weapons, tech, air support, more soldiers, and better facilities. Support is acknowledged by satellite systems over nations, allowing XCOM to keep an eye on these nations and deploy when needed before threats take root. No satellites = no radar for XCOM's air force = UFOs not being intercepted = nation panicking and losing trust in XCOM. Too many nations pull out = game over. 'Who you gonna protect now, lol?' Similarly, soldiers level up as they gain kills/experience in combat. Inexperienced soldiers = tougher battles. Scientists will need to conduct research and engineering will need to develop these ideas into reality. These are all game mechanics that the game will teach you about, but I thought it would be good to point some of it out to give an idea on how deep the mechanics of the game go. All of it is tied together and reasonably believable for the setting. It's not all just click, click, click. You do have to think things through, set up a plan, and even experiment a bit. Sometimes you'll even need to make sacrifices. Sometimes you'll lose a battle or a good soldier you've had for a while and feel bad. Other times you'll outright botch the entire game and have to start over, losing everything. There are definite stakes, especially on the hardest difficulty, and one of the reasons why I love the game so much.

'Guide' characters exist in this game. I like them personally, some might find them...annoying. There's the main guy who's like the overall admin + communications guy on the facility floor. He talks a lot and is kinda your wingman. Your head scientist is a strait-laced German woman. Talks alot. She also has some unhinged fan-fiction (more like smut) if you're into that. I remember reading one of them in high school out of boredom and haven't looked at her the same since. It's like a rite of passage, haha. Engineering is headed by an old Chinese dude that's kinda chill despite everything going on. His team makes all your gear and builds all the facilities in your base. Last notable character is a faceless dude who's your contact/spokesman for the international council. Supposed to be the 'mysterious' character and is very cryptic in a sense. Yeah, it's a very stereotypical cast trope-wise, but I liked what they're trying to do. Everyone grew on me and I was disappointed with their counterparts in XCOM 2. Shame. If you don't like cheesy characters, they can be a nuisance as they have a decent amount of campy quips/dialogue interjections throughout the game's missions. You can turn off some of their dialogue, but not all. If you find them annoying, you'll likely have to mute voices because all four play a large part in the story.

Customization is really limited to only your soldiers and is limited in general. Classes have specific weapons (i.e snipers can't use MGs. Assault CAN use both shotgun/assault rifles etc). You can change names/nickname, faces, hair, voices, and armor color, but it's mainly presets and basic, even when compared to the sequel. No sculpting, gender changing, or custom biographies, etc. I personally like the cartoony look of everyone in XCOM Enemy Unknown compared to the art in XCOM 2, but it's an unpopular opinion. Do take note of this if you're looking for serious customization. Enemy Unknown/Within is more focused on the gameplay, whereas XCOM 2 might be the better option if you're more focused on customization + gameplay. I think you can get mods for cosmetics and other aspects, but I've personally never bothered modding this game versus the sequel. Think it's perfect without them, but to each their own. The option exists.

That's about all there is to XCOM: EU/EW as a game. It's mumbo-jumbo that admittedly doesn't cover everything, but it's fun uncovering all the different features this game has to offer on your own. If it wasn't clear, I do enjoy this game and all it had to offer. No real negatives come to mind for once. Performance is good on good hardware. It's a very welcoming, beginner friendly game and opens up a realm of possibilities if you've never played a strategy game in your life. Get complete pack on sale, of course. Easy recommendation.