Recent reviews by Crow Quill

Finally, an answer to the question "What if Count Olaf dressed up as a computer and conspired to kill an orphaned girl who's mechanically gifted?"

Seems to be lacking in the bitey baby and bookish boy department. I guess it's up to you to add them to your squad.

What you get is a tough mission that can seem insurmountable at times, with things going from bad to worse to worst, supervillain-style. But it is fair, in that it gives you the tools sufficient to succeed, if barely, during the mission pretty much regardless of who you chose to drag along.

All in all, a fun side quest with some added character depth for one of your buds. A refreshing break from the alien stomping, because... robots.

Oh, and it plays by the rules. So pretty much the opposite of the Alien Hunters pile of grief. Ugh. Yes, get this one instead.

People play XCOM for different reasons.

Some like the challenge, some like the story. Personally, I enjoy the mix of tactics and narrative that's going on in my head during a mission, how the events would play out like a movie.

This DLC kills that.

The Alien Rulers ability to react after every action -- even going into overwatch -- can't be rationalized with any kind of understanding of space and time. I can't get over seeing this as a tactical cheat, which is most easily countered with other tactical cheats (lightning hands/frost grenade/end turn combo) that also defy time and space. It feels totally wrong.

That said, if you enjoy the game as a ruleset puzzle to be exploited and overcome, then this is for you. These baddies are certainly tricky, and you'll have to bust out some interesting new card combos to take them down. If that's your tribe, take this review as a strong "recommended."

But if you're into the action narrative, this will seem as weird and offputting as a plot hole in your favorite film.

I realize this is in early access, but I would recommend saving your money until they iron out the grinding.

Dull, dull grinding punctuated with the same set of catchphrases repeating over and over again. You get an unlimited number of characters to throw at dungeon after dungeon to amass cash. Early character lifecycle is: quest, quit, retire, repeat. Which wouldn't be so bad as your efforts are rewarded with nominal improvements to your town, but the game seems designed to waste your time. Not just with the catchphrases going on and on, but the character's speech comments stopping game flow and covering useful information. Many maladies take control away from the player, resulting in interminable durations of the game playing itself. Maybe you'll live, maybe you'll die, but one thing is certain: you'll have to waste a lot of time finding out.

In 10 hours of gameplay, I swear 80% of it went to putting up with the unskippable fluff. What was charming in the first hour wore thin quickly.

Note that the version I played had no option to shut off the commentary or action key to skip past the nonsense. Probably worth a revisit with those concessions to sanity, but until then: not recommended.

Game of the Decade