The heavy class is reinvented as the ‘grenadier’ while assault troopers are now named ‘raiders’ and have the extra caveat of an indescribably cool sword for melee combat. The game expands upon the soldier classes from the original, dumping the catch-all (and rather boring) support class to replace it with the ‘specialist’ - a robot-controlling hacker who can send ADVENT systems haywire or provide healing and defense boosts to comrades. As with the previous XCOM titles and the tactics games of yore on which they were based, you’ll take on the aliens using a squad of willing soldiers. Only a few still try to fight back against these outer-space oppressors, and it’s up to you to lead them from scattered bands of fugitives to a full-fledged rebellion. 20 years on the aliens have almost totally subjugated Earth’s population, installing themselves as governors, overlords and even deities under the umbrella name of the ADVENT. XCOM 2 reveals just how fruitless that effort was. In Enemy Unknown the player is tasked with defending Earth from an unknown alien threat, using the might of the world’s combined nations to be a bulwark against the extraterrestrial menace.

There are very few games that can be punctuated with snapshots of pure emotion, drama and, at times, rage while leaving the player wanting so much more. Such moments are scattered throughout XCOM 2, the sequel to 2K and Firaxis Games’ squad-based tactics game XCOM: Enemy Unknown from 2012. He takes aim, knowing that, with enemy reinforcements inbound, covering for his teammate means certain death for himself. Skorski is the last thing between the success of the mission and a slaughter.

Bearing down on his comrade, who is making a final dash for the evac zone, are a hulking robotic walker and an alien assault trooper. Ahead of him, crouched behind the low cover of a clump of rocks, is his squadmate - the last remnant of what had been a five man team. He’s wounded and down to the last shot of his sniper rifle. Lieutenant Vaclev Skorski is stood atop the burning ruins of an alien warehouse. Reviews // 4th Feb 2016 - 6 years ago // By Alex Hamilton XCOM 2 Review

Xcom 2 made whole