So I bought Xcom complete during the steam sale. I'm wondering, should I play through Xcom The Unknown first or play with the stand alone add on Enemy Within? Story differences matter? New weapons/enemies in the add-on hard to understand without playing the basic game? Etc.
Thanks much.
Personally I'd say there is no reason to play Unknown first. The main story in Within is exactly the same as Unknown. The major differences is that there are additional missions and a side story revolving around a terrorist group of alien sympathizers.
From a gameplay standpoint, Within has several new enemies and two new branches of technology for you to research and develop which revolve around the alien substance MELD. MELD is not present in Unknown and so you can't field MECHS and Gene modded troops in Enemy Unknown playthroughs.
I would also say that Within is harder than Unknown due to new enemies and new tactics from the terrorist group. Some enemies are also more effective in Within.
If you play the game on Classic difficulty, know that it is extremely challenging. Xcom has an inverted difficulty curve. You start out much weaker and lower teched than your enemies and must slowly bridge the gap. Once you reach late game, you are much more effective and powerful. Unless you mess up royally, it is difficult to fail once you get there. But getting there is the rub.
TL;DR
Don't bother with Unknown. Within has way more to offer and feels more like a complete game with more to do (and worry about) than Unknown.
Man... I tried to like Xcom: EU but I really just couldn't get into it. It seems too 'dumbed down' for me, and some of the ideas presented don't make sense.... using satellites to monitor alien activity for example.. the Aliens have air superiority, they have the high ground so it seems silly to rely on something so unprotected which they could easily destroy.Also, being limited to one base and one team/skyranger is irritating.I played it for a bit, but since Open Xcom released v1 I've gone back to the enhanced original =DMuch better gameplay wise, though Xcom: EU wins in the graphical department.
I agree with Slashimus : play directly Enemy Within. I don't think gameplay changes are difficult to grasp, most of them adress flaws from EU.
I don't think EW is harder, enemies are slightly more powerful, but you also are.
There is a big gap in difficulty between normal and classic difficulty. For a first playthrough, I recommend normal : you will make mistakes while learning the game, normal difficulty allows you to survive those mistakes. If you are used to strategy games, I also recommend the Iron Man setting. It adds pressure because you cannot reload after a mistake, but the game is fair : it won't kill you unless you screw yourself.
I think enemy within is a much better game. The addition of meld generators on most maps means you can't be too careful or you'll miss upgrades. And if you play on higher difficulty it gets REALLY hard (as it should). So yeah, definitely play enemy within right away.
As someone who has played both the original and Terror from the Deep, I can't say that I prefer those over EW(not just Enemy Unknown). The new Xcom went in a different direction, but I think that they got the core stuff right.
Complicated does not equal complexity. That messing around with TUs was annoying. Although I do miss the customizable inventory, you are still able to get upgrades that allow soldiers to carry several items and there is a great variety of tools to choose from. Much more so with EW with the addition of the new grenade types.
As for satellites, they are indeed vulnerable and aliens will shoot them down if you don't protect them with interceptors. There is also tech that lets you put cloaking fields over them, so I don't think it is a stupid mechanic.
The single base system is there to allow you to make hard choices as to what and where you respond. It's another aspect of the game where you need to use your head to figure out what countries you can afford to ignore and when.
The new Xcom is different from the old one, but no way is graphics all that it has going for it. It didn't win all those awards based on Unreal Engine graphics.
Oh don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it is a bad game or anything. I wanted to like it, I really did.
I just felt that the majority of the things they did change, are what a liked about the original game and that's why for me personally it didn't feel right.I liked being able to customise the inventory of troops and make grenadiers, demolitions experts, heavy weapons guys etc without class restriction. If my auto-cannon solider got killed, the rookie next to him could pick up his weapon and go on to kick ass.
I liked the idea of managing my finances to build extra bases/radar sites to expand my area of operations as well as kitting up multiple skyranger squads for different duties. Having to ensure those bases are defended in case of Alien retaliation etc.I liked being able to control every aspect of the Xcom organisation and make my own stories from my action and/or inaction.Like times I had to ignore a terror site because my best team just got half wiped out a crashed ufo ago.I get that they tried something different with a stronger narrative and actual characters. Hey, even though it's not for me at least its getting people interested in Turn Based Tactical games.I just really wish it could have been more like the original. But like I said, I've been playing Open Xcom and along with bug fixes for the original game I've been able to add a few mods to alter and add things I would have liked in the original (like sniper rifles and shotguns for one)
Hopefully one day I'll get my wish of an updated Xcom game that holds more true to the originals gameplay style and options.
:EDIT: At least they didn't pull a Syndicate =P
I do get you and I miss some stuff from the originals as well. However, I think that with the EW expansion, they now have the game that they maybe should have launched with. MELD adds a whole new element to gameplay and drives some tough choices. They brought back at least some base defense and they added a human element who wants to embrace the aliens. I look at the original as going for a more realistically grounded approach, while EW goes for creating true super soldiers and letting you go a bit wild But there are still enough consequences for carelessness that the game is suitably punishing to a player who isn't very careful. Well at least on classic/ironman.
Have you tried Xenonauts ?
It came out of early access very recently (last month or so). It is highly praised by players who felt Firaxis game was not true enough to the original. I have yet to try it myself...
Thanks everyone for your input.
I also really wanted to like the Firaxis remake, but it just didn't cut it for me. By their own admission, they were heavily inspired by boardgames, which I don't like. The decisions felt too contrived, and the removal of TUs bothered me more than I expected.
I have since tried Xenonauts, and absolutely love it. It's an updated version of the original with a few aspects of the game enhanced, and it has all of the magic of the original for me. And as far as I'm concerned, the things they changed, they changed for the better. If you want more "simulation" and less "boardgame" in your X-com, Xenonauts is for you.
It's wonderful that there are two different interpretations of one of the greatest games ever, and we can each pick the version that appeals to us the most.
I'll have to give Xenonauts a try after I finish my Open Xcom game =PThe Cold War era setting does look rather interesting.
Quarter to Three just listed it as #6 of their Best Games of 2014 (So Far):
Even though Firaxis cannily updated X-Com with XCOM’s modernized boardgamish approach, the original X-Com still has its appeal for those of us hardcore enough to suffer the bankruptcy, sudden deaths, loss, and unfolding global apocalypse of an actual alien invasion instead of one carefully engineered for the Best Player Experience. Aliens vs Humans on the iPad was a mostly beat-for-beat and occasionally clunky remake of the original X-Com and it was good. But Xenonauts, a reworking of the original X-Com model with some modern day conveniences and a balance overhaul that makes the strategic level matter more, is flat-out great.
After you beat xcom a few times (yes also try Xenonauts too its good) try Long War mod. Currently beta 13 and very fun (in a harsh way)
Posted this to the xcom forums, but I thought I'd post it here too because users in this forum seem to know their stuff and are actively participating in these forums. Anyway:"When choosing my team before a mission I usually remove all current team members and start with all slots empty. I click 'make items available' and then start choosing my team members. Ever since I created the first level of carapace armor(only armor i'm using currently) each solider is now wearing just their white undershirt even though they're wearing the default body armor. The armor graphic worked before, but now doesn't come back. If I go into edit them and give them the default armor(they're still already wearing it) or the carapace armor it doesn't change them. As well when they go into a mission they're wearing just their under shirt. Their stats are correct regarding wearing their carapace armor, but not the graphics. Any help? "
Hmmm. Never had that happen. I suggest doing a verify of the game files in Steam. Otherwise it may be some kind of save game corruption. Did you try messing around with the Armor Deco options in the customization screen?
I tried the verification to no avail. Yeah tried the armor deco options too. : / I hope its not a save game corruption, I have a lot of saves and going back to a good one would be too hard to figure out. Ty for response though.
I've mostly played with the expansion on, and its a fun game. I do wish once in awhile I could auto-resolve a map.
Amused.
The xcomacadamy link from the firaxis homepage is rather amusing.
http://www.xcomacademy.com/
No, no virus or whatever. Just really inane that its a link from firaxis.
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