Phoenix Point: Complete Edition

You will recognize lots of things: the "defending the earth from alien invasion" scenario, the geoscape, base building, tactical battles, dissecting aliens to research new technologies and more. Yet there are enough new and fresh things to catch your interest: targetable body parts, biotech, human factions and diplomacy are the ones that come to mind, but there are more. In summary, the game is similar to XCOM, but is its own game. Many of the things that have been added improve the game, and if they had been well executed this would have been the better game. Sadly, the execution is where the game fails. Not completely, but enough to make it less enjoyable. At the point of writing, most bugs seem to have been fixed; at least the game doesn't crash for me. I had to validate the game files on a few occasions, however. So the game is playable - and it is definitely well worth playing at least once or twice. As you play, however, you will start noticing that the parts just don't fit together all that well, which sadly detracts from replayability. There are choices, but they don't seem to have enough consequences to matter. Some things are weird and don't work well. Other things are different and seem interesting at first, but turn out to be pretty meaningless. I'm definitely enjoying the game, and I think I am getting my money's worth - but I don't think I will be playing Phoenix Point over and over again.

Despite some slight bugs that appera very far apart, the game has a solid gameplay, many hours will go by after immersing in these really fun missions. Real tactics strategizing is required very often. The graphics and mechanics are very good. Phoenix Point is an equal contender to Xcom and Xcom 2, maybe better.

The game was a very positive surprise for me. I installed it with fears that it would be just another X-COM knockoff, but in my opinion: The student has surpassed the master. It is very addictive and not easy (I played on Veteran difficulty) From the very beginning to the end - it forces the player to think and use the right tactics. It makes you learn from your own mistakes. Great graphics and sound. The best game I have played this year. I recommend it!

PP is a lot of things earlier incarnations did less well, with some exceptions. One of the exceptions is the UI, which is cumbersome but not hideous, and the other is the bugginess of the coding - in unity no less, which runs slowly and hot. There are some poor design choices as well (early game heavies: just not thought through; almost all DLC), but most of the core gameplay is still solid. Overall a recommendation despite the drawbacks.

The enemy AI just cheats, that is all there is to it. Plan an ambush where the enemy doesn't have LOS and should walk right into it. . .They won't. They must be psychic. They always know which units are on overwatch and where they are looking. But even if overwatch is broken, at least combat is fun right? If by fun, you mean endless slogs where you miss 75% of the time and enemy always hits then sure, its a blast. I'd like to believe it gets better, but I'm really not sure which is poorer game design. . .frontloading all the worst mechanics in the first ten hours of play or just making that the state of play through the entire game. I might not mind all of this is leveling made an impact, but it doesn't. Every "class" has skills available at random levels so you can't plan progression, and its a sample from a bunch of skills so you aren't even guaranteed to get all the ones you want. . .And most of them are terrible. Yeah, give me the five shot burst with reduced accuracy on the guy who is still level one after his fourth mission because he has yet to hit anything in combat. Of course there is still the story, which from what little I have seen, is just a bunch of dudes with gravelly voices posturing aggressively at one another while you babysit them emotionally and admonish them with "Don't Hit!" as they try to ineffectually undermine one another. Phoenix Point? More like Apocalypse Au Pair.