XCOM: Enemy Unknown Complete Pack

In its original state, the game is too shallow to beat the original in a number of ways. The game consists for 80+% in turn-based battles with an inflexible 90° cover system and weird line-of-sight rules for seeing enemies; aspects of the game I'm not too fond of at times. Also, base building is very space-restricted with few choices as to what to build next and where. In these surroundings, the game would be less than 2 stars for me, as there just isn't enough meat in there. What greatly improves the game is "Long War", a total conversion mod changing and adding a huge lot. With the mod, the game reaches the 4 stars I gave it, making it a long and hard battle against the aliens ("Dynamic War" possible). Mostly for comparison, I'd recommend playing the game as vanilla first. After that, "Long War" is the far superior experience, paired with "Second Wave" options of the player's choosing. (The mods also allows changing hundreds of variables in its config file, allowing the player to even more tailor the game to one's wishes. Plus, a debug build of the game executable allows using the console for cheating should missions be too difficult (happens to me rather quickly).) Recommended.

Completed it so have to give it at least 3 stars. It is missing a lot of things that were present in X-COM UFO Defense that brings its rating way down. Just a few of many: Squad limitation to only a handful is one issue. In UFO Defense, I had so many guys in so many locations at once because you could pack them in a UFO! Even the skyranger you could pack in 2 tanks and 6 guys in the original. Buzz Bombs is my biggest biggest biggest letdown of this game. You used to have multiple waypoints with buzzbombs in the original. I had them snaking through the largest of UFO's and hitting exactly where I wanted it. In this one? It is like a rocket launcher with a big blast, nothing more. Mars? Where is Mars? Final fight is on Earth. Such a huge letdown on the ending with this one. You had to create a UFO that could get to Mars in the original, and that final fight was so Epic! This one? Not so much. Just a fight on an Alien UFO. Boring.

Had to rebuy it becuase it didn'y work on Steam. Still does exactly what it says on the tin.

XCOM: EU is a spiritual successor to X-Com: UD from 1993. Enemy Within expands with more stuff, but does not change core gameplay. XCOM stands on its own and differs from its predecessor. XCOM stands out by its streamlined tactical skirmishes. You are briefed while the area loads, objectives are explained while you take your first turn (replaces a deployment phase) and on the second turn encounter the first aliens. Soldiers can move and shoot or make a single dash per turn and defense is regulated by a simple cover system. A rare resource called Meld can be collected on the field if you move fast enough. This provides a reward for pushing hard, but rushing the field is not mandatory. Some mission timers exist, but these are time plenty on normal difficulty. The global strategy of XCOM is also streamlined. XCOM removes simulator elements of the older title. Secondary bases are for spotting and shooting down UFOs, not for dealing with simultaneous treats or as manufacturing plant to finance your operations. XCOM is less multinational, and focuses on USA military style. Hotheads cheer in a situation room when the first UFO is taken down. But the biggest change in the newer XCOM is soldier customizability. They get nicknames, individual looks, skills and specialties. This makes the two games very distinct. Where in X-Com your individual soldiers are more of a resource with very limited warranty, in XCOM you need to do stupid stuff or have extremely bad luck to lose a high ranking soldier. A soldier ranks by killing, not by mass recruitment. You can argue which game is better. I think the customizability of XCOM gives you a kickass squad of elite soldiers, while the generic soldiers of X-Com require superior planning, tactics and strategy. Maybe you want to try one of the mods for XCOM? Long War is recommended. It provides more challenge and expands the scale of the game in every possible way, but as the name implies, also makes a playthrough long, very loooong.

I enjoy the game, I have played through EU and EW, and the game is great in both cases. If you can accept that XCOM isn't X-COM you can enjoy it. BUT The rendering does suffer from some jank, mostly it is inconsequential, but the finale level is organised into "rooms" with large walls partitioning them. The game has crashed in that level repeatedly for me. The doors to the next room have sometimes not opened, probably because the enemies didn't spawn correctly. I enjoy the experience up to and not including the unplayable final level. If you can play the final level, this game is really worth it, else it is an good game without an end.