Game won't launchj. Wish I'd tested it when it was eligigle for a refund. Oh well, lesson learned: Test your games early!
My "desert island" series. As one of the professional reviewers said, "we'll be playing this game forever." Strategic decisions on construction and research coupled with tactical combat in a destrucable environment... This is the franchise that computers were invented tor!
The Civ game I prefer is II (Hail to the king, baby. Let's go bonk some heads!). For some reason, no one wants to offer that one, so until someone comes to their senses, this remains my consolation prize. It runs well and offers a good deal of depth, so, no complaints.
Panzer General 2, sequel to the original, presents unique scenarios and a system that randomly assigns leaders, giving a feel of "heroic" units rising to the fore. A logical and most excellent evolution of the old classic Panzer General.
The whole XCOM franchise has been my favorite from the first time I fired up Enemy Unknown back in the mid '90s. When you say "turn-based tactical combat," it sounds contrived, artificial. Anyone who has participated in combat, real or simulated, knows that there is nothing remotely orderly about it. Yet XCOM, with its destructable environments, defensive fire, variable cover states and the like gets it right to the point that XCOM is no longer just a franchise, it is a genre. Sure, there have been a couple of hiccups along the way (looking at you, XCOM Enforcer), but all the greats in every field have stumbled once or twice. It's what makes them "human" for want of a better word. XCOM2: War of the Chosen is, for my money, the pinnacle of the franchise so far. This is my "desert island" game, and if I have to pedal a bicycle-generator to make it work, so be it. High points are, as I mentioned, the destructable environments. You never know when something is going to blow up in your face. The fog of war is beautifully modeled; want to know what's lurking down that alley? Send someone to have a look! The promotion system for high-performing soldiers gives it an RPG feel, and the R&D you do on captured alien equipment keeps the game fresh and evolving. Often copied, never equalled, there is truly nothing else like it. I'll close with two quotes whose originators I've sadly long since forgotten. First comes from a gaming magazine from the '90s referring to the original version: "If you aren't playing XCOM, you aren't really a gamer, you're just some guy with a computer." Second refers to XCOM2 (vanilla) and is one of those dozens of quotes that get thrown up during various loadscreens and trailers: "We're going to be playing this game forever!" Most of the versions are here on GoG at quite reasonable prices. Stick your toe in the water, and WHEN it convinces you, take the plunge. I promise you won't regret it!
I'm with baddudes_aboma to a large extent. I gave this a three which is an average rating. On merit alone, I rate the game a five because if you're into these classic isometric hack-and-slash RPGs, there are few that are better. On marketing and price, however, I'm strained to even offer a one. This is, indeed, a port, but it's a port of an 18-year old game designed for original Xbox and PlayStation, and if you still have either of those systems you can pick up the game on Amazon for less than the shipping will cost. I love GoG, it's my go-to source for everything game; I favor it about 35-1 over Steam, but this bit of marketing is a swing and a miss on all counts.
