Zero Punctuation: XCOM 2

Diablo1099_v1legacy

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Dec 12, 2009
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I wonder how long it will take for PC Hissy to become a usable mod for Vipers?

OT: I actually disagree with a lot of the points he made about the timed missions and how the game doesn't use it's theme of being insurgents well.
While I know timed missions are a pain, it's trying to encourage a more active playstyle rather then just using Overwatch moves all the time, which I think was a neat way to mix things up
They did try to do the same in Enemy Within with MELD having a time limit to be picked up but it usually just resulted in MEC and Gene enhanced soldiers being much more annoying to get rather then anything else.

Still, Good review as always.
 

C117

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Hmm... humanity wouldn't accept these aliens as their benevolent overseers, eh? Maybe that's why they made the Vipers have those strangely feminine figures that make no small amount of people consider them oddly sexy...
 

Pirate Of PC Master race

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Jun 14, 2013
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Now now, this is unwarranted discrimination against snake-people who are perfectly sentient enough to infiltrate humanity 20 years ago.

I do however have problem with butt naked exhibitionist sectoids.
 

Worgen

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Whatever, just wash your hands.
I dont know, I have a feeling people might be more accepting of constable hissy than you think.
 

mad825

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Diablo1099 said:
While I know timed missions are a pain, it's trying to encourage a more active playstyle rather then just using Overwatch moves all the time, which I think was a neat way to mix things up.
So logic dictates that instead of changing the Overwatch mechanic, you change everything around the Overwatch mechanic? Subsequently all you're doing is changing a game of chess into a game of draughts.

Pandering, it's all about pandering. They're going on the premise that hardiness = fun and you (the player) cannot have fun unless you're swayed into playing an active role. Personally, I detest the wizz space kapow and preferred the more steady paced action - which could've been built upon more.
 

Matey

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You crazy Yahtzee. XCOM2 is better in every way compared to Enemy Unknown, and I loved Enemy Unknown. Also, check out all the workshop mods (i know i know, relying on modders to fix your game for you is ehh...) because there are tons and tons of custom voice packs, little tweaks (like timers don't start till you get spotted) and character customization stuff. Think I even saw a mod to make melee attacks more accurate. The modding really lets you tailor the game to your own tastes.
 

Fox12

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Diablo1099 said:
OT: I actually disagree with a lot of the points he made about the timed missions and how the game doesn't use it's theme of being insurgents well.
That's actually one of the main points I agreed with him on. The whole game apparently wants to build itself around Guerrilla warfare, where every single decision is slow and considered, but then it immediately undermines its premise by forcing you to recklessly go on the offensive. It would have been more interesting if they had turned them into stealth missions where your goal is to avoid combat, or if they alerted you to the enemies presence, so that you could quickly perform an ambuscade. Instead it feels like you have to run and gun.
 

Silentpony_v1legacy

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"FTL, a slightly more fun game"

Oh man. Now I'm really glad I didn't get this one! I could only be more turned off if he said the comedy wasn't quite up to Amy Schumer levels.
 

Dalisclock

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Have to agree. Would it really haven been so hard to only have the timer start once your cover was blown/the aliens spot your guys? Maybe allow sneak attacks which don't alert the aliens all over the map if you managed to take out a patrol quickly and quietly(or at least delay how long it takes for them to notice the patrol hasn't reported in)?

One of the reasons(beyond the inevitable DLC/game mode upgrade Firaxis does with all of it's games about a year after launch) I'm waiting to pick up XCOM is hoping they'll fix this on their own. I know the game can be modded but I dislike having to depend on mods for what I feel should have been a basic feature. There's only one game I put up with that in and it gets a somewhat of a pass because it's still a work in progress(despite technically being full release).
 

Rawbeard

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I can't get past the premise and the more I hear about it the more absurd it becomes. The gameplay might be solid, but I need the story to make sense or not be there at all.
 

carewolf

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It is a game with a stupid plot filled with stupid design decision and even dummber game mechanics, and it is absolutely ridden with bugs. But, I still liked it. It was very .. fun .. surprisingly fun even, considering how many things were wrong with it.

I.... I would recommend it?
 

Callate

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Kind of echoes some of my fears from when the game was in development- most particularly that it wouldn't do an especially good job reconsidering the difference between a stealth guerrilla force and a publicly funded one.

It's been getting favorable reviews in most places, bugs aside, but I appreciate any excuse not to pick it up right away.
 
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Rawbeard said:
I can't get past the premise and the more I hear about it the more absurd it becomes. The gameplay might be solid, but I need the story to make sense or not be there at all.
What's absurd about it? I feel like they gave us enough "outs" to justify it.

The aliens take over, and the aliens go "No really! Humanity shot at us first, we come in peace, look we've cured cancer and AIDS and virtually eradicated disease! And while Earth IS kind of blown up in a lot of places no worries, we have shining cities with lots of opportunity and super delicious Advent Burgers (Not a joke, characters reference Advent Burgers more than once in background conversation). Yes, we have you under total surveillance all the time and pets are banned and occasionally you might see a weirdly attractive snake lady on patrol with the regular volunteer soldiers if terrorists are known to be active in the area, but you're safe and well-provided for!"

Given that Earth is kind of shitty outside of the Advent Cities and that they only start rolling out the snake ladies and so on in the city areas once XCOM starts to become at least a mild threat, it generally works. Especially given the "we can cure any disease and provide almost-addictive food, and have lots of opportunities for you!" angle to offset the kidnapppings and totalitarian rule for most people. Especially after 20 years to get used to it.

As well as
When XCOM busts the commander out of suspended animation in the tutorial, and after you do a few of the early research projects you find out that XCOM lost the first war early mostly due to the XCOM HQ getting attacked and the commander being captured after a Muton punch to the face, and that they've been using the Commander to run tactical simulations for 20 years (As the screen behind your scientist shows footage of the first game, meaning all your memories of the first game and expansion were essentially the aliens running simulations in your brain), as well as providing tactical information to their army. Hence why XCOM hasn't been able to effectively do jack or shit for 20 years. It's Bradford-Imma-get-everyone-killed-in-Game-1's-tutorial VS The much more competent player. XD

'Course the story isn't quite "great" and there are a few headscratchers here and there, but it generally works.

That said I do agree with Yatzee 100% on how dumb it is that the Turn Counter ticks down while you are in concealment. I like the timers in general, but they're a teensy bit too strict sometimes, and they REALLY should not tick down while you're operating in concealment (There's a reason it was the first mod I picked up)

Pity he didn't like it. I think it's basically a tiny bit better than Enemy Unknown, not MUCH better, but enough of an improvement that I can feel it.
 

kuolonen

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Worgen said:
I dont know, I have a feeling people might be more accepting of constable hissy than you think.
Aw dammit, ninja'd. But yeah I agree, surprising amount of people are gonna root for Hissy-chan, especially since some bright bob on the aliens side got the idea to stick a pair of tits on her.
 

DonTsetsi

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The speaker is a thinman, not a human. The marks on the neck and the dark glasses are a dead giveaway.
 

JamesStone

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mad825 said:
Diablo1099 said:
While I know timed missions are a pain, it's trying to encourage a more active playstyle rather then just using Overwatch moves all the time, which I think was a neat way to mix things up.
So logic dictates that instead of changing the Overwatch mechanic, you change everything around the Overwatch mechanic? Subsequently all you're doing is changing a game of chess into a game of draughts.

Pandering, it's all about pandering. They're going on the premise that hardiness = fun and you (the player) cannot have fun unless you're swayed into playing an active role. Personally, I detest the wizz space kapow and preferred the more steady paced action - which could've been built upon more.
Pandering to whom exactly? Using your definiton of pandering, IE, choosing a direction a lot of players liked as its development guiding point, you're essentially complaining that the game didn't pander to you exactly.


And please, do tell how exactly would one change the Overwatch mechanic outside of removing it completely in a way that's balanced?

I really don't understand most complaints people have about XCOM 2, asides the bug department, which is completely justified, and the story, which I personally enjoyed but I can see how it can put off some people. Firaxis made the game moddable as shit exactly because this meant they could focus on one style and all the people who didn't like that style have to do is pop a mod that fixes it.

First day mod: True Concealment. Changes the concealment complaint. Tons of rebalance mods are already available, oh, and open and accessible .ini files make sure any balance complaint can be handled personally. Don't know what to do? Check the dozens of guides already out.
 

FPLOON

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Jul 10, 2013
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Silentpony said:
"FTL, a slightly more fun game"

Oh man. Now I'm really glad I didn't get this one! I could only be more turned off if he said the comedy wasn't quite up to Amy Schumer levels.
"The comedy was more like if Amy Schumer wrote a movie for Melissa McCarthy only for the viewers to find out that there's more fat jokes than expected and the rest of the comedic aesthetics was done better on any random episode of Girls!"

OT: I completely lost it after PC Hissy...

Other than that, this was my reaction to the time limits:
 

FirstNameLastName

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Okay, I've never played XCOM, so I had no idea what people where talking about with the Vipers, but upon checking ...

http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/xcom/images/8/8a/XCOM2_ConceptArt_Viper.jpg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1280?cb=20150619184546

Why do the snakes have tits? Not just tits, but that drawing on the right looks like they've simply traced over the image of a naked women. I guess they want to bring across that they've female for whatever reason, but it still seems strange for a reptilian alien to have a perfectly human rack.
Hey, whatever the scalies are into I guess, but something about the design makes me feel it's somehow both too anthropomorphized, and not enough.