One of the best aspects of the XCOM games, going back to the first title, is the ability to salvage and examine alien technology. Advancing through the research tree not only unlocks newer weapons, armor, base facilities, and tools, it was also the vehicle through which players advanced the st

Similarly, significant hits cannot be scored in Overwatch fields ( The only exception to this is the unlock-able ability on snipers). Also, it is very easy to kill allies if the Overwatch is pointed towards them. So try to stagger the cones in such a way that shots do not over

In the modern XCOM games, soldiers get new abilities when they advance in level (rank). This "perk" system works well, but characters can go from weak to overpowered after advancing only one rank. Gears Tactics uses a similar system, but the number of perks is greatly increased over what XCOM offers. The perks in Gears Tactics are not only more numerous, they also allow for more varied tactical options on the battlefield. This helps soldiers seem more unique and allows players to make soldiers more suited to a specific task or tac

The whole point of a strategy game is to test the mind (like chess), but if the most recent playthrough wasn't challenging enough, it might be time to up the difficulty. Be sure to prepare for the next difficulty, because it can be a major step

As long as that character has action points to spend, players can swap between characters in the turn order at will. Move one character, attack with a second, move a third, then go back to the first to attack ag

Gears Tactics has polished, stable gameplay. Nothing in the spinoff is going to make your head explode – though you will be exploding plenty of Locust heads. And that’s part of the fun, all things considered. Combat has a respectable amount of variance, but you can pretty much bulldoze your way through the Intermediate campaign like a bull in a china shop. Loading all your units up with Fragmentation Grenades and tossing them off as often as possible is an extremely viable strategy. Flanks are important, yes, and the Scout class can cloak, sure – but you really can explode, chainsaw, and Bayonet Charge your way to victory in most ca

Gears Tactics is an ambitious spinoff that doesn’t necessarily innovate, but it does succeed in taking the turn-based strategy genre head-on. The game’s presentation is quality, reflecting classic, core Gears elements. Although the gameplay flattens out by forcing repetitive mission types – extensive customization, immersive storytelling, and overall polish earns Splash Damage and The Coalition a tip of the

This game doesn’t have a broader strategy layer like X-COM does. Instead, the main story is broken up into side missions. These side missions won’t register much in the game’s first act. In the second and third act, however, a gamer will often have to complete two or even three side-missions in a row before moving on to the next chap

When players start an XCOM game they only have a handful of fresh soldiers who feel unprepared for the mission ahead of them. As a player progresses through the game it seems like every advance in technology or newly available resource is countered by some new weapon in the alien’s arse

As long as a downed soldier doesn’t die, they won’t suffer any negative effects going forward. Players will want to heal soldiers anyway to get them back in battle, but if for whatever the player is not able to, they don’t have to worry about long-term negative attributes coming back to bite t

As compared to the other Mark weaponry, the Lancer GL Rifle comes with great damage capacity and output rate. The rifle has a higher firing rate, reloading speed, and killing speed. This weapon offers the user a real kill rate with fewer efforts as it kills faster, and covers a large area, so you can kill as many enemies as possible at the same t

These missions often have specific parameters, such as a limit on the number of characters that can be deployed, or specific buffs for enemies like increased movement or damage. Also, Gears sent on one mission cannot be sent on anot

While Gears Tactics doesn't have the mod support XCOM 2 has, there are a few mods on the market that can improve or change the game. Most of them have to do with rebalancing weapons, spawning more enemies in missions, Skill Schools and changes to loot boxes. These mods can either be to make the game easier or harder, depending on which

It seems simple, but not allowing "friendly fire" really helps keeps the game flowing. Soldiers can accidentally shoot their squad-mates in Gears Tactics ; this can end a mission instantly if one of the main characters is accidentally killed. It makes the XCOM games slightly less realistic, but it’s not an omission that particularly gives the feeling of being less realistic. Disallowing friendly fire makes soldiers on overwatch more reliable at providing cover. No doubt thousands of hours have already been wasted by gamers who have had to restart a mission because one of their soldiers shot a character who’s necessary for the plot to conti