Regardless of how victorious players were in XCOM: Enemy Unknown , Firaxis Games continued down a canon storyline with XCOM 2 that assumed players had ultimately lost the fight against the technologically superior alien invaders. This more or less sets the tone for the new War of the Chosen expansion: there are some fights you just can't win, and the impressively deep expansion pack for XCOM 2 piles on the signature pain that strategy fans have come to embrace in almost masochistic fash

Insane enemies will run around the battlefield and panic, preventing them from developing strategies to take you down. They can fire at their own allies, duck into cover and cower in fear, or even become mind-controlled for a few turns. Thanks to its large area, Void Rift remains one of the best crowd control and damage abilities in XC

The cover art may not have any striking images or elements of foreshadowing like the previous entries, though it does exactly what it sets out to do; show the updated visuals in a way that will warm the hearts of the franchise's pre-existing fans while making it vibrant enough to stand out to those who had never heard of the series bef

The truth is, XCOM still exists, though it's become a shadow of its former self after world leaders and bases either surrendered or were destroyed. Reduced to a covert guerilla military operating in cells around the globe, this new "Resistance" has more than the standard aliens of the original game to contend with. Those monsters are back and scarier than ever, along with entirely new creatures - but it's the humans who serve the aliens - known as the ADVENT - that pose the most insidious threat. The odds seem insurmountable, and fight failing until resistance intelligence locates, then extracts their secret weapon: the Command

However, it's not just the new Chosen enemies and a few new ADVENT enemy types that these soldiers will be facing. Missions in abandoned cities are frequently overwhelmed with swarms of The Lost, a zombie-like enemy that attacks both XCOM and ADVENT forces upon sight. Any explosions in the map trigger a new swarm of these monsters, and pandemonium can quickly reign as they attack friend and foe al

The Spark class suffers because they cost way too much compared to human soldiers. Resources used for Sparks can be better put into other, more important projects. The game is also designed in a way that makes tanks unnecessary. Most classes can take some punishment, and even get abilities that negate damage in late g

To combat the new threat, XCOM can recruit 3 new player-friendly factions into the fray: The Skirmishers are direct combat units with multiple actions, The Reapers are stealthier than anyone else in the game, and The Templars' unique melee and ranged psionic attacks can make a world of difference. As players perform certain covert missions on behalf of these factions, they'll earn the trust of their respective leaders and be able to activate monthly bonuses, like starting a mission with a turncoat ADVENT on the player's side, or have enemies drop more loot. As can be expected, learning how to use each Faction to its fullest potential is quite a learning process, and it's likely some bodies will drop during the proc

However, the next ten years may see the direction change once again, as cover art is regaining importance thanks to the prominent rise of Game Pass and other subscription services. With EA Play included, Game Pass now has over 200 games available to players, giving cover art newfound importance as games need to find ways to stand out from the cr

There was a time when the revival of the science fiction franchise XCOM by Firaxis slg console games was seen as simply a small-scale, back-up title to the main event. But long before the squad-based shooter disappointed many, the traditional, turn-based strategy XCOM: Enemy Unknown had been launched to near universal acclaim, not only doing the brand justice, but reinvigorating the genre as a whole. The expansion Enemy Within doubled down on the fiction and gameplay - but it was **XCOM 2 ** that had the anticipation in its fa

Since the aliens and Advent soldiers in XCOM 2 can pack quite a punch, it's only fair that your soldiers can return the favor. Unique weapons, armor, and abilities can be earned to take back Earth. Skills, in particular, massively impact the game. The skills your soldiers can learn are based on their class, meaning having varied classes in a squad is essential. Here are the best skills you need in your team in XCOM

The Chosen can be defeated by performing a series of covert operations and a tough final assassination mission, a process which takes some time. Don't take too long, though: these aren't static enemies. The longer they exist, the more strength they have. That isn't to say they don't have weakness either, as they follow a nemesis system that takes heavy inspiration from the likes of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor . They're easily the most difficult addition to the game, but they add plenty of flavor to the experience and much satisfaction when they're finally taken d