REVIEW – XCOM 2 was a brilliant game, and its console port was also nicely done. The new DLC, War of the Chosen, is something like a massive expansion from fifteen years ago: it’s almost as big as a standalone game. Therefore, calling it XCOM 2.5 would suit Firaxis’ work without any doubt whatsoever.

In case you had XCOM 2 in its complete form up to now, you need to get a new start, which may not sound good on paper, but you will quickly just enjoy the new adventures, featuring the Chosen, who will make the defense of Earth harder than ever before.

The chosen

One of the new enemy types will be the Chosen. Three of them total. No, you’re not going to laugh and think to yourself „just three?” These aliens are extremely OP, so be glad that you’ll have to deal with ONLY three! They will learn from the encounters, and they will also gain powers along the way. (Better hide your kids from the Assassin, to be honest…)

There’s also the hordes of the Lost. Yes, I intentionally wrote hordes: these aliens are pretty much just walking braindead idiots, which might sound boring on paper, it’s fun to get rid of them because killing a Lost will net you an extra move for you to do in your turn. Meanwhile, you also have to look at what the Lost attacks, which means they might actually do you a favor. Sometimes, it’s just worth it to take a risk.

Due to the new enemies, expecting a bit of rebalancing can be expected by Firaxis, and for a good reason: there are new characters coming from three factions, each coming with their strength and weakness. The Templars get stronger after performing a kill (what is it, Highlander?), the Skirmishers, who are human/alien mixtures, prefer melee combat, and the Reapers can stay unnoticed even after attacking. You can only take them on the battlefield if you add the faction leader to your team. You have to take risks.

Unlucky

I was unlucky. There’s no scripted oh there’s the point when a Chosen will attack you. These events can piss you the f_ck off, so if you have a low blood pressure, have no fear, just play XCOM 2: WotC, and you will be cured! The expansion, which adds about 16-18 hours of gameplay, can easily be twenty hours due to unlucky situations. Still, replaying the game is a good idea, as XCOM 2, which was already a technical game, gets another technical layer on top of the basics. Turn based strategy, as well as the usual we have the enemy right in front of us scenario, where our character misses at point blank range. Good old classic XCOM, get used to it.

Looking good?

The procedurally generated levels will grant replayability, as well as a bit of change in the visuals, and I didn’t even mention that you can customize your characters as well, all making the graphics enjoyable and not ugly. However, I do think the audio is somewhat tired. I don’t mean the voice acting, that has been good in the base game before, but the soundtrack… isn’t memorable. It has good ambiance in the early hours of the game, but towards the end, it just ruins the game’s tone a bit.

Recommended purchase

If you have XCOM 2, get this DLC. Sure, it’s expensive, but you can pull it out at any time and not feel that it’s boring or repetitive. If you learn the basics of the XCOM world (ALWAYS have a B plan, you will need it!), then War of the Chosen, or should I say, XCOM 2.5, will be a worthy acquiring for those who look for a challenge. Firaxis has done it, yet again. The only reason why it doesn’t get a nine out of ten is that beginners won’t stand a chance, and the soundtrack is somewhat weak. (It’s pricy, too.)

Still, this DLC should be the standard for all developers. THIS is how you make them. It should be the minimum for everyone.

-V-

Publisher: 2K Games

Developer: Firaxis

Genre: Turn based strategy

Release date: August 29, 2017