Just finished the game and took a bit to think it over. Dispensing with all of the positives, which are many, if I have a criticism, it's this: should have taken better advantage of the Cold War setting.
A few thoughts:
- What if both sides of the Cold War grew increasingly mistrustful and started seeing the Xenonauts as lackeys of the other side? As trust dwindled, it could affect funding, it could affect whether soldiers from the respective sides were allowed to continue to participate in the fighting (or they could choose to swear off their country in favor of fighting on)
- What if elements of both sides of the Cold War started coming to the Xenonauts with requests, even missions, that would affect the balance of the Cold War
- What if Cold War events from the time period were woven into the story of the game more. This showed up in the research tree but perhaps it could also be part of the metagame.
