I'm late to the party.
Two weeks ago, I'd felt this "xcom itch" (you guys probably know what I mean). The one that EU/EW just can't scratch.
I was just about to fire up OpenXcom. Then I remembered: somebody was making this indie remake, right? Cold war setting instead of '90s future? Something that was on Kickstarter at some point? I couldn't remember exactly. I've kept reading about Xenonauts for *years*, on the sidelines. Something on RPS here, something on Kotaku there.
So I got this itch. I got spare time. I got money on my paypal account.
I'm now playing through the whole thing for the second time in two weeks (on normal difficulty again; don't laugh) and I gotta say: bravo.
I won't go (too much) into details, but I especially loved: airstrikes! Vision cones (with illumination at night). Research and production management that is a hundred times better than xcom. Different weapons in ground combat that have different uses. Same for interceptors: meaningful air combat and interceptor balance! Tanks that are cool and useful but also optional. Good balance of troop numbers in ground combat (I think 10 is just right; more feels like a chore). Meaningful stats for soldiers.
I could go on but who cares.
Over the course of a couple of years you guys have succeeded in crafting the ultimate xcom reimagining and an awesome (and crazy addictive) game.
I regret being a little bit late to the party, but now I'm glad I finally got around to playing this indie masterpiece.
PS: Chris, I totally enjoyed your writing, especially the research reports. They made sense and provided a ton of immersion. And I just love that head scientist
