--oliver-- Posted January 17 Posted January 17 (edited) Personal Thoughts @ (X1) X2 Taking reference to Lighterius „very long review“post, I take a chance of my own impressions of X1 and X2 To clearify things right from the start a word about myself. As 40+ I am more about experience and immersion than of challenge. I like to enjoy and only have a slightly interesst in hardcore difficulty. Like in X1 so here in X2 I took the time to tweak a little bit. Please excuse this cicumstance. I played the original XCOM-the enemy unknown (Ufo defense)(ger) and XCOM -tftd a lot and later the openXcom versions. So I was very exited when I stumbled across Xenonauts 1, back in 2019. Quite some time after its release but better late than never. Over half a decade later I keep X1 in great memory. I had ton of fun, playing excessively for some time. What prevented me from playing XCOM 2012, ist the „doomsday clock“-thing. Seems quite popular these days. But I never liked to be in hurry. Surely, there should be a plot in game, which is leading to a certain goal. But I prefer to do it my way. Depends how strong your game is shaped from this mechanic. However. X1 is an amazing game and I think i does an overwhelming good job. taking the Spirit of the old XCOM and put in modern times. About X2. There are some moments I which I got the feeling back from X1 in 2019. It just hooked me again. But there are some different and new eperiences. Some good some mehh. Starting a new game: I really like the options to build your custom game experience. Easy to hardcore. Suits eveyone I think. Operation Points: As for now, dec25 jan26, I think their invention was a good idea. Ads a little layer to the complexity. Where do I spend my points on? A new option to influence the game. The passive generating I think, is also the right way. What is questionable for me is the reduce of 100/125 points if I do a crash mission and dont let the land/state do it. I think the amount is quite a lot. On the other hand, NAM, EUR, LAM, SU, ASI, AFR 6x4 options, after a while you have everything archived. This whole idea would be better if it had effects in the long run. Respectively more usage of OP till the end of them game. As for active generating OP, maybe some special missions which are more difficult or different to the classic combat missions. Larger maps or somethig else. Ressources: Depends. Scarcity is a challenge. If your interested in a harder difficulty, its okay. If you are not forced to finish the game at for example Day 325, then you have plenty of time to earn ressources. If one likes to build, research and taste every little piece of it, thats okay. Both should be possible. Soldiers: The rising through the ranks of soldiers is a great idea. But earning could be a little slower or harder. And more variaty in the buffs of the different ranks and medals. About Soldiers Accuracy, I had one of the woodlouse/bugs direct next to my soldier. Sometimes misses 2 shoots close up. Maybe there is room to inprove gameplay on this point. I think it is to unrealistic. Same for the Stun-batton. Missing an Enemy, I dont know. The resitance of an enemy to fall unconscious, is okay. Some a tougher some ar weaker. Soldier Health/Death: A razor with two edges. On one side, it is challanging to have even experienced soldiers dying. On the other hand frustrating. Really difficult. Maybe better to put them out of action instead of dying an elite soldier. Would be a good way to pic up both sides, I think. Keep the randomness of damage, but with only disabling the vetereans for the rest of the mission, etc. Soldier Jetpack: Likewise a good idea. First I did not exactly know if I like not beeing able to fly, but now I think its (very) good, only to „jump“ onto roofs and not to fly endless. Tanks: I like them. Could be more of it. Aircraft: Generally I miss the variatiy of X1. I liked to have more steps and options while I was progressing through the game. The more to play with, is always fun. More aircrafts, for example, means more even progression, still to the late game. More steps you have to keep the game interessting in the long run. More managemend, one has to weigh more carefully whether this or that. Air modules: Also a great idea. But like Lighterius mentioned. The large amount of fuel, they already have, makes an additional fueltank obsolet. But, maybe, reducing the fuel means more ufos are escaping, which will increase loosing the game. Precise tweaking necessary. Air Combat: I think it has definetly improved over X1. Like it. Felt easier more convenience to get into it. Back in X1 felt more angular, awkward. Reasearch: What I felt during the game, was some emptiness. I can not remember exactly how it was in XCOM, UFO, X1 but sometimes I felt; quiestioning myself, is it broken? Is there missing something? A little bit of to fast in progressing through the game towards the exit. In the older games it felt more of a longer walk. Unique things to build: Took a moment before I got it. The alternative would be to earn, hunt for ressources which you would of course need – and you have not to place orders manually. Build once an your done. I take this as comfort. Final Thoughts: I am a big friend of freedom of the player. I like to weigh up different strategies. Possibilities. Of course, jumping in a game and having thousands of options at once, is definitive a bad idea. But progressing throught the game, evolving and growing up with options feels natural. If done like this, you dont feel overwhelmed. So I would enjoy to have a ton more of complexity. More research, more upgrades, more, more, more. I specially would like to have more extensive possibilites during combat. The more the game allows you or gives you the possibility to win by your own smartness. It feels so rewarding, to win a combat more by tactical intelligence than by raw power. Hope you find it interesting to read and got food for thought or discussion. I am looking forward about whats to come in the future. Edited January 17 by --oliver-- 1 Quote
Chris Posted January 21 Posted January 21 On 1/17/2026 at 2:51 PM, --oliver-- said: Personal Thoughts @ (X1) X2 Taking reference to Lighterius „very long review“post, I take a chance of my own impressions of X1 and X2 To clearify things right from the start a word about myself. As 40+ I am more about experience and immersion than of challenge. I like to enjoy and only have a slightly interesst in hardcore difficulty. Like in X1 so here in X2 I took the time to tweak a little bit. Please excuse this cicumstance. I played the original XCOM-the enemy unknown (Ufo defense)(ger) and XCOM -tftd a lot and later the openXcom versions. So I was very exited when I stumbled across Xenonauts 1, back in 2019. Quite some time after its release but better late than never. Over half a decade later I keep X1 in great memory. I had ton of fun, playing excessively for some time. What prevented me from playing XCOM 2012, ist the „doomsday clock“-thing. Seems quite popular these days. But I never liked to be in hurry. Surely, there should be a plot in game, which is leading to a certain goal. But I prefer to do it my way. Depends how strong your game is shaped from this mechanic. However. X1 is an amazing game and I think i does an overwhelming good job. taking the Spirit of the old XCOM and put in modern times. About X2. There are some moments I which I got the feeling back from X1 in 2019. It just hooked me again. But there are some different and new eperiences. Some good some mehh. Starting a new game: I really like the options to build your custom game experience. Easy to hardcore. Suits eveyone I think. Operation Points: As for now, dec25 jan26, I think their invention was a good idea. Ads a little layer to the complexity. Where do I spend my points on? A new option to influence the game. The passive generating I think, is also the right way. What is questionable for me is the reduce of 100/125 points if I do a crash mission and dont let the land/state do it. I think the amount is quite a lot. On the other hand, NAM, EUR, LAM, SU, ASI, AFR 6x4 options, after a while you have everything archived. This whole idea would be better if it had effects in the long run. Respectively more usage of OP till the end of them game. As for active generating OP, maybe some special missions which are more difficult or different to the classic combat missions. Larger maps or somethig else. Ressources: Depends. Scarcity is a challenge. If your interested in a harder difficulty, its okay. If you are not forced to finish the game at for example Day 325, then you have plenty of time to earn ressources. If one likes to build, research and taste every little piece of it, thats okay. Both should be possible. Soldiers: The rising through the ranks of soldiers is a great idea. But earning could be a little slower or harder. And more variaty in the buffs of the different ranks and medals. About Soldiers Accuracy, I had one of the woodlouse/bugs direct next to my soldier. Sometimes misses 2 shoots close up. Maybe there is room to inprove gameplay on this point. I think it is to unrealistic. Same for the Stun-batton. Missing an Enemy, I dont know. The resitance of an enemy to fall unconscious, is okay. Some a tougher some ar weaker. Soldier Health/Death: A razor with two edges. On one side, it is challanging to have even experienced soldiers dying. On the other hand frustrating. Really difficult. Maybe better to put them out of action instead of dying an elite soldier. Would be a good way to pic up both sides, I think. Keep the randomness of damage, but with only disabling the vetereans for the rest of the mission, etc. Soldier Jetpack: Likewise a good idea. First I did not exactly know if I like not beeing able to fly, but now I think its (very) good, only to „jump“ onto roofs and not to fly endless. Tanks: I like them. Could be more of it. Aircraft: Generally I miss the variatiy of X1. I liked to have more steps and options while I was progressing through the game. The more to play with, is always fun. More aircrafts, for example, means more even progression, still to the late game. More steps you have to keep the game interessting in the long run. More managemend, one has to weigh more carefully whether this or that. Air modules: Also a great idea. But like Lighterius mentioned. The large amount of fuel, they already have, makes an additional fueltank obsolet. But, maybe, reducing the fuel means more ufos are escaping, which will increase loosing the game. Precise tweaking necessary. Air Combat: I think it has definetly improved over X1. Like it. Felt easier more convenience to get into it. Back in X1 felt more angular, awkward. Reasearch: What I felt during the game, was some emptiness. I can not remember exactly how it was in XCOM, UFO, X1 but sometimes I felt; quiestioning myself, is it broken? Is there missing something? A little bit of to fast in progressing through the game towards the exit. In the older games it felt more of a longer walk. Unique things to build: Took a moment before I got it. The alternative would be to earn, hunt for ressources which you would of course need – and you have not to place orders manually. Build once an your done. I take this as comfort. Final Thoughts: I am a big friend of freedom of the player. I like to weigh up different strategies. Possibilities. Of course, jumping in a game and having thousands of options at once, is definitive a bad idea. But progressing throught the game, evolving and growing up with options feels natural. If done like this, you dont feel overwhelmed. So I would enjoy to have a ton more of complexity. More research, more upgrades, more, more, more. I specially would like to have more extensive possibilites during combat. The more the game allows you or gives you the possibility to win by your own smartness. It feels so rewarding, to win a combat more by tactical intelligence than by raw power. Hope you find it interesting to read and got food for thought or discussion. I am looking forward about whats to come in the future. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate you taking the time to write it out! Quote
--oliver-- Posted February 3 Author Posted February 3 I have to admit, that I was contamplating some points there, which I now realized, where not 100% correct due to the fact, I was not far enough in the game. But luckily not that it would change my all in all (very) positive impression of X2. Quote
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