Home Gaming How XCOM 2’s new mechanics make it even more emotional

How XCOM 2’s new mechanics make it even more emotional

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XCOM has always been an emotional game. To build your squad, maybe name characters after people you really know and watch them go from irritating rookies to squad leaders (or die miserable deaths)? It’s a fantastic journey and part of what makes it so much more than a strategy game. XCOM 2 is no different, and some new elements will help you feel even more connected to your team.

Xcom 2 1

Garth DeAngelis, Lead Producer on XCOM 2, was kind enough to answer some of our questions about the game and its mechanics. When I asked about how the studio creates such strong attachments with the squad, he explained:

We’ve found that for players, the story of XCOM is the story of what your soldiers do through the course of the game. Things like impossible shots connecting (and shots that should have hit missing the target!), soldiers going from rookies to stalwarts of your team, the sacrifices and trade-offs that happen throughout the game, all through the choices you’re making as the commander with very real consequences for failure.

You will lose people, and whether you’ve named them after a friend or just come to appreciate a randomly-generated soldier for what they do, it hurts. I think experienced XCOM players will see the demo and think: “Yep, I’m going to lose good people again, time to toughen up,”  because you know what that feels like having played XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Being able to actually haul your comrade over your shoulder to evacuate them to safety raises the tension even more, something new mechanically to XCOM 2. This tightens the bond between your surviving heroes even more.

Those moments are so remarkable, when your character makes a shot you didn’t think she could, or when she misses an easy one? Those are the stories we all tell – about loss or victory and how easily it could have gone the other way. Of course, characters are more than just their shooting skills on the field; XCOM 2 introduces a whole bunch of customization options that will make your squad feel even more distinctly your own.

Xcom 2 2

We’ve added so much more customization to soldiers this time around. You can change gender, you can change nationality, accent, and we’ve added a ton more visual customization for your soldiers. We’re giving players a much larger set of pieces to play with–more accents, facial props, custom veteran unlocks, and personality poses are a few teasers for what’s new.

Speaking of new mechanics and elements, I had to ask about Overwatch. During the E3 demo, the soldiers took turns rather than having everyone unload their clips on the first thing that moves. I was worried this might have just been changed in the demo, but still an irritation in the game. But fear not, Overwatch has been overhauled in XCOM 2:

No, that’s the way it works now. Overwatch fire is sequential. Closest target gets shot by the first soldier, and if it dies, the remaining overwatch shots go towards the next target, and so forth. No more six guys unloading on a Seeker that uncloaks at the start of the alien turn!

These new mechanics feel like a fine tuning of what already made XCOM such a joy to play. By adding in these elements, the experience sounds enhanced, but not changed so much as to make it lose its essence. XCOM 2 is coming November this year to PC, so be sure to stock up on tissues for when you cry over your lost squad mates.

XCOM 2 is coming in November this year, and is exclusive to the PC.

Last Updated: July 15, 2015

41 Comments

  1. Guild

    July 15, 2015 at 11:12

    🙂 I want

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      July 15, 2015 at 11:14

      ….it to come to PS4? Me too.

      Reply

  2. Admiral Chief in Skellige

    July 15, 2015 at 11:19

    FINALLY, overwatch fixed!!!!!

    Reply

    • Guild

      July 15, 2015 at 11:21

      After playing through Enemy Within again, I’m so happy this will be fixed.

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief in Skellige

        July 15, 2015 at 11:23

        Yeah, have you played Long War mod? Currently busy with that. And let me tell you, tough as nails. So multiple overwatches going to waste is a moerse frustration

        Reply

        • Skoobaz

          July 15, 2015 at 12:01

          Is there a fix perhaps for current games? Looking now

          Reply

        • Guild

          July 15, 2015 at 12:30

          Busy with other games at the moment but definitely plan on re-visiting with the Long War mod. Even with Enemy Within when I had multiple overwatches it annoyed me when 3 soldiers fire on one target

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief in Skellige

            July 15, 2015 at 12:37

            Even worse if said 3 soldiers ALL miss

    • Her Highness the Hipster

      July 15, 2015 at 11:30

      INORITE?! awesome stuff

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief in Skellige

        July 15, 2015 at 13:36

        Yeah, super glad! NEW STRATEGIES!!!

        Reply

  3. Admiral Chief in Skellige

    July 15, 2015 at 11:19

    SO HYYYPE!!!

    Reply

  4. Admiral Chief in Skellige

    July 15, 2015 at 11:20

    There are few things in life that frustrate me as much as losing a soldier, or a soldier missing a 96% chance shot at close range with a shotgun

    Reply

    • Greylingad[CNFRMD]

      July 15, 2015 at 11:37

      Like the general on the battlefield screaming to his men: “What are you afraid of!? Those men can’t hit an elephant at close ra…”

      Reply

      • Skoobaz

        July 15, 2015 at 12:17

        Reminds me of a certain scene from ME.”Hold the line!”

        Reply

    • HvR

      July 15, 2015 at 11:39

      You will be surprised how often that happen in real life. Something that will be awesome if they introduce wounding/less damage hit, especially instead of a miss on close range.

      Reply

      • Reidroc

        July 15, 2015 at 11:54

        Really? In real life? Running behind an alien and with the shotgun barrel almost touching the back of your target, smug look of yeah I got this shit, then pulling the trigger, missing and in the next round watching as that smug idiot gets blown away.

        Reply

        • HvR

          July 15, 2015 at 11:58

          Oi, hitting 5 targets with a shotgun on after another at 10m to 15m and then missing the last one less than 5m away twice in a a row.

          Reply

  5. HvR

    July 15, 2015 at 11:31

    Change nationalities and accents …… mmmmm
    “Herman Koekemeoer hear, gonna make some alien moffies kak their jean pants”

    Reply

    • Her Highness the Hipster

      July 15, 2015 at 11:32

      that would definitely make your squad…. unique. 😛

      Reply

    • Skoobaz

      July 15, 2015 at 12:19

      Jean PanT.. lolz

      Reply

  6. RinceThis

    July 15, 2015 at 11:33

    So people moan about Tomb Raider coming to the Bone first, what about this? Just wondering whether we will ever see this on the consoles.

    Reply

    • Her Highness the Hipster

      July 15, 2015 at 11:34

      modding support and procedurally generated maps? nope, not coming to console. 😛

      Reply

      • RinceThis

        July 15, 2015 at 11:41

        Um… No Man’s Sky has a MINOR element of procedurally generated maps on the console and the other game (which had mods on the PC) was on the console 😛

        Reply

    • HvR

      July 15, 2015 at 11:35

      This has always been PC original title; too much modding and cheaper expansion not available on the console. I feel I really missed out with XCOM on PS3.

      Reply

    • Admiral Chief in Skellige

      July 15, 2015 at 11:41

      Because this is a thinking man’s game, that is why

      Reply

      • Skoobaz

        July 15, 2015 at 12:20

        Medic!!

        Reply

      • RinceThis

        July 15, 2015 at 12:55

        Ah. Batman must be a MAN’s game then?

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          July 15, 2015 at 14:43

          So non-thinking men play on console? 😀

          Reply

  7. Brady miaau

    July 15, 2015 at 12:45

    So why not link to your Facebook and twitter feeds?

    Assign people from your facebook fiends list as the soldiers and send live updates to their facebook pages on the current status, weapons, ranks, number of kills and so forth. Your gran would love that, too.

    Reply

    • RinceThis

      July 15, 2015 at 13:02

      I love that idea way too much 0_O

      Reply

      • Brady miaau

        July 15, 2015 at 13:12

        actually, it started out as a sort of sarcastic idea (like half my posts), but yeah, it might be fun IF you can optionally turn it on and off and is seen in the spirit of good fun.

        Sort of avatars of your facebook friends in the game.

        Reply

        • RinceThis

          July 15, 2015 at 13:15

          Take my money! I think linking it to twitter would work better with all the vile that is on there.

          Reply

  8. SargonTheBatpandaOfTI5

    July 15, 2015 at 12:50

    <3 the Overwatch changes!

    Reply

  9. Alien Emperor Trevor

    July 15, 2015 at 13:13

    I know someone will always die. So I plan ahead & use one designated soldier for all the really risky stuff. Poor Rince, at least he dies for a good cause – and I don’t feel bad when it happens.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief in Skellige

      July 15, 2015 at 13:28

      xD

      Reply

  10. Lardus-Resident Perve

    July 15, 2015 at 19:04

    Overwatch version “what it should have been”!! This game is making me wish time away!

    Reply

  11. Mike

    July 16, 2015 at 05:21

    >Clips

    Magazines, please…

    Reply

  12. Chaotic Entropy

    December 12, 2015 at 17:38

    I am looking forward to this the most out of all upcoming PC releases, I dare say. Thank god for the overwatch changes, though sometimes it’s fun to wildly obliterate a target.

    Reply

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