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Set twenty years after the events of Enemy Unknown, things kick off here under the assumption that you failed in your mission to fight off an alien invasion in the previous game, with the world now ruled by a human/Advent coalition. This is an entry in the franchise that sees a ton of smart new additions folded into the already excellent XCOM core gameplay and is, quite rightly, regarded as one of the very best turn-based strategy games currently available on any platform. Yes, the graphics have been kicked right down to their lowest settings, yes the framerate is all over the shop at times and yes loading in and out of missions can sometimes feel like a bit of a drag (there's also a pretty big but hopefully very patchable bug that we'll get to in just a bit) but, rest assured, this is the full-fat XCOM 2 and XCOM 2: War of the Chosen experience and the brilliance of Firaxis' genre-defining game absolutely outshines any technical difficulties we've come across whilst playing through it in both docked and handheld modes.īefore we get down to the nitty-gritty of this port specifically – and for the benefit of anyone who hasn't already indulged on some other platform – XCOM 2 is 2016's stellar sequel to 2012's XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
#Xcom 2 switch review Ps4#
Let's be clear, this is a hugely demanding title that has had numerous bugs and framerate issues plague it on PC as well as PS4 and Xbox One – long loading times and stuttering framerates are all par for the course here – but Virtuous has somehow still managed to squeeze it all onto the Switch in a highly playable state.Ĭaptured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked) Thankfully Virtuous – who've already done a fantastic job with their Starlink: Battle for Atlas and Dark Souls: Remastered ports on Switch – has not only managed to get this turn-based tactical behemoth up and running, they've done a properly solid job. It's certainly going to be interesting to see how successfully they've managed to deal with the technical task of porting this lot onto Nintendo's hybrid platform and, if we were to pick from the entire bunch, it's surely XCOM 2 that's provided the biggest challenge in this regard. It downgrades the XCOM experience without diluting it, allowing players to immerse themselves in the ongoing war when and where it best suits them.2K Games really has gifted Switch owners a smorgasbord of truly excellent games from their back catalogue lately, with the publisher's Borderlands, BioShock and XCOM franchises all exploding onto the eShop in unison. For this reason alone I think the XCOM 2 port is a success. Truthfully, whether you’re a stickler for graphics or not, when you’re stranded in the middle of a city block with aliens flocking to your location, the visuals are the last thing on your mind. Excellent mission structure and brilliant risk and reward gameplay blend together to create what is now probably the best strategy game you can play on the Switch – although I still love Into The Breach and Wargroove and you should definitely check them out if you’re into XCOM.
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This is one of the areas that took a serious cut in the downscaling with objects and environmental assets now disappearing as soon as they are hit.Įnvironmental destruction or not, this is still one of the best strategy games you can play in the modern age. Seeing buildings, walls and other objects crumble and tatter really added to the immersion, and added a tangible feeling to the game’s environments. In the PC version the world around you crumbles as weapons are fired on each side. One area that is disappointing is the reduction in environmental destruction and special effects such as explosions. XCOM’s art style is a saving grace here, elevating the slightly fuzzy visuals, low quality textures and shadowing so that it still manage to look great on the Switch’s small screen. Graphical fidelity takes a bit hit in this port as the environment and character models are scaled way back to meet the Switch’s capabilities, possibly on par with the PC version’s lower settings. The turn-based strategy genre is one of the few I think can get away with a questionable frame rate, even if it can tarnish the overall experience. Fortunately it doesn’t really affect the feel of the game. The game aims to run at 30fps, but it does drop and occasionally stutters quite noticeably as the action plays out. The trade offs to the PC version are certainly there.