New x-com: enemy within (XCOM: Enemy Unknown)

Good day, playground members of the forum! Today I want to introduce you (if anyone is not familiar yet, which would be strange, the game has died down already) with an interesting addition to the original x-com: enemy unknown. Meet the twisted, prettier, long-loved, but polished enemy within!
Now let's get down to business. The developers really made us happy. When the original x-com came out, I was worried that we would get another dull arcade tactic, with a "smart pause". But no! What was my surprise when I played the game for the third time and realized that I was not tired of it. The developers have made every effort to preserve the spirit and atmosphere of the original UFO, superimposing them on modern realities. Yes, it's a bit arcade, a bit simple. But it is perfect, it is addictive. Probably X-COM: UFO Defense, this is the best thing that I played as a child in the 90s on an old PS1, because my dad very rarely allowed me to the computer. And now, a miracle, I was also imbued with a remake of this magnificent simulator of protecting the Earth from alien invaders. And now it has been finalized so much that I can honestly say it's the best
But, finally, let's step back from the lyrics, and my saliva of happiness spreading over the keyboard, and back directly to the addition. What new did the developers offer us?
In fact, we get the same storyline as in the original, only with a changed color scheme of the clips from blue to yellow. All the same, aliens attack the earth for no apparent reason, we still need to fight back and find an answer to the main questions: who, why and why? Basically, how to win. We still have the same advisers - Dr. Valen, a cute, bitchy scientist who loves to create a gloomy atmosphere of suspicion, open and interrogate aliens, the Chinese engineer Shen, who is ready to make guns, armor, stimulants, robots and other devices that help achieve victory (and a cut with public opinion, despite the fact that they were made by the Chinese, they really work, they do not fail or break down), and our base commandant, who directs all briefings, tracking objects, landing task forces and generally keeping us informed of everything, what is happening at the base and beyond. Still, we are offered to build, research, create, improve, pump, kill and gain experience in order to ultimately kick the invaders under their skinny sectoid butt.
But in the very first combat mission, we come across containers with a mysterious "composition". Naturally, in the future we will meet such containers in almost every mission, two per mission. They need to be collected, seemingly a simple task that does not require special skills and talents. But there are two nuances that will spoil your blood, and more than once. First, we do not know where they are, sometimes our fighters can "feel" in which direction to look. They feel in the form of a yellow stripe indicating where to move. And the second, which is much worse than the first, they have a timer that shows how many moves we have left until the container with the precious liquid self-destructs. Together we get a frantic race for the "composition", under the crossfire of the enemy. But the composition is really worth it.
As soon as such a container falls into our hands, after a successfully completed mission, we are offered to study what we have found. After studying, we open up two branches for pumping soldiers, after building the corresponding premises on the base: the creation of MEK pilots and genetic modification. Both branches are mutually exclusive, and the IEC branch is a separate class that completely negates the future profession of your ward. Genetic modification gives sweet bonuses to the main profession, while we do not lose absolutely any skills of the improved soldier. The sniper still crumbles enemies from a kilometer distance from a rifle with optics, support also heals. Let's take a closer look at each of the branches, let's start with the IEC pilots:





MEK pilots are cybernetically modified soldiers with amputated arms and legs replaced by manipulators that allow the use of MEK combat robots. Importantly, an MEC pilot can only be made from a non-psionic and non-genetically modified fighter or a recruit. The fighter will lose his old profession, having received only a starting bonus in the form of more accurate shots, protection from critical and other things. Also, if a fighter has been pumped, he will not lose his level, and you will be given a choice from his branch of pumping the MEC pilot's abilities:



Next, we will be offered to make a suit for our pilot. The suit has three gradations - Guardian, Sentinel, Paladin. At each stage, including the first, creation, we are offered to choose one of two devices. It can be a power fist for close combat or a flamethrower, a long-range medpack or a grenade launcher, a mine layer or an EMP pulse that knocks out vehicles. But there are a few points, making a cooler suit takes a lot of engineering, money and line-up. Above all, advanced costumes need to be researched first. But they are worth it, with a competent combination of skills, we can make either an impenetrable mobile shelter, or a swift deadly machine that can overcome any obstacle, and break a power fist into the jaw of a berserker muton. In general,



In general, my first IEC went all the way in the team, probably somewhere from the 5th mission to the very end. Generally uber machine.
By the way, the same armored suit was introduced into the game, only with a sectoid inside. Nothing interesting, except for a huge amount of health, constant combat readiness and a short cartoon, when an MEK fighter delivers a final blow with his fist, this individual is nothing special.

Now let's move on to the genetic modification of soldiers.



Here we are not offered to change the profession radically, we just can get additional advantages - like jumping from the ground to the roof, a second heart, which increases the time to death if a fighter is critically wounded, and the ability to repulse psi attacks. At the same time, I modify the soldier in this way, we do not lose anything, but gain. Thus, only IEC pilots cannot be improved. The interesting thing is that we can genetically modify even psionics, getting really killing machines, especially from psionic stormtroopers. The only caveat is to activate access to the alien flagship and start the last mission, you need a pure psionic without modifications. In general, here's a trained gene fighter:



These are two main innovations that radically change the tactics of combat. The rest of the additions are pretty minor:

1. An attack on the x-com base. Somewhere in the middle of the game, aliens attack our base. We are shown a video of how internecine clashes take place in the command center, the "ranger" that takes us to the mission is blown up, and a rout is arranged in the laboratory. All these are the consequences of a psi attack and taking control of some of the personnel. We are offered to take control of three random fighters from the "on departure", and the fourth in a few moves in the form of reinforcements, and systematically clean up the sectors of the base. The clearing map is the same every time, no matter how you build the base, the aliens attack the outer guard post of the command center, the command center itself, storage facilities and exit tunnels. Enemies rode in droves, but we are given 4 recruits with machine guns to help. At the end of the assignment, we get an attack captain.
2. A new grouping EXALT has appeared in the world, which in every possible way interferes with our plans, spreads panic and steals our money. For the first time we get to know them in a mission to save our convoy, which eventually turns out to be destroyed, and at the site of the massacre there is one wounded operative of this very group, whom we are evacuating. Later it will be explained to us that this group is trying to interfere with xcom. Why, why, nobody will tell us. But now we can identify the cells of this group in different countries, and destroy them, thus revealing the main enemy base. All secret missions go along the same rails, in three dashes for six days we send an operative on a task that either pops up, causing us damage, or is for money. After a certain time, we are offered to pick up the operative. We collect a group and hit the road. As a result, it is necessary either to defend the territory until the enemy is completely destroyed, or to evacuate the soldier, simultaneously hacking two points of communication of the terrorists. A fighter goes on a mission only with a pistol and without armor, such as a spy. Therefore, it is better if a pumped, genetically modified attack aircraft flies there. As a result of all our efforts, we find and cut out the terrorist base. We watch the cartoon and play further. Of course, it was this bells and whistles with terrorists that turned out to be damp and not completed yet, but in general it brings its variety to the gameplay, giving us the opportunity to fight with people. genetically modified attack aircraft. As a result of all our efforts, we find and cut out the terrorist base. We watch the cartoon and play further. Of course, it was this bells and whistles with terrorists that turned out to be damp and not completed yet, but in general it brings its variety to the gameplay, giving us the opportunity to fight with people. genetically modified attack aircraft. As a result of all our efforts, we find and cut out the terrorist base. We watch the cartoon and play further. Of course, it was this bells and whistles with terrorists that turned out to be damp and not completed yet, but in general it brings its variety to the gameplay, giving us the opportunity to fight with people.
3. Mission in the fishing village, in which you need to find out why the connection with the settlement was lost. As a result, we learn that the Chryssalids made all the inhabitants of the zombies, and in the carcass of the whale in the tanker there is their incubator with eggs. All that remains for us is to leave the beacon for the art strike and do the legs. There are few moves, there are many opponents, the mission is difficult. As a result, we receive many thanks, money and several engineers.
4. The mission of the "forerunner". EXALT was transporting some kind of secret weapon on the dam, they were attacked by aliens, the dam gave a gap, an urgent need to reconnoiter the situation. As a result, we, briskly running from valve to valve, bleeding water so that the dam does not collapse ahead of time, firing back from the landing aliens, we run to the truck in which the psionic is located (although we still need to find the gift from her in the psi laboratory). Then we will be offered a second mission, where in 10 moves we need to pull out three more of the same "potential psionics".

To summarize, we have: One completely new class of fighters, several opportunities for pumping old classes, a dozen new missions, several new items and two new types of opponents, a dozen fresh cards, a new resource, the intellect has also been correctly improved, and the enemy has become a serious danger. It seems to be nothing fundamental, but when new chips are introduced into a great game without breaking anything, it's really cool. In general, I recommend it to everyone!