XCOM Enemy Within

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New Features and Enhancements

1. New Aliens and Units

One of the most notable additions in Enemy Within is the introduction of new alien species. These include the Meld, a new resource that players must collect to unlock advanced technology, and the EXALT, a human faction that serves as a rival to the XCOM team.

• Meld: Meld is a new resource that can be found in the battlefield and is used to research and build advanced technologies. Collecting Meld adds a new layer of strategy, as players must balance the risk of collecting it with the need to complete mission objectives.
• EXALT: EXALT is a covert human faction that works against XCOM’s interests. They introduce new enemy units and missions, adding variety and complexity to the gameplay. EXALT missions require players to engage in counter-intelligence operations, providing a fresh challenge.

2. Genetic and Cybernetic Augmentations

XCOM: Enemy Within introduces new options for enhancing soldiers through genetic and cybernetic augmentations.

• Genetic Augmentations: Soldiers can undergo genetic modifications that grant them special abilities and bonuses. These augmentations include enhancements such as increased mobility, strength, and resistance to environmental hazards. This feature allows players to tailor their soldiers to specific roles and strategies.
• Cybernetic Augmentations: The introduction of cybernetic enhancements provides additional upgrades, such as improved armor and weaponry. These augmentations offer significant boosts to soldier capabilities, further enhancing tactical options.

3. New Technologies and Equipment

The expansion introduces a range of new technologies and equipment, adding depth to the research and development aspects of the game.

• New Weapons and Armor: Enemy Within features new weapons and armor that provide different tactical advantages. For example, the new ARC Thrower allows soldiers to stun enemies, and advanced armor sets offer improved protection and additional abilities.
• New Facilities: Players can build new facilities in their base, such as the Cybernetics Lab and Genetics Lab. These facilities are crucial for researching and developing new technologies and augmentations.

4. Enhanced Tactical Gameplay

The tactical gameplay in Enemy Within has been refined and expanded with new features and mechanics.

• New Maps and Environments: The expansion adds new maps and environments to the game, providing a greater variety of tactical scenarios. These new maps include diverse terrain and structures that impact strategic planning and combat.
• Mission Types: Enemy Within introduces new mission types, including EXALT operations and Meld recovery missions. These new mission types add variety and challenge, requiring players to adapt their strategies and tactics.
• Improved AI: The enemy AI has been improved to provide a more challenging and dynamic experience. Enemies use more advanced tactics and strategies, requiring players to think critically and adapt to changing situations.

Gameplay and Mechanics

1. Strategic Layer

The strategic layer of XCOM: Enemy Within remains largely unchanged from the base game, but the addition of new features and mechanics enhances the overall experience.

• Base Management: Players continue to manage their base, including building facilities, researching technologies, and managing resources. The new facilities and augmentations add additional layers of strategy to base management.
• Research and Development: The research and development aspects of the game are expanded with new technologies and equipment. Players must prioritize their research and development efforts to gain the upper hand in the ongoing conflict.
• Resource Management: The introduction of Meld adds a new resource to manage. Players must balance the need to collect Meld with the risks and rewards associated with it. Managing resources remains a key aspect of the strategic layer.

2. Tactical Combat

The tactical combat in Enemy Within is where the expansion truly shines, with numerous enhancements and additions that improve the overall gameplay experience.

• Turn-Based Combat: The game’s turn-based combat system remains intact, but the new aliens, equipment, and abilities add depth and complexity. Players must carefully plan their moves and consider the impact of new elements such as Meld and cybernetic enhancements.
• Soldier Customization: The ability to customize soldiers with genetic and cybernetic augmentations allows for a high degree of strategic flexibility. Players can tailor their soldiers to fit specific roles and strategies, enhancing the tactical depth of the game.
• Enemy Variety: The new alien species and EXALT units introduce a greater variety of enemies, each with unique abilities and tactics. This increased variety adds complexity to combat encounters and requires players to adapt their strategies.

Story and Narrative

While XCOM: Enemy Within focuses primarily on gameplay enhancements and new features, it also builds upon the narrative established in XCOM: Enemy Unknown. The expansion introduces new story elements and factions, enriching the overall narrative experience.

• EXALT Faction: The addition of the EXALT faction adds a new layer to the story, introducing a human enemy that works against XCOM’s goals. The EXALT missions and storyline provide additional context and challenge to the overarching conflict.
• Character Development: The new augmentations and abilities allow for deeper character development, as players can customize their soldiers with unique enhancements and skills. This added depth helps to create a more engaging and immersive experience.

XCOM: Enemy Within – In the current era, DLC (Downloadable Content) has almost become an “inevitable” part of the game.

They update from the smallest things like costumes, weapons, or add new game parts, new stories.

However, it seems that DLC is increasingly being overused because of its convenience and compactness, making it inadvertently become a tool “for money” for customers of today’s game publishers.

Among the countless DLCs, there are still rare highlights, XCOM: Enemy Within is the most typical example.

Announced by Firaxis Games, this will be an “expansion pack” for the game XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and indeed, XCOM: Enemy Within is worth every penny that gamers have to spend to own it!

If you’ve ever seen the movie Captain America: The First Avenger, surely, you will be very impressed by what science can do with the human body.

And with XCOM: Enemy Within, you will have the opportunity to experience it firsthand from a very interesting perspective.

The “super warriors” with extraordinary strength, giving players more tactical options.

First, players can “transplant” alien cells into the bodies of their warriors, giving them new powers.

That may be the ability to observe, muscle strength, auxiliary factors that help the body to be more resilient.

These abilities help in battle.

A big addition to the XCOM force is the MEC system – mechanical warriors with extraordinary strength.

Transformed from human flesh and bones, MEC warriors now become “crushing machines” on the battlefield with extremely strong firepower, wide mobility as well as durable fighting strength.

However, the design of Firaxis Games still ensures a balance in gameplay.

The “super warriors”, despite their extraordinary abilities, still have their disadvantages, and of course, you cannot create a perfect warrior.

Therefore, choose carefully.

Of course, if you get the “super warriors”, the enemy will also have new additions to balance.

In addition to confronting the Sectoid, Thin Man, or Mutont as before, the player will have to plan to destroy even the enemies like Mechtoid machines with strong firepower and the support of Sectoid; Seeker names with stealth abilities … All of which make you “busy” much more than before.

A new addition in this version is the “traitor” EXALT.

Described as a counterweight to the XCOM forces on a global scale, EXALT sees the alien invasion as a good opportunity to accomplish its purpose.

Hidden in the dark, EXALT always sabotages the activities of XCOM, with the support from the collected technology of the aliens.

EXALT also has “classes” almost similar to XCOM (Sniper, Assault, Heavy …), when fighting EXALT, players seem to be fighting with themselves.

In addition to always appearing in a large number, fighting with EXALT is the “new wind” that XCOM: Enemy Within brings players.

One of the biggest weaknesses of the XCOM: Enemy Unknown version is that the screen design is a bit repetitive.

Listening to the feedback from gamers, Firaxis Games has made players really “satisfied” in this expansion.

Dozens of new maps have been added, the context of each game scene is also designed in more detail.

From warehouses, grocery stores, industrial parks … The variety of screens has been shown more clearly than before.

So the game experience is also pushed up compared to before.

The most special feature in the version of XCOM: Enemy Within is the missions related to the EXALT organization.

The player’s job at this time is not only limited to “find and destroy” but more than that, they also have to know how to coordinate the group to protect spies, protect and exploit a certain information base.

Coordinating with the quests, old gameplay, direct impact on the game context … has made the game’s mission line much more diverse and richer.

Firaxis Games has made players really “satisfied” when adding dozens of new maps in this expansion.

The bugs that exist in the previous XCOM version (mostly in terms of image and camera angle) have not been fixed.

The object piercing error is still quite common, some small “bugs” still happen sometimes.

However, players can completely rest assured when these errors are just “trivial” things, do not affect the game experience much.

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Conclusion

XCOM: Enemy Within is a standout expansion that builds upon the foundation of XCOM: Enemy Unknown with a range of new features, enhancements, and improvements. The introduction of new aliens, genetic and cybernetic augmentations, and expanded tactical gameplay adds depth and variety to the experience, making it a must-play for fans of the series.

The expansion successfully enhances the core gameplay while maintaining the strategic depth and challenge that made the original game so compelling. With its engaging new content, improved AI, and increased customization options, Enemy Within stands as a testament to the success of Firaxis Games’ approach to expanding and refining their acclaimed tactical strategy title.

Overall, XCOM: Enemy Within is a worthy addition to the XCOM series, providing a richer and more engaging experience for players. Whether you’re a veteran of the series or new to the game, the expansion offers a wealth of content and improvements that make it an essential part of the XCOM experience.