DETAILS

In 2017, I got XCOM 2 and the Long War 2 mod for it. I named my troops after movie stars who played villains…and thankfully they won xD This artwork shows my Top 3 soldiers from that anti-hero campaign portrayed as the actors they were named after.

This illustration has a

video! Watch it at youtu.be/Ih234a1_XaU



From left-to-right, the “Best of my Worst” (in regards to kills, number of missions survived, and awesome moments during battles) are as follows:



VOID SPECIALIST: Cara “Enchantress” Delevigne from Suicide Squad

INFANTRY: Jack “Jessep” Nicholson from A Few Good Men

INFANTRY: Eihi “Asami” Shiina from Audition

NOTES

- ART PROGRAM/S: Photoshop.

- COMPLETION TIME: ~15 hours.

- References used.

- Cara’s Void Specialist class comes from the mod of the same name. It’s an early game psi operative unit and (to keep my campaign from feeling cheesy) I never brought more than one per squad. It was only when late game hit that I changed this rule to a limit of two Void Specialists per squad to counter RNG bullshit in already near-impossible missions.

- Jack and Eihi’s Infantry classes come from the “Lucubration’s Infantry Class” mod which is a fun, but non-game-breaking, military unit designed for frontline combat.

- Game Review below.





2017 PERSONAL GAME REVIEW: "XCOM 2"

XCOM 2 is an alternative-timeline/turn-based tactics sequel by Firaxis Games. In this timeline, humanity never won against the Invasion of 2015 (the main event in XCOM: Enemy Unknown) and the aliens have changed Earth. With the implementation of gene therapy clinics over many years, the aliens eradicated all of humanity’s diseases (including previously incurable ones such as cancer and AIDS) and significantly extended the lives of humans in return for trust and obedience.

Despite the aliens restoring peace under an iron rule, Resistance Fighters existed; people who never forgot the horrors of The Invasion, who refused to be civil for any price, and who were hunted because they threatened to expose the true, evil nature of the aliens. XCOM 2 has players take control of a revived (but weakened) XCOM force and they must conduct successful missions to grow stronger, progress an eerie alternate story, and—hopefully—spark a revolution to take back the planet.

Long War 2 is a modification designed by Pavonis Interactive. It extended the campaign, made it more complex, and gave the players lots of new features that enhanced gameplay.



THINGS I LIKED:



Graphics look great maxed out and running 60 fps.



Scripting and voice talents are excellent.

Great designing has streamlined the mechanics and added nice touches (like the cinematic point of views during reaction shots of your squad and the changing of their body-language to match their personality or state of health).



Worthwhile Expansions (depending on your taste): Shen’s Last Gift lets you see the old engineer from Enemy Unknown one last time and unlocks alternate timeline MECs for manufacturing and use. Alien Hunters lets you see what the currently-MIA Dr. Vahlen was up to after humanity lost the war and unlocks three alien bosses. Each time you defeat one and do some research, you can gain an elite suit with exceptional abilities. The Resistance Warrior Pack gives you bonus outfits and face camo. Anarchy’s Children does the same except their bonus content strays from the norm and has a more apocalyptic, “Mad Max” theme.



Great replay value with Long War 2 mod: There are new mission types (Jailbreak, Haven Defense, Invasion, etc), new classes (Technical, Shinobi, Assault, Gunner), multiple squads (uniquely named by you with their own insignias) can now be deployed simultaneously, extra scientists and engineers can manage Resistance Havens and grant bonuses, and SO MUCH MORE.





ISSUES I HAD:

Minor bugs. They rarely happen but still belong on this list (doors/windows that don’t break, soldiers/aliens shooting through walls and floors). I’m confident that a future patch will take care of those.

Alien Hunters expansion. The wearable hides look ridiculous. Other than that, they do prove useful. I use a mod to allow me to change the appearance of the hides while keeping their benefits.





PERSONAL RATING:

9/10

- Worth playing and supporting.

This game is fun and addicting. If you’ve ever watched the movie Elysium, some of the Resistance tech may remind you of it. I highly recommend you get the “Long War 2” mod (if no other mod) for XCOM 2. Like its predecessor, it’s free and improves the game. The only catch is that difficulty and time to complete are considerably increased.

I do reviews for anyone who might be curious about my thoughts of the game that inspired the art on this page. If you disagree with anything in the review, that's fine; that's your opinion. It is possible to post why you disagree and not be rude and/or stupid about it. If you can do that, I'll allow your explanation to be seen on this page if you're so inclined to post one.