Like XCOM: Enemy Unknown, the first 10 hours of XCOM 2 were brutal. I had barely anything to work with, a constant barrage of problems to solve, and soldiers that died left and right. It was a real power struggle, and one that made me frustrated quite consistently. Unlike EU though, once I was over that hurdle, it wasn't entirely a walk in the park from then on out. Still easier, sure, but it maintained a stable level of challenge that didn't extinguish even going into the finale.

XCOM 2 continues the series tradition of balancing that fine line between accessibility and complexity, while adding plenty more mechanics in to further deepen strategy. New tools have been brought in to alleviate some of Enemy Unknown's problems. One big example of this is through methods of scanning ahead for targets, which fixes the major issue of feeling like you've screwed yourself because you moved one of your units slightly too early. There's also more depth to each character, with various attachments to lightly buff their weapons, installable upgrades, and more.

Speaking on characters, the personality that made Enemy Unknown as good as it is has received far more attention with tons more ways to customize your character. You can even write backstories for them if you're really into it. Combined with what I hear is more interactivity between units in War of the Chosen, and it's a storyteller's dream. I made many of my friends in the game and it was fun seeing some survive, while others saw their stories brought to a sad end (including one on the final mission).

All of this is combined with some heavily increased variety which was sorely needed. Missions are much more diverse (I can count the amount of repeated missions I ran on one hand), enemies are more numerous and unique both in design and in challenges they present, and surprises are far more plentiful.

These aren't even touching on some of the minor improvements. You can load a past save while the enemy is still taking their turn (thank god), more diverse equipment can be researched, the base building mechanics have been tightened up, the geoscape is far more interesting. The list goes on.

The only issue I can genuinely hold against this game is the time some turns and actions can take. It isn't obnoxious, but I've had moments where enemy turns can feel like they take way longer than they need to, even with some unnecessary pauses. I can forgive it given everything the game does right, and a mod can easily fix it, but it's still an issue.

Even with that, I don't see any reason to give this game any lower than a 10, and I didn't even play the beloved WotC expansion yet. This is a masterpiece that builds upon the first game's foundations while adding its own flavor on previous mechanics, helping it feel refreshing even after recently playing XCOM EU. It's easy to see why the game has received such endless praise, and it's one I very much plan to revisit down the line with WotC enabled this time. If you're on the fence about turn-based games or simply want one of the best experiences in the genre, this is it.

the platonic ideal of a sequel, really. still has the core appeal of the first game but not afraid to be its own thing as well - the feeling of justtt scraping by, just barely being able to win missions and get supplies is so enthralling, especially when coupled by the avatar project mechanic. it makes the game so engaging so early, and when that pressure loosens up as you get deeper into it, with more assets at your disposal, the game really opens up into the most fun i've ever had in a strategy game. the fact that this is on a vanilla save file, with no dlc or mods, is all the more exciting. really can't wait to delve into dlc, and maybe eventually modding. fantastic game, i think i like it more than EU, if only slightly