3011

There is only one big CON: intergrate DLC , because you flat out miss out on very worth while content. It removes the associated DLC missions from the campaign for both Shin’s Last Gift and Alien Hunters and just dumps the DLC bosses and robot in with zero explanation.

I absolutely recommend turning that bullshit hidden “you will omit DLC mission content” option OFF.

I am still a little pissed I missed out on it during my first playthrough…(after buying the game + All DLC) Furthermore I only just discovered it on my second playthrough…WTF there are new missions! (THOSE FUCKERS!)

3012

The option makes sense for 2nd+ playthrough because the story missions are long and don’t have procedural elements, so they aren’t that fun to repeat. But the naming and description of the option are terrible and make it seem like you’re not going to get the proper experience if you turn it off.

3013

Thanks to you both for the info.

3014

‘Integrate DLC’ is confusingly named for sure. After you’ve played the DLC ‘not integrated’, you rarely want to do it again because they are scripted preset levels, unlike the randomly generated battles in the rest of the game. So it makes sense that later DLC lets you skip them. But absolutely for a first playthrough you 100% want the DLC ‘not’ integrated so you get all the story beats and can play the set piece levels.

3015

Both scenarios have a lot of easily killed enemies. Then a boss that is very powerful. Kind of annoying after one or two playthroughs. But worth doing at least once.

3016

Oh snap! Guess what just showed up?

3017

Downloading the 65 GB of XCOM 2 again. Thank you for the heads up!

3018

Damn; cue the “just when I thought I was out, they drag me back in” .gif.

3019

Love Xcom 2! So confused about the Long War… were y’all playing Xcom 2 War of the Chosen and you were like, “This is great! One tiny problem… it’s not long enough, and it’s not hard enough?” (Giggity?)

Did you… finish Xcom 2 War of the Chosen? And you still feel that way? Wow!

3020

We need it to go longer! LONGER! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONGER!!!

3021

With any game that gets popular, some players will figure out what it just needs more stuff. More units, more levels, more guns, more detail. If playing a mission with six soldiers was good, playing missions with twelve soldiers makes the game 100% better, doesn’t it?

No, it doesn’t.

3022

Exactly this, the campaign was already too long.

The guys making Long War heard a Bowie song when they were kids and it stuck in there heads unfortunately: “You can’t get enough, but enough ain’t the test”

3023

I think the lure is the combo of the type of game Xcom is and the general desire to prolong a good thing. Long War in general is sort off overkill to be sure.

3024

I’m not sure how keen I am to return to Xcom after playing Phoenix Point anyway to be honest. I much prefer that to Xcom it would seem…

3025

Generally agree, though the festering skies dlc has become its own version of long war :)

3026

Really? I played a bit of Phoenix Point on Game Pass and was not that impressed, myself. Maybe I should have given it more of a chance.

3027

You’re in the vast, vast majority. Only 5.7% of Phoenix Point players have completed the game at any difficulty. For all the praise heaped upon it here, it doesn’t seem like many people stick with it. I’m curious if the enthusiastic Qt3 Phoenix Pooters are in the 5.7%?

My take is, it’s janky as hell, looks and feels like the budget Eastern Euro shovelware that it is, and the core mechanic of “pew pew the aliens with REALISTICALLY MODELED BULLETS” is a complete, well, misfire.

But that’s just me.

3028

I prefer the core mechanic of action points rather than move twice or move/shoot or shoot, which doesn’t have anything to do with “pew pew”…

But that’s just me…

3029

I’ve tried Phoenix Point three times now and just cannot get into it. I have several hundred hours in XCOM 2.

But I’m also in the camp that doesn’t want a single campaign to last 200 hours.

3030

I finished PP and enjoyed it quite a bit. However, the game became an unbearable slog towards the end. Much worse than XCOM. Just trying to progress and constantly being interrupted with busywork. (Edit: and no festering skies and ignoring the other dlc time sink)

Also, despite the arguably better elements of the combat system (action points, LOS modeling) it was nowhere near as tight a tactical challenge as XCOM. Often, the strongest strategy was doing goofy things like running out, shooting, running back, with all your soldiers huddling out of sight.