Xenonauts 2 [Early Access] – Round Seven

After much suffering and hardship, patch 5.0 is finally out on the experimental branch for Xenonauts 2. Now, this is an early version of the patch, which the devs state is in a fairly buggy condition. And that I can confirm, as the progression for solving the Cleaner conspiracy is not working correctly, nor is the status for nationwide panic. Despite these issues, it’s fully playable (so far), and I have given it a few hours for testing. Since it’s this buggy, I won’t play for too long to ruin the experience. But here are my impressions of the new mechanics, and other changes I have discovered.

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Close Encounters

I played some more Xenonauts 2, even though I have said to myself that I won’t touch it until milestone 5. It’s just too much fun when you are in the mood for some X-com-like action, but don’t want to go full autism mode. Anyway, I decided to try the zoom function a bit, and boy. There are so many details that go missing when you play at the default perspective. The models of the units, and the environment are very elaborate with markings of uniforms, detailed faces of humans, and alien features that you otherwise wouldn’t see, or take notice of. Here is an example of the fine texture work:

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[Book Tip] Xcom 2: Resurrection by Greg Keyes

Xcom in-universe stories and lore? Yes, please! Xcom 2: Resurrection is a prequel to the fabulous Xcom 2, set between the two games, Xcom: Enemy Unknown and Xcom 2. While it’s an okay story, and expands on the world-building in the compelling existence of a post-alien invasion earth, it has a couple of issues. Now, I don’t expect a mesmerizing writing style in any of these kinds of books, and I would say it’s adequate in this one. However, the plot feels pretty hacked up, as locations shift way too often, with the main characters coming off as pretty one-note.

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Star Wars: Starfighter – Aces of Naboo

I have a soft spot for the sequel movies, even if they are not the greatest. Games like Star Wars: Starfighter play into the nostalgia fun just right for me. An often major feature of these games is that, instead of playing as film characters or following the movie plot too strictly, they present the main conflict from a different perspective. I love this, since it expands on the lore, and provides insight (in a gamey way) in how others fared in the war. It’s usually from a grunt-side view, and being a regular Joe caught up in battle is very different from being a noble Jedi slicing heads off uppity droids. Star Wars: Starfighter is no different.

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Tenebris: Terra Incognita – Early Access Impressions

It’s time to return to the bug infested hellhole of Tenebris. Limbs will be lost, and eyes will be poked out. This is truly a place of horror, and crippled soldiers seeking injury pay. In other words: Tenebris: Terra Incognita will make a man out of you, or well, less of a man. If you suffer from entomophobia, stay away! I played the demo when that was released, which I wrote about here. My impressions from the demo were very favorable, so does the full release live up to the hype? Full release as far as Early Access will take you. Meaning, it’s missing a few crucial parts, like a complete campaign, and a few soldier classes. It’s expected to be in Early Access for one year. Anyway, let’s check it out.

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