Xenonauts 2 [Early Access] – Round Six (concerns)

This might come off as skitzo, considering I praised Xenonauts 2 in a recent update post about the game. After the patch fixed my issue (the wraith bug), I was allowed to continue playing the campaign. At first, everything was hunky-dory, but after a while, I started to notice some concerns. Xenonauts 2 seems way too easy now, specifically when you hit the next stage of weaponry, both for ground and air combat. I know I’m a bit of a veteran of the game by now, so that plays into it. However, the new weapon tiers, laser, and gauss trivialize the alien encounters. That alone wouldn’t be such a major problem if the aliens wear you down through attrition, yet, they don’t. The campaign has become way too passive, with very few UFOs and other missions between the research unlocking.

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Xenonauts 2 [Early Access] – Round Five

Yup, I’m back to it. You can say that I’m a tad Xenonauts 2 addicted. I dream of one day in the far-off future playing the full game before I wither away of old age and die (and probably be repurposed as food). To be fair, while the release takes its sweet time, we are closing in on that date with the latest release. Version 4.0.0 (prototype edition) was recently published in the experimental branch and I just had to give it a go. However, there is one problem. I didn’t get very far, because one bug kept popping up, annoying the hell out of me. Sometimes the wraiths bug out with a permanent t-pose. You can target and kill them by pressing down CTRL and using the free-fire mode. But any action they do beyond moving, and if they trigger any form of overwatch from you, the game/turn locks up, forcing a shutdown of the game. So, you can see why this is aggravating and is a snag on the general enjoyment.

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2024, the year of X-com-likes

The X-com genre hasn’t exactly been dead, so I can’t say 2024 is the year it will make a glorious comeback, but hot damn, there sure are a lot of games coming out in the genre making it somewhat of an event. For X-com aficionados the world over it’s going to be a very busy year with a lot of turn-based tactical combat and the building of bases. Now, I can’t say for certain that all these titles will come out this year, but the prognoses are looking good for many of the games. I will list the games under three categories. Games that are set for a 2024 release (according to Steam), games with a more unclear release, and then games that are out already. Here we go!

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[Book Tip] The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham

If you ever wondered what it would be like to live under the alien threat from X-com: Terror From the Deep as a civilian, I have a book for you. Now, things do not line up perfectly, since they are set in different time periods; 1950 in the book, versus 2040 in the game. There are other things as well since The Kraken Wakes (Out of the Deeps in the US) is not an official book based on the X-com brand – but I got to say, it’s comes pretty damn close!

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Starship Troopers: Terran Command [DLC] Raising Hell – The Gehenna Rumble

The bugs are back with a vengeance and this time they are harassing humanity on the volcanic planet of Gehenna. Raising Hell is more of the same, however with the killing now taking place in an extremely hostile environment – for both man and bug. There is more than just the mobile infantry fighting the crawly critters this time around, as private money-seeking mercenaries join in on the fun. With money being their primary concern, these units come with a different flavor. They are as good at destroying bugs as their brothers in the Marines, making the case that the promise of coin can be a potent motivator indeed.

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