Unlike XCOM's money resource, meld does only one thing: make your soldiers more badass. It's the missing link between the tactical, turn-based combat in the field and the deeper strategy game back at the base, which Enemy Within also revamps and reintroduces. Meld enters the game like it was there the whole time. And Enemy Within hits that mark dead center. If this kind of expansion does its job right, it won't alter the game beyond recognition, but just enough that it will be better, or more interesting or more fun. The gist is that it radically alters the game. It would be a disservice to the game to underplay how much of a mental shift this change in tactics can represent.Įnemy Within is what Firaxis is calling a 'Firaxis-style' expansion to Enemy Unknown, and I won't bore you with what they mean by that. It's tons of fun and you'll find yourself wanting to try again and again to find the best squad options.Īnd so, hurrying has entered the XCOM lexicon, which means taking risks, being reckless and moving soldiers forward across the map without five other squad members covering their asses. MECs with rocket boots and invisible snipers, among other additions, seem like they were custom-made for multiplayer, and add a strategic layer to engagements that could be the deciding factor in a tense match.

If you don't get it fast, it's gone forever.Įnemy Within's new soldier classes, enemies and weapons successfully add depth to the game's multiplayer experience. On any given map in Enemy Within, there will be two canisters of the stuff, and each will self-destruct after a certain number of turns. It's pretty useful, but it's short-lived. And in introducing a new element, a new faction, and new choices, they've made a great game even better.Īlmost immediately, Enemy Unknown introduces 'meld,' a multi-purpose enabler you can use to make your soldiers into cyborgs or alter their genes to make them invisible and other cool things.

robots, would dilly dally its way across maps, finding cover, going 'Overwatch,' 'Onnnn overwatch,' 'Moving to overwatch,' and generally covering each other's asses well enough that should the spooky bad guys pop out of nowhere, the losses would be minimized.Įnemy Within asks you to play differently by design. My squad of soldiers, usually bolstered by a couple of hovering S.H.I.V. Like a lot of people, I've adapted to Enemy Unknown's constant threat and mystery by being careful. I wanted to see if breaking out of the comfort zone of the 'no hurry offense' style that works so well in Enemy Unknown would be an 'aha' or more like an 'oh no.' Like writing with the wrong hand or typing wearing gloves.

Xcom enemy within vs enemy unknown