'XCOM 2: War of the Chosen' First Impressions: New DLC Is Expansive Enough to Be Considered a Sequel
"XCOM 2: War of the Chosen" may be a downloadable content pack, but this new expansion from Firaxis is so large in scope that it might as well be a new "XCOM" game altogether. This DLC completely overhauls the game with a new storyline, gameplay mechanics, player units, enemies and more.
Early reviews of the game have come out, and the impression has been positive, mostly in approval of Firaxis' decision to put out a DLC so massive it could seem like a sequel when compared to other current games and their more incremental DLC updates.
The highlight of "XCOM 2: War of the Chosen" is, of course, the introduction of the Chosen. Three elite alien units, with their own unique set of strengths and weaknesses, are unleashed to hunt down XCOM forces in the course of the game, as reviewed by Polygon.
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These Chosen, an assassin, warlock and a hunter, are on the prowl trying to take down XCOM's commander, embodied by the player. They will stop at nothing to abduct, interrogate and eliminate XCOM's soldiers to advance their goals, and it's up to the player to make the right strategic and combat decisions to take the fight to the Chosen's strongholds to clear them off the board.
To balance the odds, "XCOM 2: War of the Chosen" adds several new XCOM factions to the players' side. These unique groups are from a few hardened groups struggling to survive the Earth after it has been taken over by alien forces.
One group is called Reapers, and they are human soldiers honed by the hit-and-run life among the ruins of Earth's conquered cities. They specialize in movement and stealth, and they are adept in long-range weapons and explosive traps.
The other faction couldn't be more different. The Skirmishers are Advent soldiers who have gone over to the side of the humans. Like the Reapers, they, too, are very mobile, but they use their movement to grapple up buildings and engage enemies in close range combat. They even have grappling hooks that can pull enemies towards them to seal their fate.
The video below shows a slice of the heap of new features that "XCOM 2: War of the Chosen" adds to the base game. This DLC is now available for pre-order from the game's official website, and will be out for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on Tuesday, Sep. 12.
