Firaxis' reboot of XCOM, Enemy Unknown, is one of the most logically sound alien invasion games you'll ever play. It accepts that if extraterrestrials were to invade the earth, it wouldn't be a single soldier in a suit of armor that fights them off by blasting his way through their defenses.

Satisfying; difficult tactical battles; The lengthy campaign and robust multiplayer; Incredibly deep customization

Camera and control problems; Random difficulty spikes; Watching your loved ones die to incredibly bad luck

A hallmark of excellence. It may have some flaws, but they are negligible to what is otherwise a supreme title.

XCOM Enemy Unknown is a turn-based strategy game made by Firaxis Games and published by 2K Games. Assuming control of the commander of XCOM, an elite force sanctioned by the world's governments to fight off an alien menace, the player participates in two different game modes; the battles against...

Real Time Strategy games have become somewhat of a rarity these days, seemingly put aside in favour of more action focused experiences. Take XCOM itself for instance, which was set to get a run and gun FPS re-imagining until an outpouring of complaints from fans resulted in the developer attempting...

Sure, it may have problems. There may be a lack of graphics options, the camera may be fiddly and customising your starting squad may involve lots of tedious menu back and forth...but these are small problems.

When Mythos Games and MicroProse released UFO: Enemy Unknown back in 1994, they couldn't have had any clue as to just how popular the game would go on to be. It's a title that has been lavished with more than its fair share of "best of" awards over the years, and it's a game that, for many, has...

Choices have consequences, but most games tend to forget it. Barring the cause-and-effect of trigger, bullet and hitbox or grenade and explosion, only the best games force us to genuinely experience the ramifications of our actions - and even some of the shining beacons of our industry sometimes...

Staggeringly deep strategy made accessible and brutally visceral; Cerebral non-linear gameplay predicated on choice; Open-ended; replayable and massive in scope; The freedom to make your own mistakes and luck

Some recycled maps; More exotic and esoteric weapons/research projects would have been nice; Foes can move to cover on your turn (annoying; though not unfair

X-COM: Enemy Unknown has been around forever, or at least since I played it in 1994. The fresh isometric graphics, great atmosphere and crushing difficulty level made it an instant classic. You could even name your troops after your friends and family!

Good crisp visuals and atmospheric sound; Very addictive gameplay

Camera can be very temperamental in tight multi-level spaces leading to frustration

XCOM is the name of the international task force set up to combat the alien invasion of Earth. You command it.

It's reasonably unique; especially on consoles; Fantastically well balanced and fine tuned structure; Strategy is some of the smartest around

Dialogue can be a bit odd at times; Multiplayer mode might lose its attraction quickly

My childhood is filled with memories of my father playing video games. While these memories seem to end around the same time I became old enough to play video games, I do remember sitting on his lap as he played X-COM: UFO Defense .