XCOM: Enemy Unknown for PlayStation 3 Reviews by Gamers

I haven't played the original Xcom, so here's a review from just a general gamer:

This a turned-based strategy game (which I don't play much of) similar to Disgaea or FFT in its basic gameplay foundation. The story revolves around an alien invasion, and if you've seen anything based off of that premise, you'll know what the game is about; it doesn't really bring anything too unique to that basic storyline.

The problem I found with the core of gameplay is that it doesn't really make a lot of sense when put together. Playing against overwhelming odds (in terms of numbers, health, and whatnot) is fine in a strategy game, but the crux of it is I think is how accuracy works. Generally the enemy AI gets a gigantic advantage over you in terms of accuracy - they hardly miss, even if you are in "full" cover. In combination with the enemy generally granted more numbers (sometimes 4:1, even on Easy), and the player having a relatively low amount of healing options, survivability can run potentially low.

Not to say it isn't possible to beat, it just requires a lot of trial and error, due to the RNG of accuracy and enemy placement. I found myself reloading frequently, simply because I have no idea where enemies are until they are in the soldier's field of vision. FOV is also a problem because when certain areas are blacked out due to it, you end up moving forward inch by inch just so you don't walk blindly into an ambush.

Soldiers can "level up" but if they get injured during a mission, they are "wounded" and thus force you to take a different, potentially under-leveled, replacement. If a soldier dies, he's gone for good.

I can confirm that line of sight and cover mechanics make very little sense - you can shoot through buildings, rocks, just about anything. Targeting also makes little sense, sometimes things are directly in front of me, but I can't target them. I can also confirm an extremely choppy framerate.

Overall, it just feels incredibly sloppy.