Project Octopath Traveler was one of the first games shown for the Nintendo Switch. While it did eventually go to SLG PC games, it remains one of Nintendo’s bigger console exclusives. Now that team at Square Enix is back with the same strategy in a new 2D game in

As a general rule, it is always a good idea to have a mission available that can reduce the Avatar timer. However, there is a way players can exploit it, even in Legend difficulty. Up to Commander difficulty, the timer that appears when all 12 blocks light up will always reset to its max whenever the progress is reduced by the player. This means players can exploit the timer if they have a way to revert Avatar progress. In Legend, the time that is lost during the timer is cumulative, but only up to seven days. Whenever the timer resumes after that, it will always start at seven d

Why You Should Play It: Tom Clancy’s The Division has experienced some soaring highs and crushing lows since its launch, but either way it’s hard to discredit the hype surrounding the game. Exploring evacuated New York City and collecting loot was an instant appeal to the game, and the promise of a deep endgame experience kept us grinding away. If nothing else, the introduction of The Division ’s Dark Zone should stand out as a unique approach to PvP and one that we hope more games “borrow.” Yes, the game has struggled to keep its players happy, but great strides have been made to improve the core experience. And now there is a lot of content for newcomers to expl

What We Said: ” Quantum Break makes for what can easily be considered one of the best console exclusives that the Xbox One has seen thus far, and this is the result of a number of different gameplay mechanics and story-telling decisions. It’s true that the narrative can be a lot to take in as a result of cutscenes and the live-action television show , and even more of what is happening in the world surrounding Jack Joyce is found through collectibles and in-game emails – which some may simply just not want to read. Taking the time to understand what’s happening in the game is well worth it, though. Meanwhile the story-altering decisions may not be as impactful as fans had hoped, but they do help to see certain side characters through (at the very least) to the end of the ga

**Updated August 15, 2021, by Matthew Mckeown: ** Firaxis’s classic turn-based strategy game has been given a new life with all the various unique and interesting mods the community has created for it over the years. With the collaboration of more popular modders becoming more frequent lately, larger and bolder projects have been released with some absolutely solid content making them arguably the best Xcom2 mods to have come out to date. Here are a few more that have recently been released and are proving popular for play

What We Said: “At the end of the day, XCOM 2 is the poster boy of the modern turn-based strategy game. The game can feel unfair at times, but Firaxis has crafted a dynamic experience with virtually limitless replay value and a constant level of challenge. Fans of the series will find plenty of enjoyment watching the XCOM troops struggle to protect mankind once again, and Firaxis can pat themselves on the back for making one of the most addictive and rewarding strategy games of all ti

Before embarking on a mission, players should carefully plan. Any mission that requires hacking, for example, will greatly benefit from at least one specialist who can hack from a distance. After building the Shadow Chamber, mission previews will show exactly the types of enemies that will be encountered on a mission. Any unencountered alien XCOM enemy will appear as Unkown . As players amass resources and options, preparing accordingly for each mission will have a major impact on its succ

Rebooting a beloved turn-based strategy franchise is no small feat. Firaxis did a fantastic job streamlining the original UFO Defense with XCOM: Enemy Unknown without compromising on moment-to-moment strategy. It took almost the entire development cycle to get here, howe

There is some town exploration in the demo. However, it is truncated. Most of the time it seems players will click on a map icon in order to in initiate a battle, or a cutscene. In-between some battles or story beats intel can be gathered but these exploration moments are very brief. This lack of full exploration is common for tactical RPGs so it understandable why the full game would not add this feat

Few companies have mastered the art of making turn-based strategy games quite like Firaxis . The studio’s work with Sid Meier’s Civilization and XCOM have resulted in some incredible experiences in both franchises. What’s interesting is how Firaxis were able to reboot MicroProse’s XCOM franchise without sacrificing much of the depth the older titles

XCOM 2’s Ironman runs can provide a very rewarding experience despite these drawbacks. Having permanent consequences gives more weight to each decision and rewards good strategy. Properly managing the XCOM headquarters, identifying what missions are most valuable, and learning to move carefully while dealing with mission timers are all crucial skills players will need to master to succeed in Ironman runs, especially at higher difficult