XCOM2 (released in 2017 by Firaxis Games) with either the fan-mad Long War Mod or the official War of the Chosen expansion is quite simply the best example of the turn-based tactics genre. The strategic metagame is perhaps the weaker part of the game, but either mod or expansion fleshes it out so that it is a more detailed and engaging experience.

The Tactical Legacy Pack (released in 2018) is a DLC for XCOM2 which adds in several new modes of play for hardcore XCOM fans. Of these modes, the story based Legacy Ops is the reason that most people will purchase this DLC. The Legacy Ops series of missions takes the tight and satisfying tactical battles and pairs it with a series of story missions that follow some of our favourite NPC characters from the main XCOM games.

There are also additional skirmish and challenge modes that will test the skills of the hardcore XCOM player, but I really suspect that most players will be much more interested in the developer homages our favourite NPCs.

The Setup

The Legacy Ops missions bridge the timeline between the original XCOM and the sequel XCOM2. In the canonical XCOM storyline, XCOM is DEFEATED in the original game and the aliens co-opt and enslave the entire Earth. I'm really quite pleased that Firaxis appears to have thought out an overarching narrative for the complete XCOM series and not just gone for updates with no story links. In fact, there are hints in XCOM2 that the aliens that have enslaved humanity were actually preparing for something much much worse... to be revealed in XCOM3!

The heroes of XCOM (the NPCs) are scattered after the defeat of the secretive organisation by the aliens in the first XCOM. These missions follow the stories of a few of the favourite ones to piece together how they managed to recover from the defeat, power up the Avenger and then ultimately rescue the player character (The Commander) at the beginning of XCOM2.

The story of Legacy Ops mostly follows the story of your second-in-command, John Bradford (aka Central) in the days after XCOM's defeat. You wouldn't know it when he is on the bridge next to you in the Avenger (in the main XCOM2 game), but he is one bad-arse Ranger on the field... taking it right into the alien faces with a sword and shotgun!

The Game

In the tactical game, there isn't really much new in the game mechanics. The streamlined squad based combat shines again! I've been playing a number of XCOM clones recently, and whilst they have all been enjoyable in their own rights, it was a pleasant surprise to come back to the master. The ease and fluidity of the gameplay is such a delight to return to!

Each turn, there is a fully voiced narration from either Central or one of the main character NPCs as they relive the mission and how it relates to the reformation of XCOM and the rescue of The Commander.

Post mission, all your team will also level up as well. Normally, this would be a mechanic that would be handled in the strategic layer, as you level up your soldiers with a light RPG tree of skills and abilities. There are a couple of gripes about this implementation, as you don't get to direct the evolution of your soldiers, you are just given a set of skills with no choice. Mostly, it is okay, but some team members will level up to use skills that you might not normally choose.

The second gripe is the fact that in each set of Tactical Ops (there are 4 sets of 7 missions), you start again with ROOKIE soldiers! That really doesn't make so much sense as you are supposed to be the same person... just a couple of weeks later! I think it would have been better to have the WHOLE set linked together with a slower progression of skills. Or to devise a new set of skills that aren't so powerful... seeing as the start of the XCOM2 game sees the soldiers revert back to ROOKIES again!

The series of missions are tightly scripted, so there is no strategic metagame to deal with. Which means, no scientific and engineering research to deal with. Post mission completion, you are offered a stark choice of two team-wide upgrade baskets. It's a tough choice, especially as you don't know what sorts of technology and upgrades will be unlocked in future missions...

In addition to the selected equipment upgrades, you are also gifted with upgrades guns and armour depending on the class of the soldier. These are definitely required, as the aliens do get much stronger as the missions progress!

On the other hand, it does make a bit of a plot hole with the way that science and engineering works with the main XCOM2 game. If you are able to access advanced armour and weaponry in the Legacy Ops, why do they all disappear at the start of the main game?

It is hinted that all of the advanced equipment are stolen technology from the aliens, which is a decent enough explanation... but it does lead to the question of why you can just borrow the same technology in the main game rather than having to reverse engineer it or develop it from scratch!

Unfortunately, the Legacy Ops introduces a score attack mechanic. Throughout the mission, you gain scores for kills and goals achieved and lose points as you take damage or lose soldiers. It adds a bit of a cheap arcade feel to what is otherwise a beautifully crafted storyline.

These points are tallied up at the end of the Legacy Ops chain, and you are awarded with one of three tiers of completion (Gold, Silver and Bronze levels). Depending on the level that achieve at the end, you will unlock some DLC content for the main game (or any game mode for that matter). I'm not sure I enjoy this addition, as I've been playing the Legacy Ops missions to follow the story of my favourite NPCs... I don't feel the need to complete the Gold level to unlock something or other weapon or skin.

However, it is a mechanic that is now become too prevalent in games these days... the collecting bug. If implemented well, it doesn't have any in-game effect, and when it is badly implemented it leads to grindy busy work that pads out gameplay time. Regardless, I will be more than happy to see the end of it...

Visuals, Sound and Performance

A couple of years after it's initial launch, XCOM2 still looks pretty and is a real pleasure to look at. I'm never going to tire of the switch to character close-up as they take a shot at an alien... only to miss (or hit...). It doesn't happen too often, which gives it that sense of the epic when it does happen! Soundscape is as good as I remember... the tension as you hear robots or aliens breaking stuff in the distance, slowly getting closer.

Performance on decent 2020 gaming hardware is top-notch. Load times are minimal, which is a nice change from when I first played the original game! Slower CPU/GPU combinations might still suffer a little... see the review hardware to get a rough idea where you stand on that in comparison to my experience.

My Thoughts

XCOM2... I can't get enough of XCOM ever since the Microprose original. I've been there through thick and thin... terrible genre jumps and all! The XCOM reboot was mind-blowing... introducing us to NPCs that we grew to love and get attached to. This was a big step up from the faceless original.. where all your soldiers were cannon fodder at best.

However, we never really got too much information about how our favourites escaped the devastation of the XCOM defeat. We started XCOM2 with a long cutscene of the Commander recue (I have to go and watch that again!)... In Legacy Ops, we have beautiful and touching filling of the narrative gap, as Central pieces together a ragged team into the spark of the Resistance.

This is a must have for fans of the XCOM universe!

Review Specs

Played at 1080p (144Hz) on:

XMG Fusion 15

CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: SSD (SATA/Nvme)
GPU: Nvidia GTX 2070 Max-Q

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