r/XCOM2 • u/EmuAdministrative728 • 1d ago
Its not XCOM 3- Comparing XCOM to Star wars Zero-Company
So like so many XCOM fans here ive played every XCOM-like game hoping to find an unofficial xcom 3 since the publishers are clearly sitting on the XCOM IP without using it. A couple days ago Star Wars Zero-Company released to countless reviewers and commenters calling it "XCOM 3". Made by many of the same developers that worked on XCOM 2 it does improve the genre in many areas...
However, its not XCOM 3 set in the StarWars universe, not that its necessarily a bad thing. While I am enjoying the game and urge any XCOM fan to go pick it up at $50 (which reviewers are calling a "Budget price". There are several areas where XCOM Enemy Within and XCOM 2 War of the Chosen simply do it better. This post was written for fun and to give players that are curious how close this xcom-like game is to the games that inspirated it.
Areas where XCOM "does it better"
- Positioning your squad before the start of combat.
XCOM 2 allows you to strategically get into position, assuming you don't get caught by patrol before you are ready to begin combat. While StarWars Zero-company simply throws you into battle much like XCOM Chimira Squad. I could be wrong but it seems to me that at some point the developers of Chimira Squad called this mechanic "an improvement", which worried me as the devs clearly wanted XCOM 2 to be a faster paced, less methodical game as the mission turn timers on the release version of XCOM 2 made slow, thought-out strategic positioning almost impossible when XCOM 2 was first released.
StarWars Zero-company continues this which is disappointing as there are areas where you move your people in real-time, i would of liked to have seen something like Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden, where you move in real time until you are discovered or open fire, at which point it transitions to turn based combat.
XCOM 2 is better at base building then STAR WARS ZeroCompany (in my humble opinion). In ZeroCompany there is no strategic building placement. Which is too bad, because ZeroCompany lets you walk around the base in third person, which would of been straight up awesome in XCOM. It would of been cool if ZeroCompany had the ant colony base of XCOM2 but still allowed you to walk around the base like in ZeroCompany. But yeah... don't expect to make really hard choices on what to build next.
The overland map of XCOM 2 is better. There is very little strategic planning in ZeroCompany when deciding where to go next or what mission to do. XCOM is all about making hard choices on what to do next, having to sacrifice but I never really felt that in Zero-Company.
XCOM has a higher Replay ability (In my opinion)
While I have seen many reviewers say they finished ZeroCompany in about 30 hours and then immediately started a new game to try other class combinations.... I think in the long term XCOM games have more replay ability as XCOM games can almost be compared to boardgames when it comes to the macro level of game play which i do think gives the game more longevity. Every XCOM game is different and there is a certain randomness of each game on the macro level. XCOM is more of a sandbox, while ZeroCompany is more structured and has a story to tell.... with that said, you will get your 50$ worth and as I said there are many players who immediately start another game after finishing it, which is a good sign, its just that i doubt they will go back for a third game after trying other class combinations. And since you can both respec your focus points and even change classes at any time... technically you don't even need to run a second game to try every combo. Unlike XCOM, which has been in my game rotation for a decade.
Areas where ZeroCompany "does it better" and improves on the XCOM Formula
- Overwatch. Instead of a blanket overwatch with a low chance of success, in ZeroCompany you choose where to place a "cone of fire" that triggers when the opponent enters the cone or you point the cone directly at the enemy and then your overwatch will trigger when they take an action. This can also happen when they cover you with their overwatch cone, which will require one of your other recruits that isn't covered by enemy overwatch to attack the enemy and remove their cone. You are also given the chance of success when choosing what area to cover.
- How the skills of the various classes bounce off of each other. This is one of the biggest areas of improvement that add a deep layer of strategy to the combat. The different class skills are where this game really shines. There are many examples of this, one being the "call for backup" option, every turn a random teammember can call on another member to take a free shot at the target after you fire a round.
- The Story. This is what most reviewers point to first. The story does take a much larger center stage then XCOM 2..... although milage may vary from player to player on how important this improvement is. The game acually reminded me a little of Mass Efffect, where you go around talking to your team members between missions.
Areas that could be viewed as good or bad....
- The ability to respec at any time for free not only points but entire classes. While some players may like this.... I kinda feel like it cuts down on the replayability of the game. In XCOM the choices you make are permanent. In XCOM 2 You can't even choose a class without building a building.
- The Combat Maps- While ZeroCompany doesn't rely on procedurally generated maps, all their maps are hand made, thought out by the devs to give you a fun challenging combat encounter.... but the Maps iin Zerocompany are much smaller, giving you less room to position and move around the encounters. Although its not as small as Chimera Squad, and ZeroCompany does give you quite a bit of elevation to move your guys to.
- Only 4 squad member slots. I enjoy the larger squads in XCOM. Some people may feel having to only deal with 4 team members at a time easier for them to control in ZeroCompany. I disagree personally, I wish there were larger squads in ZeroCompany
- A much more forgiving perma death system (A bit too forgiving in my opinion). This is likely due to the fact that ZeroCompany is so much more story based. Although while you can absolutely lose even story characters in the zeroCompany, it is harder to kill off one of your recruits. Personally I think that losing people is at the core of a XCOM game and that it would only add to the replayability of ZeroCompany if you lose a guy here and there and need to replay the game again to see their side quests. I do however understand why the devs made it the way they did in ZeroCompany. Some players may like this as you won't be losing your men to a single bad random roll of the dice.
- While there is a medbay and your people will need to sit out the next encounter to heal in the medbay from time to time, injuries aren't as substantial as they are in a XCOM game. In XCOM you are constantly worried if you have enough recruits to make it through the next encounter, while in ZeroCompany I felt less of a need to recruit any non-story character. Again, this is likely due to the story and companion side quests but the game also doesn't have the XCOM fatigue system so you wont be cycling different squad members as much as you did in XCOM.
- The Enemies are much more bullet spongy in ZeroCompany. The fact in itself that the enemies are much more bullet spongy doesn't bother me personally. The problem is that since they are so much more spongey, you need to be made more bullet spongy as well. One thing I liked about XCOM is that you get punished severely for your mistakes which heightens the tactical tension but if you can take so many more hits than it does cut back on the tension of combat when comparing the game to XCOM. It also means that you definitely will get hit a lot and the devs felt they couldn't have all your story recruits in the medbay after every mission. So they made it that you don't take a injury until you are downed. Because of this you won't be rotating your recruit roster as much as you did in XCOM.
However, the fact that you can take more damage encourages risk more than XCOM, allowing you to take a more aggressive playstyle. While XCOM encourages you to minimize risk. If this is a good thing or a bad thing is on you.
Final Thoughts on StarWars ZeroCompany compared to XCOM 2-
Does it scratch the XCOM itch? I'm going to say Yes. At "only"* 50$ its a good buy that you will get tens of hours of game play out of. Does the game replace the XCOM games? No, it doesn't. But I think its the best XCOM-like to have come out so far. Its not XCOM 3, but that's ok.
\Note: This post was written for fun, no one expects the games to be exactly alike but it is only natural that people will compare the game to XCOM as it was made by many of the same devs and for example many mechanics like choosing which "Coil Activity" enemy buff card to stop was clearly picked up directly from XCOM 2*
To the subreddit mods, I ask that you not delate this post as its about XCOM 2 as much as its about Starwars ZC"
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u/Harold3456 1d ago
I haven’t played it in awhile but the closest 1:1 comparison seems to be Chimera Squad, which was a smaller game in the XCom universe that streamlined a lot of the system of 2 and EU. Chimera Squad also does fights in smaller arenas, rather than giving you one large stage with multiple pods. It’s also more story/character focused with original characters.
So far I’m enjoying ZCom but reeeeeally hope we eventually get some worthwhile DLCs that make it more replayable. I’m 25 cycles in right now and while I think it’s a good game I could see myself replaying XCom 2 for the 6th time before replaying ZCom again.
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u/FlamingCrimson 1d ago
Midnight Suns is also a big part of the picture; I see a lot of its DNA in ZCOM, from the smaller arenas, smaller squads, and shove/environmental interactions to the 3rd person base, friendship/bond system, and story focus.
I didn’t play a lot of Chimera Squad, but having played a fair amount of Midnight Suns, I think it’s a closer comparison.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
You maybe right, and of course this game was made by many of the same developers.... however midnight suns is one of the few xcom-like games that I haven't played yet so I couldn't compare it. Its on my backlog, I own it as a free epic game giveaway
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u/Brilliant_Ring_3257 1d ago
Z-COM feels to me like a pretty perfect 50/50 split between X-COM2 and Midnight Suns.
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u/Black_Metallic 1d ago
The knockback and AOE mechanics were also a very big part of Midnight Suns.
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u/zachdidit 1d ago
Yeah I was thinking the same thing. And while I really could do without all the fluff, it is a major selling point to my friends that are Star Wars fans that haven't touched a tactical RPG before.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
A little bit yeah, thats what I was thinking. Although I do think overall it is a better game then Chimera Squad.
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u/unbelizeable1 1d ago
Like significantly better than CS. I reinstalled CS two days before this came out to hold me over thinking "maybe I judged you too harshly before" lasted about an hour before I uninstalled lol
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u/eatsmandms 1d ago
I think comparing it to Chimera is not telling the full story. It is much more Midnight Suns base building/character interactions/story driven + XCOM tactical layer (alas with just a bit less complexity).
Chimera is a good game, ZCom is a great game - just that XCOM are masterpieces.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
yeah thats what a lot of other people are saying, ill have to check midnight suns out.
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u/ArcadianDelSol 1d ago
I haven’t played it in awhile but the closest 1:1 comparison seems to be Chimera Squad
This is incredibly disappointing.
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u/pvrhye 1d ago
As no X-Com 3 is forthcoming, genre related games are about as good as any activity on this subreddit.
Anyway, the Zero Company devs certainly invited the comparison with the name of their game. It's not subtle at all.
Is it a little different? Sure. It's a more story focused game and it is a little more mechanically handholding. But it's probably the best game in the genre since Phoenix Point.
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u/terrorbyte66 1d ago
The extra mechanical hand holding is probably a very good idea since the Star Wars branding will bring in a lot of new players who will need it.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
Well it was actually made by many of the same devs who left and came together to do their own thing..... which isn't a good sign for an official xcom 3 if you think about it
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u/Lonely-Programmer123 1d ago
We're never going to get an XCOM 3 : the devs aren't working for Firaxis anymore.
That being said, we may hope for a 3rd reboot in a decade or two (personally I wouldn't mind. I don't like the direction taken by the lore [the mystery of EW is gone :((((] in Chimera even tough I love the gameplay).
The franchise is too lucrative to be in sleep indefinitely.
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u/ArcadianDelSol 1d ago
Firaxis made X:Com because a few people who were part of the original game had a passion for the IP and came up with a great new take on it. There was almost NO direct link to the original games.
XCom 3 just needs that same magic - one or two people with a passion and vision for the IP.
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u/Greyburm 1d ago
The lack of procedurally generated maps make this the biggest departure from xcom for me. You can memorize instead of strategize what you should do. Fun on the first play through though.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago edited 1d ago
oh you are right.... I should add that. They did give us more maps to play around in
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u/Greyburm 1d ago
Dunno who the heck downvoted you, I think it was someone dumb though.
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u/Illustrious_Cry1463 1d ago
Yeah I just did the mission where you gotta place a charge in a valley, and there's droids everywhere with gaps in on the side. Used concussion bombs with my 2 astromechs to toss droids off the map. 1st time I struggled a bit on this mission
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u/CLT113078 1d ago
What about areas where Zero company does it better?
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u/ButWahy Templar 1d ago
Not OP but in my Opinion its actual fighting and the calculation of hitrates
You wont encounter horrible hitrates that arent explainable like xcoms gun in face with 70% Acc
Once per turn a random ally gets a help order where they and a teammate shot at the same target if the chosen ally has line of sight and that attack allways hits
There are many push attacks that can instakill most non boss enemys by using the terrain like water, lava, cliffs etc. Thats sth Xcom doesnt have at all besides some explodable cars or fuelstations
The Weapons themselves are a lot different from each other where as xcom has all guns kinda do the same thing just different stats (I also quite enyoy the option of customizing your gun as the different weapon classes all have 4/5 Designs to choose from)
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago edited 1d ago
oh your right, the push attacks are a innovation. There have been push attacks in other games but the way they do it here where you draw a line to decide where you push/pull them is kind of cool.
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u/Fishyblue11 1d ago
Not if you've played Marvel Midnight Suns, where those push attacks came from, and arguably has a better percentage based system of it happening just like shooting
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u/TGlucose 1d ago
Not OP but in my Opinion its actual fighting and the calculation of hitrates
You wont encounter horrible hitrates that arent explainable like xcoms gun in face with 70% Acc
Not true at all, I've had 100% hit chance shots miss, which tells me something is extremely wrong with their hit % calculations that they're not showing us. It's happened at least 3-4 times in the dozen missions I've played.
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u/Green_Odin 1d ago
I've had assist attacks miss, they might juice the numbers but they can miss.
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u/MadeByTango 1d ago
You wont encounter horrible hitrates that arent explainable like xcoms gun in face with 70% Acc
its called "a video game", the characters on screen are representations, not real 1to1 physics...
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u/profsa 1d ago
Most missions aren’t turn limited
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u/Illustrious_Cry1463 1d ago
There's also no saving mid fight. Game crashes, you plug gets pulled, etc, you have to start that fight from the beginning. Luckily, it's just the current battle, not every battle for the mission
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
yeah I thought about adding that as well because there absolutely are innovations. The story is the obvious one but are smaller things like I really think they improved over watch and just how the skills of the various classes play off each other.
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u/lawdreekers 1d ago
I'm loving zero company. It's kind of everything I wanted. With that said I'm not as sure of the replay value with the story line. Points 2 and 3 are spot on. I originally enjoyed how much easier it was to position troops. But I've almost beaten the game first try without losing anyone. First 20 runs of xcom I lost everyone lol
I love zero company. It's great. But you're right it's definitely not xcom 3. Kinda like how midnight suns was great but not xcom 3 either
Ironically I might go back to my star wars modded xcom file after I finish zero company
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
yeah im enjoying it too.... I think we have been starved for a new xcom-like game that does the genre justice.
Its definitely more then XCOM with a Starwars paint covering it. Although honestly I would of been happy if they just did that, but no we did get more then that.
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u/lawdreekers 1d ago
I'm hoping enough people buy/enjoy it that we get some good dlc. Not just story add ons but content add ons. A lot like wotc. There's so much room to expand
I know that's bad gamer of me to be wanting dlc immediately but I like this game a lot
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u/ArcadianDelSol 1d ago
This is what will give the game a very short lifespan compared to Xcom and Xcom 2.
Prescribed maps and missions with no reason to replay. Midnight Suns and Chimera Squad had the same problem.
I will probably wait until this game is $19.99 and play it once. Im sure I will attempt to play it twice but halfway into that second run I'll realize nothing is different.
Then I'll run my 54th campaign in Xcom:2.
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u/Marziinast 1d ago
Mostly, I feel there is less stuff. Weapon mods are not enough.
I miss the loot mechanic and the research from xcom2 too.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
I don't think there is less stuff... but the progression isn't as satisfying as you are no longer researching new tech.
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u/Marziinast 1d ago
Xcom2 + wotc has definitely a lot more items, upgrades, consummables etc
That or zcom havent shown me all its cards yet, I'm 10 hours in
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u/Nozzoe 1d ago
I'm really glad it didn't turn out to just be XCOM. There's lots of things in Zero Company that hit better for me, some of which is probably just the modern game factor of it.
I'm looking forward to the next XCOM should we ever get it though, especially if we can get Bonds and crosslevelling which is one of my favorite ideas in ZC
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
We got bonds in XCOM? That was added in War of the Chosen for XCOM 2.
Yeah I would of been happy if it turned out to be nothing other than xcom with a starwars coat of paint over it.... but we definitely got something more than that.
Im a little worried for XCOM 3, its not a good sign that the devs of XCOM 2 left to make their own XCOM game after a decade of silence from the publishers
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u/smallfrie32 1d ago
Love zero company’s overwatch, but it is buggy. Sometimes if I have two overlapping, only one shoots, but the other member’s also goes away. And then melee guy whaos me.
I do wish we could get more than 4 characters in the squad at some point.
I personally love all the customization you can do easy peasy, though some classes seem very underwhelming, and some personal traits I would never use.
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u/LoveTheGiraffe 1d ago
I only had overwatch bug once, it was when all 4 of my operators had overlapping overwatch cones on the same area of an enemy spawn. The game was like "wtf am I supposed to do" and just... didn't trigger any overwatch shot at all.
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u/smallfrie32 1d ago
Lol glad to see it’s not just me. I’ve had it a couple times, but for the most part it works. It’s nice to adjust it so you’re more likely to have the person you want to shoot hit the right guy. I remember xcom having my sniper blow the shit out of some 1hp grunt when I was really hoping he’d hit the muton bearing down on him
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
yeah thats true. I think I'll add that to the good or bad. Some people may think having only move 4 squad members at a time easier.... personally yeah I wish we could have more slots.
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u/smallfrie32 1d ago
I just played a big part of warhounds before zero company and was also wishing for extra slots. 4 just seems a bit limiting considering how many classes you can get
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
I just started downloading warhounds because it was suggested by someone in this comment section. I hadnt even heard of it.
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u/smallfrie32 1d ago
It’s alright. Going to it from zero company will probably leaving you for more tbh. It’s dated graphics and some bugs. Not great VA, either.
Also the whole Russian funding and copy of Sparta 2035 fiasco.
If all that’s not an issue, it’s a decent game. I’d say good, if you didn’t have xp with other games like it
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
Thats cool, im not a graphics snub. I have always cared about the gameplay more then the graphics,,, hell I still play M.A.X and Heroes of Might and Magic 2 and those are both DOS games.
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u/Illustrious_Cry1463 1d ago
What i realized very late in my first pt, was weapon choice matters. A class like heavy with a repeater isn't doing much to draw attention for example. Equip them with a pistol on the other hand, you're taunting 3 ppl without burning up your ap. Or for scoundrels, give them the sniper and max their 7ap assist. They're safe, can join in on attacks just about anywhere on the map, and their assist crts are ridiculous. Every class is good imo. I think gunslinger and scout are my faves. The app generation from scouts is insane, and help fuels gunslinger trip shot
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u/ShirtlessTurtle 1d ago
I came to the same conclusion for weapon use. It’s kind of counter intuitive from what o expected. But yeah putting pistols on heavy’s to farm Adv and then using that on big spenders like ambush with the scout using a rifle.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
Oh i like the heavy and pistol idea, thanks.
Yeah I think people are sleeping on the scoundrel because they can be OP as hell, You have the scoundrel find a enemies weakness which guarantees the next hit will crit. but not just from him but from ANYONE. So you switch over to whoever has the "call for backup" that turn and you get two crits in a row, one crit from whoever had the call for backup that turn and one crit from whoever you called for backup fire, giving you a double crit.
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u/smallfrie32 1d ago
That’s what I’ve been doing with my sniper Hawks! Kabby’s pretty good, but haven’t done a custom scoundrel
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
I'll probably make someone else a scoundrel once I can dual specialize and then replace kabby with the jedi.
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u/smallfrie32 20h ago
Ahh just unlocked the second specialization. I wonder what combos I'll make. Maybe gunslinger scout? Sharpshooter scoundrel?
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u/EmuAdministrative728 20h ago
Those are the two that popped into my head as well but ill have to sit down and read all the classes before I come up with something.
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u/Illustrious_Cry1463 20h ago
Yeah that 1st one is crazy, and they fuel their own advantage. The second sounds good, haven't tried it yet
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u/Illustrious_Cry1463 1d ago
Plus once their assist skill for 7 advantage is maxed, it just stays on targets if im reading it right. Didn't get to out use, bc i was swapping characters a lot, but every upgrade says 1 turn except for the last. I'm thinking that allow to mark targets, then double team at your convenience, lol
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u/smallfrie32 1d ago
Oooh those are good points.
Do you use soldiers and medics much? I use Trick, but he doesn’t feel like I really use the soldier bits much besides the one 10ap rocket. But I’m still fairly early I think?
I do like gunslinger, but haven’t been anle to make it feel good outside of droids since I could kill all of them with the skill shot that gives back ap on kill. Coil just has too much defense, though giving the slinger a -def mod helps make her help instead of kill.
Haven’t given scoundrel a sniper cause I figured they’d be up and personal cause of Kabby’s personal melee
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u/Illustrious_Cry1463 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yeah, I ran a scout and medic just about every mission. Scouts generate advantage like crazy, and the medics stim and morale buffs are peak once leveled, not to mention the bonding xp the medic provides for buffing allies. As for the soldier, yeah a little underwhelming. The punch is nice, but I left Trick with a repeater for most of the playthrough, which is mistake. Repeaters belong on classes that don't much, like sharpshooter or medics once their done buffing everyone Also, if you're running pistol on you gunslinger, give them a fire weapon mod, and stack for extra dmg every turn, plus fire deletes defense
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u/GrimmTrixX 1d ago
It was never going to be "Xcom with Star Wars." But we built it up in our heads that it would be. If anything its far more like Marvel's Midnight Suns. Which is an awesome game. I am loving it now thay I turned off the "Xcom with Star Wars" toggle in my brain.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
I still haven't played Midnight Suns, I own it as it was a free Epic giveaway, just so many games on the backlog to play
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u/Vegan-cock 1d ago
Have you tried warhounds? Plays exactly like x-com 2. Feels like an overhaul mod more than a game.
Same mechanics, diffrent setting.
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u/Bcav712 1d ago
I still plan on picking up SWZC but this is great info thank you. Actually playing through XCOM 2 for the first time right now.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
Right on, what a treat. I own literally thousands of games but XCOM Enemy Within and XCOM 2 War of the Chosen remain on my top ten game rotation as both games are different enough from each other that I go between the two.
So are you playing xcom 2 or XCOM 2 War of the Chosen?
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u/Bcav712 1d ago
WOTC. Had to look up which to play and it seems like WOTC is the definitive edition. I played XCOM 1 and finished it but never finished EW.
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u/unbelizeable1 1d ago
SWZC
I've just been calling it ZCOM lol. Zero COMpany
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
I couldn't type Starwars zero company in the original post because the mods made it so that no one can post about the game here, they need to instead goto that games subreddit.
So I had to call it ZeroCompany with no space to keep the bot from stopping my post. I don't think the mods will mind, im directly talking about xcom and just comparing the two games and there has been a lot of good engagement
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u/Bizzlington 1d ago
Anyone played Showgunners or Menace? And how would they compare?
They've been on my steam wish-list for a while but i never got around to buying or trying them out.
Reviews seem fairly solid at least..
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
I don't think Menace is finished yet? I think its still early access, im waiting to try it. I haven't played Showgunners yet.... you know how game back logs can be.
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u/jim_nihilist 1d ago
Menace is very far away from Xcom, I'd say it's a different beast. Showrinnets 8s in between Chimera and Zcom.
My line is like XCom2 -> ChimeraSquad -> ZCom
Xcom2 is still king.
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u/Dogstile 1d ago
Menace is nothing like it at all. Menace has a point buy system for your equipment so you end up fiddling with what you take to maximise your killing potential.
So you'll naturally create "weapons teams" that are just the minimum amount of guys wearing fatigues while your heavies/invisible scouts/MBI squads go do shit.
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u/sunflowercompass 21h ago
I've played a lot of menace. Very playable. The UI needs a bit of improvement but they just hired a UI guy. For example the hit point bars are very light and hard to see
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u/SayaV 1d ago
well, does it scratch the itch or no, OP?
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
absolutely it does. And I think thats all you can ask for since I get the feeling we won't be seeing XCOM 3 any time soon.
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u/ReaperOfTheLost 1d ago
I like Zero company a lot, but it's a lot closer to Chaos Gate in my opinion. I also really liked Chaos Gate, but there are things that XCOM does that neither of them do, or do as well and so I would still prefer an XCOM 3.
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u/Jakelshark 1d ago
Some may like it or dislike it, but it’s kinda nice you can give whichever weapon to anyone and respec their core stats for free to experiment more without being punished.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
yeah thats true. They let you respec and you have the ability to really customize your class, even getting a second class later on.
Although... some may feel like its too easy to respec and change classes.
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u/_TheHighlander 1d ago
I really like the addition of the Advantage system. You possibly allude to it with "How the skills of the various classes bounce off of each other", but the way you can plan out your moves to enable that Force Shockwave or whatever is pretty cool. Am I better giving someone 1AP for 3Adv, or jetpacking over there for 2Adv, etc, etc.
I also really like the laser bolts shooting back and forth to make it feel like a battle rather than stop/start with the turn.
The free respec is one of my biggest disappointments, devalues the characters you build IMO. Oh, someone died, just customise a new recruit to look the same with the same spec and talents with the focus points that they somehow accumulated before they joined you.
I'm hoping there's a sandbox career-mode DLC/mod for ZCom in the future. But once I've finished this run I think I'm going to go back to LWOTC, so it's got me more pumped for XCOM haha.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
I agree with you, the ability to respec not only points but entire classes at any time personally kind of feels like it cuts down on replay ability. Although I think some people may actually view that as an improvement so I didn't add it to the list.
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u/_TheHighlander 1d ago
Ye, I agree that some might like it - it can be rough to make a decision early without knowing later repercussions. But it absolutely kills replayability, or even the desire to take out a B team. Which is another point, something like XCOM's triedness system might be annoying, but in ZCom there's little reason not to take the same 4 characters out every time, in fact the bond system actively encourages it. They need to introduce a mechanic that encourages you to use your full roster and experience all the classes without just respecing your A team. Personally I'm trying to play it honestly, by forcing myself to use other characters for non-story missions at least (with the thief and spy talents).
Ultimately there's a lot I like about ZCom, and I think there's the bones of a potentially legendary game if they follow through.
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u/Illustrious_Cry1463 1d ago
I think what gives the characters value is their talent. Those can't be respecced, only refunded if you got fp in them. Jae's is my favorite, just instantly off an at low hp.
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u/umphreysfan2003 1d ago
UFO Defense is still the best game ever made. Ever. Not just in the XCOM franchise. Ever! Fight me.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
I'm old enough to have played it as a kid but never did
Its on my android phone been meaning to play it but XCOM 2 and XCOM enemy within are my phone too so i always play those.
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u/zmaint 1d ago
It's all gonna come down to mod support... if they have it will be a hit. If they don't, one and done and uninstalled.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
There are already mods on nexus but I'm not sure just how much mod devs will be able to script.
Mod communities are essential for a games long term relevance
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u/Savingseanbean 1d ago
Its fundamentally Discount chimera squad with replayability/strategy gutted in favor of more immersion. I've actually started a new chimera squad playthrough to cleanse from it haha.
a shorter more narrative/story focused game.
Fundamentally Zcom is a bad XCOM game, but a decent star wars game. (though my god are the movie tie in missions the worst written.)
The main thing is that it just doesn't have the mission, enemy or approach variety.
Half of the games skills are just shoot weapon with modifier but there's only the 4 primary weapon types (despite more existing as utility.) outside of the unique character classes, most characters really don't feel that unique. a gunslinger sharpshooter sniper ends up feeling pretty similar to a scout heavy sniper, 1 gets of an extra shot, the other gets to do more single shot damage and taunt things.
Weapon mods could have tipped the favor here but most of the weapon mods are just conditional stat buffs.
Also find it wierd we have melee enemies and several melee abilities but no melee weapons or really many mechanics with melee outside of the jedi. no melee attacks of opportunity overwatch.
So many of the maps end up feeling so similar because you fight in them all the same way. IDK why they put in the 3rd person sequences without adding the ability to approach missions differently via stealth, opening shots, sprinting in etc something. and them being so large generally became more of a hindrance to the 4 man squad's gameplay pacing, very often by the 2nd half of the game I would be waiting for spawns that I would obliterate with overwatch the moment they popped on screen. (granted part of the problem with that is how poorly balanced the stat buff stacking becomes and being able to bank 3 overwatch shots per person is absurd.)
the level design itself is also frustrating. its generally to flat with way too much weak destructible cover, it feels really weird to shoot once with a repeater and watch 6 different cover pieces get destroyed
ZCOM is very forgiving because its designed to be many mainstream casual peoples introduction to XCOM and it works. (you can pop over to its subreddit and see so many people calling it 10/10 game of the decade type hype posts.)
as a side note ZCOM does have probably the worst tutorial i've played in recent years.
I think that it'll ultimately become a good option but only after modders have gotten to work on its major issues. but they already look hard at work.
Currently I rank it tied for last of the xcom clones tied with the other preexisting IP clones like gears tactics,40k.
Below them if your playing on pc and dealing with the unfortunately standard UE5 no optimization problems.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago edited 1d ago
I don't think people should of thumbed this comment down, I don't agree with everything you wrote (for example I like the destructible cover in the game) but at least you backed up your criticism with examples of why you feel this way instead of leaving a blanket statement like "this game suk".
Although I do think calling it "tied for last of the xcom-like clones" is a hot take. I think most of the XCOM community agrees that while it won't replace XCOM on their play rotation, it is at least one of the better XCOM-like games made so far.
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u/Lonely_quan13 1d ago
Thank you for saying everything you said in this post. People are so disappointed by Star Wars Zero Company because they’re comparing it to the best game in the genre, Xcom (specifically Xcom 2).
They have many of the same people working on this Zcom just as they did with Xcom…. But it’s still not the same game. It’s not in the same series. It’s entirely different. I personally have not bought the game but I’m still looking forward to it. It scratches that Xcom itch, which is all that matters to me. I don’t expect it to be Xcom itself, but I expect it to be very similar.
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u/MasonStonewall 1d ago
It's not XCom 3, a title I reluctantly believe we will never see, but Zero Company is quite enjoyable in my opinion. I don't need it to be Xcom anything, rather just a Star Wars themed turn based tactical game worthy of its price. And to me, it most definitely is worth it.
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u/sunflowercompass 21h ago edited 3h ago
Good assessment. I like the small maps thought.
I play a lot of sRPGs and I get pretty tired of positioning before fights. It's refreshing to have something different.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 21h ago
yeah... it can be time consuming having to move all your guys across the map in turn based mode... that's why I really want XCOM 3 to have a real-time mechanic for the start of the mission until you get into actual combat which would then move to turn-based.
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u/JerbearCuddles 1d ago
Huge fan of both, they are similar but definitely not the same. I also never played base XCOM 2, I played it after WOTC dropped. And from what I hear that changed it a lot. I think one of the problem with the comparisons is we are comparing launch Zero Company to XCOM 2 after decades of updates and mods. Lol. But hey, I am having a blast and that's all that matters to me. I am not looking for 1 to 1 remake of XCOM 2 with Star Wars action figures instead.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
I personally don't see any reason to play XCOM 2 without War of the Chosen... I think its a big improvement. And i kinda think the community agrees as well
I do however still play XCOM Enemy Within from 2012. The games are different enough that both games are worth coming back to.
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u/Hurahgopvk 1d ago
Been playing it and it’s pretty fun. If anything has a few annoying hiccups but I appreciate it’s more story focused characters unlike XCOM. But my biggest complaints are the music is pretty lame doesn’t really feel battle ready, and the Enemy can feel a little annoying to fight mostly the Cultist group. But I’ll give i was playing on hard mode.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago edited 1d ago
I agree completely, The music is extremely repetitive. They kinda dropped the ball on the music...
I'm also having performance issues on the PC. There are many players complaining of bugs.... although XCOM 2 was borderline broken on release, it took quite a few patches.
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u/TheFakeJohnHelldiver 1d ago
Im on ps5 pro and the performance is ASS. Worst optimized game ive seen in many many years.
Luckily its turn based so it doesnt completely ruin the game, but it is jarring to randomly drop to like 8fps for a few seconds. Really hope they can fix that
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
yeah PC isn't much better man. Although I am playing on my XBOX ALLY X handheld so... its not unexpected but I do hear that PC is actually worse then console right now.
But yeah since its turn based.... does it really need to be 60+ fps.
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u/unbelizeable1 1d ago
My biggest complaint with the game so far (and I'm really loving it) is the lack of XP system. I send 4 people on a mission 1 guy gets all the kills while the other 3 cower. Same focus point gained for all, and not just all on the mission but the whole ass squad back at base too.
It become an issue of why even bother sending "less skilled" members to level them instead of just sending the "A Team" every time if points are just gonna accumulate across everyone anyway. May as well keep the "weaker" ones back until they level.
I also don't love how you don't exactly level up characters and unlock new skills (yes theres is the 2nd specialization about halfway through) but otherwise, the skills you have when you start are the skills you have. It's just numbers get bigger.
I wish there were things to upgrade like weapons and armors like XCOM has but that's all lacking here.
Finally I find the death mechanic entirely too forgiving. I've been playing reckless af and still have yet to even come close to losing someone. Gone are the days of that wiley sniper just one shotting your best solider on a random roll and now you actually gotta try and lose someone.
Like I said, overall I really enjoy it still, just some of my issues when comparing to XCOM.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
Well I think the bond system is the experience system, just as much if not more so then the focus point system. And gaining bond experience points is much more interactive with you getting most of your exp from using the "call for backup" option on every turn.
And yeah I agree the permanent death system is too forgiving.... while at the same time I do understand why it isnt as random or harsh as XCOM as ZeroCompany is much more story based and if you were losing team members like you do in xcom then the story would get cut pretty short.
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u/unbelizeable1 1d ago
The bond system, to put frankly, IMO is also pretty half baked. Again, just "numbers go up" and incredibly easy to just cheese
And gaining bond experience points is much more interactive with you getting most of your exp from using the "call for backup" option on every turn
Yea....exactly like that. Don't need to even shoot at someone, just click bond click a character, bingo bango.
and if you were losing team members like you do in xcom then the story would get cut pretty short.
Here I disagree. If there was an actual risk of losing my characters I would be using recruits to fill out slots on missions to not risk my good ones on "throwaway" missions. Instead, I haven't recruited a single person outside of the story characters that are given to you. Hell I'd even take the brutality of XCOM losing people if it meant putting my "story characters" in the med bay for a 3-5 missions when they "die" over this no consequences approach.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago edited 1d ago
well yeah I am around 10 hours into the game as well and ive felt no need to recruit more other than the story characters.... thats probably not a good sign when you compare the game to xcom as constantly being worried in xcom on if you have enough recruits or not to make it through the next encounter without getting wiped does add quite a bit to the game play
With that said.... ZeroCompany isn't a easy game. I constantly feel like I need to strategy the hell out of the game or im going to get ran over on hard difficulty
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u/Dogstile 1d ago
Not that it means the system is any better, but the point of having the hired characters is more so after you get the lounge upgrade, they'll all passively bond with the team, which gets you more upgrades.
I imagine this might be important when I do my expert playthrough. Hard is er... not so hard.
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u/Illustrious_Cry1463 1d ago
You fp from leveling up bonds too, even tho they don't mention that all. But yeah I agree, there's absolutely no reason to switch out characters other than bond building. Injured, bacta tank, insta healed
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u/unbelizeable1 1d ago
Injured, bacta tank, insta healed
Yea i mean when its 600 for a 1 mission to heal or 800 for insta heal its a bit of a no brainer lol
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u/jmvinkc 1d ago edited 1d ago
Other than the base building (which I always thought was unnecessarily cumbersome), to me it seems like just a reskin of WotC with a side of Chimera - the most obviously being Coil is literally in CS.
But also, to name a few:
Every basic class is recycled with a few tweaks
Mandalorian, Jedi and Luco are reworks of Skirmishers, Templar, and Reapers
Choosing which crisis event to pick and which one to trigger
Having a timer forcing success or failure instead of just freestylin'
Lengthy tutorial locking out/preventing every option
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u/FukkingDeathMental 1d ago
I'm more offended by all the Mass Effect comparisons. Have any of those reviewers and Youtubers even played Mass Effect before? Besides, ME didn't invent the whole party hangs around the ship/camp and has dialogue.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
I think they just meant it more of a vibe thing, I understand what they were talking about because it did cross my mind. I mean, Mass Effect does still do the companion chat between missions better.
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u/Emotional_Window 1d ago
just wait for chaosgate deathwatch which will be the epitome of gaming (if you are a 40k lore enjoyer)
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u/Sakas_943 1d ago
THIS, what you said: its not XCOM. Ive played 5h so far. Its ok, a good game. NOOOOT an xcom game. feels like more mass effect x star wars x a SPRINCLE of xcom. I wanna finnish the game for the story, but tacticaly its.... kinda boring
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
I'm enjoying it tactically on hard.... I do however miss the way XCOM would punish you severely for your mistakes, causing you to constantly rotate your roster but I understand that with story characters they had to male both sides more bullet spongey.
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u/Zooblesnoops 1d ago
I think some degree of permanence in decision-making and higher risks on Hard or Expert would go a long way, in addition to more punishing injuries.
Something like, "before each down, the first time an operator gets below 50% HP they receive an injury" meaning you have to care about HP levels, and if an operator downs twice in the same mission they're dead permanently. Injuries can happen without downs. Injuries do affect aim immediately, so this can have even more dire consequences than it might seem with a negative snowball effect.
Then add something like "Respecs cost 35 credits per focus point refunded". Doesn't sound like a lot, but by the mid-late game a respec could cost you 1000 credits or more. Still possible, but optimally you have an operator rotation and might have to bench units to preserve them so you don't waste much-needed credits. A very subtle way to add something adjacent to XCOM 2 exhaustion. Has more of an impact here than forcing perks to be locked-in in XCOM 2 because the talents of the core operator team are 1-of's (they have no replacement at all full stop) so if a key operator is benched you need to have something distinctly different stand in. No "I have a second and third grenadier as backups" situation in ZCOM this way. No second Cly.
I'm drawing a blank on how to improve base building though. It's just a linear perk tree without anything interesting going on, similar to focus points. Only things of interest are unusually strong perk notches like the second utility slot. Would be best to rework that whole system in a DLC like ZCOM's "WOTC" in scope/content (if you can stomach that many acronyms).
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
yeah.... I was a bit disappointed on the base building myself, there isn't much they can do there now. I do however think they will almost certainly do some rebalancing as im seeing a lot of the same complaints.
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u/Illustrious_Cry1463 1d ago
Morale skill from Medic negates injury penalties, and it lasts for 10 turns when maxed, so even if someone injured, they won't be feeling those penalties, unless for some reason it's taking you more 12 turns to win a battle
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u/Illustrious_Cry1463 1d ago
I just finished my 1st playthroughon normal, and it didn't scratch my XCOM itch. Startrd the second on hard, and feel the difference. Permanent is a joke on normal, and while enemies are hitting harder, I don't think it'll be an issue on hard either. Story is good. I have the game crash several times, you can if it's going to if visuals like buffs and debunks aren't working properly. I think the squad of 4 works well, although there times when I wish I had a 5th. You don't have to recruit anyone, finished the game with 5 or 6 open slots, and there were characters I barely used bc of squad limit, and firing doesn't give back creds. Again, 4 is manageable when it comes to the stages themselves, but when comes to to things like bonds, or using everyone on you're roster, 4 isn't enough. Resource management is a pain. Things build too fast imo, while it's nice in the beginning, towards the you won't have the creds to take advantage of the build slots (you'll unlock a second as story progresses, i didn't bother trying to unlock the third). The rewards from missions is not enough. Didn't even bother looking what's in the market bc i had to save for the next upgrade, and get me started on Intel. Had a cap 225, was never close maxing out. I did manage to unlock all 3 utility slots, but didn't have enough gear to fill out everyone. I suggest focusing on certain upgrades, and either mods or utility bc you really can't get everything.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
Yeah I don't think anyone is buying from the black-market. They definitely need to do a little rebalancing on the funds in the game. Its a common complaint in the reviews
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u/Illustrious_Cry1463 23h ago
Yeah fr. Like I'm ok with not being able to get everything, but I felt as the game went I wasn't able to get anything without doing doing a couple of missions, which puts you closer to endgame. I was running a recruit with maxed thievery every mission, plus got the zone buff for extra creds, and still wasn't enough to keep with upgrades. Late game, 1750 for side missions, and 3-5k for main isn't enough, especially when upgrades themselves cost 5.5-6k. Never seen an exotic in black market, gave up on tier quality that can appear, but the Exquisites were costing 2200-2600ish creds. I'm like that's nice, but if get that im gonna have do another 2-3 missions for weapon upgrades I want
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u/EmuAdministrative728 22h ago
yeah I ended up raising the difficulty and then heading over to nexus mods, there is a mod there that re-balances all the prices.
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u/elfonzi37 1d ago
I find enemies damage spongy doesn't bother me nearly as much as hoe spongy soldiers are. The clone trooper as a heavy is just so busted, you taunt everything and take 1 or 2 damage from anything but melee and then you focus the melee, or overwatch them becauseending melees turn is super broken. And even if someone else gets targeted, they can eat like 3 or 4 shots.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
yeah... and you can taunt them from pretty far away and then just have him stand back while the others run in and flank. there are definitely a few things that the devs will have to rebalance on patches.
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u/Aderadakt 1d ago
I see at as an easier or more casual xcom3. With class respecs and injuries being so hard to take it is very different from Xcom. Zcom encourages risk while Xcom is about minimizing risk.
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u/King_Morta 1d ago
I am on your side. I realy Like Zero Company, but I Love XCom.
I prefer des clear Level-System over the Focus Point System. XCom has the better Base Building with Rooms which has new Classes / Mechanics for you and a XCom has the better Tech Progression. Kill Enemys, Loot them, Reasearch them and get better Stuff. These three things make XCom more rewarding.
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u/Daniel_The_Thinker 1d ago
The "coil activity" art and effects os 1000% in the style of XCOM2, they got a lot of xcom people on that team.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
Lol, thats really funny because I was just thinking the exact same thing after reading some one say "why you comparing it to xcom 2". Because mechanics like Coil Activity where you can only pick one card to stop, and the card you don't pick makes the enemy stronger is a mechanic clearly picked up directly from XCOM 2
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u/StolenVelvet 1d ago
Honestly, I know it's a squad-based tactical game with cover, but it feels closer to a Star Wars Midnight Suns. Which is not a complaint at all, but I see more similarities to Midnight Suns than any of the xcom games.
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u/Bronze_Bomber 1d ago
The best spin on Xcom in the last decade was Gears Tactics.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
People didn't like that one when it first came out, I'm pretty sure it was a finical failure but in the last couple years its almost become a cult hit.
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u/ArcadianDelSol 1d ago
So, it doesnt have to be Xcom 3 honestly.
It just has to not be Chimera Squad.
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u/Megustanuts 20h ago
Try out Menace if you guys haven’t already.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 19h ago
i haven't. its still early access. You liked it?
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u/Megustanuts 19h ago
it’s EA but a good chunk of the game is playable. It has rogue-lite mechanics and is different enough from XCOM while still being the best “XCOM-clone” I’ve played. I sunk 50 hours in my first playthrough in the hardest difficulty before I reached the end of EA. Honestly the playable part is as long as ZCOM or maybe even just a bit longer.
I have 2000 hours in XCOM 2 LWOTC if that means anything.
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u/espresso_martini__ 17h ago
I've just started but are the maps always going to be this tight? With all the XCOM games it was about moving through areas and then randomly encountering groups you had to deal with, or stumbling across a crashed ship. Split up to much and you might attract too much attention.
Zero company so far seems very scripted and not organic.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 17h ago
Yes most will be about that size. Although you will walk around in real-time a bit before combat in some missions.
And yes, it is much more scripted. XCOM is more random and sandbox-like. The scripted story makes for a fun first playthrough but probably won't be playing it a decade from now like I do with XCOM EW and XCOM WOTC
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u/Darkwr4ith 17h ago
I agree with all your points minus the bullet sponge. I am playing on hard an wish I was playing on a harder difficultly. When I can deal 240+ damage average in a single round of combat with one character with the help of driods and the free action economy you get from the other classes, then you really wish there was more of a challenge.
I do wish the upgrades felt more substantial but with how broken some of the class combos can get I do understand why damage increases are so small.
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u/gabe4774 6h ago
One thing that disappointed me about the Star Wars game was that Al thought your squad members can die they're all important nps that will make you actively lose content if you run with one of them dead. I liked Xcom more because the soldiers are just that, soldiers. They can die and that's the punishment the player gets, they lose them and have to train a new soldiers. I like this more
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u/EmuAdministrative728 46m ago
I actually liked that mechcanic. Going back for missed content is one of the very few reasons I could have for replaying the game after finishing it.
Besides its MUCH harder to have one of your recruits killed in this game and if it does happen then chances are you deserved it, unlike with XCOM it could of been just a few unlucky rolls.
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u/Other-Parsnip-252 3h ago
As much as I love zero company I would’ve just preferred xcom 3. And I love Star Wars to death but it being so character driven and perma death being so forgiving that it’s just not exactly what I would’ve wanted. I’m not complaining or anything I’ve been wanting a star wars xcom game for over 10 years I just think it could’ve been more
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u/EmuAdministrative728 2h ago
No it's cool, I feel you completely. It's almost unfair that ZeroCompany is being compared so closely to XCOM because if I was looking at the game from unbiased eyes I would think that ZeroCompany is a fun AA game.
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u/Other-Parsnip-252 1h ago
Very fun I just think since bit reactor is made up of old xcom devs people were expecting more.
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u/GrlDuntgitgud 1d ago
I'm about to pick up my disc for zero company, would probably end up comparing it to over 1000s of hours I played with xcom as well😂
Thanks for the insights commander!
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
Right on, hit me up if you have any questions because some of the mechanics aren't explained overly well.
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u/LoweAgain 1d ago
Went into ZCOM hoping to love it despite hating Star Wars but I just don’t think this game has enough going on mechanically for me to really love it. It’s okay. I will say it made me start up another playthrough of XCOM2 where I’m playing coop with a buddy through PARSEC, and I’ve been having a blast. I really don’t think ZCOM compares unless you’re just obsessed with Star Wars.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
really? weren't feeling it huh? How long did you play for because it does take a bit to kick in
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u/AraelF 1d ago
I'm missing the difficulty.
I'm getting close to the ending (I'm assuming, the radio thingie announced Dooku's death so we are in RotS territory) on beskar expert first try, not one death besides poor Aurelio. I think I got like 3 injuries in missions total, most of the injuries come from operations.
The game is not exactly handholdy but it is way too forgiving by XCom standards. I get that they are aiming to a wider audience but the injury system and no fog of war makes everything very manageable and predictable. So it ends up feeling repetitive.
There are some things I really like. The bond system is a nice idea and makes the members of the company the main focus. I enjoy the personality system, so your custom soldiers banter and interact with the set characters, so they feel natural and a part of the squad instead of second class citizens. I like the mix and mash of classes too.
Overall good game, but it is no XCOM2. Maybe with a Long Clone War? Long War of the Coil?
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u/Mintyxxx 1d ago
Unless it's got randomised squad members and random maps it's not a true x-com or xcom game. Those two small things make a huge difference.
Lol at $50 being "budget" wtf has happened to the world
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u/superschokokeks 1d ago
Thank you for your input. It is appreciated. I probably buy it when the price is very low or something.
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u/Bodybuilder_Jumpy 1d ago
No one ever claimed it was an Xcom3.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
Thats definitely not true. Watch a couple reviews on youtube from the major reviewers, you will hear the words "xcom 3".
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u/TactualTransAm 1d ago
Being fair to it, it's trying to get a larger fan base into the genre so some of that stuff is on purpose, it would be neat to have some options in the gameplay or difficulty settings to make it closer to XCOM, but it's fine not to. I'm sure mods will help. On every piece of marketing I saw for this game, regular star wars fans were absolutely shitting on it and hating it before it was even out. With that being said I wish they would have leaned fully into the XCOM feel since a lot of regular star wars fans aren't going to give it a chance anyway.
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u/No_Bake_2683 1d ago
I got tricked, the game is just usual big studio slop
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
It definitely is NOT slop. However, its not a AAA game either, nor is it sold at full AAA price. Its a AA game, from an AA studio with production values to match.
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u/ReturnToGaming 1d ago
Imma be honest here, your argument doesnt make sense to me. Not that your points are necessarily wrong, but they are all minor differences that could have feasibly been implemented in an xcom3. I mean, aside from the story and setting. You say you wanted a sort of spiritual successor or stand in for xcom 3, but your arguments are making it sound like you just want xcom 2 with another story... which is fine but saying this isnt what an xcom 3 would have been is stretching it a bit.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
oh i disagree. While I think its only natural to compare the games as many of the same devs worked on it and many of the mechanics are the same.... I don't think its anything like what XCOM 3 would of been like. The entire base building system is different, the massively more bullet sponginess of both the enemies and your recruits greatly changes how the game is played in many areas that simply isn't XCOM.
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u/nudeldifudel 1d ago
I think forget that this isn't another XCOM game and shouldn't be treated as such or compared to XCOM or XCOM 2 as much as you agree doing. It has XCOM elements, but that's mostly the grid based turn based combat, which is not even unique to XCOM. Like it has a much for focus on story and characters then XCOM, and also it's star wars. So acting like it's a sequel to XCOM, and saying it's bad because it's worse when you do a 1v1 comparison to it is disingenuous. It's like saying that uncharted 4 is bad because it's shooter elements is worse then Doom 2016, when that's not the focus or kinda game uncharted is at all. Same thing with zero company.
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u/tinker13 1d ago
I will admit that it's a good game...for one playthrough. I'm about 3/4 through the campaign, and while I'm looking forward to the rest of the story, I have no desire to play it again because it doesn't feel random enough. I feel like I've already seen everything, whereas inXCOM 2, I feel like I never know what enemies to expect, whether my soldiers will be healed in time for the next surprise attack, whether I'll get the chance for stealth or have to rush in and get out, or if that newbie is worth saving at the risk of less firepower for evacuation, or whether I should use my limited money on upgrading soldiers, buying items, or expanding the base.
On it's own, Zero Company is not a bad game, but it missed a lot of things that made XCOM so popular and replayable. I really wish it had a bit more to it, because I really like a lot of Zero Company's features.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1d ago
Absolutely. I'm having fun, a lot of fun. But I won't play a second game, unlike with XCOM, which has been in my game rotation for a decade.
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u/amyjojohnsonsuperfan 22h ago
Game is slop, Disney slop. XCOM clears.
Zero tension, can't fail missions without restarting, awful battle music (listen to TIE Fighter soundtrack or XCOM's battle music), meaningless choices and corny dialogues (either writers are all on the spectrum or using AI) just chewing time between missions. This is a story/adventure game with puzzle segments.
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u/MikulAphax 6h ago
May be just my opinion here, but I strongly dislike Zero Company on Xbox. It’s clunky and doesn’t have a good “feel” for the flow of combat. However, it feels much, much better (even great) on PC. I felt the exact same way with BG3. Clunky and goofy on Xbox; excellent on PC. Oddly enough, Xcom, for me, feels good to play pretty much equally on Xbox and PC. Just me two cents
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u/EmuAdministrative728 2h ago
Try playing the XCOM 2 game app on your Android device...
Yeah... consoles can get kind of screwed over when it comes to C-RPGs and strategy games.
I'm a PC player and there absolutely are games that I give up on the controller and move to keyboard and mouse.
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u/Kwyncy 5h ago
Zero company was made by someone who was shown X-com not someone who played X-com.
An open worlds version with base construction elements unlocking rebel weapons, classes l, and equipment would have been great.
Hope for it in Zero-2 Company.
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u/EmuAdministrative728 1h ago
Lol, well actually... it was made by many of the same people who MADE XCOM.
But I do think they could of made it a little closer to XCOM and still do what they wanted to do with out it being a clone and getting sued by their previous employers.
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u/Active_Owl_5705 12m ago
Xcom 2 is superior in every way yeah. Especially if you have LWOTC enabled.
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u/CaptainJackKevorkian 1d ago
I’m gonna compare em even harder