When it's too much, I'm fed up with these fucking aliens on this fucking planet!
Tested Version: Nintendo Switch
The guys of 2K Games in recent times they have enriched the hybrid console at home Nintendo with a number of great titles, thanks to collections by Borderlands, BioShock e XCOM, which landed simultaneously on the eShop of the Japanese console.
It was certainly interesting to see how the US team managed to deal with the technical aspects that a port on Switch requires. Especially if we talk about XCOM 2 Collection.
For the success of this enterprise it is our duty to thank Virtuos, which has already achieved excellent results on the ports of Dark Souls: Remastered and Starlink: Battle for Atlas. And even in this case, Singaporean society does not deny the rightly earned fame.
Let's go in order though, XCOM 2 Collection, for those unfamiliar with it, is a turn-based strategic title that has somehow managed to redefine the genre in recent years, so much so that it has earned a luxury clone like Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.
The version that 2K Games has brought to the Switch does not only contain the 2016 game, but also all its DLCs, since Resistance Guerrillas Pack to expansion War of the Chosen. All this material will be placed in front of you from the beginning, making you choose whether to enjoy the adventures narrated in the base game or live the complete experience.
Extraterrestrial Combat Units in Action!
The story told in XCOM 2 sees the aforementioned Combat Units reduced to a small resistance movement, a distant memory of the war machine we have known in previous iterations. In this adventure, in addition to the intense turn-based combat, we will have to look for resources such as weapons and technologies to expand our base and increase the staff. By choosing wisely you will be able to find out how and when the enemy will attack you, avoiding lethal mistakes in this war of the worlds.
This sequel differs from the first title, as it offers different stealth dynamics, which allow a positioning useful to attack the enemy from multiple points without advancing in Rambo style. Remember that you will have another enemy besides the fearsome alien army: time. This dynamic might seem frustrating the first few times, but it actually manages to offer more pathos to a title that will keep you glued to the screen.
Finally, among the interesting innovations introduced, we cannot talk about the particular character creation system, shaping this soldier to turn him into a real nightmare for aliens will be part of the fun offered by the game.
Nintendo Switch, a console in search of power ...
Unfortunately, the hybrid from Nintendo does not shine for hardware power and therefore seeing many triple A titles takes time and in some cases it is impossible. As we said before, however, Virtuos managed to do an excellent job with the available hardware.
Of course, to meet certain requests, the videogame company based in Singapore had to set everything down, decreasing textures, details and offering a framerate that is not exactly solid. It goes without saying that playing XCOM 2 Collection on PC is a whole different music. At this point, you may be wondering why to choose the Switch version, the answer is simple: portability. The Nintendo flagship manages to provide experiences of great depth even on the move, it is one of the main reasons (in addition to some exclusive ones) why most of the public has chosen the hybrid offer of the Kyoto company as a second console.
Among other things, it is not possible to benefit from the touch screen in this title, an aspect that is not essential, but which would have added that extra twist to an experience that is nothing short of memorable.
War of the Chosen
No doubt the main game will give you hours of fun, but the real plus of this edition is the War of the Chosen expansion, which includes a huge amount of new features along with a really solid story. In fact, from the first mission you will find that you are living a totally different experience. Within the additions, we cannot mention the chosen themselves, unique enemies, shrewd and totally different from those encountered so far.
Among the skills of the latter we find an incredible timing, in fact they will hunt you all over the game map and rest assured that they will find you at the worst possible time.
In fact, it is a constant threat that must be eliminated within the relative citadel to avoid that they resurrect and come back to hunt you. Killing one of these aliens will give you access to an incredible series of new weapons, thanks to the latter you will no longer have to sweat the proverbial seven shirts to defeat them.
The introduction of this expansion then brought a series of really valuable mechanics, from the new fatigue system to the possibility of permanently losing a companion. This last novelty will make your gaming experience intense at the right point.
Nobody ever said it was going to be easy!
The title in question met our needs, not only for the particular way of reproducing mechanics typical of action games, but also for giving great importance to the strategic aspect, which as we all know does not start on the battlefield.
In fact, you will have to use all your foresight to wisely manage the base and all the resources available, otherwise, you will not even have time to pull the trigger. This is another fundamental aspect of the game.
The game experience will not be frustrating, however, in fact, even in this case the development team has decided to insert a series of difficulties, in order to offer fun suitable for everyone, from veterans who know every corner to newbies, who otherwise they would be meat for slaughter.
In conclusion, we can definitely say that XCOM 2 Collection is the best opportunity to relive the emotions that the game left us in the 2016. To all this, we must add the presence of a large number of additions, including the laudable expansion War of the Chosen, able to drive the gaming experience in a unique way.
Let's not forget that thanks to Nintendo Switch we can try all this on the go (making some sacrifices on the performance side).
