The Miscellaneous PC & vidya Games Thread

[celedhring]

What's the state of the art in X-com style tactical games? I got Lamplighter's league in the last monthly bundle, and while cute/entertaining (if flawed), it worsened my itch rather than scratching it (although scratching itches makes them itch more, never really understood that idiom). Was Phoenix Point a dud?

[Tamas]

What's the state of the art in X-com style tactical games? I got Lamplighter's league in the last monthly bundle, and while cute/entertaining (if flawed), it worsened my itch rather than scratching it (although scratching itches makes them itch more, never really understood that idiom). Was Phoenix Point a dud?

XCOM 2 with the major DLC with them zombies.

[celedhring]

What's the state of the art in X-com style tactical games? I got Lamplighter's league in the last monthly bundle, and while cute/entertaining (if flawed), it worsened my itch rather than scratching it (although scratching itches makes them itch more, never really understood that idiom). Was Phoenix Point a dud?

XCOM 2 with the major DLC with them zombies.

So still XCOM2? Nothing interesting has come out since?

[Tamas]

What's the state of the art in X-com style tactical games? I got Lamplighter's league in the last monthly bundle, and while cute/entertaining (if flawed), it worsened my itch rather than scratching it (although scratching itches makes them itch more, never really understood that idiom). Was Phoenix Point a dud?

XCOM 2 with the major DLC with them zombies.

So still XCOM2? Nothing interesting has come out since?

I had hopes for Phoenix Point but couldn't get far with it despite several tries. It's just an inferior game with unnecessary overcomplications. Complexity for complexity's sake is never a good idea.

[Josquius]

How is Xcom 3? Its title escapes me- seems basically forgotten

[Tamas]

How is Xcom 3? Its title escapes me- seems basically forgotten

 

[Josquius]

Googled it- Chimera Squad

[Tamas]

Googled it- Chimera Squad

Wasn't that like some light-weight thing? Not proper Xcom 3.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Googled it- Chimera Squad

Wasn't that like some light-weight thing? Not proper Xcom 3.

Correct. There is no xcom3 in the modern series

[Syt]

What's the state of the art in X-com style tactical games? I got Lamplighter's league in the last monthly bundle, and while cute/entertaining (if flawed), it worsened my itch rather than scratching it (although scratching itches makes them itch more, never really understood that idiom). Was Phoenix Point a dud?

Forgotten but Unbroken is about running a Czech Resistance cell near the end of WW2. A lot more grounded. Having my eye on it, but I have too much to play as is. Hard West 1&2 is XCOM in the Wild West but with supernatural stuff (why do western games insist on doing this?).

Though the most positively reviewed one recently is Tactical Breach Wizards:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1043810/Tactical_Breach_Wizards/

In Tactical Breach Wizards, you lead a team of renegade wizards in kevlar through turn-based battles to unravel a modern conspiracy plot. Combine their unique spells in clever ways, or rewind time to try every crazy plan you can think of to punch a Traffic Warlock through a 4th story window.

RPS says:
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tactical-breach-wizards-review

Layered challenges, unhinged abilities, and generous tools to support wild experimentation combine with brilliant, laugh-out-loud funny writing. A tactics game that's as welcoming to newcomers as it is rewarding for genre aficionados. What an absolute treat.

PC Gamer gives it 88%:
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/tactical-breach-wizards-review/

The one word I keep coming back to when thinking about my time with this game is "sincerity". Tactical Breach Wizards is a tight, well-designed turn-based tactics game, but it's executed with both an earnestness and enthusiasm that's impossible to ignore.

Its mechanics are well balanced, but will always drop balance in favour of letting you pull off dumb and cool manoeuvres. It's a game that trades in nonsense and irreverence while managing to be thoughtful, and my 22 hours with it—which include completing all optional confidence goals and dream levels—were spent utterly spellbound.

If the worst I can say is that I simply want more of Tactical Breach Wizards, that's a sign we've got something special on our hands. If you like tactics games and character-driven stories, the only crime this game commits is leaving you hungry for more of both.

6730 reviews on steam, 98% positive.

[The Minsky Moment]

I played a demo of tactical breach wizards months ago when it hit the Steam next fest.  I liked it but I've got a big backlog so I'm waiting for it to hit 9.99.

If it's the kind of game you like, go for it.

[mongers]

Enjoying 'Train Valley', a puzzler crossed with basic Transport Tycoon.

[Tonitrus]

I think what XCOM the classic it is, is not just the tactical combat, but that combined with the strategic/almost-sandboxy layer.  I the former without the latter would have been a dud.

[Syt]

Oof.

[Norgy]

I think we need to discuss Kingdom Come Deliverance II.

It looks stunning so far.

A new Witcher game is in production. Doug Cockle has confirmed Geralt will be in it (something Netflix could learn from).

I like the first KCD game, but combat was at best clunky. Seems like Warhorse are amping it up.