XCOM: Enemy Unknownand 2016'sXCOM 2presented players with challenging tactical gameplay that pushed the player's squad of XCOM soldiers to the limit of their abilities. However, for fans of the olderXCOMtitles on DOS, the difficulty of these newer games may seem fairly substandard. Luckily, there's the Long Warmod for both games that, while waiting for upcoming tactical sci-fi games to release, fans should absolutely check out.

Developed by Pavonis Interactive, theLong War mods' goal is to provide players with a more complex experience than what the vanilla game contains, givingXCOMthe same replayability as other grand-scale sci-fi strategy games. This is meant to increase the difficulty of the game as a whole and provide the player with more options, asLong Waradds more moving parts and mechanics in combat.Long Waralso provides heavier punishment for mistakes, which is where the mod gets its reputation for being brutal and unforgiving.

Long War 2for XCOM 2boasts several changes to the core gameplay. One of the notable changes that call back to the originalXCOMgames is requiring players to run multiple squads of soldiers at once. The original games would require the player to have at least one squad of soldiers based on each major continent for quick deployment.Long War 2brings back this mechanic in a spiritual sense, requiring players to run multiple missions at once whilst also adding a regional resistance cell management system.

The mod also lives up to its name by extending the time certain missions and operations in the game take. This is done by increasing mission timers and requiring in-game weeks' worth of time infiltrating the mission site to gather intel, using infiltration and stealth similar to that of a Chimera Squad. Not only does this extend the length of the game, but it also requires the player to manage their time much closer.

The changes in theLong Warmods don't just apply to the management side of the game. Combat, weapons and enemies have also been rebalanced to bring more attention to a unit's skill rather than a random modifier to hit. Weapons have less ammo in their clips, enemy AI has been completely reworked, there are new alien types and explosions are given a serious debuff with their damage having drop-off. These new additions serve to keep players on their toes, invalidating older strategies that may have been used to exploit the vanilla game's weaknesses.

Long Warkeeps the spirit of the originalXCOMgames alive with all of these changes by providing gameplay layered enough so that players continue to learn and adapt with each playthrough. The originalXCOMmay not have contained the same kinds of complexities asLong Wardue to the technical limitations of the MSDOS, but using simple mechanics like ammo management and soldier morale, players were still required to adapt. It's the adaptability of the originalXCOMthatLong Warcaptures.

Enemy UnknownandXCOM 2both can often be played using similar strategies from game to game, as even though there's plenty of content on offer in the core games, the mechanics at play often don't have the same depth thatLong Waroffers. Adaptability becomes crucial, as enough is happening behind the scenes with the gameplay that there's no promise that the same strategy will work from one game to the next.Long Waris able to capture this adaptability without making the difficulty feel unfair.

Even if a player fails inLong War, the mod never feels unfair. Any mistakes that the player makes are often their own, as the game's difficulty spikes and mechanical rebalancing apply to both the player and the enemies they'll be facing. Part of theLong War mod's charm is that it's unlike other "brutal difficulty" mods that simply buff things working against the player.

For fans of the originalXCOMgames from the MSDOS era of gaming,Long Warmay very well be the gameplay they're looking for. With more complex systems to manage and more realistic gameplay,Long WartranslatesEnemy UnknownandXCOM 2to a stronger strategic level.Long Warprovides a betterXCOMexperience by forcing players to adapt to each new alien threat.

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