Side by side
XCOM vs Marvel's Midnight Suns
XCOM
7 positive (70%) · 2 mixed (20%) · 1 negative (10%)
Trust + time weighted: +58%
Top excerpts
Parent context: I personally think XCOM is massively better than it, but I guess it depends what you are after. I think it is extremely forgettable but it can be good for a target audience who likes the idea of XCOM but doesn't want it to be hardcore (or what you call "frustrating"). Reply: I think that's fair and I also think that you're objectively probably right in the assertion that XCOM is a better game, for some abstract measure of objective game quality.
I played a bit of XCOM, and while I definitely see why people like it, the permadeath was just too much for me. ... it retains much of the charm without bogging me down in the details like XCOM did.
Turn based games and games that don't require a long block of uninterrupted mental investment are where it's at. XCOM comes to mind.
I'm a big fan of Firaxis' XCOM games; their focus on tactics and conflict management felt puzzle-like, and the world events were streamlined enough to not be tedious but could still make or break a playthrough.
One thing about turn-based tactical games is the sheer length of some combat encounters that can drag, especially if there are no checkpoints mid-encounter and the player messes up or is surprised. The most prominent eg would be XCOM, but that design explicitly expects you to lose a couple of soldiers while being able to withdraw.
Marvel's Midnight Suns
7 positive (47%) · 8 mixed (53%) · 0 negative (0%)
Trust + time weighted: +45%
Top excerpts
Parent context: The mission gameplay is so good, but the social stuff fell completely flat for me and kind of ruined it. Running around talking to people for 30 minutes between each 15 minute mission grew old real fast for me. Reply: For me it was the other way around, 30 minute missions and 15 minute Abbey time. ... Exploring the Abbey was a chore though.
I do think the game is good, I don't think the combat is nearly as good as you put it, in fact it ends up being surprisingly repetitive after the first 10-20 hours, because the options that you have available on each given fight are just too limited and repetitive... I think tactically wise, it is considerably inferior to Xcom 2 or Fire Emblem.
It’s really frustrating. It’d be such a good game if they focused on the cool superhero combat and had some kind of streamlined base management layer like XCOM. Instead we get a 3rd-person mushroom collection RPG and dating/friendship mini game.
The mission gameplay is so good, but the social stuff fell completely flat for me and kind of ruined it. Running around talking to people for 30 minutes between each 15 minute mission grew old real fast for me.
I ended up finding it's awkward jank endearing. This is one of my all time favorites, believe it or not.