Skip to main content

Easy gets easier in upcoming XCOM: Enemy Unknown patch

XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Over the past few weeks, you have been playing XCOM: Enemy Unknown, right? I don’t have the time or inclination to detail the various reasons why you really, really ought to own this game, but fortunately for my sense of brevity we reviewed the title in full and as you can see from that impressive 9.5 out of 10 score, we’re pretty keen on how Firaxis Games resurrected the long-dormant XCOM franchise for modern gaming systems.

That’s not to say the game is without flaws. Though rare (and even more rarely game-breaking), there are a few bugs in XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Fortunately, Firaxis is most notable as a developer of PC games, so issuing post-release patches for a title to clear up lingering problems is a relatively common practice for the studio. Further, that PC development background also means that Firaxis is used to explaining every aspect of its upcoming patches in exacting detail, lest fans freak right out when they discover undocumented changes. Thus, a post has appeared on the official 2K Games forums, detailing exactly what Firaxis has in store for the game’s upcoming, second patch.

Have a look:

Recommended Videos

Major Fixes
• Abductor roof visibility problems resolved 

• Interception game hang issues resolved

  • If two interceptors are sent after UFO
  • If Skyranger is returning from combat after an Interceptor was already deployed

• SHIV inaccessible issues resolved 

• AI Alien Activity Hang resolution 

• Multiplayer connectivity optimization 

Other Fixes
• TempleShip optimization: All Soldiers properly spawn when restarting the mission after clearing the second room of TempleShip 

• Snapshot penalty should no longer apply when Overwatching without first moving. 

• Easy Difficulty is now easier.

Despite the relatively short list of changes, the effects of these alterations seems as if it might be dramatic. Optimizations and corrections to how the AI processes line of sight for characters standing on the rooves of alien craft is relatively standard stuff and should serve to make the game a more solid, engaging experience for the playerbase as a whole, but it’s not until we get down to the “Other Fixes” section that we see something really exciting. We’re not talking about the change to the Easy difficulty mode to make it even easier (though that will probably go a long way toward keeping new XCOM players interested in the game), but instead are referring to that change to Overwatch. Any experienced XCOM player will tell you how useful the skill is — in short, it allows a character to immediately fire on any enemy entering his or her field of vision — and we’re giddy to see Firaxis improve it in this way.

Unfortunately, the forums post isn’t all good news. There is one other bug that Firaxis knows about, but was unable to fix, and unfortunately it’s pretty major. For a very small minority of players, beating the final mission has been causing an unexpected “Game Over” screen to pop up, as if all of their troops had died. Obviously this makes it difficult to properly finish the game. According to the forums post, the company has received a few save files in which this bug is present and are currently working on a solution. Firaxis currently has no timeline on when it might officially patch this problem.

Firaxis has yet to offer a release date (or even an estimated release window) for this patch, though we expect it relatively soon. On release it should be available to all XCOM players, regardless of platform, and as per usual the patch will be totally gratis.

Earnest Cavalli
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Earnest Cavalli has been writing about games, tech and digital culture since 2005 for outlets including Wired, Joystiq…
Stand-alone XCOM spinoff Chimera Squad will release next week
XCOM Chimera Squad

XCOM: Chimera Squad - Gameplay Overview

The next XCOM game is taking the series in a different direction, and fans won't have to wait long to play it.

Read more
New Atari 50 DLC shows the Intellivision acquisition is already paying off
An Atari 2600+ sits on a table.

Digital Eclipse's Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is an excellent and comprehensive look back at the company's now classic video game lineup, with games to play and extra content to interact with. So far, it's gotten one DLC: The Wider World of Atari, that added even more titles. Now, it's about to get its second, thanks to an acquisition it made earlier this year.

Atari announced The First Console War on Friday, and it's about, as you can guess, the company's first console war with the Intellivision, although it'll touch on a specific element of it. In the 1980s, Mattel was publishing games on the Intellivision. At some point, it decided to release versions of these console exclusives for its main competitor, the Atari 2600, under the M Network label. There are 19 of these games coming to Atari 50 with The First Console War, which is set to launch on November 8 for PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4 Atari 50 owners.

Read more
Is Monster Hunter Wilds cross-platform?
Two hunters ride mounts in Monster Hunter Wilds.

Of all the genres that we think need to be on the list of cross-platform games, hunting games like Monster Hunter Wilds have to be near the top. These are a rather unique style of game compared to the likes of Fallout 76, Genshin Impact, or Stardew Valley. Each of those has cooperative or competitive elements to them that are enhanced by cross-platform support, but nothing like what Monster Hunter Wilds has going on. The game will allow you to call in NPCs to help you on the hunt, but these games are best when you get a group of real friends together and embark on an epic quest to slay a giant beast, scavenge it for parts, and return to camp victorious. Monster Hunter Rise eventually got cross-platform support once it was ported off the Switch, but will Monster Hunter Wilds launch with this feature? Here's what you need to know about cross-platform support in one of our most anticipated upcoming games.
Is Monster Hunter Wilds cross-platform?

Monster Hunter Wilds will only have partial cross-platform support. The good news is that the part that it will have is crossplay, meaning that you and friends on either PS5, Xbox Series X/S, or PC can all hunt together with no issues. This feature can be disabled if you wish, but will be enabled by default to make sure desperate hunters can always find some aid when in need.

Read more