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[RAM]

What? Like a three-season computer-animated series about an elite team of artefact hunters and saboteurs that were pressed into training since childhood and serve mysterious overlords with secret agendas while trying to uncover their own backgrounds and the nature of the organisation while struggling to maintain their identities amidst casual body modifications, ruthless authority, and brutal missions? And it gets cancelled after two seasons just as themyterious benefactors are revealed to be aliens and suddenly turn hostile with two of the fan-favourite characters melting under plasma-fire in the closing scene?

I wouldn't want to give anyone ideas...

[Graknorke]

I feel like you're referencing a very specific thing but I don't get it so you'll have to spill the beans.

[Rolan7]

Same, because I think I want to watch the thing you're referencing.

[RAM]

I am not actually referencing anything, just being overly-specific and suffering from an overdose of cynicism.

[Persus13]

Also, I *really* hope we don't have anything as stupid as the Exalt comm hacks that made them all have to reload. It never made any sense at all and forced a kind of strange dynamic to the battles where you'd run around hitting hacks while exalt stood around like idiots reloading the guns the reloaded last turn. Would have made more sense to have the comm hacks reduce the reinforcements that Exalt always got.

I always understood the reload thing as the creative team having difficulty showing the EXALT folks reacting to their communications jamming.

[Rolan7]

I sorta rationalized it as them panicking, which almost works.  They run and take a moment to recover.  Maybe switching to a new frequency to regain contact.

But instead of doing that with a status effect, it just clears their primary ammo.  Kinda lazy, particularly since it results in stuff like the heavies laughing and firing their rockets.  Plus they visibly reload their weapons, which is... hard to justify.

[Rince Wind]

Come on, you are talking about people who would rather run to a laptop and stand around with no cover than shoot their enemies and then take the laptop when the area is secure. Some of them have dangerous bionics as well. They are probably not the most stable people mentally. You can't really use common sense here. They probably genuinely connect radio silence with reloading.

[YaW]

So, can I play XCOM 2 without having played Enemy Unknown? I mean storywise. I read that it's kind of a fresh start in new circumstances.

I left EU 10 hours in because my computer broke and couldn't get back to it immediately, so I felt kind of lazy to replay it from start after a month.

[GiglameshDespair]

So, can I play XCOM 2 without having played Enemy Unknown? I mean storywise. I read that it's kind of a fresh start in new circumstances.

I left EU 10 hours in because my computer broke and couldn't get back to it immediately, so I felt kind of lazy to replay it from start after a month.

Yeah, it's alt universe.
Play it without issue.

[LordPorkins]

Well, Genetic modification does play a decent sized part in the new game if the trailer is evident, so playing Unknown wouldn't be that bad. I do love me some MECS though.

[Mephansteras]

Come on, you are talking about people who would rather run to a laptop and stand around with no cover than shoot their enemies and then take the laptop when the area is secure. Some of them have dangerous bionics as well. They are probably not the most stable people mentally. You can't really use common sense here. They probably genuinely connect radio silence with reloading.

It's not that you can't find a way to justify it, it's that it has always struck me as lazy implementation. Especially since the simple task of reducing or delaying reinforcements by doing the comm hacks would have accomplished the same goal of making the missions easier while making more sense. Actual panic would have been fine too, and they already have a panic mechanic in the game they could have used. But instead they went for a 'reload' which looks strange and makes no sense.

[Lightningfalcon]

I went for it as there weapons being connected to the comn relay in some way (Some form of smart targeting system, for example), and hacking the relay forces them to do a reset.

[scrdest]

So, can I play XCOM 2 without having played Enemy Unknown? I mean storywise. I read that it's kind of a fresh start in new circumstances.

I left EU 10 hours in because my computer broke and couldn't get back to it immediately, so I felt kind of lazy to replay it from start after a month.

Yeah, it's alt universe.
Play it without issue.

Or more accurately, it's the sequel to getting a game over three missions in or so. Not much actual story happened.

[Graknorke]

Come on, you are talking about people who would rather run to a laptop and stand around with no cover than shoot their enemies and then take the laptop when the area is secure. Some of them have dangerous bionics as well. They are probably not the most stable people mentally. You can't really use common sense here. They probably genuinely connect radio silence with reloading.

It's not that you can't find a way to justify it, it's that it has always struck me as lazy implementation. Especially since the simple task of reducing or delaying reinforcements by doing the comm hacks would have accomplished the same goal of making the missions easier while making more sense. Actual panic would have been fine too, and they already have a panic mechanic in the game they could have used. But instead they went for a 'reload' which looks strange and makes no sense.

I always thought a turn of panic would make more sense. Makes sense given what you're doing as well, since they can't communicate with their command.

[Sonlirain]

I still have a hunch that the Bureau might have a significant part in this story.

The Commander is for some reason extremely important so crackpot theory time...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The commander is either a (true) ethereal or someone infested with one. The chip inside the brain might be some kind of suppressant that keep the ethereal locked in.
This also means that the entire X-Com is actually a small scale Mosaic network explaining why their squads are so organized (well as organized as the human player let's them be).
There is an ethereal literally floating above them subtly mind controlling the entire squad (carter didn't even realize he was being MC'd most of the game).
This would explain soldiers being able to take absolutely unrealistic shots for example.
Then you have the perspective and special effects. Bureau was supposedly a TPP with a surprise twist being that you were actually playing in FPP all that time... just not as the character you thought you were.

Recognized the blue effect on the edges?
It's the same effect you see in the intro to Xcom2 when the commander wakes up... so chances are that the commander is none other than Asaru... or his host