The premise behind Xenonauts is it's a game intended for fans of the original 1994 X-Com UFO Defense. If 2012's X-Com Enemy Unknown didn't quite capture the magic of the original for you, Xenonauts was meant to scratch that itch.

Xenonauts 2 here continues the first's design philosophy and purpose. Lots of steam reviewers are dismissing it as being no different than the original or claim its the original given a fresh coat of paint... Having played Xenonauts 2 for over 50 hours myself, I can tell these are quick impressions based on visuals alone. Most of Goldhawk Interactive's efforts to make the sequel better than the original have been put into the engine aiming for a better mix of modern/up to date features while retaining a classic, familiar 1994 X-com look and feel. Their efforts may have been too effective given all the lazy negative 'its just a remake!' reviews. Remake or not, improvements over the first game are undeniable.

Honestly Xenonauts 1 & 2 reminds me a lot of Civ 1 & 2 where the sequel looks and plays better, but there's not a whole that sets the two apart making the 'same with a fresh coat of paint' opinions stick. However, the sequel is the superior version essentially being better at what the original was shooting for.

Even if Xenonauts 2 comes across as a remake to you, it is graphically superior to 1. Not a mind blowing improvement, but Xenonauts 1's pixel work looks a combination of quaint and primitive in comparison (IMHO, Xeno1 looks like crap). Also, you can rotate the camera in Xenonauts 2 during ground missions. Can't do that in Xenonauts 1! This game is a distinct improvement over the original is what I'm getting at.

At the time of this review, Xenonauts 2 is still somewhere early-mid development. What's available now is a beta: it's completely playable, but incomplete overall. So far its shaping up pretty well.

Worth picking up if you're looking to play something similar to 1994 X-Com. Also worth picking up if you liked Xenonauts 1. Again, even if #2 comes across as a remake to you, it's an improved version of the original. The negative 'its just more of the same!' reviews are stupid, that's basically the point of a sequel.

The premise behind Xenonauts is it's a game intended for fans of the original 1994 X-Com UFO Defense. If 2012's X-Com Enemy Unknown didn't quite capture the magic of the original for you, Xenonauts was meant to scratch that itch. Xenonauts 2 here continues the first's design philosophy and purpose. Lots of steam reviewers are dismissing it as being no different than the original or claim its the original given a fresh coat of paint... Having played Xenonauts 2 for over 50 hours myself, I can tell these are quick impressions based on visuals alone. Most of Goldhawk Interactive's efforts to make the sequel better than the original have been put into the engine aiming for a better mix of modern/up to date features while retaining a classic, familiar 1994 X-com look and feel. Their efforts may have been too effective given all the lazy negative 'its just a remake!' reviews. Remake or not, improvements over the first game are undeniable. Honestly Xenonauts 1 & 2 reminds me a lot of Civ 1 & 2 where the sequel looks and plays better, but there's not a whole that sets the two apart making the 'same with a fresh coat of paint' opinions stick. However, the sequel is the superior version essentially being better at what the original was shooting for. Even if Xenonauts 2 comes across as a remake to you, it is graphically superior to 1. Not a mind blowing improvement, but Xenonauts 1's pixel work looks a combination of quaint and primitive in comparison (IMHO, Xeno1 looks like crap). Also, you can rotate the camera in Xenonauts 2 during ground missions. Can't do that in Xenonauts 1! This game is a distinct improvement over the original is what I'm getting at. At the time of this review, Xenonauts 2 is still somewhere early-mid development. What's available now is a beta: it's completely playable, but incomplete overall. So far its shaping up pretty well. Worth picking up if you're looking to play something similar to 1994 X-Com. Also worth picking up if you liked Xenonauts 1. Again, even if #2 comes across as a remake to you, it's an improved version of the original. The negative 'its just more of the same!' reviews are stupid, that's basically the point of a sequel.