The 4X aspect (which is more like three quarter exes, really) is on a MUUUUUCH smaller scale. The opposite end of the strategy spectrum, in a way, in that it is detailed and micro-managy. You expand one base with new facilities and personnel, and employ these resources to research better offensive and defensive technology, and produce equipment and vehicles for war. You also train new soldiers, maintain communications with the Earths nations and scan the world for threats. And that's about all there is to the strategy layer (which is not turn-based, but realtime, but with player control over time flow). But that's not to say it isn't strategic. On the contrary, there is lots of choice, lots of skill involved in those choices, and choices have great impact on in what direction your war efforts develop and how effective they will be. Even the placement of facilities requires and rewards careful, long-term planning and yields different bonuses. The tactical layer, the actual battles against alien forces, is the turn-based part of the game. And is basically a fairly advanced TBS compared to most (but definitively not all) modern offerings, with line of sight and elevation considerations, advanced cover and destructible terrain, different options for mobility and placement, a good deal of different weapons and abilities, ubiquitous overwatch mechanics, some few situational bonuses, and trade-offs between different strategies of careful advancement/tight squads or wide-spread, dynamic approaches.
It sounds more complicated than it really is. Just begin a game on easy, let the game take you by the hand, and by the time you gain conscience, you'll be near the end of the game wanting to play on a more difficult level, choosing a different country with another perk, etc. This game (well, XCom: EU to be more precise) really hooked me and I got to finish it several times, and I'm no 4X/RTS expert by any means.
Add me to that list. I started from scratch and let the game teach me and had no problems. GREAT game.
What all the others said. XCOM is lower mid range in difficulty (quite possibly the world's most subjective measurement) for a hardcore strategy title. But if you still prefer to study before bashing your head against the ufo walls, these basic tips will get you started, and a bit further: http://venturebeat.com/2012/10/17/xcom-enemy-unknown-game-guide-strategic/ http://www.pcgamer.com/xcom-enemy-unknown-guide/ (Quick summary: build helluva lots of satellites.)
Is there an "end game" to this? Are there missions you can replay with your maxed out characters after completing the game? Or is this a case of, once it's over it's over?
Once it's over- it's over. There is some sort of cheat in the game that let you start the game with hero character for fun
Well, it is a console game I absolutely recommend this to anyone with even a passing interest in strategy games. This is one of the finest ever made and very accessible, very replayable. You can easily get 100+ hours out of this. Just prepare for lots of tension and plenty of challenge. The stakes are high!
/pedant mode on/ Actually, it's a mobile version of the console version of the PC game.....I'm just saying...## /pedant mode off/
