When comparing XCOM: Enemy Unknown vs Stellar Tactics, the Slant community recommends XCOM: Enemy Unknown for most people. In the question“What are the best tactical RPGs on PC with really cool weapons/armor you can craft/upgrade?” XCOM: Enemy Unknown is ranked 1st while Stellar Tactics is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose XCOM: Enemy Unknown is:
There are quite a few add-ons available for XCOM, including the Enemy Within expansion pack.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Assortment of add-on content available
There are quite a few add-ons available for XCOM, including the Enemy Within expansion pack.
Pro Effective resource management mechanics
Resource management feels like a juggling act, in the best way possible. Users have to make hard decisions on what options to give priority to, as they all will effect gameplay in some manner.
Pro Death is permanent
Death is very permanent in XCOM, meaning if a player looses a high level player mid game that they may have a pretty tough time advancing past that point.
Pro Procedurally generated content
This can go either way as a pro or a con, but I'm going to list it as a pro. Stellar Tactics generates almost all of its content aside from the tutorial. While this gives the game a ton of content, it leaves some of it to be somewhat uninteresting.
Pro Open world gameplay
Stellar Tactics features a really unique overworld system for a turn based RPG. Between missions, you can fly your ship around space and head in whichever direction you want, completing whichever mission you want. It makes the game feel really open and gives the players a ton of options.
Pro Upgradeable weapons
The game has a lot of weapons, all upgradeable through nano-tech or component parts you find around the game. The base weapons are nothing to write home about, but the upgrade system is very satisfying and can lead to some cool loadouts.
Pro Turn based, tactical, squad level combat
Stellar Tactics has a turn based combat system that functions and feels quite similar to Wasteland 2's. It's not grid based either, so you have a fair amount of freedom in regards to squad positioning.
Cons
Con Proper choices not obvious until after the fact
Choices that effect the game are not obvious when they are happening and once realized is too late.
Con Lackluster graphics
The game looks just... ok. The player portraits leave much to be desired and the UI looks like something from a 2004 game. The environments look alright, but the color palettes can be a little grating, and the modelling can be hit or miss.
Example
Con Early access title
Being an early access game, you can expect a certain lack of polish and a few bugs.