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- Feral Interactive launches the XCOM 2 Collection for $25
Feral Interactive has just announced that it's bringing the XCOM 2 Collection to Android, now that the game has been available on iOS for the past seven months. Despite the late arrival, we now know that the XCOM 2 Collection will be officially released on Android on July 13th for $24.99. All four DLC packs will be included with this price, and as of today, the game is available for pre-registration on the Google Play Store, and it's packing an all-new trailer.
Above, you can watch the new mobile trailer for the XCOM 2 Collection. While this trailer doesn't show much gameplay, the game has been available on PC and consoles since 2016, so there are tons of reviews out there. More importantly, Feral's iOS port has also received a bunch of glowing reviews, which is a good sign for the Android port slated for release next month. Really, the only complaint I can find is that the iOS version costs too much, and seeing that the Android port will also cost fans $24.99, this may be a little too much for many to swallow.
As you would expect from a mobile port, the UI has been redesigned for touchscreen play. This is good for those who only want to play on the touchscreen, but it would seem the iOS port does not offer controller support, and so far, Feral has yet to specify if the Android port will include support for controllers or not.
Of course, if you'd like to check the XCOM 2 Collection when it's released in July, you can pre-register through the new Play Store listing below to receive a release announcement on the day. So here's hoping Feral hasn't excluded controller support. Otherwise, that $25 price tag just isn't going to cut it. Premium prices bring with them premium expectations, something few mobile ports recognize, which is often why sales for premium Android ports suck. Take heed, Feral, cut features are not okay, and late arrivals only mean the game has been played elsewhere. Thus, it's not hard to surmise that the XCOM 2 Collection will have an uphill climb to find success on Android at its expected launch price.
Source: Feral Interactive
UPDATE: 2021/07/13 6:59am PDT BY MATTHEW SHOLTZ
Feral Interactive launches the XCOM 2 Collection for $25
As promised, Feral Interactive has released the XCOM 2 Collection on Android. It would seem it took Feral eight months to get the Android version ready after the iOS release, though the lofty $25 price and limited device support put a damper on the whole thing. Sure, this is a complete game that includes all four DLCs for a single price, but the controller support is pretty rough, which is surprising for such a costly port. Sadly it would seem the game's FAQ states controller support was never planned, so the partial support that exists indeed isn't intended for use. This means you'll have to use the touch controls, especially since the new UI is entirely built around a touch interface. Sadly this UI is pretty unwieldy on a small screen, such as on a phone. Tablets are definitely recommended.
• ASUS ROG Phone II
• Google Pixel 3 / 3XL / 4 / 4XL
• HTC U12+
• OnePlus 6T / 7 / 8 / 8T / 9
• Samsung Galaxy S9 / S10 / S10+ / S10e / S20 / S21
• Samsung Galaxy Note9 / Note10 / Note10+ / Note20 5G
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 / S7
• Sony Xperia 1 / XZ2 Compact
• Vivo NEX S
• Xiaomi Mi 9
• Xiaomi Pocophone F1
Feral still insists on only supporting a small selection of Android phones and tablets, because the ports it handles are demanding, but when you see the ROG II listed and not the ROG 5, well, something is clearly wrong. Of course, unsupported devices may still be able to run the game (especially if it's new and high-end), but judging by the lack of controller support, your experience may be pretty hit and miss. This is why the $25 price tag is so tough to swallow.
Performance offers about what you'd expect. Cut down graphics, a low framerate, with middling touch controls and seemingly broken/never-implemented controller support. While Feral typically does a good job porting PC games to mobile, the XCOM 2 Collection feels rushed. It's too hard to play on a phone, thanks to the tiny/laggy UI, and tablet support would be much better if controllers were actually working. As is, I can only recommend the game if you're a hardcore fan that owns a beefy tablet like the Galaxy Tab S7. Luckily the Play Store has an exceptional 48-hour return policy. So if you have $25 to spare, you can take a look for yourself, and if you don't like what you see, simply return the game.