10 Popular Video Games You're Playing Wrong

6. XCOM 2 - Use Ironman To Prevent Save-Scumming

xcom 2
FirAxis

In a tactical game like XCOM 2, one wrong move, one botched attack or one risky decision can result in you losing progress and being trapped in a match that's most likely unwinnable, a reality the majority of players bypass by save scumming.

Saving after every move means a fatal mistake can easily be undone by loading up the file before you executed the error, allowing you to hopefully recover any of the progress you may have botched. Of course, this isn't exactly the most noble or honest tactic, and relying on it too heavily can actually take away the entire point of playing a top-down tactical shooter like XCOM.

Fortunately, to alleviate the temptation of scumming your way to victory, the second game has an Ironman mode that removes the option entirely, saving your progress automatically and not allowing you to load before a disastrous move.

Obviously, the length of matches in XCOM means this style of play isn't exactly the most accessible for everyone, but for the purest tactical experience, Ironman should be the only option.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.