1. Battle Focus
For me, this is the shining jewell of the game and is implemented incredibly well. This is what gives the game its X-Com feel and it is core to the central gameplay. Essentially, the mechanic is used by pressing a button that slows combat down to a snails pace. You then get a wheel with your two fellow squad mates and a list of their abilities. In this you can tell them exactly where to move, who to shoot and make use of their class skills. Each class has different abilities at your disposal and it is great fun to really disrupt the battle field with a well executed combo. In fact, the most fun I had while playing was in a particularly crowded battlefield. I lined up around 8 different moves in a row making a somewhat super combo to knock out most of the field. This just left me to pick off any stragglers who were left after such a devastating attack combination. Chaining a massive combo together was rewarding and exciting and did the one thing that Enemy Unknown was great at. It made me feel smart. The game never encouraged me to do that, but using its mechanics and figuring out a cause and effect combo was extremely satisfying to see come off. Battle Focus makes the game one of the most satisfying tactical shooters that I have seen in a long time. Tactical shooters often give an empty illusion of choice, with predetermined tactical hotspots that you need to hit to complete a mission, or it is just tacked on to gameplay and isn't all that satisfying to the central shooter gameplay. This is a game that makes it the core part of its combat and it plays surprisingly well. In this game you aren't a lone wolf super soldier, but instead a master tactician who can command the field.
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