Scrapped from the finished game due to time constraints, Second Wave was Fireaxis’ answer to increasing difficulty for veterans and masochist alike by adding a bevy of new gameplay options that create more chaos in the Situation Room and on the battlefront.  However,with a majority of the files for Second Wave were left intact, modders at the Nexus forums salvaged what was left and created a guide for navigating the once hidden content.

Here’s what you can expect to see from Second Wave:

  • Damage Roulette: Weapons have a much wider range of damage
  • New Economy: The funding offered by individual council members is randomized
  • Not Created Equally: Rookies will have random starting stats
  • Hidden Potential: As a soldier is promoted, his or her stats increase randomly
  • (Bugged) Red Fog: Any wounds taken in combat will degrade a soldier’s stats for that mission
  • Absolutely Critical: A flanking shot guarantees a critical hit
  • The Greater Good: The secret of psionics can only be learned from interrogating a psionic alien
  • (Bugged) Marathon: The game takes considerably longer to complete
  • Results Driven: A country offers less funding as its panic level increases
  • High Stakes: The rewards granted for stopping alien abductions are randomized
  • Diminishing Returns: The cost of satellites increases per construction
  • The Blitz: Aliens target a larger set of cities during abduction attacks
  • More Than Human: The psionic gift is extremely rare

Now, I haven’t gotten far into my own playthrough, but the chaotic nature of Second wave looks like something I’d be interested in for subsequent playthroughs. Nudge and a wink at Fireaxis: This sounds like something console gamers maybe interested in. Perhaps a DLC or Second Wave patch is in order?