Luvly KM wrote: Currently playing Xcom - Enemey Unknown. Achieved 40 hours in 7 days, My GOTY.
i think a secret to its success is its fantastic economy. They are so hard to design in games (hence you always end up with too much money by the end of the game) but in Xcom you've never got enough, only ever just enough to get by... And it sticks throughout the difficulty curve too.
Take it you're playing it on "Classic"? I played it on easy, it remained a "challenge" throughout, though any lesser enemies like Mutons and Chrysalid Commanders that you met were easily killed with the REALLY cool kit you get later on, though I did end up with loadsa money by the end. It did work well early and mid game though, where like you said, you've only just got enough, and you have to make some hard choices. I've started a new game on Classic difficulty, and it has stepped up quite a bit, but is "manageable" so far (though when three of your guys get injured so you have to tough the next mission out with some rookies it's tense!