Well... First of all, the game isn't as bad as some people said it was. But it still feels... unfinished.

First of all, it was mentioned that you can use your Venn Brace (That Pipboy 3000 ripoff Carter wears) to capture aliens alive when you got it, according to what we learned from Enemy Unknown, alien live capture = awesome new weapons. However, that is not the case here and you are not even given the option to capture aliens.

My theory is that alien capture was planned but ultimately scrapped. This is supported by the fact that XCOM shooting range has an infinite supply of live Sectoids for target practice. (And they are armed nonetheless, seriously? Using ARMED, LIVE aliens for target practice?) The Outsiders that escaped captivity during the XCOM base attack, a live Muton being kept inside the laboratory and a smaller version of the alien containment tank from EU that you see during the base attack (But that's probably just a continuity gag). Also, when you capture the Ethereal during the mission to capture Origin, it is mentioned that the Venn Brace has never being under strain like this, suggesting that you are supposed to have captured several alien species at this point.

Another thing that bothers me is the obvious Mass Effect 2 influence. At first, I thought "Come on! ME2 isn't the only squad based TPS in the world!" Then I saw the dialogue wheel... Seriously? And when I get to the Axis boss fight, where I need to shut down three shield generators to harm Axis...

Enough said...
But unlike Mass Effect 2, most of your choices means nothing. Remember that radio signal sidequest when you first arrived at XCOM base? No impact on the storyline or rewards for completing it whatsoever. So why is it even there? During the final mission, where you need to decide which one of your team mate you need to save, sure, the decision was hard, but there's no consequences, since the game ends shortly afterwards and which one do you save doesn't affect the ending. (Marauder Shield where are you?) Another thing that pisses me off is that unlike Mass Effect 2, where your squad mates are characters with detailed backstory and distinct personality, in here, your squad mates are just a bunch of randomly generated generic soldiers. I know this worked for Enemy Unknown, but this is different: Can you imagine what Mass Effect will be like if Wrex, Garrus, Tali, Legion are replaced with generic squad mates?

But the biggest Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moment I had in the entire game is probably after I defeated Axis. Both Director Faulke and the game itself (through loading tips) keeps telling me that Axis is useless to us once he's dead, and then what happens after we finally captures him? Angela Weaver shoots him in the head. And everyone seems fine with that because they have already gathered enough information without Axis somehow.

Then there's the obvious question: Where the hell did all these advanced technologies go when the aliens attacked again in EU? A device that can capture aliens? Alien element that can potentially replace fossil fuel completely? A spaceship? Plasma guns? Backpacks that somehow makes you more resistant to plasma burns? I already gave up trying to figure out the connection between this game and EU. (But UFOpaedia proposed some interesting theories...)

Oh, and a minor detail: No matter what kind of highly sophisticated alien weapons you and your squad are currently using, it will always be replaced with the primitive M14 during certain cutscenes. (Especially noticeable when you encounter your first Psion Commander.)

I had many of the same issues with this game. It was like a generic cover based shooter with X-com shoe horned in. The first couple of missions and the start of the game? that felt like something was going on there, like everything was gonna be awesome. After that it spiraled into crap really quick.

I did like how they had you control your squad mates but at the same time there was a very large list of weapons that you could get but your squad mates couldn't.

The comment about oh weapons are bonded to the aliens and break if they die. Seemed true at first but after a certain point when you ran out of ammo you could just toss your gun aside and pick up six others that came from the aliens you killed.

Also Mutons harder to kill than sectoids? Where were the bloody chrysilis? what was the whole point of the black goo. What really happened to the prisoners. It was hinted they were food and it was hinted that they were slaves.

There were three endings that all were lack luster.

SPOILERS!!!!!!

All of them but the doctors were stupid.
The girl turns everything against it self and covers it up
The director kills them all after forcing them to help rebuild and covers it up
The doctor just sends them on there way after getting a cure for the sleepwalkers. then he covers it up.

Honestly the whole game was a mess and it seemed like they were trying for something and then just threw everything out to hurry to the end of the game.

1749037
Chrysalis aren't there because they were uplifted much later by the physical Ethereals (Those from EU)
They were still just alien bugs at this point.

1749237 Good point, also explains the absense of snakemen, and floaters, but not the inclusion of the silicone based life that is never seen again. I like to think of this as a alternate world version of X-com. That way we can ignore it ever happened.

1749297
Floaters are basically Muton cyborgs. And snakemen are implied to be thin men from EU.
Also, the enslaved Sectoids have no psionics because they were not uplifted yet. They were described as cowardly and cruel by the Uber Ethereal, most likely because they gained power after being freed from slavery and in turn used these powers to enslave others.

Other things I forgot to say:
Covers aren't destroyable anymore, so an ordinary car can take 50 alien grenades without blowing up.
Titan, which was one of the most recognizable enemies from the trailers, appeared for a grand total of one time. Also, in one of the trailers, your soldiers are supposed to be able to summon friendly Titan, but it wasn't even in the actual game.

174929
Actually, cyberdisks are silicone based and the uber etherral mentioned it was created by merging 2 breeds, implying that silacoid is one of them.