%% Use of This Troper and personal examples is not allowed anywhere on the wiki. Please limit moments to those that are possible to be seen by everyone.

Funny moments in ''VideoGame/XComEnemyUnknown''.

'''As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff as per policy.]] Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''
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* In a very subtle way, the interactions between Dr. Vahlen and Dr. Shen. [[ScienceFoils The old divide between theoretical and applied science]], brilliantly played out with very subtle snark and one-upsmanship, each trying to look best in the eyes of the Commander (and, to a lesser extent, Bradford.)
* Some of [[MonkeysOnATypewriter the mission names the RNG churns out can be side-splitting]]. You can make your own names [[http://www.generatorland.com/usergenerator.aspx?id=4251 here]].
** For example, "Operation Hot Paramour".
** Someone on Spacebattles got [[http://imgur.com/y6mF2 "Operation Swift Tears"]]. That's not foreboding in the slightest!
** "Operation Dying Hero".
** "Operation Lazy God" sure is encouraging.
** "Operation Silent Night"... in the middle of the day.
** "Operation [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Vengeful Vengeance]]"
** "Operation Hot Ring". Bonus points for being the alien base.
** "Operation Black Hero". [[BlackGuyDiesFirst The first person who died in the mission was black]]. The SoleSurvivor? [[DoubleSubvertedTrope Also black]]. Everyone else was white/Asian.
** "Operation [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Fallen Fall]]"
** "Operation Crystal Stallion" - Apparently, Central must have liked [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Season 3]]
*** Also "Operation Crystal Empire"
** "Operation Rotting Empire" - In the UK and in Australia on another play-through.
** "Broken Hymn"... on the first mission. What does this remind you of?
** "Operation Bloody Future", the first Terror Mission in the [[FourIsDeath 4th playthrough]] (in China, no less). Also, one of the Heavies on that mission is nicknamed "Collateral". Very encouraging.
** "Operation Film/FinalJustice." Think you can take me, xeno? Go ahead on. It's yer move.
** "Operation Empty Skull". Gee, thanks for the compliment, game.
** "Operation Brutal Mother". The first I ever failed to complete.
** "Operation Brutal Stranger" First time fighting a battleship, ironically the next mission was the first to introduce Mutons, they were late.
** "Operation Black Father". Bonus points? [[CrossesTheLineTwice It took place in Africa.]]
** "Operation Bloody Night." Better yet, having the result be a [[TotalPartyKill Code Black]]. Not exactly funny, but certainly apropos.
** "Operation Crystal Night." [[CrossesTheLineTwice It took place in Germany.]]
** "Operation Vengeful Paramour". [[WomanScorned Got dumped by your boy/girlfriend?]] [[DisproportionateRetribution Take it out on some aliens!]]
** "Operation Final Rest". Resulted in TPK, naturally.
** "Operation Fallen God". TPK, all Colonel level soldiers.
** "Operation Hot Mother". [[http://i.imgur.com/ASAyih9.jpg No, really]]. Apparently [[Series/ArrestedDevelopment Buster]] is the one at XCOM HQ coming up with all of the operation names. For bonus points that name was assigned to the "Gangplank" mission from the Slingshot DLC.
** "Operation Fallen Serpent". Council mission. x12 Thin Men corpses.
** "Operation Blind Man". Even worse if you're hit with some of the worst cases of ArtificialStupidity the game had to offer.
** "Operation Black Priest"
** "Operation: Cryptic Line". Guess someone in Central is fan of meta jokes.
** "Operation Twisted Hero". Becomes worse if your rising star is critically injured and then mind controlled into killing their teammates.
** "Operation [[TemptingFate Empty Grave]]." Don't worry, ''only'' 3 soldiers were killed that mission.
** "Operation Sacred Empire". Better if the target is a UFO interceptors splashed in Japan.
** "Operation Spectral Sentinel". Terror mission with all troopers equipped with [[{{Invisibility}} Ghost Armor]].
** "Operation Final Breath". Well, maybe for the aliens and any rookie unlucky enough to not dodge a shot.
** "Operation Constant Paramour" for Site Recon. Apparently being a Chrysallid hive counts as cheating.
** "Operation Lazy Justice". Code Black on an Abduction mission.
*** Another "Operation Lazy Justice". Carefree use of explosives to bypass doors ruins chance to capture floater
** "Operation Brutal Fall". During a typical "Overwatch spree", a floater [[TooDumbToLive flew straight into the fray]]. It was shot the moment it appeared and was tossed across the map.
** "Operation Fallen Saviour". And... There goes my support, well good luck surviving the night everyone.
** "Operation Final Night". There goes my PSI trooper...
** "Operation Final Fist." Featuring four EXALT taken out by the MEC Trooper's rocket fist, including the last!
** "Operation [[http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/560956744403624247/C384D715A19958420FEF2FA722D6F019AEEF3001/ Forgotten Engine]]". UFO Crash Site mission. Bonus points if the whole mission fails to turn up any functioning UFO power sources or UFO flight computers.
** "Operation [[TemptingFate First Grave"]]. Guess what happened to one of my soldiers? The first in the project.
** "Operation Bloody Sleep" - [[BlackComedy in a graveyard]]
** "Operation Bleeding Ring". Leading to this gem from Beaglerush:
-->"That's a bit on the nose, Operation Naming Guy. ... Operation 'Went to Taco Bell Last Night.'"
** "Operation Rotting Apollo" came up when [[WebVideo/WhatTheFuckIsWrongWithYou Nash]] was streaming the game, causing him to [[WhoWritesThisCrap wonder who was responsible for the operation names]]. The chat blamed the weird names on Bradford, who Nash insisted had to have been drunk when coming up with them.
** "Operation Lone Mother". This can only end well.
** "Operation Burning Night". Much too fitting for a terror mission.
** "Operation Bloody Hymn". First covert ops missions. At least 10 exalt heavies with rocket launchers. Multiple rocketeer heavies. [[StuffBlowingUp Someone's coming back in a matchbox.]]
** "Operation Bleeding Mother". The TeamMom almost died.
** "Operation Black Tears". [[CrossesTheLineTwice It was a Terror Mission in Nigeria.]]
** "Operation Hot Engine". UFO landing site. Guess we know why they were there.
** With the [[VideoGame/XcomLongWar Long War]] mod installed, the Alien Base Assault mission becomes repeatable, as completing it actually lets you reclaim a withdrawn Council Nation. The fourth successful such mission in a row within a single month? "[[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Operation Unceasing Justice]]."
** Deluge being codenamed "Operation Burning Gift". Especially hilarious given how many environmental fires are around the dam, how XCOM is gifted with an extra soldier, and how said soldier has the Gift by default.
** "Operation Brutal Crone". Apparently the female gunner I brought along that one-shotted three mechtoids and two elite mutons is OlderThanTheyLook.
** "Operation Broken Prophet." Jesus (he was Argentine) the psi trooper was knocked out by an Ethereal. For bonus points, when he was revived his model glitched and was "standing" at a 60-degree angle to the ground. [[HumiliationConga And then he was killed by the same ethereal the very next round.]] [[SaveScumming Twice.]]
** "Operation [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Dying Grave]]". 2 gravely wounded soldiers.
** "Operation Bloody Mother". Terror Mission, thus Chryssalids out the wazoo.
** "Operation [[BestServedCold Cold Vengeance]]". "You've messed with the ''wrong'' planet, mofo!"
** "Operation Sacred Father". Alien Base Assault. [[HellInvadesHeaven Apparently we're invading God now.]]
** "Operation Crimson Stranger". Introductory mission for, among other things, floaters.
** "Operation Twisted Savior". One stray rocket into a horde of zombies accidentally gibbed the support it was meant to save.
** "Operation [[Film/BrokebackMountain Broken Mountain]]". Bonus points if your MEC trooper gets KO'd.
** "Operation Morbid Heat" in Salvador, Brazil.
** "Operation Fading Crown" for the assault on EXALT headquarters.
** "Operation Black Empire" in Nigeria. Well ''someone'' certainly seems to have an iron in the fire...
** "Operation Hot Stallion." No comment.
* The reactions your troopers have to getting Mind Controlled can fit in here.
-->He's in my head, he's in my...[[BlatantLies everything is fine. Nothing to worry about]].
* Any time a Muton successfully intimidates a XCOM soldier into a panic, [[GoneHorriblyRight only to promptly get shot]] and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard killed by that very same panicked soldier]]. Bonus points if the soldier gets a promotion from that kill. "You freaked out and made a totally blindshot that just happened to hit a hostile? Welcome to the higher ranks!"
* Killing a Floater through Overwatch when they are just starting to move. Since they move around by using the thrusters built into their body, the corpse will hurtle across the map until it hits the invisible wall at the map edge. Extra hilarious if they were going up... they never come back down!
** Blasting Floaters out of the sky with rockets really never gets old, especially with several bunched together.
** On a related note, once in a while Mutons will ragdoll and convulse in a blackly amusing fashion when you put them down, especially in Terror Mission maps. They just flop there and wobble so much.
** The same thing can happen with Cyberdisks and other flying enemies in certain maps with 'bottomless pits' (such as the Alien Base, the Skyscraper Rooftop, or a Battleship). The corpse or wreckage will fall off the map, camera in tow... and then the camera has to hurriedly pan back to the action when the corpse/wreck is deleted.
** Ragdoll effects reach their full hilarity once the Alloy Cannon is researched. Imagine a Berserker charging one of your team mates only to be sent backflipping over a dumpster by a nearby assault class. It never stops being funny.
** Use stealth to discover a group of Floaters without triggering them, then have your heavy "blind" fire a rocket into the middle. Their bodies will ragdoll in different directions to the very borders of the map.
** The Ragdoll effects that ensue from Mec Trooper punches, especially ones that send the hapless victim through walls, are very satisfying and a joy to behold.
* Muton Berserkers [[ArtificialStupidity sometimes wig out and run back and forth]] - if the squad is prepared this can lead to a hilarious HumiliationConga as the Berserker trips Overwatch shot after Overwatch shot. Bonus points if some of that Overwatch is from [[MoreDakka Sentinel-classed Supports]].
** Some players have taken to just luring the Berserker from one soldier to another, going round and round, until it dies.
** Sometimes, it just takes one. With a reasonably powerful enough weapon, an Assault can Rapid Fire a Berserker and hit twice, have it charge at him or her, only to trigger the Close Combat Specialist ability from that same Assault, ending with one dead Berserker.
** Another way to deal with them is to move up all soldiers to close range and set them into Overwatch, and have the last soldier finally fire, triggering its movement and then the fire from every soldier in the squad at once. Just like dominoes, but with more lasers and blood.
** Alternatively, anything that can fly simply makes fun of the poor Berserkers. Endlessly running at you, never to succeed. Almost makes you feel bad for them. Almost.
* One of the successful Arc Thrower capture quotes is [[Franchise/BackToTheFuture 1.21 gigawatts, baby!]]
* Buildings can remain standing even if only a single wall tile remains. Try staying straight faced while that building in the middle of the graveyard is somehow standing with a single row of burnt bricks holding the entire building up as plasma fire is exchanged between the XCOM squad and a bunch of Thin Men.
* It's ''exceptionally'' unlikely to happen, but non-explosive friendly fire does seem to exist in the game. Imagine - an Assault in low/half cover is outflanked by a Muton two tiles to his south-east, with a Berserker standing directly next to him, to his north-west, directly opposite the other Muton. The Berserker has two hit points remaining from earlier attacks from the squad. The outflanking Muton raises its plasma rifle to attack - and you can't miss at that range, right? ''Wrong''. [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy It misses]]. The first shot goes wide, the second two shots smack straight into the Berserker's face and kill it. ''Friendly Fire Isn't.''
* The naming system can produce some funny moments: A rookie with the last name of Claus saved his team's asses thanks to his medkits. The kicker though, is that upon promotion, it turned out his given nickname was "Santa": "Santa" Claus is now a Colonel bringing 10hp restoring medkits to all the good soldiers each mission.
** Almost as amusing is getting "Cargo" Schwartz.
** On a slightly different note, a sniper with the surname Walker. Open reaching Sergeant, the game promptly can give him the nickname...[[ShapedLikeItself Walker]].
*** Brought up to eleven with the first name Walker as well. [[DepartmentofRedundancyDepartment Walker "Walker" Walker is possible]].
** Another example, a female sniper with the last name [[VideoGame/StarCraft Kerrigan.]] Her handle once she reached Sergeant? ''Blades''. To top it off, she turned out to be the only soldier to have psi-abilities in that playthrough.
** A support named Scottie Scott. Yes, he was from Scotland.
** Similarly, with ''Enemy Within'', try getting a Sniper with the code-name of "[[ComicBook/XMen Cyclops]]", especially if he's made the first recipient of mutagenic enhancements. Same goes for [[Series/HomeImprovement Tom Taylor]] if made a MEC trooper. "More power" indeed.
** Colonel Sanders. Nickname: Chicken. That is all.
** A MEC Trooper that helped out the troopers in a tight spot ends up earning the nickname "Big Daddy".
** Also, making a soldier called [[Franchise/RoboCop Murphy]] into a MEC Trooper, who then proceeds to get the nickname "Robby".
*** It's very often that a MEC Trooper often gets the nickname "Murphy" as well.
** One of the names a fighter pilot ended with was [[{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}} "Bender" Rodriguez]]
** One possible name for a Chinese Soldier is "Long Wang".
*** or even better, "Bang Wang."
** Training Roulette. Of ''course'' Michael "Crater" Bay ends up with [[StuffBlowingUp Grenadier]], Deep Pockets, [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill and Rocketeer]]. Because more things need to explode.
** It's, ironically enough, possible with enough concentrated firepower to scare a chryssalid. The one trooper who accomplished this hit Sergeant after this mission, and was nicknamed "[[TheDreaded Scarecrow]]".
** The first soldier who went through genetic augmentation in one playthrough had the first name "Jesus" (he was Mexican). His last name was [[VideoGame/ModernWarfare Ramirez]]. So it's obvious he's capable of doing everything!
** A Heavy specced for explosives spent all his missions causing massive property damage. Every time. The Random Generator happened to give him the nickname "Dozer".
** "Goddammit, [[http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/473171285298948339/659F0458C4B3FA7891B7DFF7D1657BC96FD24165/1024x576.resizedimage Ryan Ryan]]".
** "[[Film/DieHard I have a machine gun]], [[http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/3316085667389942511/7D63D17F4B5338773AB34E68BEFF5159CC21B055/1024x576.resizedimage Ho Ho]]".
** An out-of-place nickname for a Heavy: Robert [[PunnyName "Disco" Hall]].
** [[VideoGame/XcomLongWar Long War]] doubles the number of classes available, such as by [[DecompositeCharacter splitting the traits of the Heavy between the machine gun toting Gunner and the rocket launcher toting Rocketeer]]. Guess what class Samuel "Gunner" Richard was? [[NonindicativeName Assault.]]
* Anytime an enemy appears and [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill walks right into a Overwatch crossfire]] is always good for a laugh, especially when it happens to a tough/annoying enemy. They get a little intro then get shredded by an unholy amount of firepower. MoreDakka is always the proper solution to your problems.
** Equally as funny (at least until you have to deal with the consequences) is having all your troops enter Overwatch, unleash a massive torrent of bullets, lasers, or plasma that pours into the alien...[[ATeamFiring and every shot misses.]]
** Or, alternatively, having all those Heavies miss completely, only to hear towards the very end a single bullet, laser beam or plasma bolt streak through the air and kill the enemy as your sniper scores the kill. You can almost hear the sniper rolling his eyes.
** The Seekers introduced in ''Enemy Within'' cloak then move around the battlefield for a fortunate time to strike, decloaking to attack a unit. When they decloak overwatch is triggered. Imagine that there is just one left and you have all your troops clustered within line-of-sight with one another and on overwatch. The Seeker appears and is shredded by 5 instances of overwatch. Total damage was 31 points of damage on it. For reference, the Seeker has a max HP of ''5'' by default.
** The camera angles and zooms used during Overwatch can get downright hilarious if you have multiple soldiers firing at a single target. The camera may attempt to zoom in on any number of them, and this can result in extremely comical shots of a MEC trooper taking aim at a charging alien's head, followed by a closeup of another soldier's expression [[GoryDiscretionShot while a hail of gunfire is heard]].
* Thin Men are annoying, especially in Council missions, in which they decide to drop out of the sky at random in a perfect spot to kill your hostage. However, if you know they're coming, you can just order all your soldiers to go on Overwatch and when the [[Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos Slender-wannabe]] drops down, acting all high and mighty, [[NoKillLikeOverkill all your soldiers shoot him at once]]. [[NightmareRetardant So much for scary infiltrating aliens.]]
** Such as the unfortunate Thin Man who spawned in atop a subway train car during Enemy Unknown's bomb mission and was promptly met by a hail of plasma bolts and an alloy cannon shot. His buddy landed seconds later a few tiles to the south and was promptly obliterated by a plasma sniper shot.
** The only thing better than your whole team destroying an alien is a single soldier utterly ''decimating'' an alien. For example, during a Council mission, positioning a shotgun-toting Assault on a building that a Thin Man will always jump onto. When the Thin Man drops, activate Close Combat Specialist, and [[BulletTime time slowed]] as he managed to get one foot on the roof before getting blown apart by a Scatter Laser.
** EXALT troops sometimes do this as well. But they also come from different directions, which can work well, but might also lead to each EXALT soldier tripping a ''different'' Overwatch, resulting in ''the entire wave getting wiped out''.
** EXALT troops also enter the battlefield from the edges of the map, but they actually appear off the map and run in, either climbing over walls or running in from BehindTheBlack. This is still considered movement, which means it still triggers Overwatch, even when they're no immediately visible, which can lead to moments where a sniper on Overwatch will actually spot and kill EXALT agents ''before they step onto the map''.
* Alloy [=SHIVs=] can provide cover - for your soldiers but ALSO for the aliens. They often run up to hide behind the war machine they're ''supposed'' to be shooting at instead, sometimes even parking their asses ''right in front of the barrel''. Doubly hilarious if you react by just driving the SHIV away, leaving the alien out in the open and probably feeling like a massive idiot.
** Double bonus; park the SHIV a couple tiles away and ANNIHILATE the alien just using it as cover. The irony...
* The Flush ability can sometimes result in an enemy getting flushed out of cover, whereupon the Shotgun/Scatter Laser/Alloy Cannon shot will change direction and follow the target, regardless of where they run to. Smashing through two doors to get inside a building, for example, will simply cause [[HomingProjectile the Flush shot follow them through the building]] [[HomingBoulders and hit them in the back anyway]].
* Although it's something you'll be dreading, Dr. Vahlen's reaction when you first see a Chryssalid victim get up and start shambling around is darkly funny.
-->'''Dr. Vahlen:''' As unprofessional as it may sound, he appears to have become...a zombie.
* The description of [[HarderThanHard Impossible]]:
-->[[ThisIsGoingToSuck For players who find joy in suffering]].
* Hearing this line when a Psy-user mindfrays an alien:
-->Voices in your head!
* Every time a soldier right between a door and window, and [[ThereWasADoor chooses to enter through the window]] even when the door is open.
** Or any time a soldier or alien decides to randomly smash a window when they don't need to. For example, smashing a skylight they happen to be hiding near to shoot at an enemy on the same roof, sometimes just a few feet away. Or smashing one skylight then promptly shooting through another, because reasons.
*** The soldiers will always choose the shortest route from A to B. Problem is, the 'shortest route' ignores things like elevation (including climbing stairs) or enemy presence. That led to a situation where a soldier can climb to the top of a 2 store building through a drainage pipe, activate the overwatch from a Thin Man, get shot, then jump down the building, two meters from his initial position... because he thinks it is a less complicated route than maneuvering around a box.
* There are many ways a Soldier's aim can be reduced to paltry levels in the field. It always seems something out of a military farce film when the Rookie runs up to a weakened Muton, fires at point blank range yet only managing to destroy the wall right behind it, and then being cut down by the bewildered alien.
* Taking advantage of the game's aiming mechanics can lead to some oddly funny moments. Like if a soldier has been heavily wounded while the Second Wave option ''Red Fog'' is turned on (which reduces their accuracy) and has an equally wounded enemy up close. You might have a 23% shot of hitting him with that plasma rifle, but that arc thrower has a 98% chance of success. Ride the lightning, baby!
* During the alien base assault, you find a device that Dr. Shen thinks may be used for entertainment, then says [[HypocriticalHumour "At least they're not playing computer games."]]
* [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130602220721/xcom/images/f/f4/XCOM%28EU%29_Caution1.png This]] FlavorText on one of the devices present in engineering.
---> '''Caution'''\\
This device [[MadeOfExplodium contains explosive materials]]. Do not expose to heat or pressure. [[PercussiveMaintenance Do not kick the device]]. Avoid manhandling and/or panhandling. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Store in cool, dry place]].
** [[http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130602220616/xcom/images/3/32/XCOM%28EU%29_Caution2.png Another one]] in the Satellite Uplink facility.
---> '''Caution'''\\
If the device begins leaking or malfunctioning contact your supervisor immediately. [[ShoutOut Safety not guaranteed.]] [[MemeticMutation I have only done this]] [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/safety-not-guaranteed once before.]] [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Risk of electrocution.]]
* One possible random name--Liam Gallagher. Apparently, he's a soldier, not a musician.
** And another- [[{{Series/Highlander}} Duncan MacLeod]]. Badass, right? Wrong. Said squaddie panicked the very first time he was shot at and [[BlackComedy promptly ran directly into a massive Overwatch crossfire.]] Another is [[Film/MenInBlack James Edwards]]. Evidently even the Men In Black are getting in on protecting the earth. He was also randomly generated as black and an Assault.
** It is also possible to get [[VideoGame/MassEffect Kasumi Goto]] - in which case, Mimetic Skin is all but mandatory or back in the musician vein, [[Creator/WillSmith William Smith]].
* Missing shots will cause your soldiers to slowly, dramatically aim at the enemy, line of their shots, and then [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy abruptly decide to kill the birds flying overhead, annihilate the roaches in the walls ten feet to the left of the alien, or realize that they hate the ground at their feet and it absolutely must die first before dealing with those EXALT troops]]. The aliens and EXALT aren't exempt from this either.
** Occasionally, [[HomingBoulders missed shots actually hit the target visually, but have no effect]], prompting loud, angry claims of bullshit from players and sometimes the soldier who fired the shot as well. The same thing tends to happen with Suppression, whereupon the alien, EXALT or XCOM soldier will take several magazines' worth of heavy ordnance to the face, neck and chest, to absolutely no effect.
** On the flipside, plasma shots will at times go straight past their intended target, only for the target's head to briefly glow green anyway when the game decides to count it as a hit.
* Unfortunately for Sectopods, they're not immune to the splash damage from their own weapons. A Sectopod taking on, for example, a mind-controlled Berserker at near point-blank range might wind up causing more damage to itself than the Berserker would have, possibly even ''killing itself'' if it took enough damage beforehand. Unfortunately doesn't happen in ''Enemy Within'', where the Sectopod's weapons no longer deal SplashDamage.
* [[{{Bathos}} Giving a [=MEC=] soldier a]] fedora. Because even hulking death machines carrying miniguns and mortars still need to look stylish.
* Once more with the ragdoll physics - punching an Ethereal to death with the Kinetic Strike Module may be the funniest of them all. Normally, they wear long, fancy robes. When they go flying, though, the robes go head-over-heels, making it look like nothing so much as a very proper lady whose dress has undergone a serious wardrobe malfunction.
** The KSM is made for things like this - it's BlackComedy, yes, but when a particularly annoying EXALT agent or Sectoid has evaded [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy all the fire you've aimed at it]], there's little that's quite so hilarious as stomping a MEC up to it and punching it through a wall or into a car so hard that it explodes.
** Punching it through a car...that explodes...and kills the three enemies behind it, ending the mission.
** For bonus hilarity, [[http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=197089685 you can also punch the Uber Ethereal off his own ship]]. Bonus points if you say [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade "no ticket"]] afterwards.
** Ontop of that the look on a Muton's face, or the impotent reaction of a Berserker, as they realize they've attacked something stronger then themselves is priceless. The Muton is after all a half ton slab of meat and aggression which utterly fails to make a dent in a MEC hand to hand. Sectopods as well given holding the pilots head down for a knockout punch is endlessly amusing.
* An interesting note about EXALT's AI is that they are suicidally determined to reach their objective at any cost without any regard to their own safety. This means that placing a MEC with the kinetic strike module in an area that EXALT wants to capture results in a lot of them being sent through nearby walls.
** Even without MEC troopers in play, you're likely going to be wondering if they're in fact just a suicide cult, but happened to forget their ''"Throw grenade here"'' signs at home.
* Occasionally a visual glitch can cause the projectile and the weaponry to wind up not remotely aligned. Hilarity ensues as the gun is aimed parallel to the window - and projectiles shoot out of the side and score a lethal hit!
* Sentinel Modules can result in [[http://i.imgur.com/nGS6nH2.gif hilarity]].
* One of the intel pieces you can pick up during the hunt for EXALT's base? [[BreakingTheFourthWall "The EXALT base is in a playable country you can play as in]] [[{{VideoGame/Civilization}} Civilization 5."]]
* Outclassed enemies will sometimes fall back. This can lead to situations like Strike One bursting in on a UFO's Ethereal and its Elite Muton bodyguard, whereupon the would-be {{Praetorian|Guard}} promptly appears to decide it's not getting paid enough for this, and [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere attempts to flee out the back door]], leaving its master to be blown to pieces.
* The final mission cutscene. In the rare event that every soldier except for the crucial volunteer dies in the final mission you will be treated to the same cutscene as normal... With the volunteer telling NOBODY to leave them. The camera tracks as if there are still characters in their normal place and the volunteer even does the animation to push the others out with Psi power. It's just that there is nobody there to be pushed. Makes a dramatic ending seem quite silly.
* Dr. Shen's entry in the XCOM Database, which is of course narrated by the base's AI:
--> ''Dr. Raymond Shen is the Chief Engineer of the XCOM Project. Dr. Shen has proven to be an invaluable asset with his decades of experience. The XCOM project is lucky to have such a brilliant, dedicated, world renowned, award winning engineer at its disposal. Please note: This artificial intelligence was created by Dr. Shen.''
* Enemy Unknown's "enemies appear from nowhere" can, very rarely, go absolutely haywire. It's one thing having a trio of sectoids appear in the middle of your troops--it's another for ''every single enemy in a supply ship'' to teleport in sequence into firing range. That's including at least two sectopods in addition to about two dozen other enemies of various species. At least in my case the game crashed in the middle of the first round following the mass spawning, so alas no seeing if both heavies emptying rockets into the crowd would've saved the team.
* Keep zapping aliens unconscious for multiple missions without an alien containment and watch how increasingly annoyed and verbose the good Doctor gets after each mission.
* If you have killed the elite Mutons and inflicted massive damage on the Uber Ethereal and Ethereals from a distance, there is a small chance that an Ethereal will cast Psi Drain on the Uber Ethereal, killing him (and itself) and winning the game for you.
* When taking down the EXALT headquarters, bring an all-MEC squad with Kinetic Strike Modules. Watch as they completely trash what must be some very expensive decor.
* Discovering EXALT's headquarters, when it turns out to be [[HeWasRightThereAllAlong in the same country as X-COM's headquarters]].
* How zombies do to climb down; they don't. They trip over the edge and faceplant into the ground before getting up and continuing as if nothing happened.
* Too many moments to mention in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0IA02W8WTo Beaglerush's campaigns]].
-->'''[Beagle narrating as] Exalt soldier:''' "Is this real wood or is this faux wood?"
* An ''[[BlackComedy extremely grim]]'' example: "deader than disco" is a possible BondOneLiner for a soldier to spout upon killing a hostile. Disco is available as a random nickname for a Heavy. Should poor Disco have previously met an untimely end when someone delivers that line... mostly amusing when one imagines the [[CrossesTheLineTwice range of]] [[DudeNotFunny possible reactions]] from any squadmates within earshot. For extra black comedy, it is entirely possible for an operative to say that line during the ''exact same mission'' Disco just got KIA on.
* One of the News Ticker entries for Russia's level 4 panic is that the KHL got suspended. Not even Canada gets a hockey-related item.
* Take your time in the Situation Room, and you'll occasionally be treated to chatter from Bradford as he's conducting his usual business. Most of them are him operating business as usual, but some of his lines are unexpectedly hilarious:
-->''"The latest contact turned out to be a dud, probably just another drunk pilot who fell asleep on a long-haul."''\\
''"We've been picking up some odd transmissions lately... [[Series/UFO1970 some nut calling himself "Commander Straker"]] has been all over the news ranting about shadow operatives."''\\
''"...and you're positive the report states that the alien craft crash landed in the garage of [[Series/{{ALF}} a suburban middle-class family... Tanner residence]]. Roger, we'll look into it."''\\
''"What do you mean, [[MythologyGag you think you saw a snake?]] What the hell does that have to do with anything?"''\\
''"Are you really using the tracking terminal to play ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}''?! [[NotSoAboveItAll At least I hope you're going for a military victory...]]"''\\
''"You tell those guys we can't have them bringing back alien body parts as souvenirs. It's a breach of protocol!"''
* When you secure Annette Durand from the convoy, she initially tries to run but is stopped by a warning shot. A warning shot that always uses ''[[SoLastSeason bullets]]''. Keep in mind, by this point, your troops are most likely carrying laser or plasma rifles, and your MEC, who can be carrying a railgun or particle rifle, can still be the one to fire the shot.
* An Ethereal surrounded by [=SHIVs=] might just decide to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k2PVBl6kKA&feature=youtu.be&t=9m31s take the honorable way out]] rather than be captured by XCOM.
* To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the game's release, Firaxis made [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzm9P4LK62E&feature=youtu.be a video tribute]] to Vahlen's MemeticMutation request that soldiers avoid using explosives against the aliens. It ends with a VoiceClipSong and Vahlen's Secret Volcano Lair being destroyed in ''[[VideoGame/{{Civilization}} Civilization VI]]''. And then they streamed the video on their official Website/{{Twitch}} channel for an entire day.
** And then they released a few mixes of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA0nIRE4u2o the song]].
* There exists an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoYIFcstQKM&t=0s Alex Jones voicepack mod]]. It's just as awesome as it sounds.
-->'''Soldier rescuing a civilian during a terror mission:''' [[PunctuatedForEmphasis They want you. dead.]] Can you get that through your coconut brain!?
-->'''Soldier activating a pod of enemies:''' [[NonSequitur They're not tolerant of heterosexuals!]]
-->'''Soldier getting spit on by a thin man:''' [[MemeticMutation I don't like 'em putting chemicals in the water that turn the frikin' frogs gay!]]
* During the final level, enemies disappear in psionic bursts. if you use a MEC's kinetic strike on a weakened berserker, it will vanish during the kill animation, leading to the MEC dealing heavy damage to the air.
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