I really liked X-COM Chimera Squad. Different capabilities were really cool and interspecies banter made the whole thing feel alive. Don't get me wrong, I still like shadowy claustrophobic climate of the original just as much, but for example X-COM reboot was almost spoiled for me because of one character, Bradford. I never hated any alien as much as his nagging, orders and tone.

Also the mechanic in the reboot was a bit misguided. They eliminated sneaking up and ambushing the enemy and replaced it by little animated introduction of the enemy as soon as they land into a very large circle around your soldiers, almost regardless of terrain. X-COM 2 brought it back a little bit with you soldiers starting in stealth mode and some of them potentially re-entering stealth again using a skill.

There was/is? A mod called “Shut Up Bradford” to make him stop talking.

It's an evolution of the mechanics:

Original X-Coms: very simulationist. Reboot: Adds class mechanic thus reducing simulationism.

(In both cases lategame is rather easy).

Chimera: Small set piece, probably inspired by the Mario game. Also characters like in Jagged Alliance.

It takes a lot from other games, which suits some but not others.