I recently booted up Ufo Enemy Unknown on my Amiga and I noticed something that really helped me understand what I find lacking in Xenonauts atmosphere. Its the lighting! In the original xcom your visible area fades away into complete darkness. Even during daylight they show your visible area as a gradient from well lit to completely black, and it works amazingly well. That "what lurks in the shadow"-effect is remarkably effective, and i really wish the Xenonauts-team would overhaul their lighting-engine. It's the ONE thing I find lacking in this game. It's not scary and tense, and it really should be.

Image of the lighting in UFO Enemy Unknown