While XCOM is not *purely* a strategy game, I agree with whoever made the comment that gaming culture has sort of grouped strategy and tactics into one genre. That said, there absolutely is more than just tactics in XCOM; between missions, there is a strategy game based upon deciding how to spend resources between researching technology, expanding your base, manufacturing equipment, etc. You also have to strategize in terms of where you want to launch satellites: do you protect countries that give you a higher income; or are you trying to lock up an entire continent quickly for its bonus; what about that country that isn't of a ton of use comparatively, but is on the verge of panicking and leaving the xcom initiative? And as far as research goes, besides deciding whether to spend resources on it in the first place, how do you prioritize your research? And when you get three alien abductions occurring and can only engage one, which one do you pick? This is all strategy. We can debate the depth or quality of the strategy, but it is not tactics. And given that debate, CK II is the superior strategy game; but I don't believe XCOM is out of place on the list.
FTL, on the other hand, is not much of an actual strategy game. I suppose there is a bit in terms of deciding how to spend your resources and whether to push your luck on exploration, but it's nowhere near as in-depth as CK II or even XCOM. However, I would enthusiastically recommend it. It's a punishing game, but if you like a challenge, it's extremely addictive and fun.
Endless Space is probably too niche and isn't quite in the same league IMO (although it's an alright game.)
