I agree partially, especially about close combat. I think close combat is extremely risky, there should be some benefits to compensate a _bit_
Here a few suggestions i.e. mostly based on bladed weapons or hammers:
- can cause enemy to lose weapon
- may move enemy a few squares back if you win the attack (you followup on the hit), this represents something like a bull rush forward (sounds desperate...)
- ability to destroy enemy weapons under certain circumstances (should be extremely rare)
Also, i dont want to make the game too complicated, but one thing which is great is any tech/skill tree for your soldiers. One could even focus on close combat, using ninja stealth suit and sneaking from alien to alien - just for fun!
might be a fun way to play the game using people with swords instead of guns against aliens