armour types are fine, but I fully agree that the transgenants are seriously boring, xcom: enemy unknown (and basically the rest of the series) had far more interesting aliens, easy to recognise too. the stupid flying fish is the only one I had to use normal weps agains
the last aliens in the queens room does endure quite a lot of beating, but they don't deal any serious damage, I mind-controlled the two real aliens, and threw lots of granades at the thougher new ones, plus I let the mind controlled aliens blast them. it took some time, but I never was in danger of actually loosing a guy. I guess my two frontmen with pdw/mp7 and grenades did most of the work though.
the real end was kinda sucky too, just finished it on normal difficulty, without loading a single time during the moon mission psi + pdw/mp7 > * I would really like more action packed ending movies :/
it's getting a bit easier after the first shock but still requires a fair load of saving/loading. I even noticed that some aliens I mind-controlled were all excellent instead of heroic
I guess something is really wrong with the psi-defence, when a soldier with heroic psi-defence + enhanced "psi-helmet" is mind-controlled after one try. However, I have seen more misses after I got bio-armours of most of the guys.
outside on that mission, I just used a collapsible plasmagun, a dual barrel machinegun, and psi-control, oh, the nearest alien right behind the starting point got nailed by pdw/mp7 inside was very easy, only one rocket hit my team.
basilisk, I just took the same mission, also with normal difficulty, had no problems at all just psi-control the aliens asap, if they see some friends, shoot 'em, if not, put down their weapons, they aren't smart enough to pick up weapons from the ground after you lose control of them. using enhanced heavy armour and bio armour btw, so they can withstand a couple of rockets, if the buggers manages to get a shot off.
their default armour is very good, but if you take it off, you're screwed, since you can't put it back on anyway, they're not anything special, I use one of them for psi-attack, works, but no better than my own guys
the alien psi-mind-control thingy is extremly usefull, nothing more satisfying than intercept that bastard before he launch a rocket at you, and then let him shoot at his own feet ) best of all, mind-control doesn't need a clear line of sight.