Xcom Freak: I only play the demo right now so it's only human VS human games for me. Even tough I still think the game is well balanced. I agree that I usually only take electrical tech level 2 to fight with but I can't say that the other weapons don't have their place either. I also love the balista.
I'll probably buy that game online and try the other race when I get more money. You don't need to pay a monthly fee anyways since the servers are free to play on.