Just to note, this post may contain what might loosely be
considered spoilers for XCOM: Enemy Unknown! Nothing major, but I do reveal
some of the threats you may be facing. Read on if this doesn’t bother you.
XCOM is brutal. It will always do its best to make a paste
of your genitalia with one swift kick. Especially when you think you have it
beaten.
 |
| The casualties are starting to mount up... maybe its something I'm doing! |
My most recent mission was a disaster. I had shot down a UFO
and had dispatched a squad to investigate. It was my usual class mix, two
snipers, two supports, an assault and a heavy. I had mixed their experience as
well, to try and improve the skills of my newest recruits. I did however take
two old hands, a super sniper ‘Ilue', and a rock hard medic, ‘Loch’. They had been
with me from the beginning and were outfitted in the white armour that showed
their grizzled status.
I colour code my soldiers, an idea I borrowed from Tom
Francis while listening to the excellent crate and crowbar podcast. My first
soldiers, the ones you start the game with, are all in white. The next batch I
recruited (which I do in groups of five or six at a time) are red; then blue
and green and so on. Ilue and Loch have been with me since the very first
mission, since the first shots of the war and were hardened veterans; Invaluable
soldiers.
The mission started normally, I positioned my snipers and
slowly moved my team forward, quickly eliminating each threat before they had a
chance to fire their weapons. However I soon got impatient and made a mistake,
something XCOM punishes quickly. With little cover to progress forward and few
enemies around I ran Loch to some distant cover to scout out ahead. He revealed
two Sectoid Commanders. He was alone, and exposed, and experienced XCOM players
know what is coming next. It was the final action of my turn and then the
aliens got their go. There was little I could do but watch helplessly as the
Alien’s psionic power took over one of my best soldiers.
Sectoid Commanders can mind control your units (taking
control of them completely) and the only way to free them is to kill the alien
in control. The only problem was, when the Sectoid took over my super support
soldier I lost his line of sight; the Sectoid disappeared into the fog of war.
With little option I had to run my heavy forward, hoping he could take out the
commander in one shot. That is when the Mutons turned up, and the Cyberdisk…
and the Floaters. I was surrounded, the heavy had revealed lots of enemies and
suddenly things looked bleak. It then got worse.
The heavy missed his shot.
The Sectoid Commander lived, Loch was still under his
control.
I had no option but to thin the alien numbers and hope I
could kill the Sectoid next turn. It did not go to plan. The second Sectoid
commander took control of my heavy unit. I was now two soldiers down and
surrounded. Then a heart breaking thing happened. Loch, an incredible soldier
from the very start of the game, took aim and killed my other support soldier
in one shot. I was down to three.
I was stunned. I had no options. I searched desperately for
a plan, a way of saving everyone. For thirty minutes I stared at the screen. But
there was only one choice.
With only three soldier left I couldn’t advance. I was
pinned by the aliens and Loch was too potent a threat to leave fire on my
soldier for much longer.
With a palpable sense of dread I selected my sniper, Ilue,
and ordered her to shoot Loch. She levelled her rifle, took aim, and fired. His
pristine white armour was flecked with blood and he collapsed to the ground. I
was devastated. I was angry, really angry, my hand shook upon my mouse. I was
angry at the game, I was angry at myself. It was my fault! I had caused it! I
had lost a soldier I had invested tens of hours into because of impatience!
I finished that mission with two snipers. My assault soldier
was killed by a raging Berserker who I just couldn’t kill quick enough and I
had to kill my heavy who had also been mind controlled. When the team returned
to base I stared pointlessly at the memorial wall, their names carved of my
frustration. I was gutted and angry and despondent. Not many games can make you
feel that way.
Then I geared up a new squad and sent them on another
mission. The war goes on after all.
No comments:
Post a Comment