[Perry] Adventures in XCOM

XCOM is a game where aliens invade earth and you, the commander of the XCOM project, must stop them.

You marshal your resources, decide which facilities to build in what order or which nations need to be helped first. You hire soldiers who develop and grow into specialized classes and you kick alien butt.

Or you fail.

Your soldiers may die in battle and remain permanently dead. Countries may pull their funding from the XCOM project because you’ve left them unaided for too long and their panic levels have risen too high. You may have assigned your research team to be developing new weapons when your soldiers are dying because they only have the basic armor.

The tension in the game when played properly (permanent death of your soldiers) is palpable.

Even more so when you NAME your soldiers after people you actually know. You develop closer relationships with said soldiers. You care about them and want them to grow stronger and more powerful.

And it hurts when they die.

It hurts when fickle chance causes them to miss a shot, leaving them out in the open for a counter attack.

It hurts when you’re a tiny bit careless and new enemies, previously unseen, flank your chosen champions and gun him down.

It’s absolutely agonizing to have to make the conscious choice to SACRIFICE one friend, a rookie, in order to save another more important soldier, a heavy weapons lieutenant.

My soldiers are all named after my friends and family. One of them, my support class (essentially a medic) is Tami Moore. Another, my heavy weapons specialist is Steven Moore.

If you’re so inclined, sit back and take a look at how last night’s nail-biting mission went…

****Curtains draw back and the room darkens****

CMD (Commander Perry)

SM (Steven Moore – Heavy)

TM (Tami Moore – Support)

NS (Noah Suh – MECH trooper)

MW (Matt Wan – Sniper)

Scene: Squad lands in a parking lot. Directly ahead and to the right is a small maintenance buildings with several windows. Ahead and to the left is a few large metallic containers organized in neat rows as well as another building wayyyyy ahead and to the left.

CMD: Eyes open people. We have reports of an unknown xeno mixed in with the regular crowd so keep your eyes open.

SM: Command, I’m getting some MELD readings directly ahead and to the right. Looks like it might be coming in from the maintenance building up ahead. It looks close by, I can likely reach it in two turns.

CMD: Affirmative, SM. Take it slow. Take cover by the first doorway and open it before you go through. If the shed looks clear, you can head inside and to the backdoor. Same procedure there. Take cover by the door and open it to look for hostiles before you push on ahead to the MELD canister.

SM: Roger that, Command.

CMD: Rest of the squad, move up by the left of the building. Proceed slowly, leapfrog each other in overwatch (unit stays behind cover and shoots at the first hostile they see moving). Take cover by the containers as you advance, make sure that SM doesn’t get flanked as he grabs the MELD.

Squad: Roger, command.

SM: Command, I’m by the back door of the shed. Opening it now…Contact! Contact! I see two sectoids by the MELD cannister. They’ve both taken cover behind waist high fencing. Permission to engage?

Sectoids:

CMD: Roger that, SM.

SM: One sectoid down. I’m keeping behind cover next to the back door. I can see the timer on the cannister from here. It’ll self-destruct in two more turns.

CMD: Roger that, SM. Squad, move up around the left of the building. Maybe you can flank the sectoid SM has pinned down and nail him through the window.

*Squad moves up left side, taking cover by containers*

TM: Contact! Contact! Multiple hostiles just dropped in! We have two sectoids to our left trying to flank us and a thin man on the roof of the shed!

Thin Man:

SM: Command! I’m taking plasma fire! It’s coming through the window! I’m down to 4/7 HP!

CMD: Sit tight, SM! Help is on the way. MW, do you have a bead on the thin man on the roof?

MW: Roger that, CMD. Take the shot?

CMD: Affirmative. Go for the Head Shot (ability). We can’t afford to leave SM flanked inside that building.

SM: Command, I have a bead on the second sectoid. Engaging! …Direct hit! Sectoid down! Get that thin man!

MW: Firing…..critical hit! Thin man down.

SM: Much obliged, MW. Moving up to the MELD canister. One turn to destruct.

CMD: Squad, move up and take cover around the corner of the building, make sure there are no more surprises.

Squad: Roger that, command.

SM: Grabbing the MELD…contact! Thin man dropped into the shed through the skylight! He’s taken cover 3 feet away from me! I’m flanked! Taking fire! Down to 1/7 HP!

NS: Contact, contact! Thin man moving up and taking shots at us! He’s by the two sectoids on the left.

CMD: Squad! Take cover! SM, can you fall back safely?

SM: Negative! He’ll be able to run me down. Command, I’m going to engage the enemy point blank, I have enough ammo in my light machine gun for one shot.

CMD: SM, if you miss your shot, you won’t be able to make it back to cover, you’re going to die.

SM: I won’t miss, Command.

TM: You’d fucking BETTER NOT!! *angryconcernedface*

CMD: TM! Get your head in the game! The area you’re in is too hot and you’re all flanked. Drop a smoke and pull back.

TM: Roger that, Command.

*SM sprints right up the thin man’s face and unloads fire with 95% accuracy*

SM: Direct hit! Thin man down! Taking full cover by a locker till I can fall back next turn! Health low and out of ammo!

*TM drops a smoke grenade, reducing ally’s chance to be hit. Squad pulls out one at a time, taking overwatch fire from the enemy as they do*

TM: Command, we’ve pulled back safely. Orders?

CMD: Use the full cover provided by the containers and move up along the left for a better engagement angle. MW, move to the far back and fire on targets of opportunity as they pop. SM, FALL BACK!

SM: Falling back, CMD. Sprinting to the initial door.

*SM takes full cover and uses a health kit one turn and reloads the next*

*Few turns pass, squad is retreats and advances to cross fire positions by the containers, exchanging fire with the sectoids and the last Thin Man*

NS: Contact! Two seekers cloaked in sight! They may be moving up on our position!

Seekers:

CMD: Remain in overwatch until they decloak!

MW: Firing on the Thin man…..missed!

NS: Seeker uncloaking right in front of me! It’s moving past me, trying to get to the rest of the squad! Opening fire with my minigun!

*Seeker explodes into sparks and blood*

NS: Direct hit! Seeker down!

TM: Firing on the thin man…direct hit! Target down!…Ahhhh! Seeker uncloaked directly in front of me! It’s got me! It’s Strangling me! I can’t move!

SM: I’m right next to you, Tams! I’ve got you!

*SM levels his light machine gun directly at the Seeker entangling TM from two feet away*

CMD: SM…if you miss, you’ll kill her.

SM: I won’t miss, Command.

*SM fires. Seeker goes down. TM recovers*

CMD: TM, use your last med kit on yourself.

TM: Ya think?

NS: Enough of this!

*NS charges out, mech suited feet crashing on the ground as he charges into the open, right up to the last two sectoids, taking overwatch fire as he goes*

NS: Ahhhhhh!!!!

*NS opens up with his flamethrower attached to his right arm, burning both sectoids to death*

NS: That’s what I’m talking about!

CMD: Mission complete. No losses on our side. TM and SM wounded for 5 days each. Nice work team. Return to base.

****Curtains close and cast bows to applause before theater darkens****

Needless to say, marvelous fun.

The highlight, for me, was when Tami got strangled by the seeker and Steven just happened to be the unit closest who could deal with the threat. And he charged recklessly, face first into the enemy to save Tami’s life. So damned perfect.

Even more amusingly? I was streaming my gameplay for my friend, Noah, who was watching and shouting comments and suggestions at me anytime I had to move ‘his’ character (Noah Suh).

I was planning to be a little more careful at the end there but Noah demanded that I “get him in there” and so I had him charge out, taking fire, to end the battle with a blast of his flamethrower.

Marvelous. Fun.

Related posts:

[Bill Denise] Adventures in Revision
[Perry] Why You Should Play Bioshock: Infinite
X-COM: Enemy Unknown