If there's one thing I don't take any crap from, it's virtual aliens. Come on then, XCOM: Enemy Unknown: let's do this properly. Impossible difficulty. Ironman mode. EARTH DEFENCE FORCE, ASSEMBLE!
Hmm... that didn't go so well. But as any fule kno, Classic difficulty is where it's at in a strategy game like this, and if you ask me the aliens are cheating on Impossible anyway. So let's roll from the top. Over three instalments of this diary, I'm going to take down the alien menace on Classic, in Ironman mode, no messing. I've placed the XCOM main base in Asia, reasoning that we want trooper upgrades as soon as possible – this continent's bonus reduces their cost - and as we'll be losing a lot of operatives, softening the blow is paramount. I'm a realist.
My hardy squad prepare for their first mission – Osaka, Japan. The first trooper's barely taken a step before a group of Sectoids are spotted. They scatter, but our brave forces move in and start picking them off, all thanks to the commander's advanced knowledge of 45% potshots. This is more like it.
The Sectoids fall easily to these special tactics, and now I get to name the IGN squad. Keza's the sniper, bold and true. Daniel Krupa, Alex Simmons and Tom Butler are the next three names on my list, and to make up for a bit of gender-mismatching Simmons and Butler get cool Master Chief helmets. I'm not going to put myself in: I'm the boss.
In this second mission, the IGN crew's debut, it turns out Tom Butler is the hero this earth needs. A close-quarters engagement in Liverpool, six Sectoids are almost immediately flushed from hiding and scarper inside a nearby bar. While the other three distract the aliens by running between cars, Butler sneaks around the outside and pops two while they're mind-merging with their buddies – a cool four kills in two turns, and instant promotion.
Back at base, I get some research cooking to better my gear, and after two missions and no losses things are looking just swell. A UFO makes the mistake of flying too near an XCOM satellite and is downed like it ain't no thang. Off to the crash site we go! 'Classic' difficulty, Firaxis? Pshaw! This is a piece of cake!
Keza, I am so so sorry. XCOM's first loss was a combination of a commander's recklessness, and a dastardly Sectoid mind-merge critical-ing our plucky Scottish sniper to death. We got him next turn. It didn't feel as good as it should have. No more Keza, because this is Ironman. She didn't even get a nickname.
Onwards, brave probably-Christian soldiers! Alex Simmons is doing pretty well, so I decide to reward the brave soul with a snazzy hero turtle look, which I think goes rather well with his newly-acquired nickname of 'Vixen'. As soon as I do this, of course, Simmons decides to run straight into a nest of Sectoids at the start of the next mission.
I'm ready to kiss Vixen goodbye, when in one of those rare strokes of good fortune every single shot from the cranial foes flies by. It could still get ugly, but then the Sectoids bunch within grenade distance and... well, boomshakalaka. Dr Vahlen moans about how we can't recover artefacts from ze bodies, but she wasn't in the mouth of the beast.
The next few missions pass without incident, thanks to some truly awesome commanding – XCOM disarms a bomb, salvages another UFO, and takes out a herd of Sectoids on an abduction mission. No lives lost, and NOW we've got Scopes for better aiming, an Alien Containment facility and the stun gun ('Arc Thrower') to fill it, plus an Officer Training School. The good old USA eventually gets a satellite, because they pay megabucks and are looking a bit panic-stricken and... well, everything's going along smoothly.
It couldn't last. A seemingly routine mission sees the now-legendary 'Vixen' Simmons taken out in a single shot from a Thin Man, while in cover. I mean, god rest his soul, but I don't see how the commander's to blame for that. And on the plus side, we captured a Sectoid.
The Sectoid capture was quickly followed up by another great success: after shooting down another UFO, and stunning a glowy crystal dude, we've found the aliens' base on Earth. I thought things were going a bit too well. In part 2, we're going in.
Rich Stanton is a Terran freelancer who spends most of his free time in Lordran. Check him out on IGN or Twitter for all of your sun-praising and Zerg-smashing needs.
Source : ign[dot]com
