XCOM: Enemy Unknown – The Strain of Command

If, like me, your only experience with the X-COM series was anecdotal stories from your friends about how fun it was, and how it featured brutal consequences like permanent death, I can say that both those things are also true so far in the new XCOM: Enemy Unknown. XCOM’s turn-based strategy elements are a lot of fun, but when you screw up or the tides of war turn against you, be prepared for a level of grief few games inspire.

In XCOM, you don’t play any particular soldier, but instead assume the role of Commander. This means that you don’t just decide who goes into battle against the alien onslaught, but have to build up the entire counter-invasion XCOM project. As humanity’s “first and last line of defense,” XCOM has to attempt to maintain security across the entirety of Earth, and as Commander you regularly have to make the hard choices.