SCREENSHOTS — XCOM 2

XCOM 2—it is a tactical turn-based video game with aliens, guns, and lots of randomness. You might think Bayesian statisticians were the most devoted disciples of the RNG god with their sacrifices of MCMC burn-in, but no, those who pray the hardest and most sincerely for Lady Luck to grace them are those of vigilo confido, the last human resistance against alien conquerors.

The Earth of XCOM 2 has already been won by the aliens, and so your job is to lead squads of ragtag freedom fighters to take it back. Just like you are willing to draw upon alien technology to gain an edge, these aliens acculturate the very DNA of the species they have conquered, making them a nightmarish hodgepodge of foes to combat.

Gameplay is based on taking turns of moving your units on a grid that overlays the environment. There are bonuses for cover and high-ground that affect your chances of successfully attacking the enemy. Becuase of the random element, you can find yourself in situations where an almost guaranteed 95% shot misses, screwing up your entire strategy and leaving you vulnerable. There are also times where your tactical situation is quickly deteriorating, and unless you make some lucky 25% shot, you are going to start losing soldiers. It is these crux moments of lucks that define the XCOM experience.

Complimenting the fantastic gameplay is the ingenuity of the creature designs. You have flying half-body archons, sleek armored hybrids, to gooey clay-like behemoths. You can customize your soldiers from bandanas and sunglasses to streamlined helms and holographic displays. It may be painful to watch your squad get wiped off a city map after a bad roll, or gunned downed in a tranquil forest by a horde of lucky aliens, but at least you go down in style.