You know that feeling when you wake up before you have to and you just don’t need to sleep anymore?

Me neither. Not for a really long time. I had forgotten what it feels like until today. I woke up with free time. Yes, it’s just as glorious as it sounds.  It’s beautiful outside so naturally I decide to play a game. 

I haven’t touched X-COM 2 since about a week after it’s release.  I tried for spurts of 20 and 30 minute gaming sessions amid my chaotic life.  That’s okay for the first few standard scenarios but quickly hinders overall game play.  No more running to get a snack during the alien turn phase.  Complexity increases quickly and successful missions require a dedicated focus we didn’t experience until the very end of the first game.  Battlefield elements are more realistic and AI behavior feels highly specific.  The last man standing in a squad will retreat into fog of war and I’m almost positive they target wounded soldiers instead of the most obvious target.  As Tycho reflects, the subtlety and flavor of the game smacks of someone’s magnum opus.  The first reboot was just to get everyone interested in the ingredients.

I began a fresh game instead of resuming the old one from February.  Playing  for 2 missions straight in a new game this morning, I have only one official save file for each iteration I start.  I feel more connected to the game if it’s got some dust on it.  Somehow it resolves my guilt about the perpetual reloading that’s inherent to the X-COM experience.  The honest trailer emphasizes what I mean.  In X-COM 2 the auto-save feature is more convenient.  After a grievously obvious error that gets a good man killed, it’s quick and easy go back one round for re-do.  On the flip side, bad strategy is punishable by complete mission failure.  Nicely balanced for a casual gaming experience and purists can play Ironman for full frustration.

My first save file waits for me with the patience of an orphan.  I spent so much time nurturing that first attempt at resistance.  Honestly, I didn’t plan to abandon it completely.  It’s just that this new game is so cute and well-managed.  I haven’t made any of the mistakes I made with the first one.  It shows so much promise, so much potential.  I’m sure the first game will find its own kind of closure, somewhere in-between the ones and zeros.  I feel like this second game is The One.  We’re gonna make it all the way to the top, baby.