furry fishing game! very soothing, perfect side dish to a podcast/youtube/anime binge. lots of upgrades and secrets to keep you busy!

online lobbies could use A LOT of work though, they're all super laggy and riddled with glitches

The franchise that defined it's genre for numerous decades - XCOM remains as one of my favorite games of all time, let alone favorite strategy game, let alone favorite tactical turn-based game.

There's so many mechanics and details that goes into XCOM 2 that really places you in the perspective of a commander of a military resistance power, such as assigning research to improve upon equipment and tactical strategies, sending your troops on covert missions for miscellaneous advantages, building and upgrading various facilities to help the resistance on and off the field, and promoting your soldiers as they learn new abilities and become stronger - All while defending your ship and different outposts from the alien menace. It really feels like you're fighting a real war against a learning and oppressive opposition, all while evolving yourself.

It's games like these alongside other examples like Shadow of War, that makes you feel like the enemies are actively learning and countering your playstyle, rather than being your typical mindless AI punching bags, that make me enjoy them so much. Both in and out of combat, they strategize against you, often efficiently.

It also happens to be one of those games that adds lots of replay value via mods, such as many different voice packs for your soldiers to add personality to your cast. There's also a really quality overhaul mod, called Long War of the Chosen, that challenges seasoned veterans of the game.

It's no wonder I've gotten thousands of hours out of these games, and It's honestly a real shame It's very possible we may not see another direct installment.