It's genuinely refreshing to play a modern tactics game that works hard to distance itself from XCOM in several ways; analogue movement rather than a grid, proper control of overwatch, not running like total dogshit etc. It has its own character, the battles have a great flow, and everything sounds satisfyingly weighty.

There's no real strategy layer, which is sad for me but great for anyone who thought XCOM 2 WOTC was mostly abstract busywork, but there is a bit of management between missions. Unfortunately it's a bit shit.

Comparing a weapon part that offers +5% accuracy and +1 ammo with one that offers +7% accuracy is all a bit ketchup/catsup, and there's so much of it to do. Experience points take so long to earn that the game regularly throws you new recruits more powerful than soldiers you've spent a few hours with, so you end up dumping them for a younger model. And they don't let you put daft bumper stickers on the APC and drive it around a world map like in Overcooked.

On top of all that, it's Gears. Grey, grimy, oorah, 6-foot humans with assault rifles fighting 6-foot humanoids with assault rifles. I don't care about anything anyone is saying

BUT

I am enjoying moving little guys around and engaging in a bit of the old ultra-violence

so

yeah

also

it's pretty repetitive

so

there's that

BUT

it's fun

so

yeah

The other day the AC unit broke in my apartment, and maintenance sends up this kid (probably 16 or 17) to set up a portable AC unit until they could get it fixed. He looks over at my computer and says "I like your setup, what games do you play?" I tell him I hop between things and crank my brain up to Jimmy Neutron-brain-blast levels of power trying desperately to think of a single example of a video game I've played that a normal person would know, and I end up going "oh, have you heard of Dinkum?" He shoots me a look, immediately says "uh, no. I play Apex," and leaves without saying another word