Urdnot Wrex, Clementine, Elizabeth, Claptrap, HK-47: these video game companions all conjure up distinct memories for the people who met them and played alongside them. Those close-shaves, those funny moments, those last minute saves. These complex pieces of code have transcended their unreality by tapping into our emotions from the very primal to the deeply complex.

Which brings us to the games I'm thinking about at the moment. To me, Red Dead Redemption 2 is the closest thing to VR without wearing a headset. I didn't just 'play' it: the world and narrative of Arthur Morgan completely absorbed me. But it's not the only game I'm obsessed with right now. Cinematic and panoramic, Read Dead seems to offer a huge contrast to the turn-based tactical finesse of XCOM 2, my other current go-to, but while these games initially appear very different they have one thing in common:

I'm talking about family. Companionship, friendship - the best kinds of ships.

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"I forget everything between footsteps.

"'Anna!' I finish shouting, snapping my mouth shut in surprise.

"My mind has gone blank. I don't know who Anna is or why I'm calling her name. I don't even know how I got here. I'm standing in a forest, shielding my eyes from the spitting rain. My heart's thumping, I reek of sweat and my legs are shaking. I must have been running but I can't remember why.

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Firaxis has announced that it's celebrating XCOM's sixth birthday on October 9th with the release of the Tactical Legacy Pack - a brand-new (and temporarily free) DLC update for XCOM 2's War of the Chosen expansion on PC.

The Tactical Legacy Pack is designed to bridge the timeline gap between the first Firaxis XCOM game, Enemy Unknown, and its 2016 sequel. It includes new modes, maps, weapons, and armour - all designed to "honour the legacy of the XCOM series".

The centrepiece of the new DLC appears to be the new Central's Archives Legacy Ops campaign. Its consecutive tactical challenges are themed around the recollections of Central Officer Bradford and other key members of XCOM, focussing on events that led to the formation of the resistance between the first and second XCOM games.

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