Why i miss Demolition: EU

"You did what to Gary?"

I remember the first time I played Demolition. It was about June and I was starting to get the ball rolling at the base with everything running quite smoothly, all my little ant people running around assigned their jobs of researching one thing or another, or building satellites and constructing work rooms deeper in the base.

Suddenly, Aliens were detected in Russia, China and Argentina. So I loaded up the Skyranger and flew in to Russia because SCIENTS was available there. And i needed whatever the goddamn research was.

My four soldiers, one of each Class because thats how I always roll, were deployed with their Lasers and Carapace Armour, and were ready for a fight as they climbed out of our favourite VTOL and waited for orders outside the gated demolition site.

I made my moves sensibly, moving to either side of the lanes leading into the workspace, down both sides of the digger. Then i threw my Support forward, his additional move making him the perfect scout, and found more than i expected with two pods of Three Mutons, outfitted pretty typically with their Plasma Rifles and Grenades. I was in strife, but fuck me if i didnt want to give em the raw prawn.

Back my scout came and took position for an ambush. Surely, waiting a turn or two in overwatch would result in them walking face first into laser pointers and dropping like a sack of potatoes.

We waited a turn, everyone in overwatch, ready to drop the first spud as he saunters. The anticipation was riveting.

Another turn passed.

Huh. I know theyre there, i can see the little noise marker go off in that direction. Why are they just repositioning? Damnit, are they waiting to ambush me? Well im no fool, i can beat them at my own game! Everyone on Overwatch, and i want to see cataracts when they reveal themselves!

And there he was, the sacrificial Lamb. He padded his way down into my line of sight, triggering my sniper and heavy, who with a PEW-PEW-PEW-FREEM (thats what their weapons sound like) he fell over.

Ah, one down and five to go. See? I knew this would work. Give it time and theyll just walk into the disco lights and do the job for us! Oh, whats this? A muton is... Flanking... Everyone. Shit.

That was when with a thunk-thunk-thunksss (plasma rifle, that is) my poor little legman flew through the air and landed dead on the floor, with nothing but a 12 and a yellow star rising from his place.

I have never seen a group of flies scarper so quickly, let alone people. We fell back behind the high rise fence, and recouped our losses, reloading and hoping the panic doesn't set in quite yet.

But i said to myself "Fuckit. Let's turn the tables" and took the offensive, careening around the corner with my assault soldier, and getting into kissing distance before pumping his disco shotgun straight into his face. A hillbillys kiss goodbye, if you will.

Then there were the remaining mutons to sort out. Four of them faffing around out of sight, trying to think about what is going to happen.

I went on the hunt, prowling around corners, soldiers aiming down their sights for their next kill.

I found a pair cowering behind walls at the very end of the map. I laughed at their futility as I lobbed a grenade and watched their cover disintegrate, giving free aim to my heavy and sniper.

It was the last two that gave me strife. I followed the noises, I checked every room, every level, and I even blew out a wall to check out the closed in room therein.

There was only one place left and it was behind the outside walls. So i formulate a plan. The ol' Pincer strike! If they were going to put themselves into a spot where they almost literally can't escape, then they're going to get what's coming to them. Cheeky devils, probably trying to outflank me when I was parked near the entrance.

So Heavy down the bottom, Sniper up the top, and Assault in Reserve since he was a higher rank, and we found those last two mutons and just ploughed into them from both sides like some sort of Pornographic innuendo.

Commander Bradford thanked me for a job pretty well done, sad that not everyone will be able to come back to base, but all well. Things happen.

But that was Demolition: EU for me. I had fun. It was close quarters and you just can't cover every angle easily. Except those outside walls, of course, that's where you just get screwed.