XCOM spiritual successor Warhounds dumps its gen-AI portraits, and I'm breathing a sigh of relief

I've been watching Warhounds with keen interest for a while now, and one of my biggest gripes with the upcoming turn-based strategy game has just been tackled by developer Everplay. Citing XCOM and Jagged Alliance as its main inspirations, it boasts all the environmental tactics and squad specialization that you want, with a refreshing focus on careful planning and "honest physics" rather than random rolls. Its Steam Next Fest demo, however, was plagued by the presence of generative AI, and I'm very thankful to see the team responding to feedback.