Real life is messy, uncertain, complex, and you never know if the decisions you make are the best ones.
This game series has always simulated this uncertainty. Lack of CtH is only one small, minor component of that.
There is NEVER one correct "right" way to play any given situation in the game. And if you lose, you will NEVER know with certainty exactly what it is you did wrong. You will get better though, over time. This will be the case with or without one variable being shown.
Just like real life. 😘
You're not going to like this game. I mean, you said you would play the game if it was just differently colored silent blocks instead of fully voiced mercs. That's fine, but this game is not going to appeal to you, in that case. Leading a team of believable people is critical to enjoying the experience of *this* game, because it is a messy simulation of that experience. Unlike, for example, XCOM. If you need to learn the "one correct" way to play a given scenario, you're not going to like this game.
That is ok. There are different games for different people. Some of us like games with uncertainty, messiness, etc that attempt to simulate a real life experience. Some people do not. That is ok.
Just don't shit all over what others have played and enjoyed. Go play games you like!