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After reading some of the press reviews for this game, I was afraid I made a mistake in pre-ordering it. But as is sometimes the case, the "professional" gaming press is often very jaded and sometimes dead wrong. That is exactly the case here.
This game feels like a combination of Spec Ops: The Line, Fallout 3, and Mass Effect 3 rolled into one. It's a single player focused squad based shooter like Spec Ops, with the tactical "pause the action" chops of Fallout 3, and the issue squad orders system, dialogue options, and and sci-fi feel of ME3.
Graphically it looks like a Normal Rockwell painting in motion and it definitely stays true to its 60s setting.
If you liked Bioshock 2, the look and atmosphere of this game is very similar, and you can tell the same 2K Marin team worked on it.
Pros:
Good voice acting, cutscenes, and set pieces
Interesting and intense story
Feels like a neat blend of realtime action and turn based tactics in the third person, switchable instantly
Feels like a 2K Marin game (i.e. Bioshock 2)
Fun gameplay
RPG features like dialogue trees and leveling
Cons:
Some animations are a little jerky
Slowdown when the games saves
Game probably could have used an extra month of polishing
Some jarring, but fitting, alien sound effects
If I had to give it a grade, I'd give it an 8/10 or so. But I'm adding the extra star for exceeding my expectations and to help balance some of the ridiculous 5/10 press reviews. We need more games like this, not less.
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I didn't know what to expect from The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. 2K had changed directions on its development and it didn't sound like it would still offer strategy or management. What they delivered is actually excellent, although it's probably not for everyone when you consider the poor reviews it's been getting from most reviewers.First of all, this is a sci-game that does take place in the XCOM universe. You will notice many references to X-COM: Enemy Unknown, especially when dealing with some of the enemies and their technology. It's also a cover based shooter, taking inspiration from such games as Mass Effect.
The Bureau has management and role playing aspects that are accessed through the base the character you control, Agent Carter, is stationed at. As you talk to people and perform tasks for them, or send your agents on missions of their own, you get to oversee at least some of what goes on as you fight the aliens.
Like many similar games, each agent has a class, a sub-class, and an associated skill tree. Agents level up and you select or upgrade their skills. You also find and unlock new items such as new backpacks and weapons and the base lab also works on developing new weaponry.
The base is interesting and provides a fair amount of content just in side-quests and conversations, but the combat is really what sets The Bureau apart from other games. You directly control only Agent Carter on the field, and that is straightforward enough. It's not the best shooting in the world but it's pretty solid.
You always take two agents with you into battle. They will take cover, move to better cover, and fire their weapons on their own, but if you want them to use their skills and fight more effectively, you access a control wheel, which slows time down considerably, and issue orders. Since time is constantly moving they will execute the orders as you're giving new ones, which means you can issue each agent as many orders as are available and they won't skip a beat.
Combat can be quite frantic, and on the default difficulty level agents will fall in battle quite often. You or another agent has to revive them or they will bleed out and die. You then either have to live with the death or reload the last checkpoint, which might mean you lose a fair amount of progress.
Visually the game looks good but isn't stunning. The frame rate never skips a beat and while the graphics might not be cutting edge there is nothing wrong with them. The game takes place in 1962 and the settings, clothing, and voice acting all support that well. The whole premise is of course convoluted, this is sci-fi, but works well in the context of the game.
If you liked the original Mass Effect and/or X-COM: Enemy Unknown, you may very well like The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. The story is well told, the characters and visuals are convincing, and the strategy based shooting is fun. The light RPG elements keep things exciting as agents gain new skills, and the quest/mission system is open enough to give you some flexibility and allow you to manage your roster of agents.
Best Deals for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified - Xbox 360
XCOM is a beloved franchise as we all know, so messing with the formula that fans have come to expect will rile them up. Announced prior to the Enemy Unknown reboot, the original vision for XCOM, now The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, was an atmospheric first-person shooter in the vein of Bioshock from people who worked on the original Bioshock that had since moved to 2K Marin to work on its sequel. But as soon as details came out and 2K released a trailer, fanboys automatically jumped on the game like raving lunatics. Fast forward a few years later, the game's obviously going through an identity crisis because of the backlash and they're having a hard time developing the game which leads to many delays. Rumors of XCOM's cancellation are all over video game blogs and fanboys are cheering, but that wasn't the end of this different take on the series, it was only the beginning of a new journey that 2K Marin were on to marry the action gameplay of the original XCOM vision with the strategic gameplay of the older games. Finally XCOM is revealed again as The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, a radically different game than they had originally set out to make.So what's The Bureau? Essentially it's an action/RPG set in the XCOM universe. Which, in my opinion, is awesome. I, for one, love this style of game, so I was really happy with the end product. You have your "Major Operations," the main missions, you have your "Minor Operations," the side quests, and you have the XCOM base which serves as your hub environment where you converse with characters, collect audio and text logs, etc. As for gameplay, it's very action oriented, however you have a wheel that allows you to use more strategy in combat. In addition, there's a lot of upgrades and leveling up to dig into.
Combining a fun sci-fi story, strategic and action heavy gameplay, incredible atmosphere that 2K Marine was known for, etc., The Bureau is an easy recommendation for fans of action/RPGs.
Honest reviews on The Bureau: XCOM Declassified - Xbox 360
Waited for this game for a long time. Slightly disappointed in the play but it doesn't take away from the game and content. Great story line that is actually entertaining. Not gory so I would let my kids play it. Gives more depth to the xcom universe.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Bureau: XCOM Declassified - Xbox 360
At first I thought it would be kinda like The Godfather or some sort of police game.... But it is about alien invasion. It more follows the tune of Halo. Still a fun and exciting game. Kinda sucks you into it.
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