This game was a bore. It is unfortunate because the initial alien attack is fertile ground for an interesting story, and William Carter's tragic past could be a compelling area for development, but both of them go thoroughly undeveloped and the story that is told about agents seeking revenge is very thoroughly dull.
The gameplay is serviceable, and the squad order system is fun, but your allies often have the memory of a goldfish and are likely to stop doing what you need them to at the most inopportune moments. The game also just doesn't set up very many interesting scenarios that can't be dealt with by slow advancement under cover.
Overall I have a hard time calling The Bureau a bad game, but it certainly is a boring one. And I think that might be worse.
The gameplay is serviceable, and the squad order system is fun, but your allies often have the memory of a goldfish and are likely to stop doing what you need them to at the most inopportune moments. The game also just doesn't set up very many interesting scenarios that can't be dealt with by slow advancement under cover.
Overall I have a hard time calling The Bureau a bad game, but it certainly is a boring one. And I think that might be worse.
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is a weird one. It has a cool 1960s X-Files vibe and the tactical combat has potential, but it also feels janky and unpolished. The story is decent, but the characters aren't very memorable and missions get repetitive quickly. It's interesting as a glimpse into an alternate take on the XCOM universe, but not essential to play unless you're a diehard fan of the series.
Mi primera experiencia con la saga XCOM, y la verdad no fue muy buena. Siento que hubo cierto potencial desperdiciado, pero ultimadamente no se sintio satisfactorio en casi nada.
Picked this up for two quid, partly out of curiosity and partly just to tick it off my XCOM list. It's bad! I'm away to play Freedom Fighters.
Simplistic Mass Effect like 3rd person squad shooter. Ok game, but not great.
There is an excellent idea for a combat system buried somewhere within this incredibly generic game. The story is completely forgettable apart from one plot twist that's actually kind of cool, and every mission feels the same for the most part. They really should have leaned more into the strategy elements because I feel like there's really something there with the mechanics they have now. It's a good foundation for a sequel or more fleshed out concept that will never come.
The history behind The Bureau is fascinating, with the project being developed and iterated on long before the revival of XCOM through the beloved Enemy Unknown. According to Wikipedia at some point, Ken Levine's Irrational was working on the fps iteration of the franchise, which is just really funny. If you thought the nuance-less "we must defend ourselves against these ontologically evil outsiders" motif of XCOM can sometimes get a bit uncomfortably fash already, imagine what it would have been in the hands of the dude who made Bioshock Infinite.
Anyhow, at some point, The Bureau was supposed to be more of a horror/investigation game which aimed to really leverage its 50s settings, and honestly, that version of the game looked pretty interesting. Like, the setting and small quiet moments are honestly the best part of this version of The Bureau, and a game that leaned harder on those elements (rather than start setting all the action in generic spaceships past the halfway mark), would have been something way more on my wavelength.
What we got instead, is a third-person shooter/tactics hybrid, that, while a really coherent design on paper, is just... not that much fun when actually played.
Like, on paper adding a bunch of tactics elements to the classic cover-based TPS formula is a pretty interesting interpretation of the XCOM gameplay, and surprisingly coherent with the direction Enemy Unknown went just a year prior to The Bureau release. But when you play the game... it doesn't quite work. The game needs to be slower-paced than a classic TPS, to allow for tactics to happen, which makes the shooting less exciting, but it's still fast enough that most AoE abilities are kinda difficult to aim accurately; Enemies get very bullet-sponge-y to balance for the fact that your squad-mates are actual game pieces, and not just set dressing (like in a lot of TPSs); The game really wants you to flank your enemies to gain an advantage, but this being real-time means that you're being shot at while trying to flank, which makes it way harder to do; and like, there are so many more small practical annoyances to this formula, that make what is otherwise a competent 2010s shooter kind of a pain to play. Which is a shame to be honest, because, the idea itself of a shooty tactics game is kinda neat.
I dunno, I bear this game no ill will, it clearly went through some troubled development times (you can really see the seams of salvaging in places), and while in the end it's not a particularly fun experience, between some quick glances of a neat retro horror setting, and an interesting, yet not really functional, combat-system, it at least Tried to do something cool. I always appreciate a game that Tries.
It also has a weird twist at the end that I'm not gonna spoil. Between that and the ridiculously grizzled main character, the narrative is just SO late 00s/early 10s shooter tropes. Hate that shit, but tbh kinda also love that shit.
Anyhow, at some point, The Bureau was supposed to be more of a horror/investigation game which aimed to really leverage its 50s settings, and honestly, that version of the game looked pretty interesting. Like, the setting and small quiet moments are honestly the best part of this version of The Bureau, and a game that leaned harder on those elements (rather than start setting all the action in generic spaceships past the halfway mark), would have been something way more on my wavelength.
What we got instead, is a third-person shooter/tactics hybrid, that, while a really coherent design on paper, is just... not that much fun when actually played.
Like, on paper adding a bunch of tactics elements to the classic cover-based TPS formula is a pretty interesting interpretation of the XCOM gameplay, and surprisingly coherent with the direction Enemy Unknown went just a year prior to The Bureau release. But when you play the game... it doesn't quite work. The game needs to be slower-paced than a classic TPS, to allow for tactics to happen, which makes the shooting less exciting, but it's still fast enough that most AoE abilities are kinda difficult to aim accurately; Enemies get very bullet-sponge-y to balance for the fact that your squad-mates are actual game pieces, and not just set dressing (like in a lot of TPSs); The game really wants you to flank your enemies to gain an advantage, but this being real-time means that you're being shot at while trying to flank, which makes it way harder to do; and like, there are so many more small practical annoyances to this formula, that make what is otherwise a competent 2010s shooter kind of a pain to play. Which is a shame to be honest, because, the idea itself of a shooty tactics game is kinda neat.
I dunno, I bear this game no ill will, it clearly went through some troubled development times (you can really see the seams of salvaging in places), and while in the end it's not a particularly fun experience, between some quick glances of a neat retro horror setting, and an interesting, yet not really functional, combat-system, it at least Tried to do something cool. I always appreciate a game that Tries.
It also has a weird twist at the end that I'm not gonna spoil. Between that and the ridiculously grizzled main character, the narrative is just SO late 00s/early 10s shooter tropes. Hate that shit, but tbh kinda also love that shit.
It starts out rough, but once you get enough powers the combat gets pretty fun, although it's kinda quick to where you figure out your meta and spend 15 seconds going 'air support, snipe, decoy, goo, drone, lift, mine, turret' at the start of every fight.
Does a cool story thing that I always appreciate in video games that I won't spoil. Game also crashes a lot and runs very bad, but there are a couple easy fixes floating around.
I thought this would be dookie but it's honestly a very solid 3rd person shooter.
Does a cool story thing that I always appreciate in video games that I won't spoil. Game also crashes a lot and runs very bad, but there are a couple easy fixes floating around.
I thought this would be dookie but it's honestly a very solid 3rd person shooter.
A solid 6/10.
The Good:
The graphics hold up well after 10 years. It is short, so lack of depth isn't felt too much until the end. The most fun part of the game is the tactics, because the enemies sometimes require thinking to be dealt with although the companion AI is lackluster.
The Bad and The Ugly:
It is clearly influenced by Fallout and Bioshock with its "50's with SciFi" style but here its very shallow, even the music from that era is heard very little.
The story moves too fast, even for a 7 hour game, making it hard to care about.Guns don't feel satisfying, and there's few weapons. Bad companion AI. The protagonist is boring.
Gameplay has dated elements such as the lock on running system inherited from Gears of War. The "higher species controlling the aliens" aspect is unnecessary.
Despite all this, it is cheap and fun for what its's worth. At least now I'm interested in the actual X-Com games and will check them out.
The Good:
The graphics hold up well after 10 years. It is short, so lack of depth isn't felt too much until the end. The most fun part of the game is the tactics, because the enemies sometimes require thinking to be dealt with although the companion AI is lackluster.
The Bad and The Ugly:
It is clearly influenced by Fallout and Bioshock with its "50's with SciFi" style but here its very shallow, even the music from that era is heard very little.
The story moves too fast, even for a 7 hour game, making it hard to care about.Guns don't feel satisfying, and there's few weapons. Bad companion AI. The protagonist is boring.
Gameplay has dated elements such as the lock on running system inherited from Gears of War. The "higher species controlling the aliens" aspect is unnecessary.
Despite all this, it is cheap and fun for what its's worth. At least now I'm interested in the actual X-Com games and will check them out.
Boring.
A vibe investigativa do jogo me chamou muita atenção ,tive uma surpresa interessante com muitas mecânicas de outros jogos lançados nessa época de 2013.
O jogo em si se limita demais com mecânicas de RPG que parecem fugir do objetivo do jogo, outros jogos da franquia não me chamam atenção devido essa falta de praticidade e câmera isométrica.
De resumo XCOM declassified é um jogo bem descartável, 9h nesse jogo foi demais.
O jogo em si se limita demais com mecânicas de RPG que parecem fugir do objetivo do jogo, outros jogos da franquia não me chamam atenção devido essa falta de praticidade e câmera isométrica.
De resumo XCOM declassified é um jogo bem descartável, 9h nesse jogo foi demais.
Never started this, probably never will.
La nota no estaba tan mal, pero la historia estba weird af
toca re jugar
toca re jugar
Game is repetitive, buggy, and unbalanced in terms of difficulty. There's a popular comparison, which I agree with, that basically positions the game as a imitation-grade Mass Effect 1, especially in terms of the (subpar) combat systems and the writing, though the latter does eventually go to some interesting, vaguely-meta places. In the end, The Bureau still functions as an acceptable FPS alternative to the strategy-genre XCOM games for those interested in a more character-based narrative.
Now the one missing the 90% hit chance shots is you
There are some neat ideas here, but I just couldn't put myself through the boredom
The story takes a look at the origins of the XCOM organization, originally called The Bureau. It was established by the US government in 1962, at a time when the whole world was trembling in fear of the outbreak of a nuclear war. The main task of the XCOM prototype was to protect US citizens from harmful information coming from the Soviet Union. This changed when an extraterrestrial civilization became the number one threat.The main enemy of XCOM and all humanity is an alien race called the Zudjari. They feed on different planets to survive, and eventually their attention was drawn to Earth.
Since the Zudjari are close to extinction, to fight the humans, XCOM: Enemy Unknown to fight humans, but they themselves appear on the battlefield as elite units. The player attempts to save humanity as William Carter, acting with a team of three. His mission is to reach locations where the enemy has been detected and use force to get rid of the threat. While the gameplay mostly consists of shooting aliens, it's important to choose the right tactics. The third-person perspective, command system and environmental mechanics help with this. I also recommend always paying attention to and using advanced alien weapons during the game, which can be easily used against their former owners. Often, the effects of such weapons are very different from human weapons and can provide invaluable assistance in battle.
Before embarking on a mission, you can choose two team members from the four classes of characters: Recon focuses on dealing damage, Engineer tends to battle equipment with turrets or mines, Support improves your teammates' defense stats, and Commando draws the enemy's attention to you. In battle, you can slow down time and give detailed orders to your comrades regarding movement, attacks or the use of special abilities. It is important to remember that your comrades in the game are not immortal. When they fall to the ground, you must help them quickly, otherwise they will die permanently. This is an important loss, because team members gain experience levels along with new abilities.
After each mission you return to the XCOM headquarters. There you can talk to the staff and choose the missions you want to go on. The operations are divided into story-based, minor missions and dispatch missions performed by your team members. During the main missions there are also situations where Carter has to decide someone's fate or make other difficult choices. The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is developed with the Unreal Engine 3 engine. The game has a contrasting but interesting visual style, with a lot of 1960s design, but also blended with sci-fi elements. Unlike other popular games, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified focuses entirely on the single player campaign and does not have any multiplayer support. The game offers an average of 15 hours of gameplay.
Since the Zudjari are close to extinction, to fight the humans, XCOM: Enemy Unknown to fight humans, but they themselves appear on the battlefield as elite units. The player attempts to save humanity as William Carter, acting with a team of three. His mission is to reach locations where the enemy has been detected and use force to get rid of the threat. While the gameplay mostly consists of shooting aliens, it's important to choose the right tactics. The third-person perspective, command system and environmental mechanics help with this. I also recommend always paying attention to and using advanced alien weapons during the game, which can be easily used against their former owners. Often, the effects of such weapons are very different from human weapons and can provide invaluable assistance in battle.
Before embarking on a mission, you can choose two team members from the four classes of characters: Recon focuses on dealing damage, Engineer tends to battle equipment with turrets or mines, Support improves your teammates' defense stats, and Commando draws the enemy's attention to you. In battle, you can slow down time and give detailed orders to your comrades regarding movement, attacks or the use of special abilities. It is important to remember that your comrades in the game are not immortal. When they fall to the ground, you must help them quickly, otherwise they will die permanently. This is an important loss, because team members gain experience levels along with new abilities.
After each mission you return to the XCOM headquarters. There you can talk to the staff and choose the missions you want to go on. The operations are divided into story-based, minor missions and dispatch missions performed by your team members. During the main missions there are also situations where Carter has to decide someone's fate or make other difficult choices. The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is developed with the Unreal Engine 3 engine. The game has a contrasting but interesting visual style, with a lot of 1960s design, but also blended with sci-fi elements. Unlike other popular games, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified focuses entirely on the single player campaign and does not have any multiplayer support. The game offers an average of 15 hours of gameplay.
Interesante precuela que no trata de ocultar en ningún momento la influencia de Mass Effect. Es breve y el setting está bastante logrado.
I finished The Bureau: XCOM Declassified in 7,4 hours, did everything and I felt a bit disappointed, but also satisfied with the ending.
The Bureau is part of the rebooted XCOM franchise, and as such, inherited the strategical combat of those games, but in real time. The combat works just like in Mass Effect:
You can shoot around and gave out orders to your fellow squadmates, who are specialists, and can summon turrets, give you shield etc.
Also, just like Mass Effect, there are dialogue options that are weirdly non-sensical because besides some decisions in key missions, the game does not provie any meaningful choices. The only function of this dialogue wheel is to gather some information/background story from characters.
What I liked about this one is the unique take on the TPS perspective, but I do not want to spoil exactly what I mean by that. It is such a strange concept, it reminded me of another game with a gimmick like this.
The combat works fine, it is fluid and gets the job done. There are plenty of missions to tackle and some of the main ones can be very long. On the other hand, the side missions are a quick 5-10 minute hustle, that reward you with some perks or guns.
However, I felt disappointed because I wanted to do.. well, more. Knowing that the game was stuck in development hell, and it completely switched it's genre, it is not a surprise that it became just an "okay" game. Nevertheless, it has charm and unique personality, and a very interesting setting.
I would recommend The Bureau to anyone who enjoys the XCOM universe, or just want to play a sci-fi shooter with tactical elements.
The Bureau is part of the rebooted XCOM franchise, and as such, inherited the strategical combat of those games, but in real time. The combat works just like in Mass Effect:
You can shoot around and gave out orders to your fellow squadmates, who are specialists, and can summon turrets, give you shield etc.
Also, just like Mass Effect, there are dialogue options that are weirdly non-sensical because besides some decisions in key missions, the game does not provie any meaningful choices. The only function of this dialogue wheel is to gather some information/background story from characters.
What I liked about this one is the unique take on the TPS perspective, but I do not want to spoil exactly what I mean by that. It is such a strange concept, it reminded me of another game with a gimmick like this.
The combat works fine, it is fluid and gets the job done. There are plenty of missions to tackle and some of the main ones can be very long. On the other hand, the side missions are a quick 5-10 minute hustle, that reward you with some perks or guns.
However, I felt disappointed because I wanted to do.. well, more. Knowing that the game was stuck in development hell, and it completely switched it's genre, it is not a surprise that it became just an "okay" game. Nevertheless, it has charm and unique personality, and a very interesting setting.
I would recommend The Bureau to anyone who enjoys the XCOM universe, or just want to play a sci-fi shooter with tactical elements.
"Third person shooter but you can turn it into XCOM to order your squad" is a fun little concept