The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

 PC
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 45
  3. Negative: 2 out of 45
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  1. ActionTrip
    Aug 28, 2013
    45
    All I got out of The Bureau was stress on the battlefield and boredom in the base.
  2. Destructoid
    Aug 19, 2013
    45
    The Bureau: XCOM Declassified desperately wants to be liked, but by failing to satisfy in any direction, all it succeeds in being is a disappointment. It wants to be a strategy game without being a strategy game, it wants to be a shooter without being a shooter, and it wants to be XCOM without being XCOM. As such, it is nothing. It's an inconsequential waste of time that does nothing for anybody, and saying that makes me feel guilty because its cloying pleas to not be hated are worthy of pity.

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
51
#51 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

User Reviews

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User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 689 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 284 out of 689
  2. Mixed: 261 out of 689
  3. Negative: 144 out of 689
  1. SaifK
    Aug 20, 2013
    10
    I REAALLYY thought this would just be another shooter but they implemented X-COM's style of strategy so well it actually feels like 3rd personI REAALLYY thought this would just be another shooter but they implemented X-COM's style of strategy so well it actually feels like 3rd person RTS xcom, I dont care about the unsatisfied destructoid review I don't see why in the world he would like how it isnt a shooter or a strategy or an xcom game BECAUSE ITS ALL OF THOSE COMBINED, and that's much more awesome than it sounds

    GamePlay: 9/10
    Story: 8/10
    visuals: 7/10
    Replayabilty: 10/10

    P.S: anyone going into this expecting a carbon copy of XCOM enemy unknown or UFO defense's gameplay is an idiot    … Full Review »
  2. Jeshua
    Aug 20, 2013
    2
    This shooter is in no way related to the XCOM series. It's extremely uninspired, devoid of substance or meaning. The trailers tried to sellThis shooter is in no way related to the XCOM series. It's extremely uninspired, devoid of substance or meaning. The trailers tried to sell something that seemed history-driven but the final product is, from start to finish, just a series of over-the-top explosions, random shooting and NPC babysitting.
    Avoid it like the plague if you don't love bland shooters; buy it if you love CoD or BF.

    (and yes: this game would get a 7 from me if not for the XCOM "bait" on the title.)    … Full Review »
  3. Spoonie
    Aug 20, 2013
    8
    I'm seeing a lot of moaning that this isn't XCOM, and maybe the dev's should have just dropped the name because it seems more like fanboyI'm seeing a lot of moaning that this isn't XCOM, and maybe the dev's should have just dropped the name because it seems more like fanboy rage, then actual constructive criticism of essential a pretty good 3rd person shooter.

    The development has been marred with problems, mainly I believe to fanboy outrage to initial screens of the game. I was actually looking forward to a First person, investigation game. Then the game went dark, but eventually came back to life, in what seemed to be a mash up between Mass Effect and some XCOM elements.

    I love the XCOM series, do I care that this game has XCOM in the title? No. I take games on face value, and not what I expect the game should be. In fact, I don't go into any games with expectations why would you? Why not be surprised, which I am about this game.

    It didn't take long before I started getting the knack for the controls and ordering my men around it all seemed to work well, and I was killing aliens left, right and centre. The AI, seems intuitive enough to get the job done on both sides.

    I love the setting, and the story isn't as convoluted as some have suggested. The game isn't perfect by any means. There have been some hiccups with stuttering, and slow downs but the steam community is on the ball. Hopefully updated video drivers and possible game tweaking will solve most of these issues which we should all be reminded happens even to the best of games.

    I do feel the game is a little barron in respects to environments and ambient objects within the world. It kinda feels like a lost opportunity, but I also wonder whether it was a design decision to have more of a clean sterile look to most environments?

    Overall this is a solid title, not great, but definitely not worth the scores that it's getting. This game is easily a low mid 8. I paid $36.00 for this game through a site, with some discounts, if you can't get 36 dollars worth of value from this game, then you are doing something VERY wrong.    … Full Review »
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