The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

 PC
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
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  1. vanStraalen
    Aug 20, 2013
    9
    The game feels fresh and is fun to play. I like the spacebar command prompt. Looks proper tidy on the eyes. I got this after playing EU and liking that. So far I'm not disappointed with this purchase.
  2. mike176525
    Aug 21, 2013
    9
    Coming into The Bureau, I was expecting a mediocre experience at best. In my 8 hours spent with it I've learned I was wrong. So far the combat has been incredibly satisfying. Lifting a Sectoid into the air and ordering a Sniper to use a critical strike to blow its head clean off its shoulders feels incredibly fantastic. I don't know how they did it, but it feels (to me at least) like anComing into The Bureau, I was expecting a mediocre experience at best. In my 8 hours spent with it I've learned I was wrong. So far the combat has been incredibly satisfying. Lifting a Sectoid into the air and ordering a Sniper to use a critical strike to blow its head clean off its shoulders feels incredibly fantastic. I don't know how they did it, but it feels (to me at least) like an XCOM game. Graphically, the game looks good. Not great, just good. I must admit, I had no idea that there was PhysX suport and I haven't used it yet. The story so far has been alright. Nothing truly spectacular, although it does keep me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who you can trust. Squad customization is not nearly as deep as it is in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, but it's there. So in short, I'm enjoying my time with the game a great deal. If you enjoy XCOM and are looking for a diversion until XCOM: Enemy Within comes out, then I highly recommend this game. If you've never played XCOM before, then I suggest starting with Enemy Unknown, not The Bureau, because c'mon, Enemy Unknown was awesome.… Expand
  3. jej3689
    Aug 23, 2013
    10
    The Bureau IS worth the 50$! I have been an avid x-com fan since day one and have owned it on every system. The controls could use a little fine tuning however, the story and flow of the game are both great!

    If you haven't played the game. Imagine a typical action adventure game except with a twist whenever you encounter the enemy you can press space bar and slow the combat down    The Bureau IS worth the 50$! I have been an avid x-com fan since day one and have owned it on every system. The controls could use a little fine tuning however, the story and flow of the game are both great!

    If you haven't played the game. Imagine a typical action adventure game except with a twist whenever you encounter the enemy you can press space bar and slow the combat down extremely and issue orders to your guys just like a typical battle in x-com. Okay, so it's not exactly like that but it feels similar. This game is unique! Anyone who says otherwise is more than likely quick to judge or a pubescent little girl! Remember a 9 nine year old can post on Metacritic! Judge for yourself!    … Expand
  4. Jabbernec
    Aug 25, 2013
    0
    boring, seems 30$ of the pricetag went to the Xcom label and the leftover was put into dev. Halfassed Mass Effect clone with bad controls, stiff character control, and bad performance
  5. RainDash
    Aug 20, 2013
    10
    10/10 Well done a good job storyline wise the controls are TOP It has the same strategy as all the other
    x-com's but with a much better story it also added the hole 3d person thing witch at first I was disliking and now I love it Just give this game a chance and it will work its love on you!
  6. smoovelai
    Aug 20, 2013
    10
    I don't understand the bad reviews

    Solid Third person shooter, not very innovative in this department but gets the job done and is very enjoyable(why take points away for that) The tactics are fun and different the game took a lot of risk and i applaud that rather than just being a mass effect 2 clone. I will add the tactics in battle may not be for everyone but if your not a fan of    I don't understand the bad reviews

    Solid Third person shooter, not very innovative in this department but gets the job done and is very enjoyable(why take points away for that)

    The tactics are fun and different the game took a lot of risk and i applaud that rather than just being a mass effect 2 clone. I will add the tactics in battle may not be for everyone but if your not a fan of tactics don't rate this game badly because your not good at it

    The story is entertaining enough and made me want to finish the game what else could you ask for? i see too much complaining about what the game isn't but it does not get any credit for what it is

    reviewers rather give games like Saints Row 4 which was just a clone of saints row the third with super powers great scores because its simple minded and easy. I give a game like SR4 a 6 its the same thing as saints row the third with annoying super powers i did not even want them in the game wish they were optional.

    Thank you 2k Marin for trying something different the game is solid and fun I hope these biased reviews don't completely mess up your sales game is worth the money     … Expand
  7. Davil
    Aug 25, 2013
    3
    I know it's not a strategy X-Com game and I know the other X-Com games weren't all strategy either, but this one really just missed the mark. From the start it just feels lack luster and uninspired as if the developers didn't even care about their own game. The combat feels clunky and unrealistic, for example you would think blasting away at an alien with a shotgun would make them duckI know it's not a strategy X-Com game and I know the other X-Com games weren't all strategy either, but this one really just missed the mark. From the start it just feels lack luster and uninspired as if the developers didn't even care about their own game. The combat feels clunky and unrealistic, for example you would think blasting away at an alien with a shotgun would make them duck back into cover, but instead they shoot back and often times do far more damage in less time. The problems with the weapons is that they do so little compared to the alien's weapons which would be fine since they have better technology but even using their own makes little difference. Most of the story is a drawn out sob story about an emo CIA agent seeking redemption and every turn and twist can be seen from a mile away. The side-quest system is a pain, the deployment system is atrocious, and the tactical game play is a joke. Stay away from this one.… Expand
  8. Alphabet
    Aug 27, 2013
    6
    A rating of 7 seems worthy of this edition to the Xcom series. For those who think it is low, it is just that for replay value.. complete the game on even the easiest mode and there is little need to play it again other than seeing other plot lines opened up by making different interaction choices. For those who think the rating is high- I am a Xcom fan. Many of the negative review's ofA rating of 7 seems worthy of this edition to the Xcom series. For those who think it is low, it is just that for replay value.. complete the game on even the easiest mode and there is little need to play it again other than seeing other plot lines opened up by making different interaction choices. For those who think the rating is high- I am a Xcom fan. Many of the negative review's of the game take into account aspects I do not feel the game creator's intended to approach in the first place. It is not a first person shooter, rather a tactical 3rd person that actually places a player in a good position of how it might feel to be a Xcom agent in the field (in a very much real time gameplay rather than turned based). Those who expected a first person shooter may be disappointed at not being able to run around shooting things and dodging incoming fire like a DOOM or Wolfenstein type game. Do remember, a enemy in cover in the turn based takes a 40% chance to hit... it seems fitting that in this game... taking the time to aim for a certain hit at an enemy behind cover is no easy feat... and may actually get you shot to pieces trying to do so. The storyline was appealing and fun, the choices given to advance certain plot lines entertaining.

    The real value of the game may well be in it's not yet applied applications. The Xcom series now has a lovely new turned based system reborn with XCOM-Enemy Unknown, as well as a boots on the ground tactical combat with The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. The mother of all XCOM games may still await... a combination of both games.. allowing users in the XCOM universe to choose between Turn Based missions, or Real time play along with all the base management/research applications of Enemy Unknown. As a avid fan of the series.. one can only hope.    … Expand
  9. MyNameIsHuman
    May 13, 2014
    2
    Bad. Bad. Bad. What the hell 2K?! I always liked you and your games but no this THING if you can call it a thing is just horrible. I've played it for about 10 hrs and now it doesn't even turn on. Please everyone who reads this and if you're planning to buy this game the fricking don't because it is a piece of crap. That's all I can say. Sorry 2K but it is just HORRIBLE.
  10. kappapi99
    Feb 11, 2015
    0
    This is not XCOM. It tries to mix XCOM and Mass Effect, taking the best from both genres, but it falls horribly short. The developers relied on the XCOM name to sell a game that is poorly designed. You cannot save at all. The plot destroys the XCOM universe. The gameplay is clumsy. The graphics are decent for an FPS, but that is the only thing going for it. If you are an XCOM fan,This is not XCOM. It tries to mix XCOM and Mass Effect, taking the best from both genres, but it falls horribly short. The developers relied on the XCOM name to sell a game that is poorly designed. You cannot save at all. The plot destroys the XCOM universe. The gameplay is clumsy. The graphics are decent for an FPS, but that is the only thing going for it. If you are an XCOM fan, then this game is not for you. Worst game to bear the name XCOM since Apocalypse.… Expand
  11. HexDoctor
    Aug 26, 2013
    0
    the "series" has 20 years behind it creating good games with good stories, good interfaces, stretching from stragety to fightsimulators, and then this pops up...
    i feel robbed, this game suffers from console-syndrome, i don't believe i'm ever going to play this through
  12. ragehavoc
    Aug 23, 2013
    4
    I don't know what worse the Story or the AI, but neither is complete without the horrible graphics, I give this game a 4/10 and that's being generous, this game is an atrocity not just for the game play but also for allowing itself to be called x-com.
  13. maximuskain
    Aug 25, 2013
    10
    Played the game to near completion and I must say this game does not deserve those low scores. Story is interesting, the shooter mechanic is fun and the premise of the game is amazing. Don't let the reviewers discourage you from getting this game. If you enjoy Mass Effect you'll enjoy this game tremendously.

    AI is dumb at the beginning and needs a lot of micro management but as you go    Played the game to near completion and I must say this game does not deserve those low scores. Story is interesting, the shooter mechanic is fun and the premise of the game is amazing. Don't let the reviewers discourage you from getting this game. If you enjoy Mass Effect you'll enjoy this game tremendously.

    AI is dumb at the beginning and needs a lot of micro management but as you go up in level they grow smarter as well, as it should be. Fiddle with the customizable control if you find the PC settings to be a bit challenging. It will grow on you after awhile. If you are used to playing ME then you'd know how to play this game, you have to keep using your Battle Focus to be effective, always go for the recon NPC as they have the critical strike which is a very powerful attack.

    PC is still the way to go I guess. Turn off the PhysX and Screen Decal settings if you experience slowdown, just some tip for PC users who finds this game to be a resource hog. This is my first time in metacritic but I really have to write because of all those negative reviews out there have to put in something positive. There are tons of good game releases this week but I find it that this is the game I'm putting my time on. Love this game!    … Expand
  14. Usser
    Aug 21, 2013
    0
    This game could be a great horror that would have great ratings and was one of the best horror this year
    but no
    We got another boring and repetitive shooter
  15. Eyse
    Aug 20, 2013
    5
    Remember the original X-COM and the re-make by Firaxis that was almost (but not quite) as good? Yeah, well this game is nothing like those.

    It's not a bad third person shooter, but this game is definitely not X-COM.
  16. Sickbeard
    Aug 23, 2013
    7
    The constant revisions to gameplay are really obvious when you get a chance to play it. The gameplay is very well structured and thought out; unfortunately the rest of the game is not so much.
    The voice acting is forced, and doesn't feel truly authentic, although the choice in voices is brilliant.
    The story is lacking that something to get you to feel for the characters, and any that you    The constant revisions to gameplay are really obvious when you get a chance to play it. The gameplay is very well structured and thought out; unfortunately the rest of the game is not so much.
    The voice acting is forced, and doesn't feel truly authentic, although the choice in voices is brilliant.
    The story is lacking that something to get you to feel for the characters, and any that you lose, by story or just through the normal gameplay, don't make you feel anything.
    Given, most XCOM games are pure tactical, turn-based-strategy, but for a game like this (and in this generation), you need more than just stellar gameplay. You need a bit more variety and a better story (or at least better executed).    … Expand
  17. Hatge
    Aug 23, 2013
    10
    I enjoy this game very much. I like the grafic-style, the details in the xcom-base, the ironman-gamemode while in action/battle and i like the mix of shooter and tactic (tactic-shooter). The only thing which annoys me a little bit is the console-port-hotkey-stuff. A suitable interface for the PC-version would be much better.
  18. JamesBondX
    Jan 26, 2015
    1
    This game is terrible, it leeches off the name of XCOM, it could be named the bureau: aliens invade. But no, the devs wanted to make money off of XCOM and their fans. It's not particularly tactical, flanking is about as far as you get. Initially the game was buggy and the AI was literally miserable.

    In my opinion the setting doesn't work either.
  19. Chechoo4
    Sep 6, 2013
    10
    Hey, guys, you say that the game is very different from the series XCOM, but I can tell you that we should not be so conservative in this world is changing, and if you leave the same series of games, it all quickly get bored. But what about the game, the game I very much liked the first held on the second, then the third and last. All the complexity of the game is revealed at the lastHey, guys, you say that the game is very different from the series XCOM, but I can tell you that we should not be so conservative in this world is changing, and if you leave the same series of games, it all quickly get bored. But what about the game, the game I very much liked the first held on the second, then the third and last. All the complexity of the game is revealed at the last level of complexity. This difficulty I have not seen in any game. In general, ten points an excellent game.… Expand
  20. Morring
    Jul 28, 2014
    2
    It is obvious that whoever decided to port it to PC didn't care about the game being playable. The controls are simply baffling, one of the worse cover shooters I have ever played. Tries to copy mass effect in different areas, without improving anything and usually accomplishing much, much less, also thanks to the appalling AI. Your soldiers will jump to their deaths as often as they can,It is obvious that whoever decided to port it to PC didn't care about the game being playable. The controls are simply baffling, one of the worse cover shooters I have ever played. Tries to copy mass effect in different areas, without improving anything and usually accomplishing much, much less, also thanks to the appalling AI. Your soldiers will jump to their deaths as often as they can, forcing you to micromanage every second of a battle. Since the story is quite mediocre at best, this is a forgettable title I can't recommend to anyone. Also experienced a few annoying graphic glitches.… Expand
  21. yesdrama
    Jun 30, 2014
    10
    This game is under rated. I have played for about 5 hours now and the combat is a blast, story seems interesting, good graphics, and good character development. IMO the combat is better than turn based. You can directly instruct your men as to what weapon to use and what target to hit, yet they will act on their own, somewhat effectively, in between commands. As your commands are beingThis game is under rated. I have played for about 5 hours now and the combat is a blast, story seems interesting, good graphics, and good character development. IMO the combat is better than turn based. You can directly instruct your men as to what weapon to use and what target to hit, yet they will act on their own, somewhat effectively, in between commands. As your commands are being followed your player acts as a third person shooter with access to both conventional, alien weapons and some cool alien powers - a total alien annihilator, As for the to cool for anything 'cept XCOM crowd, get over yourself - TBXCOMD is as good a game, and better in aspects, vs. XCOM, If you like TPS and Turn Based (less focused Turn based) with an old time si-fi twist, you'll like the game-it's a lot of fun.… Expand
  22. Banhammer0
    Feb 23, 2014
    5
    The problem this game has, it is trying to be all at once. It is trying to be an FPS (well in third person), but the guns feel so vanilla and unrealistic they feel like BB guns. Is is trying to be a tactical game, yet your teammates AI is so bad that it's a lottery whether they do what you want or do something silly to get them killed. It is trying to be an Xcom game it feels as such inThe problem this game has, it is trying to be all at once. It is trying to be an FPS (well in third person), but the guns feel so vanilla and unrealistic they feel like BB guns. Is is trying to be a tactical game, yet your teammates AI is so bad that it's a lottery whether they do what you want or do something silly to get them killed. It is trying to be an Xcom game it feels as such in the beginning but it lacks base building, researching technologies, basically everything that Xcom games are loved for.
    The plot is very poorly written, I expected a cheesy plot but this was far worse than I expected combined with boring cardboard characters. Levels are designed terribly, CoD level of linear gameplay yet far less epic action filling the screen. The best comparison here is probably to Mass Effect series gameplay-wise, with much worse level design but more tactical options (when it works Everything is the world is static, there is no destruction of environment. Enemies are your standard FPS baddies nothing unusual here (ME had it better).
    No multiplayer coop even though it would really fit.
    Badly designed UI designed for consoles.
    If this game was released 5-6 years ago it might stand a chance.
    Right now I don't recommend getting it unless it's in a humble bundle or something. Sure there is some fun but overall not much.    … Expand
  23. DRiVER_helsinki
    Jan 24, 2014
    1
    Really the hype made me do it buy it . but as i got deeper into this one i felt more and more frustrated about the slobby controls, and many things felt like amateurs built this, started to feel like a port. omg i checked , it was a port . no wonder it unrespects gamers so much. heres cool looking game sold for kids. that will disappoint most of the heavy gamers.
  24. eponymous
    Jun 29, 2014
    2
    Great game and unique gameplay. Would score much higher except I encountered the common 'war factory door' bug in Mission 4 'Not of this Earth' and was unable to progress further. No patch for this to date. Also squad members frustratingly only follow orders briefly before wandering off to do their own thing. Often walking right out into the open to get gunned down. Stupid. ResolveGreat game and unique gameplay. Would score much higher except I encountered the common 'war factory door' bug in Mission 4 'Not of this Earth' and was unable to progress further. No patch for this to date. Also squad members frustratingly only follow orders briefly before wandering off to do their own thing. Often walking right out into the open to get gunned down. Stupid. Resolve these 2 issues and the game would be significantly better.… Expand
  25. Ineluki
    Aug 25, 2013
    8
    First thing is to accept, YES its a console port, if you are not "Ok" with that, don't bother.
    Second, not worth without a controller, playing with keyboard and mouse is too painful.
    Took me about 25h to finish the game with all side quests (Must say I'm not a hardcore gamer) The bads, the first missions (tutorials) felt too long and the learning curve was too high, characters are    First thing is to accept, YES its a console port, if you are not "Ok" with that, don't bother.
    Second, not worth without a controller, playing with keyboard and mouse is too painful.

    Took me about 25h to finish the game with all side quests (Must say I'm not a hardcore gamer)

    The bads, the first missions (tutorials) felt too long and the learning curve was too high, characters are stereotyped and there are some ridiculous bugs, friendly AI teleporting, physics and camera issues, and some objects and textures popping.

    Besides that I like the game, was sceptical about the game play, not being able to build and manage my base, investigate new tech and so on, but after playing few missions I stop caring about that and focus on squad skills and perks, story and character customization, still got the feeling of "what next" that I love form the xcom games, even if was in lesser degree.

    The encounters are nicely done, the variety of enemies is good, I found myself asking, "what are they going to throw at me next" multiple times, still has a lot of room for improvement but I enjoyed the experience.

    Will rated a 70-75 but will give it a 8 for trying to do something different from the typical Xcom games (nothing against them) maybe someday we see a more dynamic combat in XCom: Enemy    … Expand
  26. TomJ
    Aug 25, 2013
    8
    It's like a mass effect with XCOM story. They should increase the team number up to 5 same as XCOM:Enemy. and more base strategy. many aspect of the game are too simple. for example only two item a squad can equip. The strategy focus is funny but should add more command. for example hide, hold you ground. The technical item should be have more function. not just increase some kind ofIt's like a mass effect with XCOM story. They should increase the team number up to 5 same as XCOM:Enemy. and more base strategy. many aspect of the game are too simple. for example only two item a squad can equip. The strategy focus is funny but should add more command. for example hide, hold you ground. The technical item should be have more function. not just increase some kind of damage.This is not a really XCOM game should be.
    but whatever I play this game over 10 hours. and I enjoy the time. it's a good game but should be better    … Expand
  27. Muf69
    Aug 25, 2013
    8
    Having not played the series I'll rate this as a stand alone game and tbh it's really pretty good.
    This is a solid 8/10 game though it does feel like a console to PC port which means it feels better played with the controller as the keyboard/mouse feels a little clunky
  28. Fredownsyou
    Sep 2, 2013
    2
    One word Disappointing.

    Squad based shooter with poor AI and even worse execution. The action is frantic and hectic, but lacks any of the XCOM charm or draw except for the possibility of the 'powers'. Locking weapons to squad class sucks. The engineer is hampered throughout most of the game because they're bringing a shotgun to a sniper fight. Its somewhat demoralizing to run up    One word Disappointing.

    Squad based shooter with poor AI and even worse execution. The action is frantic and hectic, but lacks any of the XCOM charm or draw except for the possibility of the 'powers'.

    Locking weapons to squad class sucks. The engineer is hampered throughout most of the game because they're bringing a shotgun to a sniper fight. Its somewhat demoralizing to run up close on an exposed and flanked enemy for a single digit damage projection.

    Lack of vertical movement also sucks. The recon, a sniper class, seems like it would do best perched atop a high post so they can look down and lay some good fire. Instead, the squad AI gets antsy if you move too far and even if they have the perfect sniper's nest your squadie will run out of cover and straight to you across open ground because of fear they are being left behind. Your perfect sniper is now screaming for assistance in an open field within the perfect alien killzone because they didn't want to sit still. Directing things like mine and turret deployment is also a pain because it has to follow a footpath so you can't just throw a mine into an alien sniper nest simply because you can't walk there.

    Aliens have grenades and your squad doesn't. This means the enemy always, and I mean ALWAYS, has something to flush your squad out of cover to be gunned down. On the flip side no one had the foresight to give your squad anything perhaps out of the fear that if explosives are not in your hands the AI would start chewing on them or something.

    The entire 'research and build' aspect of XCOM has been gutted and thrown away. You unlock new weapons by finding them in the field and once you pick up your first new toy everyone can have one. The same can be said for backpacks and grenades and a lot of those upgrades are given far too late to make a difference. Oooh...laser backpack? Awesome! That'll help my plasma weapons a lot! Oh...wait...it won't.

    Decisions? Pfft! Who needs to make decisions? The choices during conversations provide some neat flavor, but have no impact on the game whatsoever. Missions and dispatch? Send everyone on everything! No time limitations or choices in the side missions means you have ample time to do everything and you'll be going into the 2nd act of the game with a roster filled with 'senior' agents. The actual dialogue itself is somewhat stilted and disconnected. Several times you would get a response because the game was expecting you to say something different so the NPC would wax on about some story they haven't mentioned yet because it was part of the other decision dialogue.

    A decent third person shooter with a load of 'XCOM juice' sprayed over it, but otherwise a very disappointing pickup. Lacks any hint of tactics or weight that a title with the XCOM brand should hold. Just you gunning down aliens while you escort tweedle dumb and tweedle dumber with you.    … Expand
  29. William_Carter
    Oct 2, 2014
    10
    XCOM DECLASSIFIED = IS A COMBINATION OF THE FOLLOWING: 1) XCOM ENEMY WITHIN (GAME PLAY) 2) INFAMOUS (POWERS OF WILLIAM CARTER) 3) LAST OF US (SLEEP WALKERS) 4) CALL OF DUTY (WAR BETWEEN MAN & ALIEN TACTICAL SHOOTING) 5) L.A. NOIRE (1962 CLASSIC TIME SETTING) ---------- IF YOU ARE A FAN OF XCOM GAME THIS IS THE GAME FOR YOU!! ------------ The Bureau is a third-person shooter with anXCOM DECLASSIFIED = IS A COMBINATION OF THE FOLLOWING: 1) XCOM ENEMY WITHIN (GAME PLAY) 2) INFAMOUS (POWERS OF WILLIAM CARTER) 3) LAST OF US (SLEEP WALKERS) 4) CALL OF DUTY (WAR BETWEEN MAN & ALIEN TACTICAL SHOOTING) 5) L.A. NOIRE (1962 CLASSIC TIME SETTING) ---------- IF YOU ARE A FAN OF XCOM GAME THIS IS THE GAME FOR YOU!! ------------ The Bureau is a third-person shooter with an emphasis on squad-based tactics. The player controls the agent William Carter and commands two additional agents in each mission. Carter has his own unique abilities, but other agents are divided into the Commando, Engineer, Support, and Recon classes. By entering "Battle Focus Mode", which slows time significantly, the player can order their agents to move to strategic positions and activate class-specific abilities. Agents have customizable outfits, weapons, equipment and abilities. As in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, soldiers will suffer from permanent death and if Carter is unable to revive agents who have taken too much damage, they will die (variable difficulty levels also determine whether or not it is possible for downed agents to become battle-ready when revived, or if replacement agents will appear during a mission).… Expand
  30. CWM
    Aug 24, 2013
    2
    This Game is very disappointing! Forget the X-Com Label. Its not X-com anyway and not even close to it.
    Basically its a 3rd Person shooter vs Aliens. Beeing no X-Com at all doesnt mean it has to be Bad. What Bad about this is that everyone expecting at least "some X-Com flavor". And you wont get anything... no research, no mission-planing, completly NON-interaktiv base..... and so on.    This Game is very disappointing! Forget the X-Com Label. Its not X-com anyway and not even close to it.
    Basically its a 3rd Person shooter vs Aliens. Beeing no X-Com at all doesnt mean it has to be Bad. What Bad about this is that everyone expecting at least "some X-Com flavor". And you wont get anything... no research, no mission-planing, completly NON-interaktiv base..... and so on.

    So how is the shooter? Well Graphics are BAD as well as the Controls. Its a simple Console-Port. From a shooter i dont expect a deep strategic gameplay! But i expect good graphics and Animations on the PC.
    The AI is Horrible! Your guys are hoping out of cover for no reason dying in the Bulletstorm. Or even worse staying in cover but standing up while all enemys firing on them.
    But you can work around this if you permanently micro them.
    But the enemys....... "invasion my arse".... they would have trouble invading a theme park cause the Kids would slaughter them. They are ALWAYS standing behind a cover but showing their head permanently over the cover. Headshot-Time! NONSTOP! EVERY shooter-fan will more likely die of laughing at them.

    So its a "Tactic shooter"?! Well you give your guys commands where they should go and where they should die.... ehh fight i mean. Using their abilitys is fun for like 2 minutes then you realize that skills are either completly OVERPOWERD killing all enemys with 1 Mousklick (Artilery barrage) or entirely useless and your better off using that second to kill 3 Aliens with Headshots.

    I preordered on steam and got the free copy of "Spec Ops The Line". Actualy THIS was a awesome shooter! I played it through in 1 Day! Realy Take your money and buy SPEC OPS instead! WAAAAAYYYY better!    … Expand
  31. Kriv
    Aug 23, 2013
    6
    .Este es el segundo review que hago de este juego. Decidí darle la oportunidad después de haber gastado 45 dólares y este es el resultado. En mi primer review le di 3 de puntuación pero ahora lo voy a cambiar por un 6. Le he dedicado unas 6 horas al juego en este momento. Admito que mi me decepcione porque soy un Fan de Xcom-Enemy Unknow y esperaba más de ese tipo de juego de estrategia..Este es el segundo review que hago de este juego. Decidí darle la oportunidad después de haber gastado 45 dólares y este es el resultado. En mi primer review le di 3 de puntuación pero ahora lo voy a cambiar por un 6. Le he dedicado unas 6 horas al juego en este momento. Admito que mi me decepcione porque soy un Fan de Xcom-Enemy Unknow y esperaba más de ese tipo de juego de estrategia. El juego empieza a ponerse interesante una vez subes a tus personajes a nivel 4 ya que para entonces puedes tener mejores habilidades y armas. Creo que el juego es un buen comienzo para un próximo juego que vayan a hacer en el futuro pero realmente aun no está pulido del todo. Las graficas le doy un 7-10. El gameplay es bastante entretenido. A nivel de estrategia el juego se queda un poco corto, aunque algunas de las habilidades son interesantes y divertidas. El juego es una mezcla de Wanted, Red Faction y algo de Xcom. Ósea si nunca has jugado un juego de Xcom este sera un juego bueno, pero si esperas el gameplay y estrategias de los pasados Xcom quedaras decepcionado. En resumen un buen juego pero no excelente. Y básicamente el Juego es un Beta de lo que se espera se convierta la serie de Xcom. A veces lo viejo resulta ser mejor para los Gamers. En este caso se esperaba lo viejo y nos encontramos con nuevos elementos interesantes pero que aun no sobrepasan el éxito de los juegos anteriores.… Expand
  32. Malacki
    Aug 22, 2013
    6
    I was high on this game when it was in development, but upon playing it, I am left with a bad taste. The story is ok. A bit bland, but enjoyable and entertaining. The whole premise could have been turned into something huge, but is left lacking.
    The individuals themselves are somewhat bland and lifeless; again, more work could have been done.
    The controls are clunky, character movements    I was high on this game when it was in development, but upon playing it, I am left with a bad taste. The story is ok. A bit bland, but enjoyable and entertaining. The whole premise could have been turned into something huge, but is left lacking.
    The individuals themselves are somewhat bland and lifeless; again, more work could have been done.
    The controls are clunky, character movements appear as though they are running in mud. Not much of a difference between normal run and sprint. Not easy to enter and exit cover, or control your team mates. It would have been easier had they simply copied the mass effect controls, instead of trying something else, which seems similar to mass effect, but comes off as still needing work.
    The weapons and powers and backpacks are ok. Backpacks are variations of what might be thought of as armor: they provide you with perks like more ammo, greater defense for enemy fire, and the such. The weapons are pretty vanilla: Handgun, assault rifle, sniper rife, shotgun, and they come in either human variety, or the laser version of the aliens. Again, could have been better and appears rushed.
    The powers on the other hand are probably the best feature of the game. Depending on the class, every soldier has different powers that you can build a strategy around. You can get your soldier class to taunt an enemy, leaving an another for you to lift off the ground and finish off with a critical hit from your sniper/recon man. Got a bunch of them charging you, get your engineer class to throw out a turret. The main character is a healer class, but also has powers he can use to distract and immobilize enemies.
    Overall, the game is enjoyable at best, but could have been made a lot better had the developer taken more time to refine it and add to the content. It feels very abrasive while playing.    … Expand
  33. Scritty
    Sep 10, 2013
    4
    I wanted to give this 4, but not a "red" review. 4 should be amber...but 4 is all it's worth really.
    Ok the game is alright. The first couple of hours it seems like their is more depth, but that peters out pretty quickly to "not a lot". Gameplay is ok when you are on foot, and shallow when tactical (even more shallow than Firaxes..which itself was a helluva lot more shallow than the    I wanted to give this 4, but not a "red" review. 4 should be amber...but 4 is all it's worth really.
    Ok the game is alright. The first couple of hours it seems like their is more depth, but that peters out pretty quickly to "not a lot". Gameplay is ok when you are on foot, and shallow when tactical (even more shallow than Firaxes..which itself was a helluva lot more shallow than the original games). So yes like all games made now, it's dumbed down for idiots. But in an idiot modd I sort of enjoyed it...just    … Expand
  34. kingcard2
    Aug 31, 2013
    7
    The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is a fun game that has some of the best over-the-shoulder squad based combat I have seen. The graphics are appealing, most of the game is enjoyable, and most of the game is new. However the main problems I feel with the game is the lack of variety in weapons, lack of variety in aliens, "investigations" often just break up the combat, you have less involvementThe Bureau: XCOM Declassified is a fun game that has some of the best over-the-shoulder squad based combat I have seen. The graphics are appealing, most of the game is enjoyable, and most of the game is new. However the main problems I feel with the game is the lack of variety in weapons, lack of variety in aliens, "investigations" often just break up the combat, you have less involvement with the The Bureau (you only go on missions compared to Enemy Unknown where you controlled the functions of the base or development of gear and tools), and the ending is poor. I'm not for one to leave spoilers but the game overall is very well well made.… Expand
  35. Hermes_tri
    Aug 27, 2013
    10
    I love the game so far. It is a really well done TBS, I really enjoy this mix of tactical planning with TBS, I like the scanning tactical layer, agent management and side missions(sending agents is fun too) and squaddies AI is solid as well i play on Veteran. Setting and level detailing is awesome, abilities feel diverse and fun to use.
    On the negative, the narrative is patchy, the    I love the game so far. It is a really well done TBS, I really enjoy this mix of tactical planning with TBS, I like the scanning tactical layer, agent management and side missions(sending agents is fun too) and squaddies AI is solid as well i play on Veteran. Setting and level detailing is awesome, abilities feel diverse and fun to use.
    On the negative, the narrative is patchy, the beginning lacks suspense and magnitude of you know, alien invasion, aliens feel not so alien. Laser turrets on level one? yes I know it has a somewhat plausible explanation and what not, but the could at least show Carter's shock at seeing these techs? And even then, it looks really strange all these all style computers and laser turrets projecting from nothing.. Carter throwing alien blobes and no one asking questions? Wierd..

    Overall, I'd give this game a solid 8 for uniqueness and gameplay.

    To elaborate a bit more on my impression:

    Things I Love:

    1. The setting is just awesome. Authentic 60s feel, all the decorations and dialogues are just full of 60's feel
    2. The graphics are very nice to look at, like someone else have said, well done on those alien animations, every enemy is really different and unique. Some environments look fantastic. Artstyle is unique
    3. Music is awesome, really spooky and thought-provoking.
    4. Mostly decent voiceovers.
    5. Gameplay is a blast. tactical mode is awesome. How do you use your valuable time in battle focus? Give orders straight away or firstly analyze the environment and enemies via scanning? Mix of different abilities really open up strategies and tactics. The gameplay is really awesome.
    6. I love the narrative overall. The storyline is solid so far with some twists, all little voice recording and notes found on the mission add to the experience, as do investigations in between the missions.
    7. Agent disposal missions add some depth to the game.

    Things I don't really like:

    1. Lack of build up and anticipation opening missions are lackluster.
    2. Technologies are not properly explained.
    3. Bonuses from backpacks are not properly explained.
    4. Usage of new weapons in mission straight after picking them up.
    5. Lack of real desicions early and in mid game.
    6. Classes are not clearly defined: why do commandos give protective shields to others?
    7. Narrative is somewhat patchy: some illogical decisions and dialogues in the game.
    8. Outsiders feel not alien enough.
    9. Sound effects are disappointing.
    10. Level designs are too linear, ME3-esque.

    Overall, the game is solid 8. However I gave it '10' here due to too negative unfair reviews here.    … Expand
  36. theeDarkhorse
    Jan 29, 2014
    10
    Critics are wrong. It has the most expensive polygons i've ever seen. It is wonderfully voiced. It's gorgeously tactical yet perfectly first ''persony''. Theres even a perk/upgrade system not unlike Mass Effects.

    If i made this game i'd have expected better reviews. I suspect the people reviewing this game were chosen by the editors for their expertise in reviewing tactical games.    Critics are wrong. It has the most expensive polygons i've ever seen. It is wonderfully voiced. It's gorgeously tactical yet perfectly first ''persony''. Theres even a perk/upgrade system not unlike Mass Effects.

    If i made this game i'd have expected better reviews.

    I suspect the people reviewing this game were chosen by the editors for their expertise in reviewing tactical games. This game is half tactical ergo the half-hearted reviews.

    This game failed to disappoint me and im saddened it took me so long to play it because of my respect for the average metacritic review score. Lesson learned    … Expand
  37. light487
    Aug 24, 2013
    5
    It's a shame this game was published by 2K Games. I have to take points off for this simply because they have decided to price gouge the Australian market yet again, pricing the game way above the worth of the title.

    The game itself feels uninspired with so many other squad based 3rd person shooters on the market already, I was hoping that they would create something a little more    It's a shame this game was published by 2K Games. I have to take points off for this simply because they have decided to price gouge the Australian market yet again, pricing the game way above the worth of the title.

    The game itself feels uninspired with so many other squad based 3rd person shooters on the market already, I was hoping that they would create something a little more unique than they did with this one. It just doesn't come across as a true X-COM title.. sure, it has that theme.. but so do other titles that have no affiliation with the X-COM series.

    I'm not a fanboi of the series.. I just would have preferred it to be more in-line with what X-COM has been about for generations. This would have been a great mod of the latest X-COM game.. or some indie spin-off.. but I can't endorse something like that this that comes off as feeling like a money grab and attention seeking from those who prefer 3rd person shooters rather than the core X-COM franchise.    … Expand
  38. TheBank
    Sep 18, 2013
    6
    The Bureau was a good try at something that should have never been attempted. I'll admit as far as rebooting old games goes, this wins any day against Syndicate.

    The Good: -Clint Eastwood like protagonist. -Fedora's. -Story is okay. The Bad: -Not that great of AI -Bugs -No Research and Development -No Control of base construction -Makes you wish you were playing Mass    The Bureau was a good try at something that should have never been attempted. I'll admit as far as rebooting old games goes, this wins any day against Syndicate.

    The Good:

    -Clint Eastwood like protagonist.
    -Fedora's.
    -Story is okay.

    The Bad:

    -Not that great of AI
    -Bugs
    -No Research and Development
    -No Control of base construction
    -Makes you wish you were playing Mass Effect
    -It's time to say goodnight to the Mass Effect (Unreal) Engine    … Expand
  39. keefbaker
    Oct 17, 2013
    2
    On paper this sounds like a winner. A game with a mechanism like Mass Effect with strong ties to the XCOM franchise but set in a stylized 50s. Shame its a massive bag of crap then, eh? That is, of course unless being trapped in constant revive loops sounds great. In fact there's more loops in here than the whole of the Venetian Snares backcatalogue, except of course that's actually good,On paper this sounds like a winner. A game with a mechanism like Mass Effect with strong ties to the XCOM franchise but set in a stylized 50s. Shame its a massive bag of crap then, eh? That is, of course unless being trapped in constant revive loops sounds great. In fact there's more loops in here than the whole of the Venetian Snares backcatalogue, except of course that's actually good, whereas this is like having your eyes fried in urine and then having to drink the resulting soup.… Expand
  40. GPReS
    Feb 12, 2017
    10
    1st review - Oct 19, 2013 / Score - 7
    Boring, unlogically created plot, boring main hero, boring missions. Boring, boring, boring, boring. And ending is also boring... I am really sad I've preordered this nonsense.
    The only thing I relly liked fighting/leveling system, but this game is really mediocre and I am pretty not sure I will replay it soon enough... 2nd review - Dec 25. 2015    1st review - Oct 19, 2013 / Score - 7
    Boring, unlogically created plot, boring main hero, boring missions. Boring, boring, boring, boring. And ending is also boring... I am really sad I've preordered this nonsense.
    The only thing I relly liked fighting/leveling system, but this game is really mediocre and I am pretty not sure I will replay it soon enough...

    2nd review - Dec 25. 2015 / Score - 10
    It took me 2 replays with half a year and 1.5 year periods to re-estimate the game completely =) Also I bought all DLCs =)
    Hangar DLC is good for those, who'd prefer to spend more time shooting without extra dialogues in The Bureau, and also it's quite a good prequel to the main story :)
    Game's replay-ability is fine (as you can see I had re-played it 3 times already, even that I didn't like it on my first round) :)

    Advice: replay games that left unsure impression after a long period of time, you may really change your mind =)    … Expand
  41. thedeuce75
    Jan 24, 2014
    10
    I picked this up on a Steam sale and all I can say is that the critics really got it wrong on this one when it first came out. It plays very much like Brothers in Arms, but with aliens and sic-fi tech. The look and feel of the game is really great, they nailed the early 60's esthetic. The main character is kind of cool, a WW2 vet, turned CIA agent whose seen a lot of **** and no he's gotI picked this up on a Steam sale and all I can say is that the critics really got it wrong on this one when it first came out. It plays very much like Brothers in Arms, but with aliens and sic-fi tech. The look and feel of the game is really great, they nailed the early 60's esthetic. The main character is kind of cool, a WW2 vet, turned CIA agent whose seen a lot of **** and no he's got to take on aliens.

    I feel kind of bad for the Devs of this game, to me it's obvious they put a ton of effort in here, and got nailed by critics because it happened to have XCOM in the title and didn't strictly stick to formula. But trust me this is a strategy game at it's heart.

    The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is the most underrated game of 2013    … Expand
  42. GLaforte
    Sep 28, 2013
    4
    I enjoy the XCOM universe enough to despise this game. This is a team-based shooter, without an ounce of the strategy gameplay that I look forward to. The AI for your team mates and for the enemies is weak: you will have to constantly tell them what to do, while doing most of the killing yourself. You never get the feeling that time is not on your side...
  43. Liteit
    Nov 17, 2013
    3
    The first impression the game made was really good. The plot and the gameplay seemed interesting. But after some time this impression was ruined. It's just really boring to play this game. It's really repetitive and dull. And the worst part is kilometres you went in your secret base, just to launch another boring mission.
  44. Terrier
    Sep 26, 2013
    5
    The gameplay in a nut-shell:
    -The stage starts, there are some introduction but nothing so special.
    -Move to the first stage.
    -Kill some or all enemies, and yes, it is one of those games that sometimes you are deadlock until you kill all enemies (such Painkiller).
    -Move to the next stage, rinse and repeat.
  45. conserd
    Sep 18, 2013
    5
    The Bureau could have been so much more considering it was made by the bioshock devs but the nice graphic style can not save this am from it's bland story and repetitive missions.
  46. TGAMCallahan
    Sep 2, 2013
    4
    Although by no means terrible, The Bureau does not feel like an XCOM game, and should not be considered as such. Extremely poor shooting mechanics, an excruciatingly boring storyline, vapid, uninteresting characters, truly terrible progression systems, and sub-par voice acting combine to create an uninteresting and lackluster game.

    You will not be surprised, or engaged while playing    Although by no means terrible, The Bureau does not feel like an XCOM game, and should not be considered as such. Extremely poor shooting mechanics, an excruciatingly boring storyline, vapid, uninteresting characters, truly terrible progression systems, and sub-par voice acting combine to create an uninteresting and lackluster game.

    You will not be surprised, or engaged while playing this game. You cannot customize your troops in any real way. You form no genuine connection with them. There is no large unit tactics. And in turn, it falls into all the same pitfalls that ME2/3 fell into in terms of the cover system, and it falls into them even worse.

    This game is clunky, frustrating, unforgiving, and boring. I would not advise anyone to purchase it under any circumstances. And I pity those who were foolish enough to pre-order it.    … Expand
  47. daskind
    Dec 13, 2013
    10
    highly underrated. nice graphics, good voice acting and an intriguing story is what you get in this little gem. it is definetely not XCOM though, more like a parallel universe.
  48. Xicronic
    Sep 28, 2013
    4
    The Bureau is a bad game. The levels are extremely linear, the controls are clunky, and the AI is subpar. The game has an interesting premise but is littered with an absurd amount of small mistakes which make the game unenjoyable. The story is hit and miss, with many cliches and plot holes but takes full advantage of being an XCOM game. This game isn't worth your time unless you're a bigThe Bureau is a bad game. The levels are extremely linear, the controls are clunky, and the AI is subpar. The game has an interesting premise but is littered with an absurd amount of small mistakes which make the game unenjoyable. The story is hit and miss, with many cliches and plot holes but takes full advantage of being an XCOM game. This game isn't worth your time unless you're a big fan of the series.… Expand
  49. Lucky-Jinx
    Nov 14, 2013
    3
    This game is not worth it. The characters are bland, the plot is a thumb in the eye to the entire series, the gameplay is tedious, and customization is non-existent. There are much better tactical combat games on the market.
  50. Liqutos
    Nov 6, 2013
    6
    This game isn't really X-com. It just doesn't fit the style, and the controls are just plain bad. It's half-finished and put together in a hurry. Remember the game just called XCOM? Well, it was first person shooter made by 2K and was scrapped and changed into this. The game is way to short for the heavy price tag of $80USD. I think everyone here wants classic Turn-Based Strategy back.
  51. vkouroub
    Dec 8, 2013
    9
    I was so excited when i first heard about this game. Then after the release and the first diassapointing reviews i refused to play it. When i finished playing XCOM Enemy Within i needed more so i decided to try it out. And i was suprised! It's an excellent game, state of the art graphics, sound, music. Great XCOM atmoshpere combined with the depressing era of 60's. A very good storyI was so excited when i first heard about this game. Then after the release and the first diassapointing reviews i refused to play it. When i finished playing XCOM Enemy Within i needed more so i decided to try it out. And i was suprised! It's an excellent game, state of the art graphics, sound, music. Great XCOM atmoshpere combined with the depressing era of 60's. A very good story explaining the origin of XCOM and the saga in general. Gameplay is basically a more tactical copy of Mass Effect but who cares.It fits pretty nicely.
    I enjoyed the game for every minute. Truly listen to your instict when it comes to games. Don't rely on the reviewers only. Terrific game.    … Expand
  52. Lotto74
    Dec 28, 2013
    3
    Another console port. Graphics is fine, the gameplay itself is terrible. Storyline and maps are straightforward. Attempts to copy Mass Effect interaction style failed utterly: the interaction wheel provides no choices affecting the storyline, it's just a set of boring recorded conversations. The combat engine sucks: little ammo, incredibly hard to unstuck your character from a cover (it'sAnother console port. Graphics is fine, the gameplay itself is terrible. Storyline and maps are straightforward. Attempts to copy Mass Effect interaction style failed utterly: the interaction wheel provides no choices affecting the storyline, it's just a set of boring recorded conversations. The combat engine sucks: little ammo, incredibly hard to unstuck your character from a cover (it's critical when you try to avoid a grenade blast or just change your position under heavy flanking fire), checkpoint save system (there is even no quicksaves), your computer-controlled partners are idiots, and so on. On Veteran difficulty, first missions are hard (especially when you fight tougher enemies with bullet weapons), but after you've developed your character and acquired plasma weapons, a combat drone, a silicoid and a mind control ability, combats become too easy and boring. Even shielded mutons are not a real threat anymore. Following the storyline, when you need to select who of your comrades must die, you make this choice indifferently it doesn't affect anything, and this is not ME1 choice where the emotional choice between Kaidan and Ashly was really difficult. In addition, this is NOT X-COM. At least, not that X-COM as in strategic games.

    And it's just 15 hours of gameplay.

    In short, this is one shooters which I'll never play again. There's only one bright spot: it was a sale, so it cost me just ten bucks. It doesn't cost even a cent more.    … Expand
  53. PrincessRose
    Mar 21, 2021
    6
    It's an alright game, enjoyed playing it.
    I liked the story, though a bit disappointed that your choices don't affect much.
  54. linvail
    Mar 28, 2016
    9
    People buy the game before investigating and later criticize this for not no being what they expect. This game belongs to the X-com series, yes, but is a spin-off, complements the story, but the gameplay is very different (and enjoyable in its own style).
  55. rookie1
    Apr 30, 2017
    10
    The game is really nice. The game is a very good quality game even on bad graphics cards. I like the game in every way. It's a fabulous production. Beautiful!
  56. NightGeisha
    Jan 2, 2019
    8
    The Bureau: XCOM Declassified was a pleasant surprise. A fantastic story that held me until the end.

    The game is part of the universe of XCOM games and seems to be a prequel to the foundation of the agency and from the first XCOMs. It as a captivating story that holds us to the end, portraying the nostalgia of the 60's in a amazing way. Graphically is very good, its a 2013 game (year    The Bureau: XCOM Declassified was a pleasant surprise. A fantastic story that held me until the end.

    The game is part of the universe of XCOM games and seems to be a prequel to the foundation of the agency and from the first XCOMs. It as a captivating story that holds us to the end, portraying the nostalgia of the 60's in a amazing way.

    Graphically is very good, its a 2013 game (year of GTA V, Metro Last Light and many others) that stills look pretty fine comparing with some 2017 title. The soundtrack it's pretty good and the game mechanic is quite easy to pick up and very well conceived.

    Overall its a fantastic game that easily takes us 10 to 15 hours of gameplay.

    Here is small YouTube vide with the first minutes of the gameplay if you wanna check it out:
    https://youtu.be/7pjZxpsDDg8    … Expand
  57. WellEvil
    Jan 8, 2023
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great game with a huge focus on story, characters, and world-building. I don't remember the last time when the story absorbed me so much. Yes, there are a few bugs here are there, but nothing game-breaking. Usually minor visual glitches.… Expand
  58. K1ller
    Dec 2, 2013
    8
    I have bought the game three days ago during a sale on Steam. The only research I did was checking scores here and watching two videos from gameplay. I was fully aware of the turbulent history of this game and that it is a nearly a miracle it was released at all. Given all this I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
    The game mostly resembles Mass Effect in a different universe but with    I have bought the game three days ago during a sale on Steam. The only research I did was checking scores here and watching two videos from gameplay. I was fully aware of the turbulent history of this game and that it is a nearly a miracle it was released at all. Given all this I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
    The game mostly resembles Mass Effect in a different universe but with very similar mechanics. So it is a TPS where you command two other squadmates fulfilling main and optional missions using one base of operations. And instead of figting across the galaxy, you are fighting aliens invading Earth in the year 1962.
    The story itself is a typical science fiction alien invasion one using parts of the Xcom universe. So everyone familiar with Xcom will knwo what a Sectoid or Muton is. Between missions you can wander around your main base talking to people and making some optional missions for your colleagues. Talking about colleagues, the game has many interesting NPC like a german main scientist. Also during your wandering around you will encounter some funny dialogues and moments. All in all the base looks much more alive than the Normandy in ME.
    And now to some negative parts. The main problem I am encountering is the AI of your squadmates. If you give them orders contantly, it not so bad. But if you leave them alone a little longer, they will make really stupid things. They really love to running from enemy grenades right in fron of enemy guns. They also seems incapable if using their special abilities by themselves so you must tell them all the time. The second problem is the length of the game. It took me 14 hours. It is not that short, however I would expect something about 20 hours. Other than that, I am really satisfied with the game. It has qute a good graphics using the Unreal 3 engine and even a DX11 support (which I have not tried eventhough I have a DX11 card).    … Expand
  59. ave
    Feb 10, 2015
    7
    A title like The Bureau: XCOM Declassified comes with an heavy burden: the legacy of its ancestors.

    So, if you really like the original XCOM and especially the recent XCOM Enemy Within (a great game), this one is complete departure. You are Willam Carter and you lead a team of two agents in the field, completing a serie of missions to insure the survival of the human race facing a    A title like The Bureau: XCOM Declassified comes with an heavy burden: the legacy of its ancestors.

    So, if you really like the original XCOM and especially the recent XCOM Enemy Within (a great game), this one is complete departure.

    You are Willam Carter and you lead a team of two agents in the field, completing a serie of missions to insure the survival of the human race facing a massive alien invasion. You give orders to your mates while being in Concentration mode (a kind of slowmo a la F.E.A.R.) and take charge of (approximately) 80% of the shooting (I haven't played with the sniper or soldier yet). In spite of this good idea, I felt the constant shifting between the characters disorienting, forcing me to adapt to this particular aspect of the game instead of just playing. Maybe a static bird view of the scene would have been more convenient.

    As a player, you have to make difficult choices : your team mates profiles (you can only bring two with you), your weaponery (you can only carry two, and your mates only one), and your bagpack (that can changes your stats).

    The interesting yet controversial aspect of the game is that the storyline is rich, with multiple credible characters with their own agenda. At the beginning, you simply navigate from one to another to help them, but at the end you face dilemmas that could potentially impact your chances of winning the war (never seen it yet, just suspecting). So you basically have a wild difference in pace between headquarters and the field.

    The level design is strong when action takes place in Cold War America, but kinda dull in the alien facilities. Up to the point of a deja vu feeling.

    To wrap it up, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is a decent squad-based shooter, with an honorable storyline and a mediocre-to-great level design. Luckily, it can be played casually.    … Expand
  60. Echo9k
    Dec 16, 2013
    5
    A third personal shooter strategic like Mass Effect. Which, at the beginning, it's fun, amusing and worth to play; but its lack of tools, develop and some game's limitations makes the gameplay rough after a while. I'll give you a better critic but it seems like the guy of 2K keep doing the same that in XCOM: Enemy Unknown... "I"A, because it is not Intelligent; they (your team mates) rush,A third personal shooter strategic like Mass Effect. Which, at the beginning, it's fun, amusing and worth to play; but its lack of tools, develop and some game's limitations makes the gameplay rough after a while. I'll give you a better critic but it seems like the guy of 2K keep doing the same that in XCOM: Enemy Unknown... "I"A, because it is not Intelligent; they (your team mates) rush, leave positions and deform your orders pretty horrible and getting killed in the blink of an eye.

    Anyway, it's funny, if you can deal with that or you don't want to play too much... Go ahead and buy it, if not, go with a friend and play a while, just enough to know it    … Expand
  61. Klewer
    Aug 8, 2014
    7
    Found this to be a very interesting and enjoyable game. New to the series I had no previous knowledge of earlier games and how they were. Challenging, good graphics and not a bad story make this worth a look for tactical shooter/fps fans.
  62. Pickle
    Jan 6, 2023
    4
    Recuerdo cuando supe de este juego; leí de él en una revista hace algunos años donde aún ni sabía de XCOM ni cuándo iba a salir. Después de un cierto tiempo fue como si este juego desapareciera y nunca volvía a saber de él, asumí que el juego había sido cancelado, hasta que recientemente leí nuevamente del juego.

    No fue bien recibido, tiene problemas, tiene demasiados problemas que se    Recuerdo cuando supe de este juego; leí de él en una revista hace algunos años donde aún ni sabía de XCOM ni cuándo iba a salir. Después de un cierto tiempo fue como si este juego desapareciera y nunca volvía a saber de él, asumí que el juego había sido cancelado, hasta que recientemente leí nuevamente del juego.

    No fue bien recibido, tiene problemas, tiene demasiados problemas que se han exacerbado con el tiempo.

    Técnicamente no tuve problemas con el juego, pero en términos de diseño, este es un juego que no sabe decidir si ser un juego de disparos en tercera persona o alternativamente un juego de estrategia similar al titular XCOM. Idealmente hubiesen separado este juego y se hubiese preservado esto como un juego aparte y único, en cambio, se intento mezclar la experiencia, pero de formas bastante poco constructivas.

    Entonces se tiene un juego que no tiene mecánicas bien implementadas o desarrollaras de juegos de acción de disparos en tercera persona, con un sistema extraño y confuso de estrategia que no se acerca a la calidad de los juegos de XCOM.

    Una pena por que el concepto del juego parece bastante bueno, es tan solo la ejecución lo que lo acabo.    … Expand
  63. MetaviraVet
    Jul 24, 2014
    8
    An interesting hybrid that functions quite well, but will probably not meet the tastes of a broader audience. The tactical elements are fun, upgrading and equipping your squad adds a bit of an incentive and the enemies are challenging (if not terribly smart).
    Only occasionally does the dumb AI of your followers cause trouble (they are really meant to be ordered around as much as    An interesting hybrid that functions quite well, but will probably not meet the tastes of a broader audience. The tactical elements are fun, upgrading and equipping your squad adds a bit of an incentive and the enemies are challenging (if not terribly smart).
    Only occasionally does the dumb AI of your followers cause trouble (they are really meant to be ordered around as much as possible), and the graphics and level of polish are excellent. The 60s- atmosphere was also captured in such a way that you want to buy a suit and start smoking indoors again...    … Expand
  64. Khaosom
    Mar 15, 2015
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Okay I've been reading the negative reviews for this game and I have to say either they went into to the game and don't know how to play it, or they believed the hype. I'm going to rebut a few of these negative claims and add some positives. First off, someone mentioned the guns feeling under powered, in this game you're fighting off an alien invasion force with human weaponry, it's the 1950's maybe, so the guns are what we used during WW2, and we are fighting an advanced life form. Secondly they complained about the real time squad control, that slows down the fight to literally a CRAWL. If you use this right, you can end any fight in a matter of moments, positioning your people prior to being seen by the enemy.

    The gameplay is very much like Mass Effect, which to me was the ultimate shooter/rpg/strategy hybrid. The game takes place before Enemy Unknown, explains why there is an X:Com project ongoing, and much more. This game is a must have for any Xcom Fan    … Expand
  65. nhh
    Jul 13, 2014
    8
    Great atmosphere, reasonable shooter. Does have bugs and freezes on a mac, which is quite annoying. Nevertheless, the story is quite good and I love the presentation.
  66. Pffff
    Sep 2, 2014
    6
    This game by itself is moderately good (or bad) because its story, sound, graphics and characters are not among the best or worst.
    1. Story: a bit simple and shallow but still make sense.
    2. Sound: 2.1. Musics: repetitive, flat, transition between musics is no good 2.2. Sound effect: adequate, vivid in its own way, only too much background noise, not exactly a good design. 2.3. Voice:    This game by itself is moderately good (or bad) because its story, sound, graphics and characters are not among the best or worst.
    1. Story: a bit simple and shallow but still make sense.
    2. Sound:
    2.1. Musics: repetitive, flat, transition between musics is no good
    2.2. Sound effect: adequate, vivid in its own way, only too much background noise, not exactly a good design.
    2.3. Voice: good, but listening to the voice of the main character for too long gave me headache, literally.
    3. Graphics: in terms of texture, detail, lighting and stuff, it is not the best but good enough.. However, the alien weapons could be a bit more stylish/alien.
    4. Characters: Mundane, sexist in terms of profession, conversations are not quite impressive.

    Interestingly, if you have played the Mass Effect series (especially 2&3) you would find a lot of similarities between them. Additionally, I sure don't hate the developers for experimenting on different game genre, especially when they did an rather adequate job, but it would be better if they considered adding certain profound philosophical standpoint/logic or futuristic prospects.

    In a nut shell, it is adequate and has quite a bit potentials.    … Expand
  67. fractyja
    Nov 7, 2015
    9
    The first hour, I hate it. After 3 hours I tolerated it. After 4 hours I was pleased. After 6 hours I was loving it. After that I was too anti-social to describe how much I was enjoying.

    Don't let metascore and user score stop you on that one. If you are a XCOM fan, you'll hate this game for hours before being convinced. Really. I know that this even looks like an XCOM game from the    The first hour, I hate it. After 3 hours I tolerated it. After 4 hours I was pleased. After 6 hours I was loving it. After that I was too anti-social to describe how much I was enjoying.

    Don't let metascore and user score stop you on that one. If you are a XCOM fan, you'll hate this game for hours before being convinced. Really. I know that this even looks like an XCOM game from the start but wait a little longer and you'll have an awesome surprise. Wonderful art direction, fun gameplay and an undecryptable plot with the best twist ever.    … Expand
  68. jelikey
    Sep 8, 2015
    7
    i first met xcom series in this game The bureau: xcom declassfied. this game is common shooter game. and i like the view of world of this game. but combat system is lack of diversity.
  69. Lenzie
    Mar 22, 2015
    7
    A reasonably enjoyable 'tactical-shooter' style game with story and then shooter + squad management type game play similar to the Mass Effect games.

    Pros: - The story and set design are superb! I was very impressed with how well visually crafted the alien sites and structures are. Many of the sites had this beautiful and immense cavernous feel to them - the base under the Hoover dam    A reasonably enjoyable 'tactical-shooter' style game with story and then shooter + squad management type game play similar to the Mass Effect games.

    Pros:
    - The story and set design are superb! I was very impressed with how well visually crafted the alien sites and structures are. Many of the sites had this beautiful and immense cavernous feel to them - the base under the Hoover dam was particularly cool.

    - The combat is challenging, at times very hectic and is certainly fun; I often had to repeat encounters several times in order to successfully beat them.

    - A good length to game as well, about 20 hours, which meant I was still enjoying the game by its end versus starting to feel like it was dragging on.

    Cons:
    - For me the original XCOM: Enemy Unknown was a better game as it had much more to do versus The Bureau, for example being able to develop your base and invest in different technologies - none of which is present in the The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. The base elements in this game simply serve as story vehicle and at times were tedious / uninteresting.

    Anyway, I bought this game in one of the Steam sales for $4.99 - for that price this game is serious entertainment bang for buck! If you can get it cheap I'd definitely recommend giving it a go.    … Expand
  70. Cyclomatic33
    Oct 7, 2014
    8
    Outstanding game. Story line too linear for my liking. I played it twice, back to back, and enjoyed it even more the second time playing as veteran. However, have I mentioned that the story line is too linear?
  71. zimmer600
    Aug 19, 2017
    6
    A good and well-tailored tactical shooter, in the xcom universe. True tactics begin to work only at a high level of complexity (which is a minus of the game).
  72. Vicente_ao
    Apr 13, 2016
    7
    he Bureau es un juego bien realizado, dentro de lo que propone esta muy bien llevado a cabo, tiene momentos altos memorables, pero cae también en mucho vacío. Si bien nos presenta una trama que avanza acorde a la temática, le falta algo a mi parecer, algunos huecos por ahí o momentos más memorables.
    No es bueno compararlo a la saga Xcom, son cosas muy muy diferentes, la trama trata de    he Bureau es un juego bien realizado, dentro de lo que propone esta muy bien llevado a cabo, tiene momentos altos memorables, pero cae también en mucho vacío. Si bien nos presenta una trama que avanza acorde a la temática, le falta algo a mi parecer, algunos huecos por ahí o momentos más memorables.
    No es bueno compararlo a la saga Xcom, son cosas muy muy diferentes, la trama trata de enlazar un poco, o despejar dudas, pero en sí, pueden ser vistos como juegos completamente diferentes.
    La jugabilidad es bastante repetitiva, básicamente no hay tanta estrategia como un principio parecía prometer, la fórmula de la victoria es básicamente la misma, te pones tras una pared o lo que sea y espameas las habilidades de tu pelotón y las tuyas y listo. Si bien tiene combates muy entretenidos y desafiantes, como pelear contra mutones de élito o los sectopodos.

    Lo bueno:
    - Buenos gráficos
    - Interesante historia
    - Combates muy entretenidos (cuando estás contra los enemigos más duros)

    Lo malo:

    - La música pudo destacar más
    - Ciertos vacíos en la trama
    - La jugabilidad es muy repetitiva y carente de real estrategia
    - No final Boss

    Recomendable para amantes de los aliens, mundo xcom, shooter tercera persona

    7.4/10    … Expand
  73. RhodriM
    Mar 21, 2019
    6
    It's not terrible. It's just not... right.

    Had a troubled development and it shows.
  74. PortalToH3LL
    Dec 16, 2018
    7
    Although the tasks are monotonous, game turned out to be cool with a decent plot, the graphic part of game also didnt let down, everything looks very nice. Fans of killing aliens, I advise.
  75. kennypowers0815
    Mar 13, 2019
    4
    From a technical standpoint this game has some serious issues, because even in 2019 using an RTX 2060 you still get hard fps drops down to 15-20 fps when you play with activated PhysX. You also have to MANUALLY put an up-to-date PhysX runtime library into the game's working folder to stop it from crashing on Windows 10.

    The game itself has some interesting ideas to stand out from the    From a technical standpoint this game has some serious issues, because even in 2019 using an RTX 2060 you still get hard fps drops down to 15-20 fps when you play with activated PhysX. You also have to MANUALLY put an up-to-date PhysX runtime library into the game's working folder to stop it from crashing on Windows 10.

    The game itself has some interesting ideas to stand out from the classic Xcom games but everything is executed so mediocre that while I really tried to like it, I just didn't. Besides the really boring gunplay and imprecise movement controls it was mainly the absolutely awful character dialogue and childish storytelling that finally made me stop playing after about 3 hours. Wasted potential.    … Expand
  76. Nerevarinho
    Nov 6, 2020
    3
    Poorly cloned Gears of War gameplay (and it came out 7 years after Gears 1), in an XCOM setting.
  77. yoytag
    Oct 28, 2019
    7
    It is novel to use alien weapons and has a good sense of blow when using weapons. but Both allies and enemies have terrible A.I. The game is not bad, but I recommend buying it at a discount.
  78. Prometheus1241
    Feb 10, 2021
    6
    Quite decent third person tactics shooter, which occasionally breaks XCOM: Enemy Unknown's exposition.
  79. hileger
    Oct 19, 2022
    5
    Донный Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк Середняк
  80. Bigmano
    Jun 29, 2020
    8
    Xcom buroue is a fun addition to the series. Though the graphics aren't brilliant as it was made in 2013
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. PCGamesN
    Nov 6, 2013
    60
    For all that The Bureau get’s wrong, it is at least a passable tactical shooter with a novel, well-realised setting. If you love the golden age of science-fiction, there’s something here for you. Just don’t expect it to ever get truly interesting, because XCOM Declassified never captures what XCOM is all about.
    Read full review
  2. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 5, 2013
    73
    The Bureau: XCOM Declassified does not deliver. It is not bad, but rather depressingly average. [Sept 2013]
  3. PC PowerPlay
    Sep 25, 2013
    70
    A competent tactical shooter that doesn't push any boundaries and is only peripherally related to XCOM. [Oct 2013, p.96]
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