The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is now available in North America and will be available internationally on August 23, 2013 for the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. The Bureau is a daringly different blend of the strategy and action genres, resulting in a challenging tactical shooter that’s refreshingly deep, original, and according to Game Informer, “worthy of the XCOM name.
GenreAction
Platforms ps3
DEVELOPER 2K Marin | PUBLISHER Codemasters | RELEASE DATE
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified Reviews ps3
laps3.com review
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psx-sense.nl review
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thesixthaxis.com review
The Bureau comes as a very pleasant surprise. It’s not a cynical cash-in on Enemy Unknown’s success, it’s not a forgettable me-too third person cover-based shooter and it’s not a clunky shoe-horning of familiar ideas into a new set of mechanics. The Bureau has occasional problems with pacing, it could do with a little more polish and it doesn’t revolutionise shooters but it does adroitly step sideways into a totally unfamiliar genre and it expands the greater fiction while doing so. Another successful XCOM mission.
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gameinformer.com review
As it winds towards completion, the plot jumps the rails more than once. I lost touch with what was going on, but eventually I was charmed by the pure insanity on display. Even as the story wears out its welcome, some gonzo story points and exciting choices reinvigorate the final act. I wish more of the game was characterized by the dramatic decisions found in the final hours. The Bureau tries to be many things, and succeeds only moderately at most of them. Even so, I’m happy this long-in-gestation project has finally seen the light of day.
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eurogamer.es review
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nowgamer.com review
Mass Effect fans might turn their nose up at the lesser quality, but the rarely-utilised time period combined with all the glorious XCOM lore has crafted a game that feels original even if it’s gameplay doesn’t.
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officialplaystationmagazine.co.uk review
But while it can’t stand up to the genre’s biggest dog, and its mechanics don’t satisfy in the manner of Enemy Unknown, there’s still appeal here. When the combat works it’s excellent, and the pinstripes-and-fedoras setting always appeals – as does Carter’s wonderfully overblown, “My God… the humanity†personality. Sadly, however, once you’re past the first few hours you’ve seen the best of what’s on offer. The tactical squad combat is hugely enjoyable and rewarding at times, but let down by inconsistency and repetition. Turn-based marvel Enemy Unknown’s remains the Xcom game to beat. Joel Gregory
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psxextreme.com review
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified isn’t a bad game by any stretch, but it fails to live up to its predecessor. It has the aesthetic personality but it doesn’t have the gameplay personality. The control is fine, the music is a fantastic touch, and the fulfillment one feels after a properly executed mission is significant. But the story, despite glimpses of greatness, lets you down, and there’s just a general feeling of monotony that permeates the entire experience. If you get sucked in by the atmosphere, though, and you’re very patient and strategic, you might enjoy it.
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psu.com review
At the end of the day, your enjoyment with The Bureau: XCOM Declassified will hinge a great deal on why you love the series in the first place. If you’re in it for the lore, The Bureau offers an engaging origin story that fills a piece of the XCOM puzzle with likable characters and a dozen or so hours of interesting, if never exciting, missions. If you only care about XCOM for its gripping turn-based strategy, you’ll find little to love in The Bureau’s Frankenstein combat sensibilities. If you’re new to the series entirely, this isn’t the place to start. Enemy Unknown was highly praised for good reason, and The Bureau isn’t good enough at third-person shooting or real-time strategy to compel enthusiast fans of either.
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worthplaying.com review
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is a lot of wasted effort. The Bureau isn’t for XCOM fans, but it isn’t for shooter fans, either. The basis for a fun and interesting game is there, but the XCOM name hangs like an albatross from its neck. Much of the game design and story would make more sense in a title that wasn’t trying to be XCOM. Had the developers focused on making a Mass Effect-style shooter without the XCOM trappings, this would’ve been a far more enjoyable game. Instead, we get a painful mishmash of mechanics that work against each other. There’s some fun to be had once you get rolling with a high-level team, but the amount of time and effort required to get there isn’t worth the payoff.
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playstationlifestyle.net review
Overall, The Bureau is a decent game that fails to bring anything new to gamers’ tables. With a period alien invasion having been done before in titles like Resistance, gameplay mechanics ripped straight from Mass Effect, and XCOM elements wrangled together, The Bureau feels like an unpolished conglomeration of games that have come before it. While it definitely isn’t the worst game that I have ever played, and I had a decent amount of fun playing through it once, I can’t say that it would be missed too much if it were to be
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