The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

It's an often repeated claim on steam that this would have been a better received and remembered game if it wasn't tied to xcom, but frankly it would be still be a boring third person shooter that even less people would remember if that were the case. This is the first and last game I ever preordered; 12 years ago this very month. That only occurred because the preorder came bundled Spec Ops: The Line and all previous xcom games that had been released at that point, including the vastly superior Enemy Unknown (including DLC!). The preorder bundle itself was also discounted, which truly indicates the sky-high confidence 2K had in this release. I remember starting it shortly after release, playing the opening of the game, and then simply never picking it up again. From time to time over the years I've thought to myself that maybe I didn't give the game a fair shake, and I should beat it one day. But good lord, this game is dull, dull, dull. It has decent aesthetics and art direction, an...

the game clashes on the stairs at the beginning of the game

Great game to turn off.

Really need a sequal for this one

It's not inherently a bad game, and perhaps it even gets a bit better with time, but it is definitely not the XCOM I'm used to. Whether that is a good or bad thing for you depends on whether you prefer an intense tactical game with a lot of customization or a lighter tactical game with shooter cover style mechanics. I appreciate their effort to focus more on a story this time around, which is what I typically find myself drawn to, but stories don't seem to be their strong suit compared to tough as nails combat with high customization present in their other titles. Weird issues like lip sync, awkward animations, overly sterile wile competent voice work, and limited personality for most of the characters from what I experienced. They capture the 1950s very well in many ways, including a character that sounds like a bat Batman and Robin cartoon, but a lot of the adult aspects of the theme feel subdued with this style in my opinion. There is an Alpha Protocol style dialogue wheel, early ...

very cool game