The Bureau: XCOM Declassified Xbox 360
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified Image
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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critics What's this?

User Score
6.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 94 Ratings

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  • Summary: It's 1962. John F. Kennedy is the U.S. President and the Cold War has the nation gripped with fear – but a far more viscous and insidious enemy than communism is threatening America. Known only to a scant few, a covet government unit called The Bureau begins investigating and concealing a seseries of mysterious attacks by an alien enemy. As special agent William Carter, you make the decisions, pull the trigger and lead your squad in a third-person tactical shooter set within a high-stakes, covert war to defend the human race. The Bureau’s mission is clear – survive, adapt and overcome the enemy threat (Heartbreak Ridge-style) to protect the citizens from the truth. … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. GamesBeat
    Aug 19, 2013
    80
    The Bureau is Enemy Unknown’s hyperactive younger sibling who delivers something different while still fitting in well with its predecessors.
  2. VideoGamer
    Aug 20, 2013
    80
    Although not perfect, The Bureau is a brilliant squad shooter with an intriguing story and brains.
  3. Gamer.no
    Aug 31, 2013
    80
    The Bureau is a smart action game that combines the tactical aspect of Mass Effect with the simplicity of Bioshock. A surprisingly solid story makes this a great individual game, even if it struggles to find it's place in the XCOM-series.
  4. Eurogamer
    Aug 20, 2013
    70
    Given its fractured development and lumpen structure, the fact that The Bureau is actually pretty good is arguably victory enough. It's certainly the "contemporary" game 2K wanted - but it's never as inventive or memorable as the strategy game that inspired it.
  5. Xbox360Achievements
    Aug 26, 2013
    65
    The Bureau: XCOM Declassified aims at combining Mass Effect’s combat with the trappings of XCOM: Enemy Unknown, but it fails to live up to either. The action is capable of offering some thrills, but The Bureau is a poorly put together game with a list of problems that prevent it from rising above mediocre. Disappointing.
  6. Giant Bomb
    Aug 23, 2013
    60
    As is, The Bureau makes for a decent enough 10 hours of alien-obliterating combat, but all the way through you'll find yourself lamenting the many aspects that feel like they could have, and should have, been better.
  7. Gaming Age
    Sep 1, 2013
    42
    The XCOM franchise deserves better than this, an experiment to take XCOM out of its comfort zone that clearly went awry.

See all 30 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 25
  3. Negative: 7 out of 25
  1. paddystudmuffin
    Sep 15, 2013
    10
    Right people if your in two minds about this game don't be it is very very good. On release day like most people i bought blacklist over this. I actually started getting bored of blacklist and got this. It's really grabbed me i love it. It got the 1960 thing about it and plays like mass effect/ghostbusters. Your squad is crucial in this game, running and gunning wont work. So if you like your games a bit smart with so challenge this is the game for you. Give it a blast.… Expand
  2. Edragonxx
    Aug 26, 2013
    10
    Fabulous. This is really good game. The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is tactical 3rd person shooter. So nothing for Call of Duty fans, but for everyone else who loves to use his head, and loves good games this game is for you.… Expand
  3. Za_Dobro
    Aug 20, 2013
    10
    The Bureau is very good game. It has a strong tactical component, good plot, and nice graphic, battles is very tense and hard. AI of enemies is pretty smart, they may surround you, attack you from behind. In my opinion: one of the best shooters of last five years.… Expand
  4. TundraFreeze
    Aug 29, 2013
    8
    Fun sci-fi game. Not as tactical as a Tom Clancy game but still tactical enough to make it challenging and fun, it is on the same tactical level as the first Mass Effect game. The graphics are good and I liked the voice casting. Sure the gameplay is repetitive but not more than Enemy Unknown. Likewise you can't blame this game for having a generic storyline when the entire XCom series is built around a generic storyline. However a better word than 'generic' is 'classic'. That's how I see the storyline and concept of this game, a classic sci-fi. So if you truly enjoy sci-fi and you liked the tactical gameplay in the first Mass Effect game you might enjoy XCom Declassified.… Expand
  5. Baktanfuli
    Aug 23, 2013
    6
    Not a bad as feared, but clearly another game ruined by the catering to the console people.

    Good
    Overall game mechanic is acceptable (comb    at)
    graphic ok
    Voice acting ok

    Bad
    Story holes the size of the moon
    RPG element is junk
    You max your chars to fast
    Everything is linear.
    if you open the wrong door, you cant go back, one of the worst things the console people have ever brought to the PC world.
    Running around the base gets pretty tedious very fast
    The whole backpack upgrade part should have been changed to something else entirely.
    The main char is a bit of a dick, he is just not likeable, you want a tough guy template, look to Jack Bauer or Guerrero.

    While the bad list is much longer than the good, the game is not horrible, just not very good, you play it through once, and forget about it.    … Expand
  6. ArcadePhantom
    Aug 25, 2013
    6
    Remember years ago when the devs of this game had announced a first person XCOM that was like a detective game in some ways? I was interested it sounded fresh and had the potential to be amazing but instead we got a third person tactical shooter with A.I that usually has to be baby sited constantly, don't get me wrong this game will appeal to a lot of people but if you think this is another RTS XCOM you're gonna be disappointed.
    Want a 3rd person cover based tactical shooter with the XCOM theme? buy this game
    Want a RTS XCOM? wait for XCOM: Enemy Within    … Expand
  7. Warlord
    Aug 23, 2013
    2
    As an XCOM fan I feel cheated. I really wish I'd read up on the game more before I bought it. I bought it because it's XCOM, but it's not...
    People have said it's tactical, well not like any other XCOM is. In the time it takes you to issue a few orders out the enemy is on the move and has been shooting you (albeit in slow mo) while you have been doing so. During the course of my first mission I had killed 70+ with my character, while my AI controlled counterparts had gotten 15 between them (and ok I had a few fights before they joined me but still).

    Maybe it's me, maybe I just wanted another Enemy Unknown or Apocolypse game. Maybe I don't like change. But still, this is not for me, past XCOM games have been games I enjoyed while watching the tele in the background, games I can relax to, this is just frustrating.

    Pros:
    - Story did seem interesting
    - Lots of enemies

    Cons:
    - Real time combat
    - Slow mo squad order system
    - AI or lack of
    - Lack of 'checkpoints' or save feature
    - Awful squad mechanic
    - Awful shooting mechanic    … Expand

See all 25 User Reviews

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