This atmospheric action game is good fun, but could've used more polish with its gameplay.
The "build a soldier" system doesn't work as efficiently here as it did in Enemy Unknown, mainly because your soldiers are mostly useless in the field anyway. If they die in action, you don't feel nearly as much loss here as you did before – only relief. Plus, you can revive them by loading your last checkpoint anyway, which kind of defuses the point.
At least The Bureau benefits from a mostly strong presentation. The visuals are nice, drawing from the essence of the era with outfits, cars and bits and pieces of the environment. At one point, you even see an old-school atom bomb drop – which is a rather sweet sight.
Kudos also go out to the soundtrack team. They've created some music here that really fits into the vibe of the early 60's, without going overboard. On the other hand, the voice acting is off at times, with some folks sounding like they're better suited for working at a diner, much less a government office. Plus, really, when someone whines that they don't know what to do, it's kind of annoying.
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified is at its best when it's not trying so hard to be XCOM. We understand it's part of the series and some elements needed to be included, but some AI polish and a better command/conversation system would've really gone a long way here. Still, the action here is good, the story keeps moving along, and the new abilities you pick up really serve a purpose, especially when it comes to squashing alien goons. Give it a rent, it just might surprise you.
(Review copy provided by 2K Games.)
Score: 7 / 10
