14 DAY TRIAL // I wanted to like The Bureau: XCOM Declassified because I loved Enemy Unknown as it was rebooted in 2011 and was sure that an action game played from the third person could bring in more fans for the game universe it inhabits.
I was a little disappointed after the first big mission of the game, which involves an enhanced nuclear blast that takes out a number of alien ships as just a handful of people survive and attack but I also saw the mechanics that could power a solid experience.
I turned out to be wrong and have pretty much abandoned playing the game anymore.
The story, the action-driven shooting and the tactical options simply do not mix in any meaningful ways.
The game, in about two hours, features a potential nuke launch on Washington and huge alien structures elected in the locations where missions take place.
This makes sense for the gameplay and the tactical battles are sometimes epic and engaging.
But the story talks about the way the government is working to make sure that civilians learn nothing about the invasion, which is impossible given the potential for communication and news sharing in the ‘60s.
The Battle Focus feature allows time to flow slowly in order to give teammates orders and queue their special abilities, which are designed to change the course of battles.
But the sidekicks are unable to take care of themselves when the gamer is not controlling them, which means spamming the healing mechanics is necessary to keep them alive and some tough fights render even that tactic obsolete.
The big disappointment is that almost all of the elements of The Bureau: XCOM Declassified sound good when taken separately, but the development team at 2K Marin has not found a way to link them together and make the entire experience meaningful.