I didn't know what to expect from The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. 2K had changed directions on its development and it didn't sound like it would still offer strategy or management. What they delivered is actually excellent, although it's probably not for everyone when you consider the poor reviews it's been getting from most reviewers.
First of all, this is a sci-game that does take place in the XCOM universe. You will notice many references to X-COM: Enemy Unknown, especially when dealing with some of the enemies and their technology. It's also a cover based shooter, taking inspiration from such games as Mass Effect.
The Bureau has management and role playing aspects that are accessed through the base the character you control, Agent Carter, is stationed at. As you talk to people and perform tasks for them, or send your agents on missions of their own, you get to oversee at least some of what goes on as you fight the aliens.
Like many similar games, each agent has a class, a sub-class, and an associated skill tree. Agents level up and you select or upgrade their skills. You also find and unlock new items such as new backpacks and weapons and the base lab also works on developing new weaponry.
The base is interesting and provides a fair amount of content just in side-quests and conversations, but the combat is really what sets The Bureau apart from other games. You directly control only Agent Carter on the field, and that is straightforward enough. It's not the best shooting in the world but it's pretty solid.
You always take two agents with you into battle. They will take cover, move to better cover, and fire their weapons on their own, but if you want them to use their skills and fight more effectively, you access a control wheel, which slows time down considerably, and issue orders. Since time is constantly moving they will execute the orders as you're giving new ones, which means you can issue each agent as many orders as are available and they won't skip a beat.
Combat can be quite frantic, and on the default difficulty level agents will fall in battle quite often. You or another agent has to revive them or they will bleed out and die. You then either have to live with the death or reload the last checkpoint, which might mean you lose a fair amount of progress.
Visually the game looks good but isn't stunning. The frame rate never skips a beat and while the graphics might not be cutting edge there is nothing wrong with them. The game takes place in 1962 and the settings, clothing, and voice acting all support that well. The whole premise is of course convoluted, this is sci-fi, but works well in the context of the game.
If you liked the original Mass Effect and/or X-COM: Enemy Unknown, you may very well like The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. The story is well told, the characters and visuals are convincing, and the strategy based shooting is fun. The light RPG elements keep things exciting as agents gain new skills, and the quest/mission system is open enough to give you some flexibility and allow you to manage your roster of agents.
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