The Bureau: XCom Declassified

DampCat

DampCat

DampCat

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Ok so what do we know about this game?

I only just got the latest XCom game but it seemed quite fun and seems to have garnered a lot of support and good reviews.

I can't seem to find much out about this latest iteration though. I didn't see a release planned and it popped out of nowhere.

So, what do we know?
 
I don't know much detail but I believe its a 3rd person shooter so different to the recent XCom game, I understand its been delayed a fair bit.

Release date is 23/08/13

It was possible to pre-order it from GMG a few days ago for as little as £20.25 but I think that particular deal has ended, but knowing GMG will be back at some point, currently they have it for £26.99 with £7 GMG credit. There are also some great bonuses for pre-ordering from Steam or GMG, assuming it hits the targets you get the following:

Level 1 - Codebreakers DLC
Level 2 - Spec Ops: The Line
Level 3: XCOM Collection (All previous XCOM games)

I've been tempted to pre-order but worried in case its a dissapointment.
 
It's also set in the 60's as I understand so chronologically it's not in line with the others. I'm going to guess it's an XCOM: Origins style game? Could lead to some great art direction though, i really hope it's not a disappointment.
 
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The combat is similar to the other XCOM game but not identical.

Once the level starts its real time, you can slow it down temporarily in order to issue orders but you cannot stop time entirely and your "slow time" is limited.

Theres no researching or tech trees as far as I can see from the reviews.
Theres no finance / base management, or at least its not mentioned in the reviews.
(although that was an odd feature. I think you would probably have a blank check on day 1 and a pretty decent base, pool of soldiers.)

There is a slightly more intentional humorous element and also by accident from the 60s style.

Recognisable aliens from the XCOM universe but different and more powerfull.

I think this is classed as an action game with strategy elements, where as Enemy Unknown was a strategy game with action elements.
 
MonkeyBasher said:
The combat is similar to the other XCOM game but not identical.

Once the level starts its real time, you can slow it down temporarily in order to issue orders but you cannot stop time entirely and your "slow time" is limited.
Click to expand...
That's not similar at all then. XCom is traditionally turn based.

Theres no researching or tech trees
Theres no finance / base management
Click to expand...

Massive fail, then.

They should have called it something else besides XCom if they're not going to give us anything that made XCom great.

No research? No base management?

Why do they keep clinging to the mentality of the "franchise" when two games are completely dis-similar? You annoy all your existing fanbase and the new players don't give two hoots about the name anyhow?
 
It is an XCOM game but its part of the OTHER XCOM series. There was a FPS XCOM that followed similar lines to the Turn based one and this appears to try and take bits of both into a new game. While I love the Turn based genre I enjoy it when companies do something different and I am looking forward to this.
 
Hope there will be a demo mission to get a feel for it. The review I watched did inspire me although the bits shown could be best bits. Can't find the link for it now.
 
I was a few videos on youtube that show gameplay... it does appear to have been developed for a console (What isn't these days) and ported over to the PC so I wonder how well a keyboard and mouse will actually work with this.
 
mark43 said:
I don't see anything wrong with doing a different type of game, just as long as people don't expect it to be the same.
Click to expand...

Indeed.

I was more excited back in the early days, to be honest, once I came to terms with the fact that it wasn't "the XCOM we know". Started to look rather interesting, with a focus on horror that clashed with the pulpy visuals.

There's a nice video online that shows the evolution it took from a strange, abstract horror FPS, through to basically "Band of Brothers: Alien Invasion", and finally the combat of the Mass Effect series with the enemies lifted from the most recent successful remake of Enemy Unknown (which, while I can see why they've done it, flies disappointingly in the face of their original bold intentions just to cash in on said success).
 
mark43 said:
I don't see anything wrong with doing a different type of game, just as long as people don't expect it to be the same.
Click to expand...

So why put XCom in the name then?

Sure there's nothing wrong in making any kind of game you want. But why take a name for a game that's traditionally one thing, and use it for something compeletely different?
 
They have kept the name because it is a, and I quote it's "A re imagining of the series set in the 60s" and with Xcom starting as a Federal government agency within the USA. Its kind of a loose connection and they clearly are piggy backing off the success of the XCOM name but they can essentially do with it as they please. It features the same enemies and same premise just done in a slightly different way.

If they didn't do this there would be someone somewhere saying they were trying to cash in on XCOM and *Insert generic TPS here* success by melding the 2 genres.... at least we know it comes from a series with at least some depth.
 
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