-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
The Bureau: X-COM Declassified |OT| It's all about Taction
- Thread starter Pops Maellard
- Start date
phantomspiker
Member
BoosterDuck
Banned
Nemesis_
Member
Yeah, I wasn't confused but I can easily say it's definitely not what I was expecting at all, lol
Rei no Otaku
Member
I actually liked what they did with the main character. Kind of a neat idea.
Oh I really enjoyed it too. I think everything in the last section elevated the game for me (aside from the disappointing final fight)
Mobius and pet octopus
Member
I loved the game. It has a bit of roughness with the AI when you're not giving them commands. And sometimes certain events (like being lifted by an enemy drone) makes them forget their command and default to follow which can lead them to their dying. I played it on commander, the hardest mode, and when someone drops in a firefight, they drop for that firefight even if you stop them from bleeding out. I lost no one permanently, even on the hardest mode in my first play through. This is a stark and very noticeable departure from other xcom games where on the hardest mode... yeah... people die. Despite that I felt challenged, particularly in several optional missions and the last couple missions.
I played on PC, KBM and the controls were pretty good. Not perfect but the only thing that got to me was selecting which teammate to control by the ability bar made it hard to use the keyboard controls. I felt the game was of medium difficulty on commander after I learned how to control my teammates well enough.
The story was very good and well paced. I'd say the base segments had the only slow parts in the game but the good amount of dialogue and options were enjoyable anyway. The game also gives you some choices and one choice in particular probably had my head buzzing due to the conflict of morality, risk, and gain involved.
And for that last choice -big spoiler-
I played on PC, KBM and the controls were pretty good. Not perfect but the only thing that got to me was selecting which teammate to control by the ability bar made it hard to use the keyboard controls. I felt the game was of medium difficulty on commander after I learned how to control my teammates well enough.
The story was very good and well paced. I'd say the base segments had the only slow parts in the game but the good amount of dialogue and options were enjoyable anyway. The game also gives you some choices and one choice in particular probably had my head buzzing due to the conflict of morality, risk, and gain involved.
And for that last choice -big spoiler-
RIP Carter
archnemesis
Member
Turning off PhyX did the trick for me.
gamemadmax
Member
hows the 360 ver
I played on veteran and had the same experience and kept my two original squadmates the whole game. It didnt seem like there was even a way to fail the dispatch missions so my backup roster stayed alive too.
It was kind of funny looking at the soldier memorial on the base, and the only three people listed on it were dead because the plot dictated it.
Yeah, no physx and no relections and the game runs perfect for me with everything else on the highest setting.
Mobius and pet octopus
Member
I wonder if the upcoming xcom EU expansion is going to have a tie in to the bureau. At the end of the bureau
your agent is debriefing to a guy who sounds like the chariman or whoever that leader is of xcom in xcom enemy unknown, plus the ethereal is still out there somewhere.
v0mitg0d
Member
I'm going to go ahead and stand up with those here that really love this game.
I'm...stunned. It's really really enjoyable! Random thoughts and comments:
- I love playing a 60s tough guy. It's nice not playing "The Chosen One" or "You come from a long string of blah blah...". The dude it just good at what he does, has some faults and issues particularly with authority since he lost his family and just wants to get the job done his way.
- Walking around the base feels like walking around the Citadel in Mass Effect. Wish there were more people to chat with though, and even more lore/background stuff to read. I really dislike the lame design of letter/notes. It takes up like 1/5 of the screen and you have to scroll to read through it. Weird.
- The combat it complicated, at least for me it was. It took me a while to get my head wrapped around it and get comfortable with issuing commands. This is no way a run & gunner. You have to dodge-roll, stay put and work together.
- The lipsynching is way off, but I just put on subtitles and read ahead of the voice acting anyway.
- It's gorgeous on my PC. Turn off Screen Space Reflections--it's a HOG!
Ok need to play more...bye!
I'm...stunned. It's really really enjoyable! Random thoughts and comments:
- I love playing a 60s tough guy. It's nice not playing "The Chosen One" or "You come from a long string of blah blah...". The dude it just good at what he does, has some faults and issues particularly with authority since he lost his family and just wants to get the job done his way.
- Walking around the base feels like walking around the Citadel in Mass Effect. Wish there were more people to chat with though, and even more lore/background stuff to read. I really dislike the lame design of letter/notes. It takes up like 1/5 of the screen and you have to scroll to read through it. Weird.
- The combat it complicated, at least for me it was. It took me a while to get my head wrapped around it and get comfortable with issuing commands. This is no way a run & gunner. You have to dodge-roll, stay put and work together.
- The lipsynching is way off, but I just put on subtitles and read ahead of the voice acting anyway.
- It's gorgeous on my PC. Turn off Screen Space Reflections--it's a HOG!
Ok need to play more...bye!
Haunted
Member
I love the 60s spacesuit designs. Make me giddy every time.
Or like there were two or three different plot pitches and they couldn't decide on one and just ended up cramming all of them into the last couple missions.
It feels like the last missions were designed by three different teams who didn't communicate with each other, only vaguely aware of what they were building towards.
Or like there were two or three different plot pitches and they couldn't decide on one and just ended up cramming all of them into the last couple missions.
Mobius and pet octopus
Member
It sounds like you haven't gotten to the best part yet, you should check back after you get there... and you'll know
MrTroubleMaker
Member
I'm liking this game too, only done a few missions. Its great to walk around the base talking to people. I just wish it would save more often. I went though a bunch of the base stuff, turned the game off and had to do it all over again.
Yeah, one of my friends tried to play this like Mass Effect 2 then ended up mad at the world. You have to sift through each fight on its own. The game 'clicked' for me when I was fighting a sectopod in this parking lot and even though I wanted to just position my guys on two opposite walls and sandwich the thing, the other enemies there pivoted right off of the thing. The sectopod essentially became part of the battlefield since there was no way for me to bring it down fast. All that I could do was keep shifting my positions until the small fry were handled and no longer able to flank off the sides of the sectopod. Game taught me then and there how to move.
v0mitg0d
Member
It sounds like you haven't gotten to the best part yet, you should check back after you get there... and you'll know
Huh? what? Wait do you get to upgrade the base too?!
v0mitg0d
Member
omg now i must the bureau!
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
I think it would have gotten better reviews as a budget DD game. I feel like the mid-tier is a no man's land for full retail releases now.
Pretty much. When you get a good strategy working, everything clicks and you feel awesome. I guess its got that and standard XCOM in common. When a plan comes together, you feel like an awesome commander. When it doesnt and you get ripped to shreds...its pretty demoralizing.
Bouncing back and forth between this and restarting XCOM: EU after forgetting what I was doing...I really do wish The Bureau operatives wouldnt acknowledge certain enemies when they've never seen them before...or at least you'd assume they hadnt (like running into
Silenoids
Fragamemnon
Member
Finished tonight on Commander difficultly. Yes it has rough edges but the overall level design and aesthetic are great, and for the most part combat works and is interesting. I thought almost all of the main and minor operations designs were great.
The main low point was that Mass Effect style XCOM base interactions didn't really turn out that well and the story felt pretty patched together right up until the last mission.
The only way you give this a 4.5-5/10 is if you are a baddie who plays it on super easy so the combat becomes uninteresting and then get completely hung up on what you think and XCOM game must have and slam the game for not executing features for the sake of franchise even though probably don't apply to a totally different kind of game.
I enjoyed this game only slightly less than Tomb Raider and that's been my favorite AAA game this year that I have played.
The main low point was that Mass Effect style XCOM base interactions didn't really turn out that well and the story felt pretty patched together right up until the last mission.
The only way you give this a 4.5-5/10 is if you are a baddie who plays it on super easy so the combat becomes uninteresting and then get completely hung up on what you think and XCOM game must have and slam the game for not executing features for the sake of franchise even though probably don't apply to a totally different kind of game.
I enjoyed this game only slightly less than Tomb Raider and that's been my favorite AAA game this year that I have played.
Cameron122
Member
Okay so in terms of where I am right now
I've done every extra mission I can so far. How much longer is the game?
in Pima Arizona, Weir is with me and he's acting funky with Mosaic
Boss Riovane
Member
I understood the narrative and the direction they were going for in the game but personally I wouldve loved to have more "side" missions. I had an absolute blast between story running those down and having some almost "episodic" type story to go along with it.
But its funny because I had the same wish for Xcom:EU. Almost like a skirmish mode where there wasnt really anything pending but you could grind almost. It would have been fun. So far Im headed to
But its funny because I had the same wish for Xcom:EU. Almost like a skirmish mode where there wasnt really anything pending but you could grind almost. It would have been fun. So far Im headed to
Face Axis. I just saw Pete and I think Im getting closer to the end. I know about the story going off the rails so i think I have one more major story quest inside the base before I have to make the decision.
Fragamemnon
Member
This is about 60% of the way through, at least it was for me.
SlasherJPC
Banned
Glad to see others getting into this and appreciating it for what it is and not what it isn't. Highly pleased, just need to play some more.
Alessandro
Member
This game was a pleasant surprise. 2K Marin surprised me with Bioshock 2 and did it again with The Bureau, I wonder what they might come up with if given carte blanche.
Now,Some positive comments:
And some negative:
In the end it feel too simple and basic: I eagerly await for a sequel in which they address every shortcoming. It's a decent tps on it's own and I consider it more interesting as overall if compared to Enemy Unknown.
I'd say it's worth your time.
Now,Some positive comments:
- Story is competent enough, I was expecting the worst but 2k Marin managed to flip the cards all game long. The last of part of the game is where it really shows off, it's something you don't usually see and it a nice break from usual turn of events we're used to.
- Game on Veteran is pretty easy, you might want to crank up difficulty in the second half of the game.
- Level design works as intended, never had issue flanking enemies and using abilities. Pace is spot on, never had the feeling I was dredging through boring sections or had too much action.
- Where Enemy Unknown felt too "cartoony" with the story this nailed the overall tone from the beginning. In particular the sleepwalkers.
- Honourable mention for the walking animation: you can move by making the tiniest steps and it's hilarious.
And some negative:
- Pathfinding need to be tweaked: it gets stuck on stairs and can't lock on targets above your character.
- In general it lacks of variety: more abilities would be welcome because you end up using the same 3-4 from pretty early in the game. And maybe more weapons?
- Audio files are a questionable choice and alongside with notes they don't really add nothing relevant to the story. They don't unlock side missions, lore, characters, no nothing.
- I did all the talks I could in the base but I'm not really if they unlocked me anything: only once I was able to recruit a Russian agent that ended up being a lvl 3 engineer but nothing else.
In the end it feel too simple and basic: I eagerly await for a sequel in which they address every shortcoming. It's a decent tps on it's own and I consider it more interesting as overall if compared to Enemy Unknown.
I'd say it's worth your time.
Cameron122
Member
Shame this game is so underrated, almost feel like it would have done better under a different license :/ like Call of Cthulhu: Delta Green or Star Wars. I like that it is XCOM though
Stuck at a boss battle maybe around midway through the game
Stuck at a boss battle maybe around midway through the game
Axis, second battle, commander difficulty. Very tough :I
archnemesis
Member
According to Steam it lasted me 15 hours, but that sounds a bit high to me. I finished every sidequest, read every line of dialogue and died frequently on the second highest difficulty. I stopped reading the notes and documents that are littered throughout the levels after the first third.
masterkajo
Member
15 hours for me too (also did all side missions available). I am not actually finished but I am before the last mission. I have about 1-2 hour total idle time with toilet breaks and eating, I'd say. So yeah, 15 hours total for a complete playthrough sounds right.
EDIT: Maybe I should say that I played on the hardest difficulty. Died at least once per mission.
phantomspiker
Member
Took me about 13 hours.
Boss Riovane
Member
Well I clocked in at 16 hours with all side quest and side missions. Didn't lose an agent and I was playing on veteran. I honestly enjoyed the experience. Had a lot of fun once the characters were rank 5. And since I didn't lose anyone I had plenty of mix and match powers so lot of experimentation. By the end I still hasn't settled on which combination I liked the most but overall I was satisfied with the game overall. I felt it caught its groove when you were open to plan how you wanted. Quick charge FTW. I would recommend it. I think it will hit cult status like Binary Domain and Alpha Protocol. Funny I loved those 2 as well.
Story/player choice spoilers-
You have the option to bring the infected Nico DeSylvia back to base. If you do eventually you'll be asked to assist in curing him and if you're succesful you unlock a dispatch mission where you can send agents out to administer the discovered cure
Thats the only other unlockable I can think of with the base stuff. I agree they dropped the ball in that deparment
masterkajo
Member
Ah, didn't know that. In my game
I sent him on a suicide distraction.
Anyway, just finished the game and while it is true that it is mediocre at almost anything, I really did like their story "twist". I just don't like the execution about it. The funny thing is about 3 years ago I was thinking if I should every make a video game myself, this would be the twist, I'd throw in. Now I am happy and sad at the same time: Happy that it did try to do it, and sad that they just didn't nail it, IMO.
About the gameplay: I played on the hardest difficulty and that when your agents get downed you can only stabilize them really hurt me often. Especially towards the end when there are just waves of waves of enemies each taking 10+ shots point blank with your best weapon. I was kiting enemies alone for about 10 minutes in the last fights. The abilities and squad commands where a good idea but in the end I just ended up spamming all available abilities and position my teammates behind high cover way back just so they won't die and I have their abilities for the remainder of the fight.
Also, the base felt pretty empty and notes (hate the torn paper design with scrolling) and audio files weren't really that interesting. All in all the story was pretty meh, IMO. No feel of urgency and awesome moments (except maybe
the mission under the lake which had an exotic atmosphere to it
But it was not all bad. I liked the atmosphere of the game and the graphics were fine too. Sometimes I even felt the urge to get back and do some commanding. The best parts were not big fights but rather small fights where you think beforehand, form a strategy and execute it. When it all comes together you don't even have to shoot yourself. Pretty rewarding.
All in all, I'd say it is worth a playthrough if you like games like Mass Effect 1 but don't expect the story or characters to be on the same level. Also, I would definitely wait for a big price drop.
fizzelopeguss
Banned
The games fatal mistake was not giving out all the skills available in the first couple of missions, everything is a lot more enjoyable when you're throwing out goop, mines, drones and turrets.
chrominance
Member
Seeing so many people in this thread call Veteran a cakewalk makes me doubt my right to play games, because I just had to drop down to Squaddie after my second minor op. I'm still struggling with the Battle Focus controls--I wish 2K Marin had chosen either mouse OR keyboard to select a squadmate and power, because allowing both makes it really hard to use.
But more than that, I feel like everyone's incredibly weak. Anything marked half-cover may as well not be there, given how quickly my guys collapse behind them. They'll charge into battle well before I want them to, which is another good recipe for getting their asses shot. Their success rate at getting away from grenades is only decent, not amazing, and there are a LOT of grenades. They never get into cover when reviving people. They often pick the worst piece of cover to use when fighting people. I've even seen one of my squadmates run TOWARDS a giant robot-like alien (I guess because YOLO, goddammit).
Add to that the problem of running out of ammo during some fights and the fact that I have so few agents and they don't level up very fast AND I'm paranoid about losing them because the game is already so hard and I haven't even done my second major operation yet. I must be doing something wrong, and I'm usually not this awful at either SRPGs or shooters. Help!
But more than that, I feel like everyone's incredibly weak. Anything marked half-cover may as well not be there, given how quickly my guys collapse behind them. They'll charge into battle well before I want them to, which is another good recipe for getting their asses shot. Their success rate at getting away from grenades is only decent, not amazing, and there are a LOT of grenades. They never get into cover when reviving people. They often pick the worst piece of cover to use when fighting people. I've even seen one of my squadmates run TOWARDS a giant robot-like alien (I guess because YOLO, goddammit).
Add to that the problem of running out of ammo during some fights and the fact that I have so few agents and they don't level up very fast AND I'm paranoid about losing them because the game is already so hard and I haven't even done my second major operation yet. I must be doing something wrong, and I'm usually not this awful at either SRPGs or shooters. Help!
You definitely are. Unless you've played a lot of Mass Effect 1 and 2 on hardcore, I definitely wouldn't suggest hopping into this on Veteran. The thing is, if you have a guy taking fire from multiple enemies at once from certain ranges, they're going to get ate up fast - especially if the enemy has a height advantage on them. Half cover should be seen primarily as transition-type cover. It can work out for your guys, but you should never assume that they'll be "set" behind it. Also, if enemies rush their position or your guys take too much damage there, they WILL retreat and fuck up your entire gameplan without any real heads up for you.
The game very briefly touches on this at one point, but I'll do it again - RANGE MATTERS. Keep it in mind at all times. Enemy types matter too. So don't have your snipers and engineers marking drones as targets and don't send your support to flank with his pistol. There's a significant difference in the performance of some seemingly identical weapons too. The Laser Rifle and Plasma Cannon will act differently so plan accordingly. Plasma does damage over time and is more of a long to semi-long range weapon that is basically semi-auto while the Laser is more of a rapid fire/burst style weapon. It is the best mid-range option. SO, knowing this, plan your backpacks out to make sense. If you've got a soldier that's meant to buffer enemy attacks and be a muton speedbump, then give him the gunner pack so that he can shoot longer bursts between moves and take more damage as he hauls ass. Give your engi recharge and ability range bonuses. Make sure your sniper is getting the most out of each critical strike. Etc. Most of all, make sure you plan out how your team should be killing the enemy. If you have a support and engineer on your team, know that you're the driving force behind every fight - every enemy reaction will be based on you since none of the other guys are good at initiating fights compared the sniper and commando.Commando/Sniper? You're the harassing agent - keep enemies busy and occupied between taunt and critical strike. Etc.
There's a lot to the combat system but it can give you problems if you don't want to flow with it.
Fairly good game but the most aggravating thing about it is how bad your troops are at avoiding grenades. One time I saw one of my guys roll away from a grenade and then snap back into cover right on top of it as it exploded. On the hardest difficulty you can't fully revive guys so it gets extremely annoying.
My other main problem is how dull most of the secondary characters are. In Mass Effect, you wanted to run around and talk to everyone you could. Even characters like Pressly were interesting in some way and had their own internal conflicts and motivations. In the Bureau, talking with everyone feels more like a chore. The snarky analyst guy is just a snarky analyst. The peppy communications expert is just a peppy communications expert. No character development.
Also, on the last battle did anyone else
My other main problem is how dull most of the secondary characters are. In Mass Effect, you wanted to run around and talk to everyone you could. Even characters like Pressly were interesting in some way and had their own internal conflicts and motivations. In the Bureau, talking with everyone feels more like a chore. The snarky analyst guy is just a snarky analyst. The peppy communications expert is just a peppy communications expert. No character development.
Also, on the last battle did anyone else
not realize that you had to press the button to end the game? I just kept trying to fight Mutons. I died like 15 times and killed lots of Mutons until I noticed that the Mutons were respawning and that I might be in an endless wave situation. On one hand I was mildly annoyed by that, on the other I did enjoy the ridiculously high challenge of it.
#¤"#¤ this game, particularly the friendly AI. The game is all about commanding your units and NOT LETTING THEM DIE but the game fights your commands every chance it gets. I put my guys into high cover and less than five seconds later both of them are running for inferior cover, against the enemies, and obviously under fire. Both dead, good job. This happens all the time.
When you run out of ammo against a muton, good luck trying to run for the ammo box because your guys will freak out and usually run straight into the muton regardless of what your orders are.
I really like the setting and basic idea, but there are some horrible gameplay flaws in this game.
When you run out of ammo against a muton, good luck trying to run for the ammo box because your guys will freak out and usually run straight into the muton regardless of what your orders are.
I really like the setting and basic idea, but there are some horrible gameplay flaws in this game.
I am from Barcelona!
Similar threads
- Locked