Backlog 365: Day 18 - The Bureau: XCOM Declassified

For Backlog 365 I plan on playing one game on my backlog everyday this year and write about it. For each game I will decide if I want to put it on my "Shelved" list (games that I plan to come back to and play in depth) or put it on the "Retired" list (games that I will delete or sell and move on with my life).

• January 18
• PC
• Time Played: 49 minutes

I ended up actually doing some research on this game! After playing The Bureau:XCOM Declassified I was, just, confused. I was not sure exactly what I just played. I knew that The Bureau was not like XCOM and I knew that it was some kind of shooter, but knowing that still did not explain the weird thing I played. It really felt like I was playing three different games at the same time. There was the thriller/horror game, the shooter/cover game, and the real-time tactical strategy game. Usually, having a game that blends genres is a good thing, but The Bureau doesn't feel "blended" but disconnected. I was certainly not surprised to read about the tumultuous development history of The Bureau.

The 30 minutes to 1 hour I play of these game to test them usually doesn't give me enough information to really pass judgement on them, but I feel like I got a pretty strong sense of what a mess The Bureau is. I don't think that because it feel so disjointed and a mess completely precludes it from ultimately being a decent game, although it doesn't bode well. I have certainly played a games that have felt like hot messes, stuck with them, and in the end felt like I truly gained something positive from playing them. But, these days, where my time feel more and more precious, I don't have time to find out if The Bureau is one of those redemption stories.

Judgement: Retired