I've been playing
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified for a couple days now and just finished it. Thankfully it was a (late) 360 era port, so I could continue playing even with the older backup graphics card.
Anyway, it's a 3rd person, squad based cover shooter set in 60s Amerika aaand - actually perfectly serviceable? Considering the development history, that is a bit of a surprise:
The game had been in development under different titles by three different studios since 2006. It was unveiled as a first-person shooter titled XCOM in June 2010 and was repeatedly delayed until its release. In April 2013, the game was rebranded as The Bureau: XCOM Declassified. In its final version, it became a third-person tactical shooter with strategy video game elements.
After the intro/tutorial, you pick two squadmates from a roster of classes I already forget and off you go, steadfastly fighting off an alien invasion, accruing levels, alien weaponry and strange telekinetic powers along the way (very strange powers, which nobody remarks on, curiosely). In-between missions, you can also walk around the base, make bland conversatios with the personel and even do a couple side quests right there, but I found none of it really worth doing. The space mainly serves as a background for dialogue, much as your ship in Mass Effect, but unlike ME it doesn't actually have any interesting characters to talk to.
Combat resembles ME as well, though it is much more unforgiving. You have no recharging shields, ammo can be scarce and sitting in the same spot popping heads will certainly be punished, as even a basic enemy type frequently flushes you out with grenades. Difficulty ramps up slowly, however, and the basic approach to combat stops changing once you and your enemies are fully developed, weapon upgrades notwithstanding. I eventually found myself mindlessly putting everything I have on cooldown, only giving commanders or spawners more careful attention. There is a good bit of game left after you are fully powered up and I can see people putting it down soon after, but I had enough fun to push to the end where it again shows inspiration from ME by giving you a couple of tough choices to make, which culminate in what I assume are three distinct endings.
The story is surprisingly grim and self-serious throughout. Every bit of dialogue drips with stoic determination. No levity at all, though I understand that turn-based XCOMs situational humor is difficult to replicate. Not (entirely) surprising is the twist, though they commit to it fully.
spoiler (click to show/hide)
You're actually playing an Ethereal inhabiting the protagonist. It's neat in how it re-contextualizes the perspective you play from, but the lampshading until then is weak.
Side note: the player character and deployables seem to share movement code, as even mines and turrets 'stick' to cover and have to be pried off it by holding in the opposite direction and even drop down ledges at the same speed as you or a squaddie would. Doesn't get in the way though. No more than sprint and cover being on the same button. Ahem.
