<s>
The	B-Application
Bureau	I-Application
:	I-Application
XCOM	I-Application
Declassified	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2013	O
tactical	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
eighth	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
turn-based	O
strategy	O
series	O
X-COM	B-Application
and	O
a	O
narrative	O
prequel	O
to	O
XCOM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
in	O
August	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
in	O
late	O
1962	O
at	O
the	O
height	O
of	O
the	O
Cold	B-Application
War	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
premise	O
mainly	O
revolves	O
around	O
The	O
Bureau	O
,	O
the	O
predecessor	O
of	O
the	O
Extraterrestrial	O
Combat	O
Unit	O
(	O
XCOM	O
)	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
attempt	O
to	O
repel	O
an	O
alien	O
invasion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
permanently	B-Application
lose	O
their	O
squad	O
members	O
so	O
they	O
must	O
make	O
good	O
tactical	O
decisions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
after	O
2K	O
Australia	O
was	O
removed	O
from	O
the	O
project	O
due	O
to	O
communication	O
issues	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
studios	O
,	O
the	O
Marin	O
team	O
decided	O
to	O
focus	O
more	O
on	O
teamwork	O
and	O
tactical	O
elements	O
and	O
rebranded	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
The	B-Application
Bureau	I-Application
:	I-Application
XCOM	I-Application
Declassified	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Bureau	I-Application
:	I-Application
XCOM	I-Application
Declassified	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
upon	O
release	O
,	O
with	O
critics	O
praising	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
tactical	O
elements	O
and	O
art	O
style	O
but	O
criticizing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
,	O
permadeath	B-Application
system	O
,	O
narrative	O
,	O
and	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Bureau	I-Application
:	I-Application
XCOM	I-Application
Declassified	I-Application
is	O
a	O
tactical	O
shooter	O
played	O
from	O
a	O
third-person	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
a	O
dialogue	B-Application
tree	I-Application
,	O
players	O
can	O
select	O
different	O
conversation	O
options	O
when	O
talking	O
to	O
non-playable	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
assign	O
commands	O
to	O
two	O
companions	O
who	O
are	O
controlled	O
by	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
(	O
AI	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
agent	O
will	O
become	O
permanently	B-Application
unconscious	I-Application
or	I-Application
die	I-Application
if	O
Carter	O
is	O
unable	O
to	O
revive	O
the	O
agent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
these	O
upgrades	O
include	O
alien	O
powers	O
such	O
as	O
cloaking	B-Device
,	O
levitation	O
(	O
which	O
ascends	O
enemies	O
hiding	O
between	O
cover	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
pulse	O
wave	O
(	O
which	O
knocks	O
down	O
enemies	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
set	O
in	O
late	O
1962	O
at	O
the	O
height	O
of	O
the	O
Cold	B-Application
War	I-Application
between	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
Soviet	O
Union	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
no	O
way	O
to	O
contact	O
the	O
White	B-Application
House	I-Application
and	O
other	O
American	O
military	O
leaders	O
,	O
Faulke	O
formally	O
activates	O
the	O
bureau	O
which	O
is	O
renamed	O
as	O
XCOM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Carter	O
's	O
team	O
travels	O
through	O
a	O
portal	O
to	O
the	O
Outsider	O
home	O
world	O
using	O
the	O
Avenger	O
,	O
a	O
flying	B-Language
saucer	I-Language
XCOM	O
has	O
developed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
musical	O
score	O
segues	O
into	O
a	O
theme	O
from	O
XCOM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Take-Two	O
Interactive	O
,	O
the	O
parent	O
company	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
publisher	O
2K	O
Games	O
,	O
purchased	O
the	O
intellectual	O
property	O
rights	O
of	O
X-COM	B-Application
from	O
Infogrames	O
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Irrational	O
Games	O
,	O
led	O
by	O
Ken	O
Levine	O
,	O
was	O
primarily	O
focused	O
on	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
BioShock	B-Application
but	O
the	O
team	O
wanted	O
to	O
develop	O
two	O
projects	O
simultaneously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
offices	O
created	O
different	O
pitches	O
for	O
a	O
new	O
X-COM	B-Application
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
attempted	O
to	O
return	O
to	O
the	O
strategy	O
root	O
of	O
the	O
franchise	O
using	O
the	O
engine	O
that	O
powered	O
Freedom	B-Application
Force	I-Application
but	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
and	O
the	O
team	O
's	O
expertise	O
in	O
first-person	O
shooters	O
(	O
having	O
worked	O
on	O
SWAT	B-Application
4	I-Application
and	O
System	B-Application
Shock	I-Application
2	I-Application
)	O
,	O
they	O
changed	O
genres	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Levine	O
's	O
Boston	O
office	O
withdrew	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
development	O
to	O
focus	O
on	O
BioShocks	B-Application
production	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
stalled	O
when	O
Take-Two	O
assigned	O
2K	O
Australia	O
to	O
assist	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
BioShock	B-Application
and	O
its	O
sequel	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pitch	O
was	O
named	O
X-COM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
,	O
a	O
word	O
play	O
on	O
UFO	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
,	O
the	O
first	O
X-COM	B-Application
title	O
,	O
while	O
also	O
reflecting	O
the	O
mysterious	O
and	O
unknowable	O
nature	O
of	O
the	O
aliens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
drafted	O
a	O
cooperative	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
similar	O
to	O
Left	B-Application
4	I-Application
Dead	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
would	O
also	O
have	O
an	O
AI	B-Application
director	O
to	O
determine	O
when	O
and	O
where	O
enemies	O
would	O
spawn	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
2K	O
Marin	O
had	O
no	O
idea	O
how	O
to	O
animate	O
and	O
program	B-Application
the	I-Application
behaviors	I-Application
of	O
an	O
enemy	O
that	O
was	O
"	O
unknowable	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jonathan	O
Pelling	O
,	O
the	O
creative	O
director	O
,	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
team	O
tried	O
to	O
uphold	O
the	O
"	O
core	O
X-COM	B-Application
tenets	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jordan	O
Thomas	O
became	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
narrative	O
director	O
and	O
he	O
pushed	O
the	O
setting	O
to	O
1962	O
—	O
the	O
height	O
of	O
Cold	B-Application
War	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thomas	O
envisioned	O
the	O
rebooted	O
project	O
as	O
a	O
link	O
between	O
Firaxis	O
Games	O
 '	O
XCOM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
and	O
the	O
older	O
X-COM	B-Application
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thomas	O
left	O
the	O
project	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
BioShock	B-Application
Infinite	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
departure	O
of	O
Thomas	O
,	O
Zak	O
McClendon	O
,	O
the	O
narrative	O
designer	O
of	O
BioShock	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
led	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
gameplay	O
design	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Under	O
his	O
guidance	O
,	O
2K	O
Marin	O
began	O
including	O
classic	O
X-COM	B-Application
enemies	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
has	O
multiple	O
references	O
to	O
XCOM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
and	O
other	O
X-COM	B-Application
games	O
,	O
though	O
the	O
enemies	O
are	O
less	O
advanced	O
than	O
those	O
in	O
Firaxis	O
 '	O
reboot	O
since	O
the	O
story	O
takes	O
place	O
over	O
60	O
years	O
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
Normandy	O
ship	O
in	O
the	O
Mass	B-Application
Effect	I-Application
trilogy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
XCOM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
,	O
players	O
could	O
not	O
conduct	O
any	O
research	O
as	O
time	O
did	O
not	O
pass	O
between	O
missions	O
and	O
the	O
team	O
believed	O
that	O
research	O
would	O
disrupt	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
narrative	O
and	O
remove	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
tension	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Seeing	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
difficult	O
games	O
like	O
XCOM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
,	O
Dark	B-Application
Souls	I-Application
and	O
Fire	B-Application
Emblem	I-Application
,	O
the	O
team	O
designed	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
unforgiving	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
are	O
easily	O
outnumbered	O
and	O
agents	O
can	O
die	B-Application
permanently	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
AI	B-Application
was	O
programmed	O
to	O
ensure	O
that	O
the	O
accompanying	O
agents	O
could	O
survive	O
on	O
their	O
own	O
,	O
though	O
they	O
require	O
player	O
input	O
to	O
function	O
effectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inspired	O
by	O
Fallout	B-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
the	O
design	O
team	O
aimed	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
fluid	O
gameplay	O
experience	O
with	O
deep	O
strategy	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
XCOM	O
was	O
announced	O
on	O
April	O
13	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
for	O
Windows	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Julian	O
Gollop	O
,	O
the	O
creator	O
of	O
the	O
X-COM	B-Application
series	O
,	O
was	O
disappointed	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
first-person	O
perspective	O
and	O
he	O
criticized	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
abandoning	O
the	O
turn-based	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
2K	O
Games	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
be	O
released	O
March	O
6	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
same	O
day	O
as	O
competitor	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
released	O
Mass	B-Application
Effect	I-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
release	O
was	O
delayed	O
until	O
2013	O
and	O
then	O
until	O
2K	O
Game	O
's	O
fiscal	O
year	O
2014	O
,	O
which	O
meant	O
that	O
the	O
franchise	O
would	O
be	O
relaunched	O
with	O
Firaxis	O
 '	O
XCOM	B-Application
:	I-Application
Enemy	I-Application
Unknown	I-Application
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
official	O
website	O
and	O
all	O
promotional	O
videos	O
and	O
trailers	O
for	O
XCOM	O
on	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
were	O
removed	O
by	O
the	O
publisher	O
,	O
and	O
2K	O
Games	O
teased	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
undergone	O
a	O
major	O
evolution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Bureau	I-Application
:	I-Application
XCOM	I-Application
Declassified	I-Application
was	O
officially	O
announced	O
on	O
April	O
26	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
TransGaming	O
handled	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
release	O
for	O
the	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
platform	O
in	O
December	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Henry	O
Hobson	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
directed	O
the	O
opening	O
sequence	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Last	I-Application
of	I-Application
Us	I-Application
and	O
the	O
live-action	O
trailer	O
for	O
Resistance	B-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
directed	O
the	O
series	O
of	O
trailers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
:	O
"	O
Hangar	O
6	O
R&D	O
"	O
was	O
released	O
exclusively	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
served	O
as	O
a	O
prequel	O
,	O
and	O
players	O
who	O
preordered	O
the	O
game	O
gained	O
access	O
to	O
"	O
Codebreakers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
incompetent	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
(	O
AI	B-Application
)	O
was	O
a	O
common	O
point	O
of	O
criticism	O
because	O
it	O
needed	O
player	O
input	O
to	O
function	O
properly	O
and	O
made	O
squad	O
management	O
cumbersome	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
permadeath	B-Application
feature	O
was	O
criticized	O
by	O
Matt	O
Miller	O
from	O
Game	O
Informer	O
for	O
being	O
unengaging	O
because	O
players	O
can	O
always	O
restart	O
from	O
checkpoint	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
agent	O
deaths	O
lacked	O
impact	O
and	O
turned	O
gameplay	O
into	O
a	O
"	O
monotonous	O
slog	O
"	O
according	O
to	O
GameSpot	O
's	O
reviewer	O
Kevin	O
VanOrd	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Miller	O
felt	O
that	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
agent	O
recruits	O
were	O
lifeless	O
and	O
boring	O
and	O
compared	O
them	O
unfavorably	O
to	O
the	O
companions	O
from	O
Mass	B-Application
Effect	I-Application
;	O
however	O
,	O
he	O
felt	O
the	O
final	O
act	O
story	O
twist	O
reinvigorated	O
the	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
liked	O
the	O
environmental	O
storytelling	O
and	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
team	O
's	O
previous	O
work	O
on	O
BioShock	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
a	O
highly	O
competitive	O
week	O
against	O
Saints	B-Application
Row	I-Application
IV	I-Application
,	O
Tom	B-Application
Clancy	I-Application
's	I-Application
Splinter	I-Application
Cell	I-Application
:	I-Application
Blacklist	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Disney	B-Application
Infinity	I-Application
.	O
</s>
