"With yet another James
Bond game rubberstamped; Agent Under Fire snuck it's way
onto the GameCube without much publicity. Well, we now
know why..."
Intro
Initially, Agent Under Fire was promoted on the
PS2 and in March it was ported to the GameCube. I've had
a few issues of late about porting one game specifically
designed for one system; and then twisted around like a
Rubix Cube to fit another console. A perfect example of
this was SSX Tricky. As much as I loved it for
the GC, the PS2 version was hands down much better...
simply because of the controller set.
Nevertheless, any new tile for the GameCube is
better than nothing. Being the first FPS on the console,
should at least satisfy a small minority of FPS fans.
While Halo set the bar so far for any FPS, I
don't even know why anyone else should try. With that
said, I also have to admit that I've never been a fan of
the James Bond game series. I found the games
uninspiring, difficult to control and choppier than
Steak-Ums.
James Bond fans in general will be pleased to know that
the classic policital/commerical/corporation plot
runs deep throughout the movie. The game plays like a
mini-movie, with you as the star. The storyline is
fairly shallow, but the liveliness of it keeps you on
par with the movie-type feel.
Control Under Fire
If you've ever played one Bond game, you've played them
all. Each level consists of a variety of tasks to
complete before engaging in the next level/subplot.
During the game you will encounter three types of
gameplay. The majority of the play consists of
straight-up FPS. Walking around, being the sneaky
debonair Bond himself and blasting enemies left and
right. The main reason for my angst of previous Bond
games was the lack of control and overall quirky combat
styles. Weapons variety is pleasing to even the pickiest
of Quake-players; but more advanced players will quickly
get numb to the strategy involved with the weapon types.
One of the biggest flaws of AUF is the
intelligence needed to win. The term "agent under
fire" puts an image in your head of a stealthy
agent lurking in the dark pegging mugs of naughty
criminals. The game focuses more on "bigger-badder-better"theme.
Sure there are times where the sniper rifle comes into
crucial play, but for the most part you will be
switching to the biggest gun and going ape on anyone you
come in contact with. Big ouch number one in my book...
Big ouch number two is the creepy controls that
have plagued the series for years. Most casual FPS will
pick up the controls fairly easy; and I give kudos to EA
for utilizing both analog controllers. However,
Bonds' movements are ugly and unrealistic. The annoying
"head-bob" and "glassy" controls
feel like you are controlling a hockey player rather
than an ultra secret government agent. To add insult to
injury the weapon changing is horrible. The awkward menu
system, takes too much precious time to be effective
when changing weapons and reloading. Not only is the
menu system poor, it takes way to long to change
weapons; thus making you skeet for the enemy.
If it wasn't for the addition of "Q" objects,
the game would have been as bland as a mouthful of silly
putty. These "Q" weapons and accessories are
like hybrid toys that are classic "Bond
style". Things like grappling hooks, hand lasers
and portable scanners really add a nice new venue to a
lifeless game. Overall, nothing could save the FPS
aspects of the game from mind-numbing frustration.
Another saving thread for AUF is the groovy
driving effects. Electronic Arts more known for
sports and racing titles; actually adds a bit of
fun to a yawner of a FPS. Most will appreciate the tight
controls and realistic physics of the vehicles
controlled.
Lastly, the third "mode of play” is the cockpit
view. You can sit atop a moving vehicle and use whatever
weapon available to aim and mow down evil passerbyers.
It is a nice change of pace from the murky FPS controls,
but still falls into the same monotonous play. The
cockpit type play is very similar to Medal of Honor,
but without the ability to take huge amounts of
damage...
One draw that other Bond games have always attracted
gamers to, was the use of multiplayer. From the outside
looking in; all seems to be in place. You can team up
with up to three other players, and take on over 10
multiplayer maps. The variety of games are fairly
polished, and there can be only four players at
one time during the game (bot or human). As much
as I wanted to swoon over an exciting multiplayer
experience; I was left dry with little fun-factor.
Hoping for better "team" play, the limit of
only four players at one time was just plain silly. The
multiplayer aspects were much duller when compared to
the Rare breedings of the Bond series.
The crossover
When it comes to "next generation" graphics; Agent
Under Fire holds up quite well. The graphics are
clean, colorful and with little jagginess on the edges.
The environment is well laid out, but highly limited.
Since the game is a port from the PS2 to the
GameCube, there are a good deal of blockiness
surrounding much of the visuals. I wasn't impressed when
looking at the PS2 version next to the GameCube as one
would expect. Sure the visuals were a bit more detailed,
but not enough to choose one version over the other. The
only improvement that I did notice was the rock solid
framerate, even during intense multiplayer action. My
biggest problems with the graphics are two-fold. The
first being the choppy animation and the other being the
childish weaponry. The animation moved linear instead of
a rounded style one would expect on the GC. Bullets and
rockets were also half-heartedly animated, leaving the
game generations behind. With that said, the overall
visual impression that it left me with was a mediocre (but
clean) ideal of what the GameCube can produce. Even
though the facial expressions and character modeling was
top-notch; the graphics are about as memorable as Burger
Time on the Colecovision...
With every expansion on a James Bond game, you
anticipate an aural experience that rarely differs from
what you have heard before. Well, you won't be let down
because the theme music runs deep in the game, with some
alternative rock/techno remakes of the original. You
won't here any Limp Biskit here, but you will come to
loathe some of the sound effects. The majority of the
effects are well done, and classic movie-style ambience.
For that I give thumbs up. But, for the repetitive use
of the "dum dum dum" when you accomplish
something was so overdone that I nearly gagged each time
I hear the chime. For the life of me, I can't see why
any developer would subject their fans to a barrage of
insignificant "achievements" and reward them
with a stupid chime like this one. In most cases (like
in Zelda) a chime would relieve you and give you
warm tinglies; but in this case it makes you grit your
teeth and mutter Yosemite Sam curses.
66 Says:
I would first like to say that I commend any
producer for bringing any game to the desolate
system. I also give kudos for EA for giving us our first
FPS. But, I do want to say one thing... "WHAT
THE CRAP IS GOING ON HERE?"
That said, I think the game is at best a three-night
renter. For the experience alone, it is worth to see
what a FPS looks like on the GC, but I fear that a
purchase would boil your blood like a midget with a
headache trying to get an aspirin on the top shelf. Ok,
so I like some of the controls. And I like some
of the graphics and sound. But, I would never ever ever
ever ever consider this to be a purchase. I expect some
will buy this simply because of the reputation of Goldeneye.
Well, this ain't no Goldeneye my friends.
5.4
