by Zac - October 21, 2005

The folks at EA were overly bold and ambitious in naming the newest Bond game �Goldeneye: Rogue Agent.� You�re forced to make comparisons with one of the finest shooting games in console history; a game whose greatness has been exaggerated in the minds of everyone who was around in the 32-64 bit era. Goldeneye: Rogue Agent is not the revolutionary game Goldeneye was, and it can�t hope to compete with the nostalgia of the millions of fans of the original. However, Goldeneye: Rogue Agent is a intermittently good game, possibly recommendable to fans of shooters who own the Gamecube, a system with few (good) first person shooters.

In Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, you play as a 00 Agent who has fallen from grace and become the right-hand man of Goldfinger, a pre-Brosnan Bond villain. The name �Goldeneye� is unrelated to the 90s Bond movie or game, but instead refers to an actual golden eye the main character has. The eye has special abilities, such as X-Ray vision, which can be used for a short time many times over the course of the game. During the game your eye is upgraded, granting you more impressive abilities. However, with the exception of one or two powers, utilization of the eye is not necessary for eliminating Goldfinger�s rivals, so anyone who wishes to play the game as a more traditional shooter can do so.

The story is more or less what you would expect from a Bond game. Some intrigue, some cute women, and a pretty predictable betrayal later in the game round things out. Your biggest enemy throughout most of the game is Dr No, whose criminal empire you destroy after appearances from other recognizable Bond characters such as Xenia, Oddjob, and Pussy Galore.

The gameplay, however, is a little different than what you might expect from other outings involving the world of 007. As already stated, the golden eye gives you special abilities, but there�s more than that. The weight of a gun plays a factor in how fast you move, and simply holding down the R will start to make your automatic weapons more inaccurate than the original�s infamous Klobb. Additionally, the computer AI adores using cover and generally will not unwittingly follow you around corners into a trap. Thus, the game seems to have a hint of Ghost Recon or Rainbow 6. Slow deliberate shots and movements pay off more than the run-and-gun gameplay of other shooters. However, recharging health ala Halo keeps the game from slowing to a crawl.

What about the visuals?

Graphically, Goldeneye: Rogue Agent is pretty good. The environments are fairly detailed and varied, the cutscenes are of reasonable quality, and there�s often a lot going on at once without a frame-rate hiccup. The enemies could use a few more polygons to really bring the visuals from �pretty nice� to �wow� but there isn�t a whole lot to complain about.

And the sound?

The audio isn�t really anything to write home about, although it's above average. The music is aptly themed, and the gunfire, along with the explosions, sound pretty good. The only really special thing in the audio department, however, is the commentary by your enemies. You�ll often hear �he�s reloading!�, or �he�s behind the X.� It would be nice if this actually triggered a change in AI behavior, but at least it adds to the atmosphere.

The Multiplayer

Rogue Agent lacks a lot of multi-player options, but what�s there is well done. There are a good number of maps, the maps themselves are smallish and make for great matches if you have a few friends around (2-4), and almost every map has its own special gimmick or trap. Fans of the movies should note that there are a number of maps based on movie locales, such as the Golden Gate Bridge complete with Max Zorin�s blimp. Hardcore first person shooter fans should note that the developers clearly made an effort to balance the guns, and although there are a few overpowered ones, at least your movement speed is extremely hindered when you use them. Hardcore shooter fans should also note that, as in other Bond games, there is no jumping. It's not really a game with the sort of pace that warrants the ability to leap, so if you're a big fragfest fan, you may want to shy away.

The Problems

There are four main problems with Goldeneye. For one, the controls in Rogue Agent could be better. The X-Y axis sensitivity will need some adjusting to make the game comfortable, as the default settings simply don�t feel right. Even when you have tweaked the controls, they still seem a little off, though you�ll get used to them.

Secondly, Goldeneye�s single-player lacks a lot of replayability. Yes, you unlock a few multiplayer maps and art packs from gathering up points (received by having a good accuracy rating or playing on high difficulties), but it�s not quite enough to make you want to slog through the game numerous times. Additionally, there are only a few memorable levels (Hoover Dam�s never-ending supply of Spec Ops and anti-personnel vehicles comes to mind) on the two disc game. Some levels, especially the early ones, I have absolutely no intention of playing a second time around, and most who play the game will feel the same way.

Thirdly, there's the AI. The AI does some things very well, admittedly. As mentioned before, it uses cover, and it refuses to be lured around corners. Additionally, it tries to be a moving target, and on higher difficulties the AI is fairly accurate. Unfortunately, the AI does not press its advantages. The same AI that refuses to be lured into a trap refuses to come after you when you retreat to recharge your health. The same AI refuses to circumvent bullet proof glass, allowing you to beat up a guard in a booth, take him hostage, and stroll out with a personal shield without so much as an attempt at intervention by the guards. It would certainly feel unfair if the AI always went after you when your health was recharging and never when you ran around a corner to lay a trap, so a lack of omniscient AI isn�t my complaint so much as a lack of any sort of uncertainty. The AI should at least try to flush you out sometimes, and it wouldn�t hurt if it fell for a trap every so often.

Finally, there need to be more multi-player options. There are no bots. Given that 007 Nightfire, a significantly older EA Bond game, had bots, that�s inexcusable. Shooters on the Gamecube, a system which has no internet play, absolutely require bots. There is also no co-op, which is unfortunate as sometimes the game almost plays like a team-based tactical shooter without the team. Additionally, there aren�t many game types. I would�ve liked a virus mode or any one of the special modes in Nightfire, even if most of the maps are small, but you're quite limited in your selection.

The Verdict

All in all, Goldeneye: Rogue Agent is a moderately enjoyable shooter with an unfortunate name. It won�t win any awards, and it shouldn�t, but if you have the extra bucks and are a Gamecube owner deprived of first person shooters, Rogue Agent is probably at least worth a rental.