DCAST35's Full Review: James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire for PlayStation 2
First things first. EA has had the James Bond license for a while but hardly has done anything GOOD with it. TWINE(The World Is Enough) but good, but didn't live up to a James Bond product. Now, EA has made another game based on the same license, but now it isn't based off of a movie or book, which gives them more freedom with the storyline and characters. Which is a good thing...Because James Bond movies hardly have plot anyway.
Storyline: Of course, you are James Bond in all your kick a** glory trying to stop a evil diplomat dude from taking over the world with his clones. He has the technology, the money and the conspiracy power to bring you down. It's just up to you for that not to happen. Along for the ride is Q, the annoying but helpful woman who is in all the bond movies, and a slew of other characters who really don't live for a second. The storyline is thin, almost opaque, as in any other Bond movie and it's only there to start the awesome action sequences. For now...I give it a 6/10.
Graphics: The graphics are not groundbreaking, nor are they amazing. But they are good to look at. Chracter models are very well planned out, as are the levels (which sometimes look the same). Everything is bright and vivid, and all the colors jump out at you. From gunfire to explosions, even to the lighting from the lanterns on the wall this game is perty. BUT...AND IT'S A BIG BUT....the game is really rough around the edges. Character models are fine, but outside or inside, the game is plagued by it's share of jaggies and flickering. It's a big no-no, especially after seeing way better in MGS2. Definetly could have used a month or more of polishing up because Electronic Arts of all people should know the power of PS2. Take a look at there hockey games....Even so, the action get's so intense at times that you forget about these slight problems. 7.5/10
Gameplay: Well. If you've ever played a 007 game (which if you're human I'm sure you have) than you'll feel right at home with the tight, responsive controls and the slew of weapons you have at your disposal. With the quick gameplay, there are more than enough gadgets and weapons for you to have fun (yes more than 007 for N64) with for the entire game. You have your choice of a plain old hand gun, to 3 variations of a machine gun, a shotgun, a python (Which is similar to a Magnum....Think Revolver Ocelot) and a rocket launcher. And no the list doesn't stop there...I just can't remember the rest :) Amid all your weapons, you are also given equipment from a rather old fellow simply named R. He supplies you with a Q-claw (ridiculously allowing you to grapple onto walls with these little metallic disks) and a laser. More, like the Camera and Decryptor also aid you in the mission. It's all there, all fancy with weird names, but fun to play with.
That's not it, because Agent Under Fire takes it one step further and allows you to drive Bond's BEAUTIFUL BMW around for a mission or 2. The car itself also has it's own weapons such as the Q-pulse and a rocket launcher! And may I add the fact that this game more than proudly has a multiplayer option! And yes, it's good. From what I say, and reviewers such as IGN.com say, it's right up there with Quake and Halflife in terms or MultiPlayer. 4 screen split up and not a bit of slow down. The action get's intense and ou'll be remembering the good ol' days with 007 on N64(RIP)Girls, guns, cars and sex. I LOVE JAMES BOND! 9.5/10
Control: The control for the game is well layed out and you will in no way become intimidated by it. The game has a really good pick up and play feel. Switch through your gadgets with left and right, and your guns with up and down. Action button is triangle and to shoot your gun is X.
For the car mission, it's basically the same. The control response is very good, and is tight. Driving the car has an arcade feel to it, and is never to hard to drive it. EA games is usually good with control layout, and they did a very good job here. KUDOS! 10/10
Sound: First off, I may give my hat off to whoever EA got to do the voice acting. It's great! Even the guards have voices! Come here for some of the best voice acting in a game...OK not that great but more than expected. Bond sounds exactly like Pierce Brosnan and Q sounds exactly like herself. Whoever isn't a normal character also has there own strong actor...Thanks EA for not horrifying us with horrible VA....Resident Evil 1 anybody?! The gunshots to the guns are strong and make their presence felt with a good subwoofer. Even the little guns make a big sound. We have explosions, the sound of the beautiful BMW hitting 140, gunfire....Your surroundings....This game is alive. Almost everything has it's own distinct sounds like your footsteps or shooting out a glass window. The music to the game is really suspensful and makes you laugh when called for, and makes you run when needed! It's just like a Bond movie.... in one game. 9.5/10
Overall Fun Factor: Unfortunatly, the game doesn't have much to go back to once your finished. Except for the multiplayer which can be used for months and not get boring, the game is pretty much used up after you go through storyline. While my only problem would be the jaggies and the shortness of this title, these are all more than passable when playing a game such as this. With in game cutscenes with high production value, to great looking graphics this game has it all. Even though the storyline takes a backseat for the action...you'll really like this game. And remember! "Martini. Shaken, not stirred."
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