Pros: The Goldeneye feature, Graphics (at times), Multiplayer arenas have are nostalgic
Cons: Goldeneye feature is downplayed, short and boring gameplay, the graphics (At other times)
The Bottom Line: GRA had the possibilities to not only match, but surpass its predecessor, but it fell way short due to monotonous gameplay, rough graphics, and a boring story
soupjhhs's Full Review: GoldenEye: Rogue Agent for PlayStation 2
Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, while not filling the shoes of its famous predecessor, doesnt even measure up to other first-person shooters of its generation. Although graphically beautiful, GRA has a rather short, lackluster story that suffers from rather sublime missions. Although the usage of the Goldeneye is innovative, it is, for all intent and purposes, sadly downplayed.
Gamers play as Goldeneye, a former M16 agent who lost the use of his right eye when he was shot by Dr. No in a mission. Right away, this game will turn out to be not-your-run-of-the-mill Bond game, as Bond dies in the very first mission. As Goldeneye, gamers will work for Auric Goldfinger, from the aptly named Bond movie Goldfinger, and try to take down Dr. No. Despite the possibilities of intense warfare between two Bond supervillians, the story plays off as just a simple story of revenge.
GRA is a standard first-person shooter, with a couple exceptions. Goldeneye is, well, a little tempermental. From taking hostages, to killing enemies with his surroundings, Goldeneye will use all he can to complete his mission and will not let morals stand in his way. The very same techniques that got him kicked out of M16 will earn gamers massive points. Points for head shots, using Goldeneye techniques (More on these later), taking hostages, throwing hostages, and knock out kills are just some of the ways gamers can earn points. The aforementioned Goldeneye techniques add a nice little spark to the game. The bionic eye implanted inside Goldeneye (which is ironically gold) can see through metal, hack into machines, create an electromagnetic shield, and even throw enemies far distances. Sadly, the energy that these techniques require is so vast that they have to be used far too sparingly. What could have been a huge plus to a standard game is greatly underplayed.
The game isnt very long, with only eight missions that average about 15 minutes a piece. Nearly every objective is either about killing a target or getting from point A to point B. The missions and their lackluster objectives quickly wear thin. Surprisingly, the game is rather hard. It is rather common that the player may die once or twice in the later missions. The eyes lack of energy weakens it so much that it can rarely save a player from the numerous ambushes he or she will face. The replay ability also takes a huge hit from the lack of bots in the multiplayer. There are only two options outside of the story, online and split screen. Considering that there is hardly anybody online for this game anymore, there is only one option. The split screen is a mere continuation of the lackluster story and gameplay; although, the arenas taken from other Bond movies add a nice touch.
Goldeneye: Rogue Agents graphics are standard from a far, but are gorgeous up close. All the character and weapon renders are brilliant, but the environment is a little frayed around the edges. All the eye effects are brilliantly rendered, but there are times when the frame rate will slow. Most surprising of all is the cut scenes reverse the strengths of the gameplay graphics. The character renders in the cut scenes are at times brillant, but are mostly rough. The only word that can describe the graphics is hodge-podge; brilliant in one case, but just as rough in another.
Another bright possibility that was rather poorly executed was the music. With Bond out of the way in the very beginning, the normal 007 music does not apply. The resulting new music is a mixture between grunge and calm tranquil before-the-storm songs that would apply more to a Resident Evil game than a 007 FPS. The sound effects are standard; however, there are times when the sounds of hand to hand combat sounds mumbled.
Disappointment is the only word that can describe my feelings over Goldeneye: Rogue Agent. The Goldeneye feature was greatly underplayed, increasing not only the difficulty, but also the monotony. GRA had the possibilities to not only match, but surpass its predecessor, but it fell way short due to monotonous gameplay, rough graphics, and a boring story. The game that was supposed to revitalize the 007 game series had its own plans in mind.
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