James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire

"A pretty good port of a pretty good game."

After some of the best games ever, Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough, Nintendo fans would expect James Bond games to be very good, not to mention their first-person shooters in general. Agent Under Fire doesn't live up to either of these titles in terms of depth or challenge, but it does make you feel more like you're in a movie. Prepare to drive up city streets, gun down helicopters, and secretly take pictures. The variety keeps everything fresh, while the presentation is the best seen from the franchise yet.

While Agent Under Fire is a PS2 port, there is a few changes for your eyes only. You can now play multi-player against CPU, adding a boost to the game's longevity. The CPU are not too bright, often falling for the same tactics repeatedly, but you can adjust their skill level and when equipped with a decent weapon, they can become a worthy opponent. You can also fill spots on your roster if you only have one friend to play with -- who knows what could happen when you toss in some CPU opponents?

Another slight change is the ability to pick the difficulty from the level select screen instead of having to go to the options. This can be convenient if you're going for the medals, as you could not always tell wherever you were playing on Operative, 00 Agent, or Agent on the PS2 version. Otherwise, the game is an identical port. Players rack up points while playing missions, which determine what medal you get at the end of a mission. Earn a gold medal and a cheat, such as unlimited missiles, or a feature, like using the Golden Gun as a weapon, will be unlocked.

Missions are straightforward and linear in nature, with small obstacles like locked doors forcing players to change their approach significantly. Problems include somewhat awkward controls that use all of the buttons instead of streamlining certain functions, like using gadgets, opening doors, or shooting a gun, which all require separate presses. Selecting weapons can also be a pain when you're under heavy fire, but you'll adjust. The biggest mistake is the missions aren't too long or difficult, even on the hardest setting. Enemies always stay in the same space, so you'll be able to pretty much breeze through levels.

Still, the game does a great job in making you feel like you are in a movie, with the theme song playing at certain moments, like driving over a fiery bridge, or shooting an explosive barrel to defeat other guards nearby. The incentive to earn better medals is a fun excuse to re-experience the fun of gunning down guards from behind a chain gun or blowing up enemy vehicles from the safety of your car. The pace of the game is excellent, even if the objectives never change, and the addition of four-player action on split-screen is an awesome experience. Rare definitely does the job better, but EA does it well enough to deserve a spot in any fan's collection.

GRAPHICS: 8 (Pretty good)
SOUND: 7 (Nice music and good voice acting)
GAME-PLAY: 10 (Loads of fun)
DIFFICULTY: 6 (A bit too easy, even on the highest difficulty)
CONTROLS: 7 (It's a bit too complex)
OVERALL: 7 (It's worthy of holding a place in your collection)

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/05/07

Game Release: James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire (US, 03/13/02)