James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire

"Where's the beef?"

Before I bought the game, I actually mentally prepared myself. I said, ''Do not expect a Goldeneye, 'cause you're not gonna get one.'' With that low expectation mind-state I was in, I went into Best Buy and bought the game.

Fast forward about 3 hours.

I beat the game. I actually beat the game. In about 3 hours.

Damn was I disappointed.

Presentation: 7/10
While the menu was expansive, and yet, straightforward, I couldn't but notice some things that annoyed me. Not only would the game not auto-load my game, it's wouldn't auto-save it either, nor would it auto-save my multiplayer settings. On top of that, I found the multiplayer setup a little more tedious than it had to be.

Graphics: 9/10
I don't think I could have asked too much more from the game. The textures were very nice and game also kept a frame rate (and quite steady at that). Some of the details that were put in in some places were also very nice. The people though could have had more detail put in. They seemed almost like Half-life models.

Sound: 5/10
The music in this game is virtually nonexistent. When there is music, it's rather cheaply done too. And there is licensed music overkill in the game also. Every time you do something ''bond-like,'' you get a few second clip of the James Bond theme. It gets to be very annoying very quick. Also, the sound effects are a somewhat of a letdown. The guns don't all make realistic gun noises, and this problem also applies to other non-gun noises as well.

Gameplay: 7/10
This is my biggest complaint. The lack of gameplay. On the operative skill level, you can easily beat the game in about 2 hours. And other than some quasi-cheats, there is no real purpose to go back and replay the levels, on this or any other skill level because it lacks something...what's that word I'm looking for? Ah, yes, fun. The levels are boring. It's like not too much imagination went into them. The multiplayer is all right, but none of the levels are really any winners. They all are semi-boring. And the bots aren't all that smart or hard either. This may or may not increase the lifespan of the game.

Controls: 8/10
The controls are decent, but I don't see why they felt every button was needed to be used. Couldn't the functions of the B button and R button be shared, because they're practically the same thing? Also, there was something wrong with the analogue in this game. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just doesn't feel right. One last thing, there is no custom controls. You use one of the four preset controls.

Lasting appeal: 7/10
As I said before, there isn't enough in the game to make you want to go back and play more. Once through was plenty for me.

Rent or Buy?
Rent. You can beat the game in one sitting, and the multiplayer isn't enough to keep you coming back.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/02, Updated 03/19/02