James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire

"Good, but all too short"

Introduction:
When I first thought about buying this game I was standing at a target gaming section staring it straight in the eyes. I decided I would get it because I needed a good FPS for my gamecube. It turned out to be a decent buy.

Storyline: 8/10
This is a somewhat original storyline. Since I don't want to completely spoil it for you, I'll just tell you that there is an evil corporation involved in some nasty dealings. Pretty typical of a bond thriller, really. But what makes the storyline good is the fact that you play along with the game. At the beginning of each level they give you a briefing from M and R, each with a few things to say. Anyway, I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil the game any further.

Presentation: 8/10
Really, nothing that fancy in this department. The menues are plain and simple, the background is, well- interesting. The multiplayer menu can get confusing at times, but overall, it really isn't a bad piece of work.

Gameplay: 9/10
Aah- it doesn't get much better than this! You control James Bond in a series of 12 missions which require you to use a variety of weapons, gadgets, and even cars! Such gadgets are the Q decryptor, Q claw, Q laser, Q remote, Q jet, and Q specs. I won't give away any of the guns- you'll just have to get them yourself. Before you start them mission, you have the option of raising the difficulty. Why would you do this? Because at the end of the level you gain points for your valiant effort. The points are determined by such factors as bond moves, enemies killed, accuracy, ammo efficiency, and other factors. For example, if you have 20,000 points and play the level on operative, you would retain the 20,000. However, if you were to raise the difficuly to agent, you would get an extra 10,000. And if you were so brave as to change to 00 Agent, you would get an extra 20,000. See how it works? And your rewards vary from level to level. There are two prizes per level. One for single and one for multiplayer. So with all this great praise why did I give it a 9? Because at some points the enemies are so STUPID! for example, I shot a guy with my pistol and the guy next to him didn't even see him die. This is probably because I wasn't in sight of the other guy when I shot him. But STILL- COME ON! Oh yes- and the enemy reaction time is a little slow also. Another complaint I have is the shortness of the game- 12 missions and thats it! I was left a little hungry at the end for at least 3 more, but thats ok.

Graphics: 8/10
Nothing special here. The explosions are good, and so are the modeling for the characters, but at some points the game shows lacking in some departments. It just doesn't seem like EA did everything they could to make it great. But still- the graphics are smooth and good looking.

Sound: 7/10 or 6/10
Ok- the sound EFFECTS are superb. The sound of gunfire, the explosion of a deadly chemical and all great. Sometimes when you are in an ambush the music tightens up and becomes suspensful. However, what I really find tiring is the repetition of the famous bond theme music. It's there on the main screen, when you're selecting a mission, when you get a bond move, almost everywhere it HAUNTS YOU!!!
so the score of this categorty really depends on how much you like the bond theme. At first it will be good, but then within a week you'll want to have your ears blown out.

Overall: 8/10
This is a good game and I reccomend at LEAST a rental. So either rent it or buy it today for a few weeks of enjoyment. And when that dries up you can invite some friends over for the multiplayer mode that almost equals that of Perfect Dark. However some of the faults in this game bring it down to an 8. I just have a feeling that if EA spent a little more time on this creating more missions for me to play that it could be at least a 9, if not a 10.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/02, Updated 07/27/02