Spy Fiction

"Spy Fiction has a little bit of everything. A true pleasure to play."

Spy Fiction is a game which I think is best viewed as a tribute to both spy movies and the stealth-action video game genre. In it, you will find bits of gameplay elements from most all of the stealth games which you might think of, from Metal Gear to Thief. You will also find a storyline which is filled with nearly every spy cliche in cinema history, including several gameplay sequences which were obviously lifted straight out of famous spy movie scenes. By melding these elements together into a cohesive original storyline, Access Games has created a very enjoyable experience that should please any fan of so-called spy fiction.

The story, as you might expect, involves an evil terrorist organization's plot to wreak havoc on the world through an ingenious plot. You are a member of the shadow organization, Phantom, brought in to uncover the fiendish scheme and put a stop to it. You will find yourself gathering intelligence and committing subterfuge in locations ranging from high-class resorts, to research institutes, and even tropical jungles. You will run across villains, such as a man with a German accent, and persons who have a history with the protagonists. All of this is all exactly what you would expect from a spy thriller, and the story serves its purpose very well, moving the action along and providing some exciting moments. It's certainly not something you will remember for very long after completing the game, but it is well written and holds your interest from the first scene to the last.

The gameplay of Spy Fiction is, for the most part, what you would expect in a stealth-action game. You must infiltrate hostile environments, completing tasks toward an end goal, while avoiding detection. What makes this game a bit more interesting than most is the use of a system very similar to Metal Gear Solid 4's Octocamo suit. By crouching against a wall, you can become invisible. You are also able to use a digital camera to record the appearance of literally any character found in the game, and disguise yourself as them at designated “change” points found throughout the game; barrels, closets, lockers, etc. Several missions are in fact designed around locating a key character and posing as them to gain access to restricted zones. This gives you the combination of both total avoidance gameplay, as well as being able to freely walk about environments to gather intelligence, with a nice balance between the two styles.

The game is well designed so that the player is offered a choice as to how they want to play. If you want to run-and-gun all the guards and walk to the exit, you can do that. If you want to go for stealth and avoid conflict, you can do that as well. Almost every situation in the game offers you the choice to play it in a completely non-violent fashion, and it is possible to complete missions without killing a single person. There are, in fact, only a few scripted boss fights in the entire game in which you are forced into fighting.

Spy Fiction is divided into a Prologue and 10 missions, each requiring about an hour to beat, making for a rather short game. However, each mission offers something different from the others, so that you have a good variety of tasks and things never become boring or repetitive. There are also two different character to play as, Billy and Sheila, both members of the covert team assigned to the mission. They both play similarly, with a few variations, such as Billy not being able to use female disguises, but there are also different plot developments for both of them as you play through the missions. Additionally, by playing through the game a second time, you are able to unlock an extended ending to the game, giving you a bit more motivation to do so than simply seeing what's different with the other character.

When it comes to graphics and sound, Spy Fiction does a very good job in both areas. The character models are all very clean and detailed, with similarly well developed environments. Lighting effects and things such as snow and rain are also very well done. As an example, my last played game before Spy Fiction was the PS2 version of Splinter Cell, and in comparison, Splinter Cell is downright ugly. Very nice graphics on display here. In similar fashion, the sound design is excellent, with plenty of ambient noise from the environments, some surprisingly good voice acting, and excellent musical score.

Spy Fiction could well be compared to a summer popcorn movie, in that its sole reason for existing is to provide some quick entertainment. It makes no attempt to radically change the way stealth gameplay is handled, it doesn't have an epic or particularly well developed plot line, but it is consistently entertaining throughout the experience. The cliche story only serves to place you in a variety of cool locations, give you an excuse to sneak around and act like a spy, and let you use a bunch of high-tech gizmos. However, it is also a much more cinematic experience, similar to Metal Gear Solid, rather than something like Splinter Cell. If you are a fan of either stealth-action games or spy thriller movies, Spy Fiction is an easy recommendation, as it contains most of what people love about both.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/09

Game Release: Spy Fiction (US, 08/31/04)