GoldenEye: Rogue Agent

"Not quite what I expected"

I bought this game with high hopes. Hopes that EA could build upon what they had acheived with Everything or Nothing. And while it didnt completly disappoint me I wanted something better.

Story: 8/10

You start off as a MI6 agent on what seems to be a mission to save Fort Knox. James Bond quickly dies in front of you and you're left on your own. Fort Knox explodes and it seems as if America is ruined. Until you learn this is just a practice mission and Bond is OK. You are then dismissed from MI6 for brutallity. And join up with Goldfingers forces in a turf was against Dr.No's.

Graphics: 7/10

Decent graphics that maintained a high frame rate throughout the game. Not spectacular, but good enough to get the job done.

Sound: 4/10

This area could use some work. I would have liked to have heard some cooler sounds from your goldeneye. The general music is fine but the little details of the music make this section of the game stand out like a sore thumb. Although its not the most important thing it was one of the reasons I didnt like this game as much as I though I would.

Controls: 5/10

The goldeneye powers are very oddly placed in this game. If they had made them more accessable then there wouldnt be so much of a control problem. I'm used to playing Halo 2 where the controls are reallly tight and playing a game with lose controls such as this just makes me mad at times. I want to move the trigger markings down to target someone and with just a slight tap it goes way too far down and I fire at the ground. This was another area in which just a little more time spent on it could have really helped.

Gameplay 7/10:

All the control and music problems would seem insignifficant if the gameplay were great, right? Well its too bad the gameplay is for the most part like any other FPS. You basically run and gun through rooms upon rooms of the mostly the same enimies. The game says it employs "EVIL AI". Thats a lie, the AI is certainly a step up over most other Bond games but it doesnt stand out as anything speacil. Enimies generally react realistically but sometimes they just run at you and let you shoot them. Death traps are quite fun and satisfying to pull off. They are probably the highlight of this game. The goldeneye powers are fun to use at first but the only one I found myself using more then five times was the magnetic shield. Overall the gameplay is above average but I guess I had to high hopes because of the "Goldeneye" namesake associated with this game.

Multiplayer: 7/10

If your not playing this game online then you might as well not be playing multiplayer with this game at all. The bots are OK and its kinda fun to play against them but the real fun happens online. Again setting death traps are the highlight of the multiplayer expeirence.

Overall:

This game is average overall but it doesnt live up to the high expectations I had for it. It is worth a buy if you are a HUGE bond fan or dont mind putting $50 into a $30 or so game. I would say rent it if you get the chance but if you have any money to spare this would be an Okay buy.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/05/04