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Platform: GC,
PS2, XB Review: 007: Everything or Nothing (GC) Review: 007: Agent Under Fire (XB) Review: Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow (XB)
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GoldenEye: Rogue Agent |
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I’m
the James Bond equivalent of a Trekkie – sorry, Trekker. I know more useless Bond trivia including the books, movies,
action figures, and games than anyone I know and just love dipping into
the semi-ridiculousness of the Bond universe.
There’s something so entertaining about Bond as a character,
even if he is fairly one-dimensional and predictable, so when rumors
started flowing about a sequel to GoldenEye (N64) I took notice. GoldenEye:
Rogue Agent (GE:RA) puts you in the boots of a villain, not the tuxedo
of Bond. Bit of a
disappointment there, but the premise was enough to offset any
misgivings I might have had that GE:RA would be a far removed from the
Bond universe.
Here’s
some of the official line: Why
save the world when you can rule it? Going where no previous James Bond
game has dared to tread, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent breaks all the rules.
Transport to the dark side of the Bond universe to experience life as a
high-rolling, cold-hearted villain. As
an aspiring 00 agent dismissed from MI6 for reckless brutality, you’re
recruited by Auric Goldfinger in a ruthless war against Dr. No for
control of the Bond underworld. A brutal encounter with Dr. No costs you
an eye, but Goldfinger’s technicians replace it with a gold-hued,
synthetic eye, earning you the name ‘GoldenEye’. With the ability to
customize and upgrade your villain persona, wreak havoc as you make your
unrelenting rise through the ranks. On globe-spanning missions of vengeance and demolition, cross paths with such infamous allies and enemies as Oddjob, Scaramanga, Xenia Onatopp, and of course, Pussy Galore.
Villains rule in GoldenEye:
Rogue Agent. Scaramanga?
(Hello third nipple!) Xenia
Onatopp? Pussy Galore? Playing a hired killer in the James Bond underworld has all
sorts of possibilities, not the least of which is the possibility of
seeing SPECTRE arise from the grave.
And although there’s no mention of Ernst Starvo Bloefeld, it
would be a massive oversight if he didn’t play some kind of role in
the story. But on to some
of the other details: Build your own personalized
villain, equipped with a customizable synthetic eye and physical
attributes. E.V.I.L. AI engine motivates
enemies to react intelligently to your actions and their surroundings to
make every shootout more believable, intense, and unpredictable. GoldenEye: Rogue Agent integrates single-player, multiplayer split-screen, and online
gameplay for the PlayStation 2 computer
entertainment system across all game modes. Featured game modes
include story-based campaign missions, deathmatch style simulator
trials, and objective-based team war games. Fight with and against
legendary villains and Bond girls such as Oddjob, Dr. No, Goldfinger,
Pussy Galore, and Xenia Onatopp. Travel to famous and original
Bond locations from the mountains of Switzerland to the streets Hong
Kong and from Fort Knox to Dr. No’s Crab Key lair in the Caribbean. Production design by Academy
Award winning Sir Ken Adam, visionary creator for the look of the Bond
film universe. Character models from Rene Morel (Final Fantasy film) and wardrobe designed by Kym Barrett (Matrix films, Titan A.E.). Just two things I really want to touch on. If Scaramanga’s (a.k.a. the Man with the Golden Gun) island hideout is not included, I will automatically give GE:RA a 7.0 / 10 (unless the rest of the game is so orgasmic I can forgive it). If you haven’t seen The Man with the Golden Gun, I suggest you go out and rent it, because not only does it feature the aforementioned island hideout (including a maze-like “hunting” room) but also Herve Villechaize as today Knick Knack. Since most of the rest of the game looks to be shaping up (even the upgradeable eye), my other concern has to do with voice acting. Lately EA has really gone to the wall to secure original cast members for its licensed games (i.e. Lord of the Rings, 007: Everything or Nothing). Although I’m sure most of the actors of involved in the early Bond films have gone to the grave, EA has to get very competent voice actors for a reasonable facsimile. Some are still around, like Christopher Lee (who recently played Saruman in Lord of the Rings) or Christopher Walken so they should be included – no pretenders. And why not have guest roles for previous Bonds? Sean Connery has stated repeatedly he would love to play a Bond villain, so why not now? Roger Moore, George Lazenby, and Timothy Dalton… they all had something to contribute to the James Bond mythos so by my reckoning they should all have some kind of role, even if it is small. How large a role (if any at all) the current Bond, Pierce Bronsan, will play isn’t mentioned, but it would seem strange if he wasn’t included. There’s a lot riding on this game and we’ll get to see if it meets the exacting standards of Bond and action fans come Fall 2004. - Omni (July 3, 2004) |
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