GoldenEye: Rogue Agent

Why save the world when you can rule it?

That’s the question EA’s GoldenEye Rogue Agent asks gamers. The most original title in the James Bond series deviates from 007’s world savior lifestyle and pits gamers into the world of super villain by the name of GoldenEye. Previously dismissed from the M16 training academy, GoldenEye is soon picked up for his lethal skills by Auric Goldfinger. A brutal encounter with Dr. No costs GoldeneEye his eye but Auric’s technicians give him a synthetic upgradeable gold eye; hence your name.

The most intriguing element of Rogue Agent is the level of freedom and versatility the player has. Your not tied down to M16’s rules and restrictions and you won’t be rescuing any hostages – you’ll be taking hostages as human shields and destroying basically anyone and everyone who gets in your path as you rise through the ranks of villainy.

GoldenEye looks like gold on a visual scale; detailed character models hand crafted by designer Rene Morel (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within) bring realism and Hollywood magic to the Rogue Agent universe. Costume Designer Kym Barrett ([I]The Matrix]/I] trilogy) brings style and substance to the look and feel of your enemies. And Production Designer Sir Ken Adam (James Bond series) recreates all of the infamous 007 locations for gamers to revisit, as well as giving birth to completely original locations like the Midas Casino and The Octopus. Rogue Agent will also sound like gold as world renowned DJ Paul Okenfield is creating hard driving, rhythmic beats for each mission as well as directing the over-arching score for the entire game. Personally the interface seems a little overwhelming for a game that’s focused on something so simple as shooting enemies – but not to the point of distracting the player away from the environments. The rest of the visual flare Rogue Agent touts is impressive and very immersive; from great explosions to bullets whizzing past your head.



James Bond has his spy gadgets and rocket launching BMWs, but nothing in Bonds spy arsenal could match a gold eye that can create magnetic polarity shields to deflect bullets, see enemies through objects, and manipulate weapons and computers. That’s the power GoldenEye has at his disposal with his unique eye. He can even blast enemies off buildings with a magnetic field.

Combining his super kick ass eye with the unique weapons like the wall busting Mag Rail gamers will be able to spot enemies through walls and objects and take them out without ever being spotted. You’ll have your 9mm pistol that you always carry as well as SMGs, sniper rifles and your usual assortment of weapons. Unique to Rogue is about a dozen original weapons; one of which is the venom gun that stuns enemies in a single shot. Another pistol I saw shot bullets that exploded after impact. There is also the heavier guns like the previously mentioned Mag Rail, Rocket Launchers, and a Mini Gun – which is actually big and takes up most of the screen. Players can mix and match lighter weapons to create 100 different combinations, and will also have grenades to throw – I should also mention how cool it is to be able to shoot your grenades in the air causing extra damage to your enemies.



There’s also a simple yet deep melee combat system that lets you kick ass as well as take hostages. You can use humans as extra body armor and once your done with them you can toss them off a ledge or into other enemies. To make things even more violent, you’ll also have more than forty different death traps; Rogue Agents signature element. Throughout each mission - including multiplayer maps – there are unique triggers you can set off for a devastating result. You can ignite massive rockets to char your enemies to a tasty crisp, send bolts of electricity into puddles of water, or simply unlock trap doors to send fools to their death.

GoldenEye is shaping up to be an impressive piece of work, but it just wouldn’t be GoldenEye without a robust and fully operational multiplayer. GameCube owners bite the dust with the online play, but are treated to the personally more entertaining four player split screen chaos. There are over a dozen maps and different game modes like your standard deathmatch and zone control, and deathtraps as well as the GoldenEye’s weapons are all present in multiplayer. It’s just too bad there’s no Co-Op mode, but I guess you can’t have everything.

Will adding all these brilliant ingredients into one golden recipe be enough to topple the success and fame that the classic N64 GoldenEye had? We’ll find out November 22nd, but regardless of its GoldenEye topping potential Rogue Agent looks like a shooter to keep your eye on.