Posted on: Friday, December 24, 2004
MY VEW
Game: "Goldeneye: Rogue Agent."
| • | Upcoming video game releases |
By Jeremy Castillo
Special to The Advertiser
Console: Playstation 2. Developer/publisher: EA Games. Genre: Action/first-person shooter. Number of players: 1-2 players (4 with multitap).
ESRB: Teen (for suggestive themes and violence).
The Ratings 5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have. 3 — Good: Worth playing despite some flaws. 2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the license or series, don't bother. 1 — Poor: You'd have more fun playing "Pong." Game play: While you blast through enemy after enemy, you can test out new features EA has made such as hostage taking and a dual-wielding weapon system. The synthetic eye is a great aide — you can upgrade it to have abilities such as manipulating electronics and deflecting bullets. Gamers who like to play through games more than once will be pleased with the new E.V.I.L. AI, which ensures that no two games are ever the same. For the social gamer, there is also a multiplayer and online mode.
The good/bad: Considering all the new features, you'd think "Rogue Agent" would be a blast to play, but that is not so. As you play, it becomes obvious this game is more sizzle than steak, with a dull story line and too-easy game play. For example, if you are caught in a heavy gun battle, all you have to do is find cover for 10 seconds and your life bar fully restores — and during that time, your adversaries will have came into headshot (re: "instant kill") range. However, fans who like the game (or maybe just the movie franchise) should be happy with the number of classic Bond characters such as Dr. No and Oddjob in multiplayer mode.
Tips: Add color to the crossfire with paintball mode, which you can obtain by pressing right, left, right, left, down, down, up, up in the Extras menu.
My take: "Rogue Agent" is not the worst shooting game for the PS2, but by no means is it the best. With better offerings such as the "Medal of Honor" games, this game will be passed by (even as a rental) and buried by its competitors. "Rogue Agent" is not a bad game, but it's so lackluster, it simply can't compete with other games in the genre.
Jeremy Castillo is a student at Windward Community College.
Have a game or CD you want to review? Reach Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.
Premise: You're a dismissed 00 agent 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 and upgradeable eye, earning you the name "GoldenEye." It should be noted that this game has nothing to do with the massively popular N64 game.
The Verdict: Two.
— Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely play it.
