GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (GameCube) Review

GoldenEye: Rogue Agent is not really a bad game, but one thing we can't get over (rightly or wrongly) is the way in which it uses the name of GoldenEye in a shameless attempt to get more sales and interest. It worked, idiots like us are a testament to that, but it really shouldn't be. The fact is, this has only gone and massively backfired on EA. Expectations get built up, people start to think that maybe, just maybe EA can replicate, or at least come close to, Rare's magic on the N64; the fact is they didn't stand a chance. Thus, Rogue Agent comes out looking decidedly worse off than it would have done had it been called 007: Rogue Agent or something similar.

Essentially the game is a bog-standard FPS title that shoves a rather awkward spin on the Bond universe. You take the role of a 00 Agent who is relieved of his duties due to various reckless actions. Obviously bitter, demented a evil he turns to the 'dark side' and joins Auric Golfinger's criminal underworld. Whilst gaming is not notorious for good plots, we have come to expect better than this. Anyone who has ever played the game where you and some friends say random sentences in sequence to make up a story might have a good idea of how well the plot here fits together. And don't even get us started on the logic behind the 'golden eye'...

But a bad plot doesn’t make for a bad game. The staple-diet of the industry is still graphics, sound and gameplay. We played through the game for a good thirty minutes with youthfull enthusiasm, feeling that we were just being guided into the experience gently, and the mastery would soon start to flood out, but two times through the title now and we are still waiting. Rogue Agent simple lacks all semblance of innovation, creativity and guile. The original GoldenEye was all about these sorts of things, and the lame link that you have an eye of gold and thus the name GoldenEye fits in is a little too coincidental to sit well with us.

The gameplay then…oh dear. EA never should have started stealing things from the Halo franchise really. In one hand you hold a gun, in the other you hold a grenade. Your health also re-spawns and you’re called Master Chief and you fight against something called the Cov…no wait, silly us. And EA haven’t even copied it well, it just makes playing the game annoyingly simple, yet confusing too. On top of that the ‘evil’ theme that runs throughout the game is rammed awkwardly into the gameplay. The more ‘evil’ you are the more points you get. So if you get a very ‘evil’ headshot or perhaps use an ‘evil’ human shield, or perhaps even throw an ‘evil’ grenade you get points. The fact that that Pokémon can be more ‘evil’ than this really becomes an issue after about five minutes…

The whole game is split up into eight levels, which in turn are split up into a total of twenty missions. As we already touched upon earlier, Rogue Agent does more than the occasional nod and wink towards the Halo series, and were the layout and feel of the game even half as good as the sublime XBOX shooters' then we might be in business. Sad thing is, Rogue Agent feels more like a Ford Transit than a Ferrari.

The dual-wielding does work quite well. This is due to a rather lovely collection of guns from rifles to rocket launchers and beyond to the plain weird and wonderful. It is this quite incredible mix of guns that makes for one of the games few exciting features. Bizarre combinations of submachine guns and handguns used in unison can be quite interesting at times! And as for weapon accuracy and damage, random and confusing just about covers that one. A quick mention (that's all they deserve) should go to the 'evil' features. You have MRI vision, meaning you can see through just about anything, an Electromagnetic Hack which lets you disable enemy weapons and a temporary shield for yourself. Very 'evil', wouldn't you agree? And as for weapon accuracy and damage, random and confusing just about covers that one.

The enemy AI, was with much of the game, is a tad hit and miss. Sometimes it workd very well, with your adversaries running, diving, hiding and manoeuvring with quite a bit of substance, but at other times they're as dumb as a Big Brother housemate. The level design doesn't help anyone either. They all look the damn same! Hallway, corridor, big room, some pillars, a few obstacle, maybe a door or two, a wall for you to use your 'evil' eye on...that's it. They all look the same colour, they all have the same dull textures and to be honest the N64 GoldenEye doesn't look too bad in comparison. The game does run quite smoothly, but when you consider how little it has to deal with this is perhaps a minimum to be expected.

The games main saving grace is the multiplayer mode. Whilst the GameCube version lacks the online options that the PS2 and XBOX titles use so well, there is still lots to enjoy with you and three mates round a TV. There are twenty levels to try out, enough options to make you cry, or laugh, and it's all fast paced and enjoyable. Nothing special mind, but certainly one of the better FPS multiplayer experiences on the GameCube.