irst of all, I consider GoldenEye for the N64 to be one of the most hallowed video game franchises ever.  Blending the film’s storyline with hectic action and some of the best multiplayer still seen to this date, the game glimmered with classic qualities. While it pales in comparison to today’s modern FPS titles, it’s safe to say that the game almost single-handedly defined what first person shooters would become on home consoles.  That’s why EA’s upcoming game GoldenEye: Rogue Agent has me so worried.  The old adage goes, “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”  Unfortunately, Rogue Agent is nowhere near its N64 counterpart; not in story, not in action, not even in multiplayer.

The storyline of the original N64 version followed MI6 super agent James Bond as he tried to save the world from the GoldenEye, a doomsday device satellite capable of world destruction.  Remember that?  OK, not throw all of that knowledge out the window.  Rogue Agent makes an attempt at taking the Bond franchise into new ground, this time allowed the player to take on the role of an MI6 agent kicked out of the service, due to his short temper and use of brutality.  With nowhere to go, the rogue agent begins to work for criminal mastermind Auric Goldfinger.  It seems that even super villains can’t get along with each other and lately the two have been trying to eliminate the other.  As the rogue agent, you’re enlisted into Goldfinger’s ranks and are charged with carrying out his most dangerous missions.  But, there’s more to this rogue agent than meets the eye (pun most definitely intended).  Thanks to a fake eye implant, dubbed the GoldenEye, the rogue agent can perform a number of special feats, giving him an advantage over his adversaries.

While the storyline is convoluted and filled with a large number of historical impossibilities (such as Pussy Galore and Xenia Onatopp appearing in the same game), the action is pretty fresh and intense enough to keep thing interesting…for a bit.  The rogue agent, dubbed GoldenEye by his foes, is able to utilize a fairly wide array of different weapons.  Handguns, machine guns, assault rifles, shotguns, and rocket launchers are all available to find and use, the majority of which are dropped by downed enemies.  He can also throw grenades and destroy explosive barrels in the environment, which is handy when you want to take out a large number of enemies at once.  If you want to serious firepower, you can dual-wield weapons, increasing the damage you’re able to inflict but also comes at a price; you can’t use grenades.  Also, only certain weapons can be dual-wielded together.  Handguns and light machine guns are the best combinations, but weapons that require two hands to use (such as assault rifles and rocket launchers) can only be carried solo.

The most unique combat feature of Rogue Agent is the GoldenEye implant which grants you the ability to use some cool abilities.  All other powers are mapped to the D-pad and activated by the White button (in the Xbox version).  So, if you want to use a power all you have to do is press its corresponding D-pad direction and then hit the White button.  The first ability you gain is M.R.I, or magnetic resonance imaging.  When using the ability nearby objects and walls will become semi-transparent, allowing you to see enemies who may be using them as cover.  The second power you gain is the ability to hack machinery and electrical devices, such as computer terminals, gun turrets, and even enemy weapons.  An enemy holding a hacked weapon will see their firearm’s accuracy drop dramatically, allowing you to pummel them with fire while they can only try and hit you back.  The third power allows you to throw up an electro-magnetic shield, which repels bullets from enemies.  The last power allows you to use electro-magnetic forces to grab enemies, at which point you can toss them around the environment and even off ledges.  All of the GoldenEye powers are limited in use, since they’re each bound by an energy meter.  As you use each power, the energy meter decreases, although when you’re not using powers the meter refills pretty quickly.  I have to admit the powers are pretty neat and prove to be quite handy while playing through the game.  You’ll run into many instances where a power is definitely need, or at the very least, will give you a huge advantage over your enemies and the strategy involved in using them is a nice change of pace.

Mission-wise, Rogue Agent doesn’t really offer up that much in terms of innovation.  You’ll progress through a pretty standard format of going from mission to another, each of which usually has a few objectives that you need to complete.  In all honesty, I found most of the missions to be pretty bland and the objectives likewise.  If you’re ever played an FPS in the past you’ve probably grown bored of having to track down some special switch or make it to some special location to really get excited.  I do like how the game keeps track of all your stats, including accuracy, damage taken, and mission completion time, and how all of these statistics are tallied together to unlock some bonus content like concept art.  But, the bland levels and objectives really hurt Rogue Agent right out of the gate.

Prior to E3, EA made a big fuss about the game’s cool death traps and the ability to play as a bad Bond character, and frankly, I was pretty pumped about those features.  But, after having had to some time to really get into Rogue Agent, I’m disappointed to say that they’re not all that they’re cracked up to be.  First of all, most levels feature a death trap, whether it is a gigantic dragon statue on top of a skyscraper that can spew out fire and destroy enemy aircraft to more practical devices like a room that you can fill with fire, thus killing any trapped enemies inside.  While most certainly a cool idea, the death traps play absolutely no real role in the action.  Considering that the game makes a habit of tossing countless enemies your way, being able to snuff out two or three with a trap hardly makes a dent in the forces you’ll need to go up against.  Also, most death traps put you in direct line of fire of enemy forces, making them more of a liability than an advantage.  Granted, the multiplayer modes feature more of an emphasis on using death traps, but as far as the single player campaign goes, they’re almost unnecessary.

And then there’s this whole “bad guy” persona that Rogue Agent is trying to play into.  I remember asking some team members on the game back at E3 how being a bad guy was going to translate into Rogue Agent.  The answers I got actually confused me even more.  Aside from a few instances in the beginning of the game where you can shoot a hapless enemy as he clings to a railing above a fatal precipice, I found absolutely no indication that I was a bad guy.  True, the storyline has you working for Auric Goldfinger, but being a spy so terrible that I was ejected from MI6, I expect to see a bit more attitude in how I conduct business.  If there were the cutscenes and you knew the title was a Bond game, my guess is that you wouldn’t even know that you’re a bad guy, which is unfortunate.  Given the cool idea of being an MI6 mercenary for the villains seems like a plotline ripe with potential, but unfortunately, that promise never seems fully realized.

Visually, Rogue Agent is pretty respectable, but by no means the best looking FPS for the Xbox.  Character models are nicely rendered and the cutscenes features some very impressive visuals.  Environments, however, don’t seem to fare quite as well and you’ll be introduced to quite a few levels that seem to be lacking that certain flair that you’d expect from a Bond game.  While most levels are multi-tiered and full of objects and debris, they really don’t stand out as being very unique.  You’ll run through your standard warehouse and base levels, complete with tons of grey walls and generic machinery.  On the plus side, the various effects that accompany the GoldenEye powers are pretty neat, especially the M.R.I. one, but even those aren’t enough to keep Rogue Agent from looking generic.

On the audio side of things the game makes more strides than would be expected.  The voice talent is top notch, including Dame Judy Dench and Christopher Lee, and the lines for all characters are delivered with enough gusto and believability to be enjoyable.  You’ll notice immediately that enemies are very vocal and will constantly shout out your position to their comrades, even going so far as to yelling out what weapon you’re using or when you initiate a GoldenEye ability. 

I really wanted to like GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, I really did.  Having played it at E3 and experienced the soul-crushing difficulty the game was going to be known for, I had nothing but the highest hopes for the title.  But now, after having played it, I can’t help but feel quite disappointed.  The AI has been toned down dramatically and I encountered numerous situations where enemies would run in circles or get caught on the environmental objects.  This is the AI that was going to kick my butt and make me cry?  Granted, I did notice some nice tactical maneuvers every now and then from the enemies, but when tough AI comes down to enemies just running around (and thus making them harder to hit) like chickens with their head cut off, I can’t help but feel cheated.

Overall, Rogue Agent is a solid enough game if you’re really hurting for an FPS.  While the GoldenEye powers are neat and helpful, the action isn’t anything that I haven’t seen before.  And, while the story is full of plenty of surprises, the weird mix of Bond characters seems foreign to the point of absurdity.  Multiplayer offers up some replay value and the modes we took part in where pretty enjoyable, especially when using the Deathtraps.  But when you stack the game up against the competition, especially a very recently released Halo 2, Rogue Agent really doesn’t take the hallowed GoldenEye franchise in any new directions.