First Encounter, With a Twist

By Alex McLain

There are few game franchises whose mere name can evoke a childish smile and a giddy disposition. GoldenEye is one of them.

The original's sublimely crafted single-player experience was enough to proclaim the first-person shooter (FPS) genre as a viable option for console owners. Had it not been for GoldenEye, we may never have been graced with the expertly crafted Halo®: Combat Evolved and Halo® 2; such is the enormous nature of its impact. Plus, it gave us our first legitimate James Bond experience, with slick presentation and an expert understanding of the license.

Moreover, the four-player split-screen multiplayer mayhem gaveGoldenEye a firm and much-loved place in our hearts. It may not have had the plethora of customization options that its spiritual successor (Perfect Dark) boasted, but it pioneered console frag fests with a rock-solid four-player experience that was heavy on the combat and light on frustration (no cheap kills here). It was the ultimate social magnet, too, as a mere whiff of GoldenEye goodness floating out into a dormitory hallway could pull even the most ardent bookworm away with its siren call.

Fans have been yearning for years for a sequel to this now classic game, and while the developer has changed, the call has not gone unanswered. EA has heard your wants and needs, and it has obeyed your request by developing GoldenEye: Rogue Agent™. This is not a remake, as some thought it might be, but instead, it's a sequel that quests to capture the magic of its predecessor.

GoldenEye: Rogue Agent harnesses everything that made the original so appealing. It's fast, frenetic, intense, and unwaveringly solid in the frame-rate department (a key component that rarely gets noticed, but one that is absolutely paramount in a multiplayer FPS). It features well-balanced multiplayer maps and a kick-ass single-player campaign that offers a new take on the Bond universe.

This is Bond without Bond, you might say. Rogue Agentexists firmly within the much-loved Bond universe, and in fact, probably uses more that the license has to offer than any other game before it. That said, you do not play Bond. Instead, you fill the shoes of a MI6 outcast, a former agent whose ruthless tactics and villainous nature did not mesh well with the prim and proper British intelligence agency.

After a botched virtual training mission (in which you let poor 007 die), you are exiled from MI6 by M (as played by Dame Judi Dench). Fear not, though. A man of your talents does not go unemployed for long, and before you can say cut scene, you're picked up by the ever greedy Goldfinger and placed in his employ. So begins the Campaign mode for Rogue Agent.

Beyond the Campaign mode, and even the multiplayer options, are a few important additions to gameplay. Rogue Agent may strive to capture the essence of the original GoldenEye, but it is not above making a few improvements. Chief among these are the following.

A Real Golden Eye
That's right, your Rogue Agent actually sports a cybernetic golden eye, as provided by the incessantly creepy Francisco Scaramanga. (Christopher Lee reprises his role from The Man with the Golden Gun.) This eye provides you with special abilities that you'll earn as you play through the game. You'll be able to see through walls with MRI Vision, effect machinery (and jam guns) with your EM Pulse, deflect bullets with a Polarity Shield, and even harness energy with an Induction Field to throw your enemies from afar.

Rata Tat Tat Al!
Peppered throughout each level—single-player and multiplayer—are Machine Traps. These are like cut-outs of Al Capone in a fun house, but they fire very real guns and deal very real carnage to all in its path. Machine Traps are ruthlessly efficient killing zones, and if used properly (e.g. waiting until a large group is in the affected area), they can make life much easier on you.

It's crucial to use these properly during the singe-player campaign. You can rack up a lot of kills in multiplayer matches with Machine Traps as well. Also, kills made with Machine Traps earn you points for your Rogue Score, which helps unlock items like new multiplayer maps or skins.

You'll Have to Shoot Him First
It may seem like a small addition, but the ability to daze an enemy and take them as a hostage in the single-player missions is huge. Not only does it offer a bit of realism (especially since you're a bad guy), but it adds a completely new element to your level strategy. It's possible to walk through whole areas with a hostage and not get harmed, which is not only great for getting to the next area, but also conserves ammo. (Note though that you move very cumbersomely with a hostage in tow.)

GoldenEye: Rogue Agent is a refreshing take on an already classic game. It's a natural fusion of an old formula with new design and technology. It's like the original felt like a tune up and a fresh coat of paint for the current generation of consoles, and there's no better proof than playing the multiplayer on XboxLive™, which is fully integrated into Rogue Agent.

Dust off your GoldenEye skills because the sequel you've been waiting for is finally here!

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