GoldenEye: Rogue Agent – PS2 – Review

When I first heard
of another GoldenEye game, nostalgic flashes came into my head of the
disfigured N64 controller, Big Head cheats, and….oh yeah…one of the greatest
videogames ever developed!!!  But here I am, holding a copy of GoldenEye:
Rogue Agent and I don’t want to continue playing it.  To be honest, EA Games
messed up on what Rare perfected and everything from storyline to gameplay reeks
of mediocrity.

The game drops you
in the role of a rogue secret agent kicked out of the British secret service for
“questionable practice.”  Auric Goldfinger recruits you from MI6 to fight
against Dr. No, the man responsible for your eye.  Implanting a golden eye with
special powers, you are on your way to defeating Dr. No for a chance to rule the
world. 

Two things should
be said about this game right off the bat; I have never played a FPS with this
bad a control system and the games direction is going where you thought it was
going to lead, a 007 villain hungry to dominate the world.  I felt like James
Bond while playing because the only real objectives in each of the eight
missions was to kill Dr. No’s henchmen and rarely throw innocent bystanders in
the way to deflect bullets.  EA marketed this game, “Why Save The World When You
Can Rule It”, which poorly captures the reality of what this game is.

A lot of features
from new console shooters were added to RA, most notably dual wielding
and a replenishing health bar (and if you are looking for these things, have you
thought of a little game called Halo 2?)  One thing I immediately noticed
was the control system.  There is no jump button, the aim always felt awkward,
and the weapon selection options could have been configured better. 

When playing, you
will go from enclosed rooms to larger enclosed rooms, shooting baddies on the
way.  As challenging as this may sound, EA has thrown in a navigating arrow that
tells you exactly where you need to go.  I found the game levels to be boring
and tedious at the same time.  The weapons you can option are pretty much the
standard guns you can sport in most games, with the exception of a few. 
Tranquilizer guns definitely put a shock to your opponents and a wall-hacking
railgun capable of taking out enemies in other rooms.

Another kicker is
the special abilities of the golden eye implanted in GoldenEye.  You can see
through walls, shield bullets, throw enemies with telekinesis, and hack into
machines (and it’s a can opener on the weekends!)  Though a cool aspect of the
game, the golden eye doesn’t play a big enough part to save the overall
gameplay.  Besides single-player, there is a split screen option as well as
online multiplayer.  But the gameplay is so boring compared to other multiplayer
games out, it’s hardly worth the CD space it takes up.

The graphics are
only a slight improvement compared to the gameplay, with outdated character
skins and environmental design one would expect from a game made by independent
developers and not the largest video game studio in the world.  The games sound
is the highlight of RA.  The sound effects sound realistic with the
exception of a few special effects and guns, the enemy speech is impressive at
shouting specifics like “he’s behind the forklift” or “he’s using a shield”, and
the games soundtrack does carry that Bond-flavor.

In general, this
game is a huge disappointment.  Maybe I’m being too harsh.  Maybe Pierce got out
of the James Bond franchise after seeing this game in action.  Whatever the
case, slapping a “007 Presents” official sticker on the cover doesn’t make it
Rare’s GoldenEye and doesn’t make it worth your 50 bucks.

Gameplay: 6
I knew there was a reason why FPS on consoles wouldn’t work, and this is it.

Graphics: 6.5
Rogue Agent looks pretty bland and it’s obvious a lot more
development time could have been spent here.

Sound: 7
The game tracks are something you’ll be trying to find on iTunes, but mixed
with character dialogue and special effects it makes the best part of the game.

Difficulty:  Medium

Concept: 8

Multiplayer: 6
If you are looking at finding a good PS2 FPS online, I have a suggestion. 
Trade in your system for a new XBOX and put down the cash for Halo 2.

Overall: 6
Not one videogame fan I know disliked GoldenEye on the N64. 
Unfortunately this version of the classic title was a big disappointment.