James Bond 007 in Agent Under Fire

The legendary Secret Agent James Bond and his crew are back in full force and, as always, they're ready to save the world in the first 007 release for the PS2 console, "James Bond 007 in ... Agent Under Fire."  A brand new storyline brings gamers 12 new intense missions, all with the classic Bond feel.  These missions range from first person shooters to driving simulators in which all the Bonds' classic cars can be enjoyed, from the brand new BMW Z8 to the beautiful Aston Martin DB5.

Bond must travel all to all over the world, from the streets of Hong Kong to Romania, in order to halt the activities of another criminal mastermind and save the world.  All of the settings for the secret missions are impressive, but a couple of them standout from the others.  One mission, "Forbidden Depths," takes place in an underwater transport system located in the South China Sea and visually, it is a very remarkable concept.  You are chasing a criminal named Bloch, who you've been pursuing since the beginning of the previous mission, in a transport vehicle, which is confined to a track.  Some portions of the tunnel system are made out of glass so you can see into the water and it presents a very unique underwater setting.  Although, despite the intriguing surroundings, it is essential that you focus on where your bullets are going...this is no Sunday drive, Mr. Bond!  Another mission with impressive scenery takes place in the high elevation of the Swiss Alps, where you must free world leaders who have been taken hostage in order to "prevent global chaos and economic meltdown."  No pressure, though...

In single player mode, figuring out what must be done next to complete the assigned objectives is typically a very simple process; too simple.  This is because of the verbal help of your allies at the Q-Lab and also the fact that most of the missions make it pretty obvious which device needs to be used at or which object must be interacted with at any given time.  An object either has a red blinking light or a green blinking light, symbolizing whether or not you have the ability to interact with it or not, depending on what you've done so far.  These blinking lights are pretty tough to miss and unfortunately, such help makes the game a little too easy to get through.  The action in the game does get quite challenging though, especially when the difficulty is set to the highest level.  Even with this said, there's still typically only a single way to navigate through most levels and this gives no freedom for unique attacks.

Your score at the end of a level is determined by various factors, one being how many bond moves you perform.  An example of a bond move found in a level is jumping over a gap in the road caused by the enemy shooting a missile at it from a helicopter or simply cutting a lock with your Q-Laser.  When you complete such a move, the text "007" appears on the screen and a Bond-style tune is played briefly.  Additionally, how many enemies you "subdued," your weapon accuracy and efficiency, damage taken, and so forth all factor in to your level score.  Based on the total score for each level you are awarded a bronze, silver, gold, or platinum medal.  An incentive for getting gold and platinum levels is that additional weapons and multiplayer levels can be opened up by doing so.

Once the single player missions have been completed, the multiplayer mode still has a lot to offer.  Up to four players can participate in split-screen battles of various types, but I'd recommend only playing two at a time because the individual screens are way too small!

Being a 3D first-person shooter game, it takes a significant amount of time to get the hang controlling Agent 007 with the DualShock2 gamepad.  After a little practice though, the controls prove to be effective and additionally, there are four different configuration options in case the default doesn't cut it for you (or for your friends who you're slaying in multiplayer mode).

We all know that James Bond would be nothing without all his gadgets that are provided by the invention experts at the Q-Lab.  In Agent Under Fire, gamers have the access to many such gadgets, which almost all resemble a device that looks like cell phone.  The Q-Laser aids 007 in cutting locks, while the Q-Remote allows you to download computer program information in order to complete objectives.  Also available are: the Q-Claw that allows access to otherwise unreachable locations, a Q-Camera, Q-Specs, Q-Card, Q-Decryptor, and of course the Q-Jet (a jetpack). 

The weapons included in this game are also very cool.  There are various handguns, machine guns, rifles and also a shotgun, with which most of the damage is done.  Additionally, there are grenades, a grenade launcher and rocket launchers.  One of the impressive high-tech weapons, which is an essential part of a particular mission, is a rocket launcher that uses a camera on the rockets that enables you to guide them to targets precisely.  Lastly, when you need to get down and dirty (you run out of ammo), you can use the hand attack, which also gets you bonus points.  It should be noted that certain weapons are only available in multiplayer mode.

If you've been itching for a 007 title to be released for a next generation console, your call has been answered, but can Agent Under Fire fill the James Bond void?  Having not been based on a movie, this one is lacking a little bit in the story quality department, since variations of most missions seem to have been done previously.  While all the missions include objectives that are very "Bond-like," they just aren't the classics we'd expect them to be.  The mission settings are remarkable though, as are the overall graphics and sound in the game, which almost make up for the somewhat cheesy objectives.  The great multiplayer mode also gives Agent Under Fire an edge and this by itself may be enough for some to justify the purchase of the game.

This game is rated "T" for teen and it takes up 90KB on your PS2 memory card.

Gameplay: 8
Agent Under Fire is an enjoyable game to play once the controls are gotten used to.  It is action packed and accurately puts gamers into 007's shoes, but the levels don't offer much freedom, as there's typically only one path to take to complete objectives.  Although the diversity of mission styles, from the classic first-person shooters to missions that allow you to drive cars, tanks and more, still make this one fun to play if you're not looking for one that's too hard on the mind.

Graphics: 8.5
The graphics in this release are actually quite impressive.  Most of the scenery is beautifully rendered and therefore, you really feel like you're in the intended environment.  Attention was paid to detail and this won't go unnoticed in any aspect of the game.  An example of this can be seen if you shoot an object, as bullet holes can be seen in it, which adds a significant amount of realism. This is especially true for the short videos that are shown right before each mission, as they are animated quite amazingly.  Even when there are explosions, gunfire and various animated elements on screen, there are no apparent frame-rate slowdowns found in the game.  Being such a nice looking game adds a lot to the whole Bond experience. 

Sound: 8
Agent Under Fire comes complete with all the 007 jingles we've all heard a thousand times, but they're an integral part of the sound.  Most sound effects are accurate and environmentally correct, since they can often help you track down those who are shooting at you.  The voices for all characters are just as you'd expect them to be, but some of the enemies repeat phrases constantly and these can get extremely annoying.

Difficulty: 6.5
The biggest problem with this game is that it is too easy for most gamers.  More freedom and less giving away of what must be done next would have made this game a lot more successful.

Concept: 7.5
The combination of driving missions and classic first person shooter missions gives a new twist to 007 gaming, but most objectives are almost too cheesy.  Everything you'd expect to happen does happen, as all the concepts seem to have been previously exhausted.

Multiplayer: 9
Up to four players can join in for a split screen shootout when using the multi-tap, but I wouldn't recommend playing with more than two (unless your TV is very large).  There are various modes of play for a dose of head-to-head Bond action, including the typical every man for himself, protecting the VIP (a sniper mode), and there is also one in which you must disengage bombs while also not getting shot.  They're all pretty fun, giving Agent Under Fire quite the replay value.

Overall: 8