Spies, lies and deceit are uncovered in Kemco’s new espionage thriller, Rogue Ops

by Louis Bedigian

The genre that began with Metal Gear Solid and evolved with Splinter Cell is about to go even further with Rogue Ops.  Producer Dylan Beale reveals covert information about the game.

It’s that time of the year again.  The time that all GameZone employees hate.  No, it’s not the time where we have to get our thumbs reattached (that only happens to some of us).  It’s the time when everyone at GameZone is required to get their eyes examined.  After several journalists nearly went blind playing through Final Fantasy VII, we don’t want to take any chances.

Unfortunately, our eye doctor has retired, so we had to find a new one.  Right across the street from our office is a new eye clinic called Rogue Optical.  We thought that was a strange name for an eye clinic, but it was close, and not very busy, so…

Rogue Optical uses a unique laser healing system that allows patients to get in and out in a matter of minutes.  All of us seemed to have at least a minor eye problem, so we agreed to have the laser treatment.

Just as the treatment was about to begin, an EA (Eye Assistant) came in.  His nametag said Albert Wesker.  “Wesker…where do I know that name?” I thought.  Then it hit me – Raccoon City!  I sprang from my chair, pulled out my tranquilizer gun and immediately eliminated the threat.  Five minutes later, the police surrounded the place, and one of Umbrella’s most lethal creators had finally been captured.

As it turns out, our office happens to be built on top of an old Umbrella burial ground.  They used it to dispose of failed zombie experiments.  Since then, we have moved our office to the much safer Grant City.  We heard there was a lot of crime in Grant City, but we haven’t been faced with any, no doubt thanks to the Extreme Force protecting us.

Now that we’ve been settled into our new office, we had to resume our day job: video game journalism.  Yes, it’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.  The world just wouldn’t be the same without video game reviews.  Nor would it be the same without interviews.

Dylan Beale, the producer Rogue Ops, Kemco’s exciting new action/spy game, stopped by today to go over the game’s most important details.

First off, tell us what Rogue Ops is all about.  What is its story, what is the player's goal, and who are the main characters?

Dylan Beale: The player takes on the role of Nicola Connors (known as “Nikki’ to her friends), a former green beret who is brought into the world of counter-terrorism when her husband and daughter are killed when their car explodes.  While looking for the perpetrators of this crime, she uncovers a secret US unsanctioned government agency (“Phoenix”) which her husband had been a member of.  Phoenix in turn recruits Connors and brings her into their agency and the world of ‘Rogue Ops’.  She then sets out on a mission to determine what ‘Omega 19’, a terrorist cell rumored to have access to biological weapons, is planning and to destroy their chain of command. As the player plays through the game, they will discover through various twists and turns that Omega 19 are the ones who killed Nikki’s family and Nikki then takes on her missions with added zest!

Hiding in the shadows is one of many ways you can escape danger in Rogue Ops.

Describe the game's combat.  What is it like?  What does it involve?

DB: There are two different combat systems in the game, ranged and close combat. Ranged combat works as you would expect, with the player equipping a weapon, such as a pistol, and then aiming at an enemy and firing.  Depending on hit locations, weapon type, NPC armor, the number of shots needed to eliminate an enemy will vary, and the player will soon learn to aim for unprotected and critical areas of an enemy.

Close combat requires Nikki to sneak up behind an unsuspecting enemy.  When she gets close enough, an on-screen icon will appear with a power bar in it. As Nikki remains undetected behind the enemy this power bar builds up.  At any point, Nikki can execute a close combat kill by pressing the Action button, but the fuller the bar is when the player taps the Action button, the easier the close combat kill.  When the player executes the close combat, another bar appears on screen showing a list of joystick movements.  These joystick movements must be performed by the player within the time limit. A successful performance of the moves will result in Nikki executing the enemy through a close combat move.  The camera and animation sequences are dependent on the amount of power behind the close combat and the amount of time left when the final joystick movement is completed.  Close combat kills have the advantage of being a silent and bloodless kill, reducing the chances of Nikki being discovered.  Also, a successful close combat kill can result in additional pickups (such as ammo or health packs).

Being a game with a huge emphasis on stealth, Rogue Ops allows the player to carry and conceal enemy bodies.  Could you give us some examples of where Nikki might hide her dead foes?

DB: Agent Connors can pick up and move those unfortunate bad-guys that where in her way!  She can conceal bodies in lockers, packing crates and also in darkened shadowy corners.  She will also find a couple of puzzles that require the use of a body to find the solution!

 

One of Nikki's strengths is her ability to pick pockets.  How is this done in the game?  What is the next move after picking a pocket?

DB: In order to pick a pocket, the player must sneak up behind an unsuspecting enemy while crouched.  Once they are close enough, Nikki will reach up and begin to search the NPC.  The player must keep Nikki close enough to the NPC for a period of time indicated by an on screen search meter, and once they do so, Nikki retrieves an item from the NPC.  The hard part is that in later levels some of the NPCs that you’ll want to relieve of security cards are moving, so the player must be very careful to creep behind them without bumping into them, or being spotted by the guy she’s lifting from, or any of his buddies!

This isn’t just a pretty pose for the camera.

You can’t see it, but Nikki’s gun is actually pointed at Lara Croft’s head.

How will the game's vision mode come into play?

DB: The game makes extensive use of the ‘special vision’ mode.  There are numerous puzzles that have hints to their solution visible with this mode.  Also, the player can use it to see through the walls and pinpoint enemy positions before entering a room.  You can even enable special vision while armed, which makes shooting the enemies in very dark areas a little easier.  However, special vision is not unlimited.  Nikki has an energy system and special vision draws heavily from this, so she must balance the use of this with other gadgets that draw from her electrical power source.  Fortunately, she can find recharges in the shape of batteries concealed throughout the environments.

Is there a map or radar system that reveals your enemies' location?

DB: Yes. There is a map/radar display in the upper right corner of the screen. This also draws from Nikki’s electrical power and will shut down if the player is out of power.  The map shows enemies locations, cone of vision and other key objective locations.  The map can have it’s zoom factor changed and the player can also increase the size of the map through a simple button press.

Do players have any control over the game's camera?

DB: The player will control the camera through the games ‘look’ system.  The player holds the left trigger (the ‘Look’ button) and then the left stick controls the view of the character.  This means the player must stop movement to look around and examine the environment, which we feel adds to the drama and heightens the tension the player feels during the game.

What can you tell us about the game's Xbox Live features?

DB: We are still finalizing the Xbox Live feature set, but we are hoping to include downloadable content, voice commander functions, and a global ranking system.  These will be worked out over the next couple of weeks.

Do you have what it takes to be the top-ranking spy?

You’ll find out this fall.

Are you able to talk about the exclusive content for the PlayStation 2 version?

DB: At this point, we have not finalized what will be exclusive for the PlayStation 2.  Once again, within the next few weeks we should be in a better position to discuss this.

Will the GameCube version take advantage of the GC-to-GBA feature?

DB: Currently we have no plans to support this feature.

Thank you for your time.