James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire
Review by Trent Dickerson
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First off, I just want to say that no matter how many Bond games keep pumping out, no 007 game will ever be as good as Rare's GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64. There, now that I have that off my chest, let me just say that this game severely disappointed me.
Let's talk about the storyline shall we? Bond must uncover the secrets of Identicon, a nefarious corporation that is cloning human beings. Bond must infiltrate heavily guarded compounds, using various Q-Gadgets and more than 20 weapons. Nice. In some missions, you get to drive 3 different types of cars(007 Racing, anyone?)
There are 12 missions in the game. Most of them are the usual run-hide-shoot against baddies, with a few driving missions. Locations in the game include Hong Kong, the South China Sea, the Swiss Alps, and many more.
The graphics are one of the few things that helped the score of this game. They are more detailed and sleek than the PS2 version of the game, which is a big plus. One of the things that impressed me personally was the facials expressions when the camera zooms in close up on the characters' faces. And as usual, 007 drops a few pickup lines toward his sexy, tight leather-wearing foes.
One of the cooler aspects of this game were the use stealth which is really stressed in the game. In order to stay hidden, you must use various gadgets Q has created for you, including the Q-laser and Q-claw to break through security. But trust me when I say, there is no mission where you are hidden completely the entire time. Eventually, it'll be time to run-hide-shoot.
The controls are somewhat disappointing on the GameCube controller. You literally need "gold fingers" to move back and forth between menus and all the gadgets and weapons. One of the most annoying things is when you take a lot of hits while you're standing around with your thumb up your ass and at the same time looking for the perfect gizmo for the job. Even though at the beginning of every mission, the game shows the controller buttons for that specific mission, it still doesn't help much.
Luckily, assuming you're not a complete moron, once you finally find the right weapon or gadget for the job, look out bad guys. Some weapons take a second or two to load(i.e. the rocket launcher), but beside that, you've got some serious FPS fun here. As I said before, there are various driving missions in the game where you get to jump behind the wheel of various Bond cars(including the infamous Aston Martin DB5). In the driving missions, you race through the streets, chasing down Identicon baddies, while at the same time making Q cry as you destroy his newest vehicle for you. Gameplay and animation are flawless in missions like these, but most especially when you are sniping(thank you GoldenEye).
In conclusion, Bond for GameCube is the first Bond game ever not to be based on a movie. And maybe that's why this game sucked so much, because it didn't have that Official Stamp of Bond Approval on it. But, if you're somewhat peeved with the blocky graphics of GoldenEye or World is Not Enough, feel free to buy this game and jump in bed with this new game of Bond espionage. Just remember one thing: no one lives forever(and neither will this game...for long).
My Score: 7 out of 10
Advantages: Awesome graphics, smooth gameplay, more than 20 weapons and 10 Q-gadgets at your disposal, explore world-famous cities.
Disadvantages: Typical Bond storyline, Bond Moves can be EXTREMELY annoying, replay value is low, controls are jerky.
