MI6 previews the forthcoming GoldenEye: Rogue Agent game from EA...

GoldenEye Rogue Agent - July Preview
21st July 2004

A View To A Kill
You've been implanted with a golden eye courtesy of Goldfinger & Scaramanga - but it's not any old metal eye; equipped with several powers to aid your missions and to frankly allow you to be "evil". The eye's powers must be unlocked as you progress through the game, the first a Magnetic Field which allows you to grab an enemy and throw them in any direction using the right thumbstick. The second, a Magnetic Shield which will deflect any incoming bullet, offering temporary invulnerability. The eye also enables biometric scans which surface information about your enemy composure and health. For those of you who were hoping to work up a frenzy chucking enemies here and there, you won't get very far - your powers are not unlimited and instead revive as you kill more enemies or act villainous.


Above: MI6 exclusive screenshot of the third mission set in a Hong Kong skyscraper.
 

Golden Combat
An interesting melee combat system will permit you the opportunity to throw a punch at any enemy in range. The action doesn't stop there - a hostage-grabbing technique has also been implemented. You can stun an enemy via melee attack then grab him with your left arm, your gun in the right; similar to that in Splinter Cell but harder to see your surroundings because of the first person perspective. There is no jump feature in Rogue Agent, akin to the original GoldenEye game for the N64.

If you enjoy the evil premise of the Bond universe, the developers haven't left out those moments which are truly wicked - you can dangle a goon over the edge of a balcony, leaving them to beg for their life.

An Evil Dual
Returning from GoldenEye 64 are dual weapons - with a twist. Rogue Agent has dual wielding capability, giving you the chance to mix and match two weapons, one in each hand. These are controlled by independent right and left triggers which allow simultaneous firing or the firing of one weapon at a time. If you're armed with only one weapon, you can throw grenades using the other hand similar to that in the popular game Halo. The weapon arsenal in Rogue Agent consists of several original, futuristic looking pistols, machine guns and rocket launchers - your default weapon is a pistol, similar in style to a Desert Eagle.

An interesting new location, "The Octopus" will be where the villains meet to trade weapons and intel - players may visit it between missions. This underwater location will also feature in the multiplayer and purposely, the game logo is also based on an octopus (not named after the sea creature, but rather a multinational corporation, that has many powerful, centrally controlled branches).

A Physical Approach
Rogue Agent will boast use of the 'Havok' physics engine - renowned as the best in the industry it has appeared in games such as Max Payne 2, Painkiller and the upcoming title Half Life 2. The physics engine offers 'Ragdoll' character movements providing realistic interactions, for example, you can lift a goon using your Magnetic Field power and throw him into another goon knocking them down.

 

'Ragdoll' also means realistic tumbles down stairs and a wide variation of goon deaths. Furthermore, the engine can provide realistic movement of objects within the environment, such as a chair falling over when you throw a goon into it.

While the game has improved from it's display at E3 this year, there is still work needed on the frame rate and AI, and some of the rather bland character work being redone by Darren Pattenden at Redwood Shores. The game may share it's name with the N64 classic, but it doesn't feel the same yet - maybe missing some of the magic it needs to compete with the top FPS titles being released this year.

  Stay tuned to MI6 for further intel reports on "GoldenEye: Rogue Agent", due out in stores November 2004.

Images courtesy EA Games.

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