007: Agent Under Fire

CIA Agent Zoe Nightshade is investigating a firm called Identicon headed by Nigel Bloch. The firm is into genetic design but the CIA suspect something more sinister Nightshade disappears when trying to get a case of vials to find out exactly what Identicon are up to. Bond investigates when the vials turn out to be human blood with the initials of the world leaders on it and uncovers a plot to replace politicians with clones that will ultimately do Bloch's bidding.

I loved Goldeneye on N64 and the first thing I got when I got a PS2 for a while was Agent Under Fire. I was hoping for the same quality of game and, in some respects that's what I got. The story is good and the graphics are fantastic. However the game was simply too straightforward. There were no puzzles that required a great deal of thought, everything worked in a straight line. On top of this the action is a lot more `just blast' than it was in Goldeneye – often the best way to go is simply to charge in with all guns blazing rather than trying to be clever or skilful. It's a shame because the mix of that is what made Goldeneye good.

This means that with a basic understanding of the game you can easily finish it in a very short time. I borrowed this game for a few days and thought I'd never get through it. Two evenings and one afternoon later I had clocked the game on all but the hardest difficulty level. Surely this shouldn't be possible!?

The multiplayer is OK but the stages are pretty open and not as twisty as I'd like – I like a hunt! Also, why no computer controlled characters – not even one! Even the N64's Perfect Dark was able to have 8 of them. This really takes away from the lasting challenge of the game as not everyone lives with another person who can play (or wants to!). Despite this I'll still pick it up and play a level here or there because it is still very good fun it's just a shame that its longevity is shortened by the actual structure of the game. Overall fans of Goldeneye will enjoy it but finish it very very quickly – even the hidden stuff is quite easy to find and unlock. This is a great game but maybe better to hire or borrow for a week instead of buying it.