I have been reading quite a few early reviews on this game and a lot don’t rate it very highly at all and others worship the ground it stands on. All very confusing. So here is my review of this maybe underestimated game.
There have been many James Bond games, the most notable Goldeneye for the N64. Most follow the storyline of the film it represents, so if you have already watched the film there are not many surprises in the plot for the game. James Bond: Agent Under Fire however has it’s own storyline and not a bad one at that.
To start off you have your briefings which are short and precise. Nothing worse then it ranting on and on and you end up skipping it and miss out on all that important information. James Bond is nice short and sweet and unfortunately so is the game itself. Although short, the attention to detail and exciting levels still make this a very intriguing game to play.
Take the graphics for example. Every platform for this game has praised the looks of the graphics and I’m pleased to say the Xbox version is just as good if not better. Although the textures are not on par with games like Halo. The quality is good enough and the colours used in the game are impressive and visually very pleasant. In particular the characters themselves are very nicely detailed with very fluid facial expressions in the cut scenes. This is the same throughout the game.
Rather then be just a first person shooter, this game has endeavoured to add something else. Reminds me a little of the PC game Sin. This contained the usual FPS elements plus certain levels where you would be in a helicopter shooting the enemy. James Bond is very similar. Instead of flying helicopters though you are treated to using the very well known Bond cars like the Aston Martin where you either drive and shoot rockets and machine guns, or you have someone take the wheel so you can aim much more effectively. Of all the driving scenes the tank scene has to be the best. Literally driving through streets and even through buildings, expect shattered glass and innocent people looking very bemused when you drive through their building in your huge tank.
One big niggle of the game is the default choice of controls. If you have played Halo this game will kill you to learn if you don’t alter the controller settings. For some reason they have as the default the left analogue and the right analogue opposite to the proven fantastic set up of Halo’s controls. First thing you do when you get this game is alter it to Setup-2 in the options and then you can breath with relief at an oversight in the game.
James Bond wouldn’t be James Bond if it weren’t for that ingredient present in all James Bond Films, which is of course the gadgets. Quite a clever handful of gadgets are provided in the game. Laser to open locks, a claw to reach high places and a remote to download programs and use them to open doors or use computers and other equipment. One level treats you to a very nice young lady in the shower completely nude, but of course there is plenty of steam. To your dismay this turns into R (Q’s successor) to demonstrate holographic technology. Oh well…
The game features 12 levels and 3 difficulty settings. After each level you are presented with a score. The better the score the more chance of getting secrets and bonuses for the game. These include new weapons, new multiplayer maps and so on. So here there is some good attempt for replay value. I must note that I did complete the game on the easiest setting in just one day! but this game keeps me coming back for more despite of this.
Why? well it is so very James Bond. The music straight from the films is perfect for the intro and the menus. In game you will have varied tunes all very good at getting the game more interesting and exciting. There is nothing better when completing an objective and hearing a short burst of the theme. This is one of the few games where you don’t actually mind watching someone else go through the game. It is that good.
Conclusion
A very true James Bond game with lovely graphics and gizmos. Could have done with being longer but other replay value in the way of bonuses to earn sort of makes up for this. Worth at least a rental and die hard Bond fans will want this in their collection.
[xrr rating=4/5]
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