GoldenEye: Rogue Agent [GC]

On each console the framerate holds at about 30 FPS, with the Cube version controlling surprisingly well, and the Xbox and PS2 handling moderately well.

As we all know, the single-player game isn't everything. Rogue Agent has a robust multiplayer set of maps (20 in all), with solid four-player split-screen options for all versions, and online play for up to eight players on Xbox and PS2. We played a substantial amount of online games and they held up well. There are tons of options, game types and famous Bond locations (the Golden Gate Bridge from View to a Kill, the pyramids from The Spy Who Loved Me, and the satellite from GoldenEye to name a few). Also, while the deathtraps are almost worthless in the single-player game, they make a good showing in the multiplayer modes.

Graphics Despite all of the high-powered talent from numerous design teams, the visual quality of Rogue Agent is remarkably dull, forgettable, and unimaginative. Yes, you'll see re-creations of cool sets, but they're bland in structure and texture work in the game. Rogue Agent does a better job of presenting good character and gun animations, and a workmanlike particle system.

You'll see quick clips of famous Bond characters, from Judy Dench's M to the impressively re-created look of Gert Frobe's Auric Goldfinger, Famke Janssen's Xenia Onatopp and good 'ol Oddjob. But you'll see little of them, as they're used more as visual props than actual characters.

All three systems support wide-screen mode, but only the Xbox supports HDTV 480p progressive scan. The Xbox version is the best looking of the bunch, with the PS2 and Cube coming in second and third, respectively. The Cube version shows off better textures, but its framerate is not quite as good. Both the Cube and PS2 versions also shimmer and display anti-aliasing.

Sound In the audio department, even DJ Paul Oakenfold's work is barely above average. You'll hear complex and sophisticated textures and rhythms, but overall the music is just as repetitive, unimaginative and uninspired as the rest of the game. He's created a world of great music in his lifetime, but the music in this game won't go down as terribly memorable.

The sound effects are solid, ranging from an excellent assortment of guns and their reload sounds to the explosions and background sounds themselves. The voice acting is high quality and accurate from the professional voice-actor's level (like, for instance, Judy Dench), but after that, the enemy grunts, yells and commands are repetitive and sometimes downright annoying. Goldeneye is pretty much voiceless, and the creepy doctor who gave him the golden eye talks like a mad scientist who's risen from the crypt. At least the sound is high quality, with each version supporting in-game Dolby Digital (and the mysterious THX certification), and providing a good wall of well-separated sound.

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