Jan
11

Agency Video: Thoughts

6 Comments

If you haven’t seen the latest Agency video from CES 2008, there is one over at TTH that you can take a look at. Looks very good so far…and might I say that the art direction is very different for a SOE product. It looks nothing like their other MMO offerings, which is a good thing. EQ2 or SWG are not bad looking, it’s just nice to see SOE continue to evolve that part of their talent. I think they?ve nailed the whole spy look.

It’s very hard to get a complete feeling for the game from a video but I do get the No One Lives Forever kind of vibe to it. If there is any title that can’t take itself too seriously, it’s this one. What made No One Lives Forever a great game wasn’t because they put a lot of James Bond into it; it was because they put some of Austin Powers in there as well. James Bond gives you the run-and-gun action, but Austin gives you the personality and humor…which I’m hoping The Agency will be full of. Here’s what I think…if they don’t nail that Austin Powers/No One Lives Forever kind of feel, then people will just see this as another shooter that just happens to have a persistent world. It cannot just be all run and gun. It can’t all be based on twitch. Yes…these are strictly what I need for this game to appeal to me, but I think that piece is essential in order for people to get really excited for the title. Yeah, that trailer we saw last year had plenty of that?but will the game have it?

The video showed one kind of mission where you’re following the bad guy. He has a little indicator which changes color and tells you whether he detects you following him. Very interesting mechanic…and it works. I’m hoping there are interesting missions like that introduce the player to new ways of interacting with the world around them. What concerned me a bit was the mention that some classes depend on non-combat actions to advance. That may be a problem for a game that seems to be concentrating on being a shooter. I know I’d be frustrated if I was in a group just interested in blowing crap up and not taking the time to allow other classes to “do their thing”.

Of course, what?s up in the air is the subscription model for The Agency. I?m waiting on pins and needles for that to come out.

D out.

Posted in Agency
6 Comments Posted by Darren

6 Responses to "Agency Video: Thoughts"

  • Bildo says:
    January 11, 2008 at 2:24 pm

    The interesting thing about all missions is that they’ll be entirely solo-able, so you won’t ever feel restricted by lame ass “blow it all up!” players if you don’t want to be. However the downside will be you won’t find yourself getting the silver and gold difficulties completed if you don’t have a group a lot of the time from what I gather.

    Also worth noting is that Agency is taking the FFXI approach to classes and letting you change at will for a situation that needs it. You’ll have to do the switch before engaging in a mission, but still it’s nice to be able to switch around without worrying about alts and all that. The way the guy who demo’d the game for Gametrailers (might be the same as the one at TTH) words it, it sounds like your level will stay the same while switching between classes, so there won’t be any “re-leveling” with another class like you do in FFXI. I see this as a good thing if I’m accurate in my assumption. I get the impression that level won’t matter too much except for quest options and whatnot.

    As for the humorous side of things, they say it will definitely be in the vain of TF2 in terms of tone, and if you ask me… the tone of TF2, combined with the gameplay is what makes that game unparalleled in competitive shooters. If Agency can pull that type of style off, they’ll hit a home run with this game, really. Especially if the payment options are more than your usual “15 dollars a month, please”.

  • Pixie Styx says:
    January 11, 2008 at 4:25 pm

    defernatly interesting looking, certainly appealing to the broader audience then pure mmo players, however will that put pure mmo players off knowing ps3 hot shot fps will be in the mix as well

  • Pvthudson says:
    January 11, 2008 at 7:18 pm

    Cant beat that head shot

    Thats all I have to say. That part cracked me up

  • Openedge1 says:
    January 14, 2008 at 12:31 pm

    I am fascinated by this. The fact most games end up being the same thing, I want to see something ELSE succeed (translate: No Elves/Orcs stuff ..)

    I was so hyped about Tabula Rasa and it bombed for me, and my only other game on the horizon is Stargate (and agreed with your article…but, have also some hopes for)

    Lets branch out Dev’s…please?

    Later

  • SmakenDahed says:
    January 14, 2008 at 2:51 pm

    So does the gameplay for this follow DDO more closely? Some hubs where you get missions? With all the scripting on instances, I just get a sense that it may end up being like DDO where people quickly learn where everything is and rush through the missions. Any random element to it?

    Still, looks like it could be fun… for awhile.

  • Nat says:
    January 14, 2008 at 4:24 pm

    Man I want to be hyped for this game but??

    The Dev?s are saying PS3 is the lead platform (1up most recent podcast) and from what I can tell it is going to be Hellgate with Bond instead of demons.

    Instance missions, no true persistent world, built for 6 buttons (or however many their controller has) and god only knows what type of crazy ass payment plan this thing will have. If I was a betting man I would say adds since it is a modern setting and micro payments since it is console lead and them console folks love that DLC ? give me a couple songs for 5 bucks?OOOOHHH YEAAH

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