wtf? Is this Agent? Just renamed to Agency. I thought it was being developed by Rockstar. I'm very disappointed if its not.
The Agency First Look
By
Justin Calvert, Executive Editor
Sony Online Entertainment shows off an early build of its espionage-themed persistent online shooter.
While attending a recent Sony Online Entertainment press event in Los Angeles we were afforded our first look at the previously unannounced The Agency. Currently in development for the PC and PlayStation 3 at SOE Seattle, The Agency is an espionage-themed online first-person shooter in which you'll assume the role of either a spy or a gun-for-hire mercenary working for one of two factions in a persistent world. The Agency won't be a massively multiplayer online game in the traditional sense, but it will afford you plenty of opportunities to interact with other players in addition to the requisite cooperative missions and player-versus-player matches.
The brief demo that we were shown followed two spies named Gavin Eissen and Cassie Nova who were attempting to complete a co-op mission in Prague. Their objective was simply to retrieve a briefcase from an informant who was far enough away that they felt it necessary to procure some wheels for the first leg of their journey. Specifically, the spies had a helicopter drop a sports car into the area for them, and moments later we were treated to a look at its James Bond-worthy arsenal incorporating machine guns, rocket launchers, and the like. After a brief, action-packed road trip the spies arrived at their destination--a district controlled by a dangerous Lithuanian gang known as The Bones. It wasn't long before gang members started making their presence known, emerging from doorways, leaping out from behind corners, and shooting from windows with sniper rifles that dragged menacing red laser sights across the courtyard. As the courtyard became a battlefield, we noticed a children's play area with a merry-go-round, and that came into play as we were treated to our first "Agency moment." Agency moments are cinematic set pieces that give you an opportunity to earn bonuses for getting the job done in a particularly thrilling or imaginative way. You might leap between moving vehicles or cause a gigantic explosion with a single shot, for example; but on this occasion, as enemies closed in from all sides, the bonus was earned simply by getting the merry-go-round spinning and sitting on it with a machine gun.
Overlooking those who met their demise during this particular sequence, the enemies that we saw appeared to move both quickly and intelligently, and toward the end of the demo their actions afforded us a look at the gadget that you'll be able to use to bring colleagues back to life--assuming that you can get to their bodies without being taken down yourself. No spy-themed game would be complete without hi-tech gadgets, and while information on those that will be available to you is scarce, our understanding is that you'll have plenty to choose from.
Perhaps even more important than The Agency's gadgets and weapons will be your choice of attire, since the game employs an intriguing "you are what you wear" class system. Simply by changing your outfit you'll be able to switch between stealth, combat, and support roles. Furthermore, outfits known as aliases will serve as disguises so that when necessary, you can move among enemies and the general populace without attracting attention. To what extent you'll be able to customize your character to distinguish him or her from other players who are dressed for the same role remains to be seen and, given that you'll be spending the majority of your time in instanced mission areas that are open only to you and your colleagues or in player-versus-player arenas where enemy players are also thrown into the mix, doppelgangers are unlikely to be a major cause for concern.
Regardless of whether you choose to play as a spy in the employ of UNITE or a mercenary working for ParaGON, you'll start your career as a raw recruit with the goal of working your way up through the ranks and, eventually, establishing your own agency. As you progress through the story-driven missions and gain access to additional outfits, abilities, weapons, vehicles, and the like, you'll also unlock various non-player operatives ("living loot") who you can put to work at your agency. You'll be able to assign all kinds of different tasks to your operatives depending on their skills, such as gathering intel on upcoming missions or working on the research and development of new equipment. The tricked-out car that we saw during the demo, for example, was the result of a lot of work on the operatives' part. Interestingly, time will pass for your operatives regardless of whether or not you're playing the game, so if you're told that a new weapon will be ready for you in two days, that's how long it'll take. Furthermore, you'll have the option to receive updates from your operatives via real-world e-mail and/or text messaging, letting you know that your new car is ready or that enemies have been located, for example.
If you need to take a break from the missions and player-versus-player battles that are an elite agent's life in The Agency, you'll find that multiplayer shooting ranges, casino card tables, and the like are also included, though no further details are available at this time. Look for more on The Agency, which doesn't currently have a confirmed release date, when we report from the E3 Media & Business Summit in Los Angeles next month.
By
Justin Calvert, Executive Editor
Justin's youth was largely misspent playing Commodore 64 and Amiga games. He left the UK's Official PlayStation Magazine to join GameSpot in 2000, believes that he's one of the best Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe players in the world, and puts HP Sauce on everything.
218 comments
Nice - another semi-exclusive. That is because for people without good PC's, this is going to be an 'exclusive'. It should be good just as long as people stick with it. I hope it is good and as a result, becomes popular.
sounds gd but i'm not sure if it will take off, who knows? we'll jst have to wait and see
Yes this does look like a game I would buy and a nice chage of pace for online gaming. As for Douglas's comment, I think it is far to early to judge the graphics. It's an unannounced game with no release date yet, and knowing SOE's track record I'd say the game is look pretty good but that's just me :)
it feels like its gonna be all looks and not a whole lot of substance. and i dont mean content wise, its more the less that all of the talking point in all previews seems to be "been there done that", but than again i am very specific about the types of FPS that i play, so i might always be wrong about this one
Great expectations for this one, from what I've gathered already...but I'm not putting to much appraisal just yet
this game sounds like its going to be very good can't wait, the onyl problem is that the graphics looked bad like lower ps2 graphics maybe it was the quailty of teh video but oh well just have to wait until it comes closer to its release.
SOE.. hehe, well this is a joke to be recon with. Dont mess with SOE, they will make crappy games and throw them in your face!
Yeah, SOE's reputation with games isn't particularly respectable at the moment, with the SWG fiasco.
Seems interesting, hope this actually turns out to be a decent SOE product. Though EQ2 is a really good game now, everything they've made and got their hands on, they have managed to ruin.
So many MMOs coming out...not sure I'll be able to find time to play this one. Too bad there isn't a 360 version as I don't own a PS3.
Love the look of this game...nice break from the gritty realistic looking games. Reminds me of Full Throttle....if anyone remembers that game.
As it gets closer to release and we see more of the gameplay that the devs talked about it will become more evident whether this will be a keeper or not. I try to reserve judgement until more than 3mins of info have been given out.
This game looks as if it is going to be pretty cool. But your probably going to have to pay monthly which suks
well it's an interesting concept with a lot of promise. It'll boil down to the implementation. I'd love to see it do well playing the role of stereo-typical super spy would be pretty cool and it sounds like there is plenty of room for offline content as well as online content. I wonder about the premise though while it'll be a fun experience to be a super spy i don't see the long term draw. Will definately like to see more footage.
These 360 fanboys make me laugh. Not only are the graphics superior to Perfect Dark, but you also say it will be a bad game before it even comes out (granted that it could either be a good or bad game).
another reason to spend 666$ on the ps3 along with MGS4 and FF13 and GOW3 and GT5. this game looks very cool and the idea of ranking up looks a good idea . maybe i will think about buying a ps3 on the next year
Wow you guys are sooooo cool. Not only have you played this game, but you also **** all the chicks at school and hi five the brothas eh! I wish i was as cool as you guys! ;)
bugtrip This is going to flop. Posted Jun 13, 2007 8:19 pm CT Rate this comment / (+1 | -2) any evidence to back that up????
Great. Perfect Dark Zero online. (Shivers) Come on Sony... I thought you said the next generation started when you said it did? Speak up!!!
Well, like any other hyped up game, it can end two ways; Great, or horrible. True Sony Entertainment isn't known for bringing out great games, but like everyone else, they learn from their mistakes. The only thing I really didn't like about this, was the chick explaining UNITE to be "special agent meets rock n' roll". If I create a UNITE, I definitely do not want him to like a punk rocker. Questions I ask my self. Since you can have like 4 people in a team MAX, it doesn't really seem like a MMO to me in traditional terms. Diablo II was not a MMO, but it was fun to play online. This game looks crazy good from the shooting I've seen so far, and I really like the idea of it, but what I can't see, is paying money for this monthly. So what I'm hoping for, is that they give you an offline single player option for the PS3. The reason the graphics look so "lame", is because they're using a more cartoon type feel, instead of your Gears of War, crazy realistic graphics I don't know about this one, but I'm keeping my eyes on it.
big foot your right i dont mind you hating microsift and i dont care all 3 are cool any way and this game aint good.
wow it iooks soooo gooood, just look at those flat lifeless textures on the walls and floor. i think i will stick to Perfect Dark Zero its visually superior and it was a released ages ago so its much cheaper.
kamikadze2 Actually I hate microsoft. And if you read my message, I was actually bashing him for being a fanboy. I even stated that a lot of those games may not even be exclusive, but could be at this point. My main point of my statement was not to sit here and have a battle online with who has better games. Actually, I am a long term sony fan, and always will be. But, I am also a gaming fan. I like all kinds of games, but when someone says that xbox 360 is getting no good exclusives this year, is just pure ignorance when the PS3 only has 3 good exclusives out right now... One of which is not even labeled as Exclusive anymore (Virtua Fighter 5). Yes, I know more are coming out. But that is not the point. I honestly think its ridiculous to sit here and argue which system is better based on anything. That, for one, is based on opinions and who likes different kind of games... And for 2, most people who bash another system have either never played it or have a biased against it for some stupid reason. ea_goodandy If some of those games are coming to PC, then that is good... But they are still exclusive in the console world. It takes a lot more money to have a beefed up gaming PC then it does to buy a next Gen console. I play computer games, and I have a gaming PC, and it has cost me an arm and a leg and im barely got up with today's standards. Most people don't even worry about the PC due to the fact that it's easier to keep up with console games, and cheaper, since you only have to buy one every 4-5 years. Before you start calling me a fanboy, or anything else, and wasting my time, maybe YOU guys should check your sources and read properly. Actually, I think this game here looks pretty cool... I hope that it does well, then it would give me another reason to drop the $600 that's a month's rent onto a gaming system.
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Game Info
- Release Date: Canceled (US)
- Release Date: TBA 2013 (AU)
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