Spy Fiction Impressions

During a recent visit to Sammy's E3 booth, we took the opportunity to check out the latest playable version of Spy Fiction for the PlayStation 2. As we arrived at the stand, the Sammy representative, who went on to show us the game, was in the middle of a "HALO drop" (High Altitude Low Opening) and was headed for Wolfgang Castle below. The fall to earth took the form of a minigame in which you're able to control your movement and rate of descent, to an extent, while collecting items en route to the target area below. The items collected on the way down include bombs and health packs that can be used on the ground.

Once he'd landed safely on what appeared to be the castle's heliport, the Sammy representative proceeded to show off the game's active camouflage system, which, once you're positioned against a wall and are motionless, effectively makes you invisible by implementing a Predator-style special effect. You'll be able to switch between first- and third-person views as you play the game, and before venturing farther into the level, our Sammy rep showed us how the first-person view is hazy around the edges when you're "cloaked" so that you're aware of your status, regardless of which camera you're using.

Another really intriguing feature of Spy Fiction will be your ability to disguise yourself as any enemy character that you're able to take photographs of. Using either a standard or a wall-mounted sticky camera, you'll be required to take snapshots of an enemy's face and body. Then, once you find a suitable locker or empty barrel to get changed in, you'll be able to jump in and then out as a different character. As the game's male, playable character--the only one present at E3--you'll be able to store up to three different disguises in your camera's memory. As the female character, you'll be able to store four. Both of the enemies that we were shown the technique being used on were armed guards. As a result, nothing but our appearance changed when we assumed their identities. We were told, however, that assuming the role of a nonviolent character, such as a bartender, in the game will prevent you from using a weapon. When using an enemy's identity, you'll also be open to searches by other enemies, which will generally only be conducted if they feel you're acting suspiciously. Small icons in the top left-hand corner of the screen indicated that the disguise we were in was good for up to three searches, which means that after these three searches, any suspicious behavior was likely to result in an alarm being raised.

Before the end of our demo, we were shown some of the other moves you'll have at your disposal when Spy Fiction ships later this year, which includes hand-to-hand combat, the ability to grab enemies from behind for use as shields, and an almost Splinter Cell-esque maneuver known as the "spider grip," which allows you to position yourself between a wall and a ceiling. From this position, you'll not only be able to observe enemies while cloaked but also equip one of your weapons to take shots at enemies passing below.

We'll bring you more information on Spy Fiction as soon as it becomes available.