The single-player mode is simplistic and kinda boring, but the multiplayer mode is awesome.
+Every gun you'd expect from a Bond FPS is in it
+Sound effects are really impressive
+Stays true to the Bond license
+Multiplayer is basic, but will keep you coming back forever
The Bad:
-Has some of the worst in-game music ever
-Objectives are way too easy
The Bond films had never ever drawn my attention. I didn't expect the games to do anything more for me, but I got this game for free from GameStop as a Buy-2-Get-1-Free deal on used products during the Thanksgiving holiday. And believe it or not, I am actually pretty impressed.
It is the first Bond game to have an original storyline. At least, that's what I heard. The storyline, however, is so hidden that I have no clue what it even IS. Storylines in games aren't important to me if the game is fun enough, and this game was just barely fun enough for me to forgive the lack of story. Other FPSs like Metroid Prime, Halo, and MW2 were known for their storylines, but the Bond series (unless you are a hardcore 007 fan; not like me, I'm not) isn't.
To start things off, the single player mode is probably about as easy to play as they come. Usually, the missions go a little something like this; go from room to room, shoot all the guys, collect something, and escape facility/base/apartment/wherever you are. It is actually kind of fun, but it gets a little boring after a while. There are two possible difficulty settings, but the only thing that changes is that the enemy A.I. gets slightly smarter. Which isn't saying much; the A.I. in this game is about as smart as an apple rolling down a ramp, except they can use guns. So, in other words, the short 5-hour campaign isn't really worth coming back for a second time.
Where the game impresses is its choice of weaponry. You get a good amount of classic Bond guns, such as the P2K pistol, and the Defender. You also get AK-47s and a few assault rifles in which I forgot the names. There are a few more, but I'm too lazy to figure out what they are. But whatever. The weapons are all distinct, even though some of them sound the same.
The game also features some driving missions. These levels get tedious, and annoying when you can't figure out your objective. For example, the third level in the game is a driving mission, in which you have to stop a car dead in its tracks without completely destroying it. It carries some evidence or some crap like that; typical Bond thing. What sucked was they didn't give you a single clue how to stop it, and you ended up failing the mission because you destroyed it even though they specifically told you you couldn't. My god, I had to read the guide just to figure it out. It turned out all I had to do was use the Q-Pulse gadget. Wow, why didn't the game tell me that? Oh, right, because then the mission would take like 3 minutes. In other words, the driving missions are far from inferior, but they most certainly aren't fun either. If you want to drive, play True Crime or GTA.
Aside from the shallow, uninspired single player mode, there is the best part of the game; the multiplayer. GameCube doesn't get too many good multiplayer shooters, because it doesn't have online play and most developers are too stupid to include bots. However, this game is one of the few that do have bots. You can only hold up to 3 bots when playing alone, 2 when playing with 1 friend, 1 when playing with 2, and none when playing with 3. It's as if the bots replace all absent human players, which is a pretty disappointing downside. But, despite this, the multiplayer mode is really fun to play, and the bots, when set to the harder difficulty, can put up a pretty good fight. There are a good amount of maps to play on, and each one is simple and easy to navigate. Unfortunately, you can only play with bots in Arena and Deathmatch. Capture the Flag doesn't have bots. Bummer.
BOTTOM LINE: As far as Bond games go, Agent Under Fire isn't the best in its class, but if you love FPS games, and/or are looking for cheap multiplayer action, this game is the way to go. It's not as good as GoldenEye 007, but Bond fans, or FPS fans in general, will find something to like about it. But, I got it for free, so I guess its just guilty pleasure. Ha ha.
WARNING: Do NOT only buy this game for single player. You will be TICKED by its length and repetition. Sorry.