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Agents!
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Graphics & Sound:
If you're old enough to remember playing Spy vs. Spy when it came out in the '80s, then you're old like me. I know, it's a bit depressing, but you'll survive... for a while longer at least. Agents! may be shiny and new, but it's absolutely a throwback to the game we were playing on Ataris and Commodore 64s back in the day. The visual upgrade for this iPad version is in keeping with the times, but the developers haven't overdone things in the least. Where we were once treated to a faux 3D effect, we now have true 3D, but the simplicity of Agents! speaks to its source of inspiration. You'll explore various themed areas here, as you open them up, then you'll have a chance to revisit them for Quickplay or Multiplayer sessions. The other big upgrade and nicely designed feature of Agents! is in sound and music. The soundtrack is drawn right out of some '70s spy flick, very campy and fun. The characters aren't really voiced as much as given catch-phrases they'll utter as you play through each level. The other sound effects for weapons are really where the focus was placed, appropriately. The sound of a trap blowing up an opponent will be sweet music to your ears in Agents!. The use of real 3D perspective means you'll occasionally have to rotate the screen to see points of interaction, and this was our least favorite part of Agents!. Not only were the mechanics a bit clunky, but it seemed like the entire game could have been just as easily designed to make everything visible in a screen without requiring all the adjustment.
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Gameplay:
So, if you're not that old, you'll come to Agents! without all the wonderful a priori that us old guys have. The idea behind both games sounds pretty simple: Navigate a grid of rooms, collect hidden objects, and escape the level. Simple it may be, but simplistic it is not. There's enough depth here anyway to put players on notice that this is something built for replay value. The main mode is Campaign, in which you'll play through levels in the persona of a super-spy on a super-secret mission. Quickplay lets you jump right into the action, designating one of the levels and characters of your choosing, and setting the full game options. Multiplayer works in a similar fashion, but brings another player into the mayhem, again according to the rules you define. Each round of play has you scouting for a set number of objects, which may be hidden somewhere in one of that level's rooms. As you move around, so does your enemy, searching to find the same objects and searching for you if you're discovered. The battles aren't very exciting, which is why the focus in Agents! was placed more on setting traps. You collect lots of fun stuff that can be set up in a room to surprise followers, but those same traps can take you out just as easily. Think of Agents! like a more involved game of Memory for adults, since you have to remember both where you've been and what you've done there. Setting up the perfect tripwire is fun, but walking into your own tripwire is just embarrassing.
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Difficulty:
This kind of dynamic keeps things interesting while you play Agents!, even if you're just playing against the CPU. Playing a human opponent brings yet another level of complexity into the mix. The CPU won't be nearly as devious as another player, and playing on separate screens means you'll be able to really sock it to the other guy without him knowing. There are different settings you can tweak to make Agents! more or less accessible. Things you'll run into through the game include a GPS system that depends on batteries. With full GPS, you can see exactly where you and you opponent are on the grid. Once that GPS blinks off, you'll lose visibility until you can scout out some new batteries. There are also interesting angles like using weapons against opponents versus setting traps. Some of the heavier weapons are incredibly effective, but others are mostly worthless in direct combat. Agents! isn't an action game in the classic sense. It's more like real-time strategy where you have to rely on wits and planning to win, rather than brute force. Brute force players will largely find themselves stumped anyway, since the most important factor in your success is having your brain engaged.
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Game Mechanics:
We mentioned the weak spot being some touch mechanics for rotating perspective in the game, and nothing can make us love that feature. It works adequately, but mars an otherwise polished production. The tap-to-search feature is right on the button, as is the tap-to-attack feature when you come across an enemy. Simple, intuitive controls are in place for booby-traps, such as tapping one object to set a tripwire trap, then another to finish the setup. Agents! even includes some helpful reminders about when your traps will become active, giving you time to walk away before getting slammed. The only thing we didn't find was a feature that lets you disable your own traps, which would be handy. Hiding bombs in objects is as simple as tapping those objects. Rarely, we noticed some lag in the controls, and you can't chain several commands together as you would in true RTS fashion. Other than these quirks, Agents! is completely playable and fun for either the nostalgia value of Spy vs. Spy fans, or for new players out to find something different. The multiplayer aspects are also quite unique for the iPad, making this a game that shares the love in an iOS household. Happy hunting, agents...
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-Fridtjof, GameVortex Communications AKA Matt Paddock |
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Related Links:
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