The story of Agent Under Fire takes 007 on an all-new adventure, written exclusively for this title, complete with brand new cast of evil geniuses and beautiful Bond Girls. From what I can piece together, MI6 is investigating the criminal activities of the Identicon Corporation and its shady CEO, Nigel Bloch. In his employ are Reginald Griffin, a British diplomat and token turn-coat; Carla the Jackal, a hired thief; and the evil twins, Bebe and Bella, who are experts in martial arts and firearms, and will no doubt make 007’s job um…interesting.

The game includes 12 missions and various exotic locals. Players will have to infiltrate Identicon’s Hong Kong headquarters in order to rescue fellow agent Zoe Nightshade and sneak through the British embassy in Romania to retrieve computer files without harming the guards. Other locales include the Swiss Alps and the South China Sea.

The gameplay incorporates elements of both a traditional FPS and a driving game. The driving scenarios in the game will have you navigating cities in a heated chase as well as participating in vehicle weapon combat. Vehicles include an Aston Martin DB5, a BMW 750iL, and a BMW Z8, all of which have been given a once over by Q. Speaking of Q, what would 007 be without his gadgets? Expect to make ample use of items like the hidden camera, the personal laser, and the Q Claw—a small cell-phone looking item that fires a grappling line and pulls 007 up to otherwise unreachable locations. The arsenal boasts a .44 Magnum IAC Defender, a Mac-10, an M-16/Grenade Launcher combo, a sniper rifle, dart gun, and of course, the ever trusty Wolfram PK2 with silencer, among others. Up to four players can take part in various multiplayer competitions, although at this point it is unclear if they include driving options.

The graphics look top notch, perhaps the best I have seen in a PS2 FPS so far. Characters and backgrounds are rich in detail and special effects such as explosions look terrific. In the kind of strange but cool department: the 007 of Agent Under Fire is not a clumsy rendering of one of the many actors who have played him in the films, but rather an all new virtual actor of sorts who is unique, but distinctively Bond…James Bond. In the game movies that I have seen, the voice acting has been very well done, certainly better than we have come to expect.