Rogue Ops
- June 27, 2003 00:00 AM PST
Meet La Femme Nikki, a gal who seems to be doing a lot of what Lara Croft said she would.
Any day that begins with finding out your husband was a spy is bound to be an interesting day�especially when you decide to follow in his footsteps in order to exact revenge. That�s the setup for Kemco�s Rogue Ops, an unassuming stealth/action game that seems to be doing a lot of what Tomb Raider promised it would.We recently got our hands on playable builds of Rogue Ops for both the Xbox and GameCube (the game is also coming for the PS2). Don�t let the simple graphics fool you�freedom seems Rogue Ops� biggest strength, as the game gives you the option to do just about everything you�d want to do as a covert op. You�re able to scale walls with a grappling hook, hide in shadows, distract enemies by playing a piano so you can sneak up behind �em and kick their ass�that sort of thing. Bodies can be picked up and stuffed in lockers, or used to trigger retinal scans that open doors; bloodless deaths are preferable to bullet-ridden ones, as trails of red stuff can clue enemies in to your whereabouts. Nifty gadgets like Special Vision (a visor that�s a sort of night vision/thermal vision combo) and fly cams (little remote video cameras shaped like flying insect pests) abound, and there are cool touches like x-ray cut-scenes of breaking bones after stealth attacks, and clever combo-driven sneak attacks add a lot to the suspense�the longer you wait behind an enemy, the easier it becomes to take them down�but it also increases your chances of getting caught. If you�re feeling like a pacifist, you can simply pick an enemy�s pocket to try and get an item you might need.
The control is both preview builds was tight and easy, with a few minor differences in each version (the Xbox version was easier to aim; the GameCube version it seemed a little easier to move), but the Xbox version definitely had the graphical edge, with more lighting and shadow effects and a better frame rate. Could a sleeper hit, a game that foregoes flash in favor of good, varied gameplay and lots of smart options. Keep your eye on this Nikki gal.
