The Agency Preview

E3 2008 Preview

A year ago Sony Online Entertainment showed off The Agency, a massively multiplayer online game that was part tactical combat, part spy-based storytelling and all shooter. On Wednesday, at E3 in the Los Angeles Convention Center, GameZone got another look and the entertainment value just keeps climbing.

The Agency is a tale of two intelligence agencies: Paragon is the A-Team type of agency, which does a lot of its communications with explosives; UNITED is the more glamorous agency, preferring martinis to beer, with elite and sleek agents. The two sides may be battling the same evil forces, but they are diametrically opposed in this online persistent world.

Though there are elements of stealth in the game, “we consider ourselves an online shooter first,” it was stated.

There is a tutorial mission to get players familiar with the feel of the game and there is a lobby area where players can not only pick up missions but also find team members for those missions. And there are also mini-games that will have a bearing on the game; you may need to play Q’Bert and get to 500,000 points in order to make a computer-geek contact amenable to working with you. A lot of skills are object based; depending on your skill level, you may be able to navigate elements in the environment (like a locked door) a couple of ways. And the part you play in a team mission will depend on the costume you are wearing. If you are wearing a medical costume you will take on the role of the team medic during the mission. Costumes can be changed out at the field headquarters.

While the game is shooter-based, it is possible for players to advance through all the story missions as a solo player with less-than-terrific twitch-shooting skills. However, the higher you score on a mission, the more likely it is your reward will be better. The game will also have instanced spaces.

One of the more intriguing aspects is the way the game rolls over from cyber world to real world. Under the agency affiliation you have there is a sub-agency, which the player leads. You can get operatives who will work for you and even continue that work when you are offline. For example, you may ask an operative to make a certain gun, and it may take three days of real time to accomplish it. That operative will work while you are offline and should the work be completed when offline, the operative will send a text message to your phone to tell you. Or he (or she) may text message to tell you of other problems occurring.

No hands-on time was permitted but the game did have some action that was taken from a play session with developers. The action was fast paced and the look of the game is very nice.

The team is currently headed for the alpha stage and once that ends, they will enter the beta. The team’s representatives stated that there were still some more elements to put into the game, and they have yet to announce a release date.

Fun, with a good sense of humor, The Agency is a different kind of MMO, but one that should garner a lot of attention and a good amount of excitement. 

For All E3 2008 GZ Previews