7 / 10
10 Jun 2006 at 17:53
Review by: manutdfan_2006
Rogue OPS was published by KEMCO/CAPCOM and developed by BITS STUDIOS and was released on the 6th Feb 2004 and was originally priced in the market at £39.99 but you could probably purchase this game for around £15 in most high street stores. Anyway about the game…
Rogue Ops, while ‘borrowing’ heavily from the likes of splinter cell and Metal Gear Solid 2, does a lot of things right and promises a sturdy challenge for anyone who prefers their adventuring and killing to be thoughtful rather than mindless – the balance between sneaking, shooting and puzzle solving is very well pitched.
It looks fantastic too; the graphics are clean as a whistle, with barely a glitch and convincing. There is a diverse array of superbly detailed levels, Nikki’s (the special agent you play) journey taking in locations that include a Spanish Villa, a private museum in England and an old soviet ballistic missile installation. The character control system is also spot-on it is easy to get to grips with and is designed to avoid painful fumbling for weapons and items at vital junctures.
Another commendable aspect is the enemy AI. These bad guys are smarter than your average goon and, unlike the felons in Metal Gear Solid, never let up when they find one of their own lying prostrate with a Shruriken star or sniper’s rifle bullet embedded in his forehead. Consequently, you will usually have to outsmart them (although there are sections where stealth is chucked out of the window in favour of out and out carnage). Watching guard movements on your radar from a safe vantage point to ascertain the best times to take out individuals, killing silently and hiding bodies, are very much on the itinerary, and failure to do so means the game gets considerably trickier. Incidentally, another pleasing inclusion is the automatic use of health packs when you do get into a life-threatening fire fight. So that deals with the good stuff…
As you can see, there is a neat and taxing assortment of challenges here. However, without the aid of a walkthrough guide, I would defy anyone to nail it first or even second time around.
This is the main bugbear with Rogue Ops, the trial-by-error nature of the gameplay that sees you replaying and replaying and replaying each level until you have sussed out how to tackle each individual element. Of course, this might just be a poor reflection on my gaming skill – I will gloss over the hour or so I went spent trying to find a way out of a missile silo when the solution was staring me in the face. Well, almost in the face. A title that is genuinely demanding and as much about using your head as using your trigger finger should certainly be applauded. Patience though and if you are the sort of person who gets uppity waiting for the kettle to boil, then you should avoid enlisting for Rogue Ops detail.
Well my conclusion is: I’m caught in two minds about Rogue Ops. On one and it’s a thoroughly efficient, intelligent, attractive and tough yet rewarding title with missions that combine a number of different gameplay styles to surprisingly good effect. In my opinion if you enjoy Metal Gear Solid and its ilk, and haven’t got the stomach for Manhunt, then this is well worth a play. On the other hand, the tale is a tame one and when you are reaching for the hankies having spent hours on a section of the game that, if done correctly, would take no more than ten minutes, you have to wonder if a stroll around the local park on a rainy winter’s day better?
Final Result:
Graphics: 8
Gameplay: 7
Sound: 7
Lifespan: 8
Overall: 7
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