Rogue Agent Undercover part 3

In August CBn gave you an inside look at EA’s new James Bond themed video game, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (GE:RA Community Day, Part II). Included in this report was the Rogue Agent Undercover pt1 video (scroll to the end of the above mentioned article to view).

In October CBn gave you access to the Rogue Agent Undercover pt2 video along with a number of desktop images of the Rogue Agent charactures.

Now CBn is proud to give you: Rogue Agent Undercover pt3 with host Rick Kane, MultiPlayer Producer, and co-host Adam Isgreen, MultiPlayer Lead Designer.

In this exciting new video we learn some new information: two more of the multi player levels will be Eliot Carver’s printing press from Tomorrow Never Dies and Scaramanga’s Funhouse from The Man with The Golden Gun!

Ask EA: The Music & Sound of 'Rogue Agent'

At the beginning of August CBn members had a chance to ASK EA about the music and audio in their new James Bond based video game, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. EA has finally responded by selectively answering questions submitted by the sites that attended EA’s Rogue Agent Community Day.

Q. Who will be composing the score for GoldenEye: Rogue Agent?

A. We have world-renowned DJ, Paul Oakenfold, as the music supervisor for GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. Best known for spinning records at huge parties and contributing to several major motion pictures, Paul will compose an original score and create the game’s overarching musical personality. We knew we wanted Paul because he brings a hard-driving, intensity to all the music he composes. Moreover, Paul will add a new dimension to the gameplay experience by emphasizing intense moments throughout each mission. For example, the music will react to what’s occurring in the game, switching throughout each mission based on location, the AI, and the player’s reaction to events around them.

Q. Will the score be a string/orchestral style, pop music style, a techno style, or any other particular style?

A.We wanted the music to be edgy just like the title character, GoldenEye. Moreover, the music needed to harness the excitement and energy that comes from being immersed in the Bond underworld. Thus, we knew Paul’s trance style of electronic music would fit perfectly with the game.

To bring the music to a new level, music in GoldenEye: Rogue Agent is an ever changing remix-on-the-fly. If the player plays the game over and over, the music will never be the same twice. Even if the player were to play the same level over again, the music will be different. This is because the music reacts to the player’s style.

With the right sound system, it will feel like Paul is spinning right in your living room.

Q. Will we ever hear Goldeneye himself speak, and if so, who provides his voice?

A. GoldenEye is a guy who lets his actions speak for themselves. Thus, the character is a man of few words, however, throughout the game, you’ll here sounds that are distinctly GoldenEye.

Q. What is the voice cast list for GoldenEye: Rogue Agent? If possible, could you provide a full cast list?

A. We’ve enlisted a cast of talented voice actors to bring life to the characters. In addition to these, we’ve also brought back some of the most recognizable Bond actors. The Hollywood talent roster includes Christopher Lee, who is reprising his role as the villainous Francisco Scaramanga from The Man with the Golden Gun and Judi Dench, who returns as M and has appeared in four James Bond films to date.

Q. How key is it for EA to have a strong score/soundtrack? Which aspect do you feel is more important visuals or the audio, or are they both equal?

A. Music and sound effects make a huge contribution to a game’s overall feel and help to set the environment and overall vibe. It was important for GoldenEye: Rogue Agent to have stellar sound, amazing music, top caliber dialog performances and a visceral tone that coincides with the ‘rogue’ theme of the game.

Q. Is there a special group of people that work just on music or is left up to the people working on the game to fit everything together?

A. We have a team dedicated to the game’s audio. Gregory Allen, the audio director for the game, oversees the creation and implementation of the audio that appears in the game. His team presently consists of audio integrators, dialogue engineers, sound designers, and two mixing engineers. Together, they work with Paul to integrate the music seamlessly into the game.

Q. How much time do you spend on making sure a song fits a game just right or is it you just hear a song and you work?

A. In general, we spend as much time on the sound as the animators and engineers spend building the game. In the end, the audio must match the visuals. To get there, Gregory will take sections of the game and put them into a music editing program. From there he creates a mix of how he envisioned the audio engine working in the game. We’ll repeat that process until it sounds right.

Q. How many songs/tunes will there be in GE:RA?

A. Right now, it’s difficult to quantify exactly how many songs there will be in the end product. What we can tell you is our audio team is working with close to 200 songs totaling over 2.5 hours of music.

Q. Will 5.1 Dolby Digital surround be supported? Fully?

A. All consoles will support Dolby Pro Logic 2 and the Xbox will feature Dolby Digital. Additionally, our sound is certified by THX.

Q. Ask EA how they do their sound effects. Do they create tracks & noises “in-house”? Do they have a “foley studio”? Is there a “canned & computerized” sound system? I know that sounds are manipulated & altered, but where do they come from?

A. There are a number of sources we use for sound effects. We begin by testing various sources, but will continue the search and tweak until the sound is just right. If we’re still not satisfied, we may turn to Hollywood sound design teams that are familiar with audio projects of this scope. One of the teams we are working with right now worked on The Lord of the Rings and other blockbuster movies.

Furthermore, to bring the music and sound effects into the 3D realm, we use mapping to better simulate a real-world environment. By this, we are referring to “global sound effects.” These are sounds such as over-the-top weapon fire or a huge explosion from a grenade. We want the players to feel like the weapon they are holding is the biggest and badest weapon ever. We achieve this through clever sound design. Our goal is to use audio to play on a gamer’s emotions. For example, when you hear a gun shot from a non-player character (NPC) in GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, the sound will actually change as the NPC gets closer to you based on real-world physics. We are using sound to create the first, first-person shooter that really makes the player feel like they are living and breathing inside this Bond underworld.

Q. Will the James Bond theme be worked into the score even though Rogue Agent is a villain’s game?

A. There is a chance you might here the original James Bond theme by Monty Norman. Watch out for our new television commercial which seamlessly integrates the original theme with Oakenfold’s edgy sound.

Q. Akin to how James Bond has his instantly recognizable theme, will the character of GoldenEye also have a theme of his own?

A. GoldenEye will have a title track that will be edgy to match his persona.

Q. Will the ethnicity of the locations in the game rub off on the music? i.e.: Will the Hong Kong levels have Chinese themed music?

A. The music of each level will have a distinct feel to it, complimenting the setting. For instance, when you travel to the rooftops of Hong Kong, the music will integrate some local themes.

Q. Will there be a CD release for the GE:RA soundtrack?

A. When you pre-order (GameCube, Xbox & Playstation 2) the game, you’ll receive 30 days of free service to REAL/Rhapsody. Included with this, you’ll be able to stream the music from the game as well as more than 750,000 songs!

Rogue Agent Undercover part 2

In August CBn gave you an inside look at EA’s new James Bond themed video game, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (GE:RA Community Day, Part II). Included in this report was the Rogue Agent Undercover pt1 video (scroll to the end of the above mentioned article to view). And now CBn is proud to gives you: Rogue Agent Undercover pt2 hosted by Executive Producer Patrick Gilmore.

Rogue Agent Undercover pt2
Quicktime: Low 28.6M
Quicktime: High 72.1M

In this exciting new video we learn some new information: there are 100 different mix and match weapon combinations and Xenia Onatopp now works for Dr. No!

Since this video is about “Playing Like a Villain”, here are a number of character renderings from Goldeneye Rogue Agent (1034 x 768 for your desktop).

Dr. No, Rogue Agent and Goldfinger

Pussy Galore and Xenia Onatopp

Scaramanga, Oddjob and Number 1 (aka: Blofeld)

* full desktop size image coming soon.

Second 'GoldenEye: Rogue Agent' Trailer Online

Electronic Arts today unleashed the second official GoldenEye: Rogue Agent trailer onto the web. The video shows off many of the game’s features including the powers of the GoldenEye, the ability to set deathtraps and the all-new E.V.I.L. AI system.

Within the trailer are images from many of the game’s levels including the Fort Knox sequence (from Goldfinger) which opens the game, Dr. No’s Hong Kong lair and the antenna cradle where Bond faced off against 006 in the film, GoldenEye.

The trailer is available for download from Electronic Arts’ website in three different sizes.

Speaking of the GoldenEye: Rogue Agent website, Electronic Arts is running a wallpaper contest, with the winners receiving prizes from Logitech. Entries close 26 September.

Official "GoldenEye: Rogue Agent" Box Art Revealed!

Today Electronic Arts revealed the official box art for their new James Bond video game, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, which is set for release on November 17th in the US and December 3rd in the UK.

XBOX
(buy: Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk)

PlayStation 2
(buy: Amazon.co.uk)

Nintendo GameCube
(buy: Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk)

'GoldenEye: Rogue Agent' Community Day, Part II

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

1995: The release of GoldenEye, the film that revived the Bond franchise. 1997: The game, GoldenEye, destined to become the greatest first person shooter of all time. Back in 1995, video games weren’t what they are today. Most studios considered them just another bit of merchandising to license out in the hopes it will generate some extra revenue and interest in the movie. The license to make a GoldenEye video game was signed over to Nintendo by Eon/Danjaq, the producers of the James Bond films, who thought nothing more of it. But when Danjaq got a HUGE check in the mail generated from the sales of this single bit of “merchandising,” (it’s been said the game GoldenEye actually out grossed the film) they decided they should take a look see what this game was all about. When they did, they were horrified! This game didn’t feel like James Bond at all – the suave and sophisticated hero turned in his quick wit for an itchy trigger finger with carefree abandon. Had Danjaq known what was in this game, they would have never approved it.

The Rogue Agent

When EA was awarded the gaming rights to 007, Danjaq was more hands on. They told EA that the games had to be more like the Bond movies: gadgets, cars, stealth, honor, and style — not a mad gunman (although it’s debatable that Eon turned 007 into just that in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, but that’s an argument for another day). EA complied and found success with NightFire and Everything or Nothing, but the specter of the legendary first-person-shooter GoldenEye dogged them.

So EA sat down with Danjaq and told them that they wanted to do another Bond game, but more like a real first person shooter. Danjaq knew exactly what they wanted. “You want to make a sequel to GoldenEye, don’t you?” EA did… but Danjaq resisted, explaining that only a villain would act the way Bond did in GoldenEye. So EA began to think… Bond exists, so what about the villains? Do they have lives apart from Bond? If it were a villain doing the shooting instead of 007, would Danjaq approve a first-person-shooter?

Thus was born GoldenEye: Rogue Agent.

THE MISSIONS (warning: SPOILERS)

The levels in Rogue Agent are long and drawn out with lots of missions.

James Bond

Level 1 (like a tutorial) — Operation Grand Slam (from the move Goldfinger) takes place at Fort Knox. There are 00 Candidates in training being tested to become 00’s, including you (Rogue Agent a.k.a. “GoldenEye”). You find James Bond clinging to a fallen helicopter balanced over what could be a deadly fall. Bond warns you to stay back, but you move closer anyway… and the indestructible 007 falls to his death (this is the only level where we see 007). Despite this, you continue on the mission, and it’s later revealed that it was all just a Virtual Reality testing center (like in Die Another Day). But your violent tactics don’t meet with MI6’s approval. Your 00 status is revoked and you’re asked to leave.

Back-story: Dr. No had once attempted to murder you by shooting you in the head. You lived, but lost vision in one eye. You wanted to become an agent for MI6 so you could get revenge on Doctor No, but as we have seen, that didn’t work out. Now you’re “on your own and out for revenge,” and you turn to one man who hates Dr. No as much as you do… Auric Goldfinger. (The rumor is true, the game was originally called Goldfinger vs Doctor No.)

Auric Enterprises

Level 2 (Low Key) — Auric Enterprises (in Switzerland?): Goldfinger asks you to sign on with him in a war against Doctor No who is a threat to all the villains of the Bond underworld. Goldfinger gives you the “GoldenEye”, which is bigger than an eye and it taps into your brain and body. Goldfinger has a weapon called OMEN (Organic Mass Energy Neutralizer). While Goldfinger is showing off this weapon, Dr. No attacks.

Level 3 (Hard Core) — Hong Kong: Goldfinger sets you up to meet with an informant who will give you a sniper rifle so you can kill Dr. No. But the Informant betrays you. It was a set up. You are alone in Hong Kong and have to make your way across the rooftops in an attempt to meet up with Pussy Galore who is trying to pick you up in a helicopter. You enter the informant’s bathhouse take care of him.

Level 4 — The Mitas Casino in Las Vegas: At Goldfinger’s headquarters Dr. No is again after the OMEN.

Level 5 — Hoover Dam: You go on a sabotage mission. Dr. No has set up a bomb and you have to stop the bomb from going off. Later, after hearing that Dr. No may be hiding in the spill tunnels, what will you choose to do with the bomb?

GoldenEye Uplink Facility

Later in the game: You get to see Dr. No’s Crab Key compound and Dr. No’s armory lab (designed by Ken Adam). There you must hack into the computers and get the armor codes and formulas for his special armor. Also near the end of the game there will be a handheld prototype of the OMEN.

Multi-Player: These levels are the smaller places in the films (Moonraker, Satellite uplink facility from GoldenEye, The Golden Gate Bridge w/ Zorin’s Blip) and new creations (GoldenEye/Rogue Agent’s private retreat). Most of the multi-player maps have four-player capacity, except for the GoldenEye Uplink facility, which can only have 2 players because the size of the map is so small (there’s a helicopter in this map which you can destroy). Online multi player maps can have up to 8 players. You’ll be able to play against your friends or the EVIL AI.

CHARACTERS:

The villains in their own universe are powerful.

• Currently voice recording is being done on with the game.
• The game characters voices must sound and behave like the characters in the movie. For example the actor who voiced Goldfinger studies the movie to perfect the larger than life effect that Goldfiger has in the film.
• One of the several crucial twists in the game will be recognizable by the white cat in his lap. He comes in the form of Donald Plesance… and is called “Number 1.” Can you guess who this is?

Pussy Galore & Scaramanga

Pussy Galore: She is the love interest in the game. For her voice over, two voice actors were recorded because the first didn’t sound enough like Honor Blackman. Danjaq is very involved with EA during their creation of the games and have say over a lot of the character and plot choices. For example there’s a scene where Pussy Galore said something to the effect of, “I’m eavesdropping on the police.” Eon said she can’t say that line because the sentence is beneath her… she should be eavesdropping on Dr. No. The change was made.

Scaramanga: Bond has his “Q” in Major Boothroyd, and the villains have their “Q” in Scaramanga, the man with the golden gun. He has access to the black market and he’s the one who assembles the “Goldeneye” device and is responsible for it’s upgrades. Christopher Lee is reprising his roll and provides the voice for this character in the game (see CBn’s story).

The Villains Quirk: Oddjob has his hat (which you’ll have some “encounters” with), Jaws has his teeth, you have your “Goldeneye.”

Taking Sides: Dr. No has a mechanical hand, why not a very Para Military Cyborg army as well. Where as Goldfinger’s Army are Elite Gangsters.

GAME PLAY

Action packed, fast paced and cinematic.

Fighting Against Vehicles

FPS: the entire game is a first person shooter, there’s no driving. But you do have to fight against vehicles.

The GoldenEye: It is electromagnetic based and larger than an actual eye and connects to your mind and body. It knows your health and armor. Your health and eye power will recharge (like in the game X2: Wolverine’s Revenge). The eye’s power charges faster when you are using death traps and doing villainous things. It has many powers including a polarity field to deflect incoming projectiles, a magnetic filed to grab enemies and throw them across the room or drag them towards you so you can steel their weapons (kinda like the Force in Star Wars), and it has MRI powers to help you look through walls. A twist that’s reviled in the middle of the game is that the eye is not purely yours — it’s like a black box, the villains know where you are and everything you’re doing.

Melee Attacks: You can punch an enemy, he will become dazed and you will be able to grab him (take a hostage) and use him as a human shield. You can also knock down enemies by throwing your hostages at them or hitting them hard.

Death Traps: You can use the environment to take enemies out. For example you can operate machines to takes guys out, feed guys to sharks, and in the Moonraker level you can trap guys in conference room in the line of rocket engine fire just like James Bond (Roger Moore) did.

Duel Wield Your Weapons

Weapons: You have two hand weapon controls to wield weapons independently of each other. You can mix and match your weapons (1 gun, 2 guns -same or different, 1 gun & grenades, or 1 two handed gun). There are twelve weapons to choose from. Some of which are the Shotgun (duel handed), Pistol (the golden gun), the exotic underworld Viper injector (poison/stun gun), an over changer, a weapon that will shoots through objects, Grenades, and Mine like objects.

Amo Reality: There’s no weapon cycling. You can only carry as many weapons as will fit in you hands. If you’re carrying a machine gun (2 hands) they you’ll have to drip it to pick up something else. The only weapon you always carry is the Golden Gun. There is also no ammunition just laying around for you to pick up. If you gun runs out of ammo the weapon will automatically drop and vanish and you’ll have to pick up another weapon. Weapons will reload automatically or you can reload then hen you want to. Weapons will drop when ammo is out. Unlike most first person shooters, if you have no weapons you’re still powerful (physically & with your GoldenEye), but health does not last long so collect armor.

Violence: The idea of playing a villain opens up the game to be more violent, but not sensational violence. Bond villains are sophisticated, they think and are clever. So since the Bond universe is not about being gross or gruesome there will be no blood in the game and the dead bodies will fade out.

Stealth Missions: during a stealth mission, stealth is not requited even if there are cameras. And speaking of cameras, you will be able to reprogram the security systems. This game calls for less sneaking around (unlike the other Bond games) and more aggressive villainous action.

On The Roof Tops of Hong Kong

Rated Teen: During the rating process, the game received 9 points; when you get 10 points the rating rolls over to Mature. So Rogue Agent will technically be a High Teen.

Rogue Moves: Where Everything or Nothing had “Bond Moves” (which had to happen in specific places), Rogue Agent has “Rogue Moves” (which can happen anywhere in the game).

No Jumping: The game will not allow you to jump. The reasoning behind this is so that you don’t just jump and then fall off a building and die because that’s no fun – the game is meant to be fun as well. Plus jumping is very un-villainous; imagine you’re getting shot at and your guy is bouncing around the screen.

Zip Lines: There are zip lines in the game. For example in the Hong Kong level, you can slide down the zip lines from rooftop to rooftop. You wont be able to “jump” off the ziplines and fall to your death – no fun.

Destroyable Sets: Things that change the game play are destroyable, but the environment is not destroyable. The game also avoids the use of object interactions. But you can use weapons, machines, buttons, doors and even grab and throw guys, take hostages and use them as a shield against incoming bullets (you take no damage when you have a hostage).

EVIL AI talking a hostage

EVIL AI:

• E = Emotion-Based: what you do influenced the enemy’s emotions and behaviors. Their aggression is based on how you’ve acted; you’re nasty, it’s nasty. It will also react based on what king of weapon you’re using. The AI has fear and if pushed will take their buddies hostage and use them as a shield. And if the AI is wounded it will hide and make you think its dead. You can even get the AI to surrender to you.
• V = Visceral Moments: Every time you play different things will happen with the enemy because the players are not scripted, the game is not scripted (AI has a mind of it’s own unlike bots who are scripted). You’ll see enemies loose their composure, flip out and even grab their own guys to use as shields against your onslaught.
• I = Intelligence: Enemies will use their environment, hiding and ducking behind cover and even flipping the switches of deathtraps on you. But you must know that the AI is so good that the game designers had to make it dumb so you could actually have fun with the game and not die.
• L = Learning: The AI can do everything you can do. Your opponents are aware of their surrounding and will learn your actions, use new cover that becomes available, and even vehicles at their disposal.

Xbox: More is being done graphics wise for the Xbox version of the game because it’s technologically possible. Higher resolution, textures, & more details.

AN INSIDE LOOK

GERA is being developed in 3 locations and 2 countries.

Quicktime MOV 33.7MB

View the first in a series of short movies that EA is releasing “GoldenEye Rogue Agent Undercover 1″

'GoldenEye: Rogue Agent' Community Day, Part I

Electronic Arts is more than just a gaming company. EA is a full-blown entertainment company, as big and as successful as any entertainment company in Hollywood, with a sprawling new studio complex in the all-new development of Playa Vista in Los Angeles. DreamWorks had eyed Playa Vista as a site for their new studio, but ultimately decided to remain on the Universal backlot. In what may prove to be prophetic, EA stepped into their space, becoming the entertainment industry icon of Playa Vista. EA understands that in order to attract the best and brightest you need to offer a Rolls Royce work environment. Treat your employees well and they will produce such blockbusters as 2003’s Everything or Nothing. But unlike some Hollywood studios, EA also understands that websites created and run by fans are a direct link to their core audience/customers, and that fansites should be treated as well, if not better, than the “legitimate” press. In this spirit, EA recently invited staff members from ten Gaming Communities and James Bond websites, including CBn, to have an inside look at their amazing new studio space in Playa Vista, and a first-look at their upcoming Bond game GoldenEye: Rogue Agent.

EA had a tremendous treat for us all.

“Our team at Electronic Arts spends a great deal of time checking out the best websites that cover James Bond and First Person Shooters. We were greatly impressed by your coverage and the following you have amassed. Given that you run one of the top community websites, we want to personally invite you to our Community Day for GoldenEye: Rogue Agent.”

– Jonathan Long, Community Day Manager.

Thursday July 22

The first treat EA had in store for us was that we all had rooms at the Ritz Carlton in Marina del Rey, one of the best hotels in Los Angeles. “Puttin’ on the Ritz!” After checking into our rooms (I was informed I had the best room of the group&elips; it pays to be a lady!), we were driven about a mile to EA Studios for a pre-Community Day look at EA and Rogue Agent. We got to hang out in the EA Game room which has console games, arcade games, a pool table, and massage chairs. Yes, EA’s employees work in luxury.

After playtime was over we headed upstairs and sat down around a large conference table. A video presentation on GoldenEye: Rogue Agent began and it was amazing! Everyone was excited as the lights came back on and all I could think about was how cool it would be to play this game when it finally comes out this fall. Our hosts (Amritz Lay, Brooke Cahalane, Dan Lamorena, Jonathan Long) officially introduced themselves&elips; then it was our turn. We went around the table and my introduction went a little something like this: “My name’s Athena Stamos. I work over at CommanderBond.net; we report on all Bond news out there from the movies to the games to the books, we have forums as well. And I’d have to say that my favorite villain would be Alec Trevelyan.” After the introductions we were all given GoldenEye: Rogue Agent “team” t-shirts and a Dr No or Goldfinger personalized EA ID badge. Then had time to mingle and get acquainted over dinner, which consisted of pizza, salad and non-alcoholic *sigh* drinks.

After much food and chatting, we all had a choice of hanging out in the game room or chilling in the company theater to watch Sean Connery in Goldfinger. All the Bond site representatives of course chose to watch the film&elips; yes, Goldfinger on the BIG screen&elips; what bliss. Once the film ended we were all shuttled back to the Ritz Carlton for some much needed sleep. Although&elips; we didn’t quite hit the hey that quickly. Though some people did hang out in their rooms to watch a movie or crash, others headed out to the pool and hot tub for a dip (like the BondMovies guys), while still others took a seat in the lounge for some chit chat and drinks. In the lounge sat myself and fellow Bond site representatives Simon Corless of ajb007 and James Wheatley of Mi6; we were joined by CBn Team Members John “zencat” Cox and Charlie “Bryce (003)” Axworthy, and forum member “JoyceCarrington” who was visiting from Amsterdam. Needless to say, we closed the bar and all got to bed quite late.

Friday July 23

The next morning we all gathered early in the hotel lobby and were shuttled back to EA Studios where our “Community Day” adventure began with a hearty complimentary breakfast in the EA cafeteria. During breakfast I got to chat with Graham Dingsdale and learn about his site GoldenEyeForever. After breakfast we were given a tour of the entire studio, which included the EA work out room with all high tech equipment which can be used free of charge by all EA employees (part time employees only pay $10 a month), the EA sports “battle” field, and the floors where the The Lord of the Rings, Command & Conquer, Medal of Honor, & James Bond franchise games are being created (stupid confidentiality agreement!). Anywho&elips; I now want to work for Electronic Arts&elips; their facilities are seriously too cool.

We then crowded into the EA theater and were welcomed by Executive Producer Patrick Gilmore who told us how the decision was made to produce GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, which provided some fascinating insights into how EA works with Eon Productions. He also gave us a breakdown of some of the levels in the game and we got to see screen shots, etc. on the big screen. (All this information will be revealed and summarized in GE:RA Community Day Part II.) Next we headed up to one of the meeting rooms on the James Bond floor where Senior Producer Chris Plummer plugged in a PS2 and played though the Hong Kong level of the game for all of us to see. Wow, the more I see the more I want to get my hands on this game!

Patrick Gilmore & Chris Plummer’s Presentations

After our long morning, it was time for a lunch break: sodas, potato salad, and sandwiches galore! There was so much meat in those sandwiches I started to wonder where the bread was. After lunch we headed down to the EA Studio store where we were set loose to purchase discounted EA games and merchandise. It was like letting loose a bunch of kids in a candy story! Plus we were told we could pick out one game for free! (I know the movie sucked, but I had to try out the Catwoman game, which isn’t all that bad.) After our joyous shopping fest, we were back in the James Bond level meeting room where Lead Designer Dan Orzulak gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the development of the E.V.I.L. AI and how they respond to the player during gameplay.

Then, the moment we’d all be waiting for&elips; time for some hands on action. Purrrow! The room was filled with televisions and PS2 systems (damn, where’s the Xbox!) and test CDs for the multiplayer GoldenEye satellite uplink level. We all had a chance to get a feel for the game and then were thrown into a Multiplayer mini-tournament. CBn played against ajb007, who yes&elips; won&elips; but they didn’t make it through the next round, ha ha! *wink wink*

Little did the two semi-finalists know that although they played the tournament in a secluded room, the deathmatch would be quite different. Daylon Furlough of xgpgaming.com and Jarrett Lantz of cgno.com had to compete against each other in front of the entire development team!!! Talk about pressure! Jarrett Lantz won the tournament, but both players received a SPECTRE signet ring for their tough game play.

GoldenEye: Rogue Agent Community Day
Head to Head Tournament

Quicktime 3 Megabite Mov
(if you would like to view the high quality mov click here - 24M)

During the time we were familiarizing ourselves with the game play of Rogue Agent we also we’re able to conduct individual video interviews with Patrick Gilmore & Chris Plummer (click to read “The Rogue Agent CBn Interview“).

So came the end of the GoldenEye Rogue Agent Community Day. We were all given “goodie bags” which contained: an EA game of our choice (mine was Need for Speed: Underground), a DVD of Goldfinger, a sideshow George Lazenby figure, a SPECTRE pin, and a Rogue Agent asset disc. We all said our goodbyes as some headed back to the hotel and others headed to the airport. I was soon on a plane headed down to San Diego’s Comic Con (click here to read our coverage of that event).

Thank you Electronic Arts for an amazing day and a first look at what will certainly be a mega-hit video game. You guys seriously rock!

Monday July 26

This wasn’t part of the Community Day, but worth mentioning none-the-less&elips; Simon Corless of ajb007 and James Wheatley of Mi6 both had extended stays in LA since they came in from the UK, so CBn took them out to the famous L.A. nightspot: Toyko Delves (a.k.a: “Rock and Roll Sushi”). If you’re ever in LA you won’t want to miss the opportunity to have dinner at this sushi bar. It’s an experience you’ll never forget!

Stay tuned for Part II where we’ll reveal what we learned…
” GoldenEye: Rogue Agent Community Day, Part II ” !

GoldenEye 64: Something To Remember

GoldenEye 64 set the bar for all kinds of games. It’s an exciting thrill ride that many Bond gamers still measure newly released 007 games by. GoldenEye is based on James Bond’s 17th adventure. In the game you are Bond, James Bond, and must stop the world being destroyed by a secret space weapon, codenamed GoldenEye.

A new revolutionary helicopter, known as the “Pirate” EuroCopter has been stolen right in front of the world’s high-ranking military representatives. Workers at the Severnaya Weapons Facility in Russia are brutally murdered and the base is mysteriously hit by a massive electro-magnetic pulse (EMP), wiping out all electronic devices and all evidence. The Russian Government’s official word is that it was a training exercise gone wrong, though MI6 finds a connection between the “accident” and the stolen Helicopter, and that the incident was certainly no accident. Using a lead they find GoldenEye has fallen into the hands of a Russian crime syndicate known as Janus.

Your mission is to find and stop those who are in control of GoldenEye, at any cost.

This game has something for everyone. There are 20 exciting levels for you to test your wits, two of which you are only accessible by completing the game on the higher difficulty levels. An array of characters are also at your disposal in multiplayer mode, many of which you’ll meet in the levels. Old enemies like Jaws; to new allies like Natalya are some of the characters you’ll be working with… or against.

GoldenEye was a hit game when it was originally released in 1997, and still to this day, is the subject of many Bond game discussions.

If you don’t own Goldeneye 64 you can buy it online from eBay quite cheaply. And if you need a Nintendo 64 games console as well, you can find that on eBay too.

Therefore, presented to you are the mission walkthroughs for all twenty levels for this game. A chance- if you so wish – to get the game back out of the loft, dust off your N64 and play it again.

The Rogue Agent CBn Interview

Electronic Arts has been rolling out the Bond Games… Agent Under Fire in 2001, NightFire in 2002, Everything or Nothing earlier this year, and now GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. Why save the world when you can rule it? Going where no previous James Bond game has dared to tread, the upcoming GoldenEye: Rogue Agent first-person shooter from EA Games breaks all the rules by transporting players to the dark side of the Bond universe to experience life as a high-rolling, cold-hearted villain. The highly anticipated game is scheduled for release this fall.

On July 23rd, I was invited along with a number of Team Members from other Bond and gaming sites to participate in the GoldenEye: Rogue Agent Community Day at EA’s studios in Los Angeles (a full report still to come). During the visit to EA LA, Executive Producer Patrick Gilmore and Senior Producer Chris Plummer were kind enough to take some time out of their busy Rogue Agent schedule to meet with the Community Day attendees. This included private interview time conducted by each site. So now I’m proud to bring you CBn’s inside look…

How were the Bond villains in Rogue Agent chosen?

Basically, that was in a way the easiest part. You sit a bunch of people in a room and say, “Who’s your favorite villain in James Bond history?” And probably about 70% of the hands go up when you say “Auric Goldfinger” and then 20% of the hands go up when you say “Oddjob” and 10% of the hands go up with you say “Doctor No”. It was really just that easy. Who were the greatest villains in James Bond history; and that’s how we landed on them. Xenia Onatopp is also in the game; Scaramanga is also in the game. For us it was a “best of.”

So it was a personal preference type of thing…

Absolutely. Because we’re doing a game where our character gets caught up in this gang war between Goldfinger and Doctor No, there’s a certain number of characters that come along with that automatically. But not only that, it was really just who are the most charismatic villains that we know of? Scaramanga’s an obvious choice.

With the familiar Bond villains, how did you create their 3D likeness seeing as they’re just in the films?

We worked with a guy named Rene Morel who created the digital actors for the ‘Final Fantasy’ film, which are some of the most human looking CG models ever created. Rene worked with all of the films plus tons of photo reference of the actor from that point in their life and basically assembled a 3D collage of the actor and build the model based on that. So Auric Goldfinger looks exactly like Gert Frobe and Dr No looks exactly like Dr No [Joseph Wiseman].

What about the actors who are doing the voices for the characters, how did you go about choosing them and is there anyone we’d know about?

Ya absolutely. In fact, one that you probably would know about is Christopher Lee. He’s reliving his roll as Scaramanga, ‘The Man With The Golden Gun’, and will be doing the voice for that character. He’s a really important character in the game. We have a lot of famous characters in the Bond universe that exist in this game, some of the actors are still alive and some of them aren’t. We haven’t announced all of the talent that’s lined up behind the game, but certainly I can talk about Christopher Lee. And if you were at E3 we annouced that we had Judi Dench, who apears as M in the first mission of the game. So we’re definitely putting key talent behind the key rolls in the game.

Are the costumes in the game taken from the films, or are they original costumes?

It’s a combination. Some of the classic villains have a look that’s just part of their definition. Like Dr. No for example, if he didn’t dress like he did in the movie Doctor No, he wouldn’t even look like Dr. No. Some of the uniforms we hold sacred: Oddjob with his hat. Certain things like that. But having said that, Pussy Galore’s outfit may not look as timeless…60s fashion, some of it still holds up and some of it doesn’t. So for that we hired Kym Barrett to be our wardrobe designer. She was actually nominated for an Oscar for ‘The Matrix’ films; she’s done work on a lot of films and CG space. It was really cool because her look actually works really well with our timeless vision of the Bond universe. You think about the classic films — the really stark, iconic sets — her style tends to mesh very nicely into that kind of style and tone. So it’s a combination of classic uniforms that you would expect the villains to wear and reinventions, where necessary, to bring the characters into the modern day.

How were the levels chosen for Rogue Agent?

The story drove a lot of it and the personalities of the villains drove a lot of it. You’re in a gang war against Dr. No, so it makes sense to go to Hong Kong — Dr No’s corporate headquarters — and build and epic mission across these skyscraper rooftops in Hong Kong. When you talk about Auric Goldfinger, even though we’ve never seen it, we asked Ken Adam to design what Auric Goldfinger’s home and the center of his commercial empire would actually look like. We put it in this pleasure done in the Swiss Alps; made it part gold melting facility and part massive Caribbean playground under this amazing dome in the middle of the snowy mountains. So a lot of it was driven by the personalities of the characters involved and the rest of it was driven by the films. Operation Grand Slam at Fort Knox, where Auric Goldfinger first made his appearance in the movies, was one location that we gravitated towards instantly. And then just by considering who the characters are, it probably won’t be too difficult to guess where we’re going towards the end of the game. There are a couple of cool surprises and at least one major new set that Ken Adam designed that we have not yet announced. It’s a really cool location. It’s never been seen in a Bond film, but was something that we worked with MGM and Danjaq to create. So that was pretty cool.

So Ken Adam is not only using the stuff he’s designed before for the movies but he’s designing new stuff as well?

Right. The way we work with Ken is… we know what Fort Knox looked like from the movie, but just off screen there would have been something there. What would that look like? Would it be gold storage, would that be part of a vault? Then Ken would go in and sketch those rooms and work with our level designers to create areas that connected to the rest of his world in a logical way. The artists on the team also did something really interesting. They looked at all of his design on paper and in the films and they codified it. They basically said, here are the architectural principals that are working to make these places so visually appealing and they came up with a whole bunch of things that go way beyond just clean lines and geometric shapes. They went to things that became hard and fast rules in the game, that are amazingly hard and fast rules when you look at the films. Things that have to do with the arrangement of objects in the room, the arrangement of shapes in the room. The spatial relationships and proportions that you get in a Ken Adam space compared to a normal space that doesn’t have the same aesthetic. It’s almost like it’s an education in architecture to read through the design stuff that they did.

Can you tell us about the multiplayer levels and where they’re set?

Okay, so some of the multiplayer levels are set, for example, in the Moonraker launch facility — we have multiple maps which are actually set in the Moonraker launch facility with all the cool death traps that would be implied from that. Atlantis is another multiplayer set from ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’. There’s a cool team game in that map, as well as in the Moonraker maps. Some of our duel maps are the Satellite Uplink Facility from the end of ‘GoldenEye’, the top of the Golden Gate Bridge [A View To A Kill], and the Pyramids from ‘The Spy Who Loved Me.’
There are also completely original maps to augment the real locations. An example of that would be GoldenEye’s private retreat up in the mountains. It has all the cool accommodations that you would expect a super villain to have in his private retreat. So without giving any spoilers, you can have your guest arrive and lead them to the best part of your place and then, you know, fry them in a bonfire or electrocute them or do any number of other nasty things.

Can you tell us a little about the special powers of the GoldenEye?

The GoldenEye has some passive abilities that are on all the time. It will do some targeting and navigation, communications, it handles all that. It can also scan targets to let you know the rank and even how somebody died, that sort of thing. So it has a lot of innate abilities built into it and then it has up to four upgrades that give you special activated features. For example there’s a magnetic shield which will deflect incoming projectiles; it actually matches the magnetic polarity of the incoming bullets and will just bounce them right off — which is really powerful in a first person shooter, but it doesn’t last very long. It uses POP power, which is kind of like your adrenaline. So when you’re fired up and charged up as a villain and playing like a villain and scoring perfect shots and killing guys in deathtraps and stuff, you’re eye’s going to have a lot more juice so you can use it a lot more. Whereas if you’re just hanging back and playing like a “normal player”, not really playing like a villain, you’ll find that you can’t use the eye nearly as much. Another example would be the magnetic field. With the magnetic field you can actually grab guys at a distance, send them flying across the room, bang them into each other. You can yank a guy towards you and take his weapon, lots of cool things like that.

What about Paul Oakenfold, is he the only composer working on the game; will his score for ‘Rogue Agent’ be entirely original?

Paul, doing some original stuff for us? Yes, Paul is the only composer on the product and he’s doing all original music for us.

What about a PC version, is there any consideration for that?

It’s certainly a consideration. We don’t currently have any announced plans to do a PC game and we’re focussed solely on a console version right now. We don’t want to do a port or anything like that for the PC, so if we were to do a PC product we’d want to create a special experience catered to PC audiences.

I know James Bond is just in the beginning of the game, but does his appearance take after any actor or is he generic like it Agent Under Fire?

The game’s not about Bond per-say, so it didn’t make sense for us to pursue someone like Pierce Brosnan, but we haven’t ruled that type of thing out. The game is a timeless version of the James Bond universe and what we wanted was a timeless version of James Bond.

After GoldeneEye: Rogue Agent, will EA be doing another Bond-centric game or do you think this is the end of the Bond-centric games?

Well, Electronic Arts is still a rights holder to the James Bond films and the whole James Bond story thread so without a doubt there will continue to be James Bond games. This is a game that’s about looking at the James Bond universe from a different angle and it’s intended to stand on its own — side by side with the Bond Games. So as far as I’m concerned this product and the products that follow on after it will continue to come out and so will the James Bond product.

To discuss this interview visit this thread on the CBn Forums.

Christopher Lee To Voice Scaramanga in 'Rogue Agent'

“Why Save the World When You Can Rule It?”

– GoldenEye: Rogue Agent tagline

Attendees at EA’s special GoldenEye: Rogue Agent Community Day – held in EA’s brand new Los Angeles studios this past weekend – learned some exciting news that has not yet been reported to the outside press. The Man With the Golden Gun star Christopher Lee has just signed to voice the character of Francisco Scaramanga in Rogue Agent, reprising his famous role from the 1974 James Bond film.

Christopher Lee is a distant cousin of Ian Fleming, and was Fleming’s personal choice to play the character of Dr. No in the 1962 James Bond film. Lee is famous for his portrayal of Count Dracula in seven Hammer horror films, and has gained wide new fame by playing Saruman in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Count Dooku in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

GoldenEye: Rogue Agent will be released in November 2004.

CBn’s own Athena Stamos attended the EA Community Day. Watch for Athena’s full report, including interviews with the produces and exclusive pictures from the event.