Techtite's PC Game Reviews!

CIA Operative 

"Solo Missions"

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A Techtite Review

CIA Operative: Solo Missions is a prime example of how dangerously easy it is to create and market 3D shooter games these days. Much like the 90's, when simpler methods of making "interactive movies" led to dozens of rubber-stamp, low-level adventure games released in droves, now there are games like this one: all the 3D acceleration bells and whistles to admire, and yet only 6 levels, a few game bugs, and...well, that's about it. There's enough lacking here, to warrant Techtite.com's dreaded "Burnout" rating, even if its graphics really make you wish the grade could be higher.

This is a game riding on the coattails of two superior works. It attempts to duplicate the game style of No One Lives Forever, making its missions (allegedly) those of a secret agent. It tries to equally duplicate the economic humility of Serious Sam, by being similarly affordably priced at $20. However, this game is a lesser impersonation of those two best-sellers by leaps and bounds. It cannot be like Serious Sam, because it has less diversity in the number of levels, inspired enemies, and originality in environments. It cannot be like No One Lives Forever, because it lacks just about everything you can think of that made that game so fun, right down to CIA Operative's total lack of any decent background story. Speaking of which, once you complete level 6, the game just ends and goes to credits, inexplicably. Did the game designers just give up, and distribute whatever was done in time for summer recess...?

There's also an apparent desire to copy yet another far superior action adventure --Thief 2: The Metal Age-- yet this game fails to be even close. AI of enemies is so erratic, sneaking past them is almost as difficult as getting their attention. One minute, a silencer shot can alert a whole group nearby, while on one occasion I shot a criminal with a loud-as-lightning rifle, and upon completing the turn around the corner, I saw a man right beside him, who just went about his business. Unlike Thief 2, you're unlikely to get too immersed in such tiny levels, either; if you reach a snag, just turn right first, instead of left, and you're as good as done with the whole level.

That isn't to say Trainwreck Studios (yes, that's their real name; I'm not being sarcastic) doesn't have an acceptable game engine; that's probably this game's only success. There's dynamic lighting, believable textures, acceptable AI, and the occasional "innocent civilian" to avoid, adding to the challenge. A simple key press activates the scope on the sniper weapon, allowing you to see a mobile, zoom-in target sight right in the center of the screen. In a better spy game, this would have been cool to use in a action-adventure puzzle, like trying to look at secret plans on a desk, or even to see an enemy type in a code number into a locked door (like the similar puzzle in Tomb Raider Chronicles). Unfortunately, in 6 game levels, it isn't put to much use at all.

Game levels are each pretty to look at, though we've all seen maps resembling them before. In fact, they don't even resemble the locations they're supposed to. While (as the box boasts) the locations include "Iraq, Bogota, Moscow and more," few who play this game will find any distinguishing differences; Level one could be just as likely to be Russia as level 6. One might muse over the claim that a Vegas-style gambling casino is in Russia. I suppose someone felt that a mission against a drug lord would seem cooler if he had a Russian accent, so suddenly you're fighting Russian gamblers in a casino that was too obviously intended by the level designer as a Vegas Casino to take seriously. The art department apparently decided to re-decorate this gaudy casino with Russian signs on the walls, thinking that's all it would take. A Casino this large, in Russia...? Such unintentional humor reduces the game's appeal overall.

There are missions to accomplish, though they are easily completed in one night, in three hours or less. All you must do is reach the "hot" location on any level, where you're told to "press the r key" to do the task required automatically. By then, the mission is a done deal. Sometimes, you must plant a timed explosive and escape by the time the clock reaches zero, though this is about it for "puzzle" challenges. This is a shame, because the game engine doesn't seem as limited as the imagination of the level designers themselves.

It's an additional shame, to give a product with so much apparent potential, the lowest grade possible. However, I had about as much play value with these "Solo Missions" as I did last year, with the alleged Stephen-King inspired flop, "F-13," and that's not good to remember when playing an allegedly superior 3D action game. Serious Sam showed many people that a game can be worth double the price, even if purchased for a mere $20. No One Lives Forever proved that a fun spy spoof is possible, as long as the humor is intentional and the spy-storyline is inspired. This game is without such pluses, and with little else to show for it, is sadly one of the most disappointing games I've played in 2001. I guess in that regard, it deserves the low rating, after all.