The spy who shot me
***Special thanks to Cold Dingo for proofing this review.
Developed by Retro Army Limited, this 007 Goldeneye N64-inspired first-person shooter utilizes elements from both modern titles and the aforementioned legend while incorporating referential comedy and clichés as its primary composition. Before commencing my personal critiques on this title’s gameplay, expressions, and general aesthetics, I would like to relay that I received The spy who shot me (TSWSM) from the developer for review purposes; this writing is also for informative purposes rather than a recommendation.
Here are just a few items to consider with this title:
Gameplay - TSWSM is at its core a first-person shooter which utilizes the traditional ‘WASD’ maneuverability layout for the genre with special commands such as pressing ‘F’ to throw knives and ‘Q’ to heave an explosive bottle toward enemies. The feeling of control is average as well, as it is merely functional without innovating. Levels’ layouts are adequate in scope, however my primary gripe is that checkpoint markers-typically one per stage-and progression placements are remarkably sparse with practically no pertinence to plot a majority of the time. Speaking of the checkpoint system, certainly the most irritating experience I have had with TSWSM was by my pressing of the ‘Escape’ key-versus ‘Enter’ when reaching the level exit screen, jolting me back to the launching of two prior stages and completely ignoring my made progress. In conclusion of this topic: the gameplay is adequate but its technical issues can be immensely frustrating.
Writing - As stated previously, The spy who shot me includes burlesque referential comedy of its James Bond source material, as well as some marginally witty original quips from protagonist Agent 7. For example, the British intelligence and special operative group known as MI6 has been titled MI-69 in this title, and S.C.U.M. being the villainous entity which plots to bring terror to various portions of the world. Continuity issues are present in the plot as the generic female companion for Agent 7 is renamed Bustia to Lotta within scenes sparsely five minutes apart; narrative is obviously subordinate to attempted satire with this title. The protagonist delivers banter during missions that may be amusing, but tend to repeat quite often from my experience.
Aesthetics - I cannot claim this topic to be a focal point nor a delicate selling point of TSWSM. Music appears jarring and inadequate even for the intended mediocre tone, and general sound design-effects included-lack significance within the experience. The attempt at retrospective graphics is competent, though not entirely immersive to convince the player that they are partaking in a ‘classic’ adventure such as its source material.
TL:DR - The spy who shot me is a competently average first-person shooter which derives its narrative from nostalgia, but is mediocre at times when it comes to its referential comedy and especially sound design. On a final thought, the price of eleven dollars is exceedingly steep for this game, and is the immediate reason I cannot entirely recommend this title. Thanks for reading.
Do you feel this review helped in any way? Feel free to visit my Curator Page at Spearpoint Reviews.
Originally posted February 14, 2019.
Developed by Retro Army Limited, this 007 Goldeneye N64-inspired first-person shooter utilizes elements from both modern titles and the aforementioned legend while incorporating referential comedy and clichés as its primary composition. Before commencing my personal critiques on this title’s gameplay, expressions, and general aesthetics, I would like to relay that I received The spy who shot me (TSWSM) from the developer for review purposes; this writing is also for informative purposes rather than a recommendation.
Here are just a few items to consider with this title:
Gameplay - TSWSM is at its core a first-person shooter which utilizes the traditional ‘WASD’ maneuverability layout for the genre with special commands such as pressing ‘F’ to throw knives and ‘Q’ to heave an explosive bottle toward enemies. The feeling of control is average as well, as it is merely functional without innovating. Levels’ layouts are adequate in scope, however my primary gripe is that checkpoint markers-typically one per stage-and progression placements are remarkably sparse with practically no pertinence to plot a majority of the time. Speaking of the checkpoint system, certainly the most irritating experience I have had with TSWSM was by my pressing of the ‘Escape’ key-versus ‘Enter’ when reaching the level exit screen, jolting me back to the launching of two prior stages and completely ignoring my made progress. In conclusion of this topic: the gameplay is adequate but its technical issues can be immensely frustrating.
Writing - As stated previously, The spy who shot me includes burlesque referential comedy of its James Bond source material, as well as some marginally witty original quips from protagonist Agent 7. For example, the British intelligence and special operative group known as MI6 has been titled MI-69 in this title, and S.C.U.M. being the villainous entity which plots to bring terror to various portions of the world. Continuity issues are present in the plot as the generic female companion for Agent 7 is renamed Bustia to Lotta within scenes sparsely five minutes apart; narrative is obviously subordinate to attempted satire with this title. The protagonist delivers banter during missions that may be amusing, but tend to repeat quite often from my experience.
Aesthetics - I cannot claim this topic to be a focal point nor a delicate selling point of TSWSM. Music appears jarring and inadequate even for the intended mediocre tone, and general sound design-effects included-lack significance within the experience. The attempt at retrospective graphics is competent, though not entirely immersive to convince the player that they are partaking in a ‘classic’ adventure such as its source material.
TL:DR - The spy who shot me is a competently average first-person shooter which derives its narrative from nostalgia, but is mediocre at times when it comes to its referential comedy and especially sound design. On a final thought, the price of eleven dollars is exceedingly steep for this game, and is the immediate reason I cannot entirely recommend this title. Thanks for reading.
Do you feel this review helped in any way? Feel free to visit my Curator Page at Spearpoint Reviews.
Originally posted February 14, 2019.
Comments
Post a Comment