Are You Spy Enough For It?
First pirates, now spies. The MMOG marketplace is slowly crawling away
from the high fantasy genre and is moving towards other virtual worlds
that have yet to be explored. Sony Online Entertainment is taking the
first steps into the "super-spy" genre and is creating a game called
style="font-style: italic;">The Agency to take
advantage of the public's love of the intense world of spy thrillers.
Along with our
preview written by Garrett Fuller, we've picked up a
selection of screenshots and the official press release for your
viewing pleasure.
Sony
Online Entertainment, (SOE) a global leader in the online gaming
industry, announced it is developing The Agency™, a
fast-paced online action shooter filled with espionage, intrigue and
betrayal. The Agency is being developed at SOE’s
Seattle studio for both the PC and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer
entertainment system.
The
Agency is a pick-up-and-play experience where players assume the role
of elite agents in a modern-day world. Both solo players and groups
will enjoy a wide variety of cooperative and competitive story-driven
missions set in exotic locales across the globe.
“The
inspiration for The Agency came from the spy and espionage genre. We
want to put players in the heart of the action to experience what
it’s really like to live the life of an elite
agent,” said Hal Milton, Lead Designer, Sony Online
Entertainment. “Players will jet set around this virtual
world to exotic locales, infiltrate enemy organizations to steal
secrets and perpetrate sabotage, all the while building their own
agency with an eye towards global domination.”
Persistent
character development allows players to supplement their gear with
exotic and powerful skills that make them feel like the elite agents
they’ve always dreamt of becoming. Additionally, in lieu of
the typical class systems in many other games, The Agency’s
approach is simply, “You Are What You Wear.”
Players will customize their character’s attire based on the
mission at hand, emphasizing combat, support, stealth, or even cover
identities.
Players
begin their experience by choosing to be a slick UNITE spy or a gritty
ParaGON mercenary. Both factions will have players tangling in illicit
activities such as drug smuggling, assassinations, espionage and
counter intelligence. As they gain ranks within their chosen agency,
players will increase their influence over the world while experiencing
a deep story of action and intrigue. Along the way players will be able
to build their own agencies, team with others to create joint agencies,
and recruit a roster of useful Operatives.
Operatives
are “living loot” characters that wait in the wings
for orders to build that new sports car, gather intel for the next
mission, or provide that satellite scan to expose the enemy. As players
advance through the game, they will collect more powerful Operatives
that will better assist them with missions. Players can use their
roster to help themselves or their team and even trade Operatives with
other players.
“SOE
is looking to take the online gaming industry to new places with The
Agency, not only in terms of its theme, but also in its design.
It’s accessible to all types of players, blending genres and
changing up established conventions. It’s different from
anything SOE has released before,” said Matt Wilson, Director
of Development, SOE Seattle. “Our goal is to break from
traditional online games and provide players with a ‘fun now,
no waiting’ gameplay experience in a dynamic, ever-evolving
online world.”
About
The Agency
Agency is a fast-paced, online persistent shooter in a modern setting
of bullets, bomb blasts, and betrayal. Live the life of an elite agent
in a world of super spies and rugged mercenaries, who use both the
highest technology and the lowest tactics to accomplish their goals.
Featuring cooperative and competitive play, The Agency is designed to
provide instant action and long-term strategy for all fans of
espionage, intrigue, and explosive gameplay.
Features
Become An Elite Agent: The Agency offers hundreds of unique
missions with varied end-goals requiring combat, stealth, and style.
With gameplay ranging from sneaky assassinations to all out assaults,
from vehicle challenges to casinos loaded with mini-games,
there’s something for every aspiring agent.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">
•
Build Your Own Agency: As players advance through the ranks
of their faction, they’ll also begin building their own
Agencies. Players will increase their power even further by creating
Joint Agencies with others.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">
•
Mercenary or spy, the choice is yours: In the Agency, collect
the right weaponry, gadgets, vehicles, gear, attire and aliases to gain
access to various locales and influence over the people within them.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">
•
Put Operatives to work: Operatives are collectible non-player
characters who provide the goods player’s desire, the
services to keep them alive, and allow them to concentrate on the
mission at hand. Operatives work 24/7, regardless of whether players
are logged in, and they can even keep them up-to-date through email and
instant messages.
•
Fun Now, No Waiting: The Agency is not about waiting for the
fun to start. At any point, players can take a break from their
high-flying career to engage in a number of other activities. Veterans
and new players alike can take on other players at the card tables, the
shooting range, or in head-to-head combat.
style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">
For more information
log onto href="http://www.theagencygameonline.com">www.theagencygameonline.com.
New The Agency Screenshots:
class="vatable" border="0" cellpadding="0"
cellspacing="5">
alt="The Paragon Roll Call" title="The Paragon Roll Call"
name="photo_j" border="0" height="84" width="150">
alt="Members of Unite" title="Members of Unite"
name="photo_j" border="0" height="84" width="150">
alt="The Agency Logo" title="The Agency Logo"
name="photo_j" border="0" height="50" width="150">
alt="Cassie Getting Sniped" title="Cassie Getting Sniped"
name="photo_j" border="0" height="84" width="150">
alt="A Unite Team in the Courtyard"
title="A Unite Team in the Courtyard" name="photo_j"
border="0" height="84" width="150">
alt="Firefight in Bones Alley" title="Firefight in Bones Alley"
name="photo_j" border="0" height="84" width="150">
alt="Flying in your private jet."
title="Flying in your private jet." name="photo_j"
border="0" height="84" width="150">
alt="Speedboat action scene." title="Speedboat action scene."
name="photo_j" border="0" height="84" width="150">
alt="Dropping in for an assasination."
title="Dropping in for an assasination." name="photo_j"
border="0" height="150" width="117">
alt="Cage Girls" title="Cage Girls" name="photo_j"
border="0" height="84" width="150">
alt="Helicopter Attack" title="Helicopter Attack"
name="photo_j" border="0" height="84" width="150">
alt="A member of Paragon coming out of the water."
title="A member of Paragon coming out of the water."
name="photo_j" border="0" height="84" width="150">
unofficial source for
The Agency news
and features style="font-style: italic;">!
Make sure you check out Ten Ton Hammer's href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/8374"> style="font-style: italic;">The Agency preview!
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our The Agency Game Page.
