About this time last year gamers everywhere were saturated with hype over the Ubi Soft smash hit Splinter Cell. The sophisticated spy game offered an in-depth look at the word of espionage. Spy games have always been a hit with gamers. Who can forget the classic Metal Gear Solid? Well Kemco caught on to the stealth craze and tried their hand at this hot style of gameplay. And speaking of hot, Kemco decided it was time for a female to give the stealth thing a try. The question is can Kemco, the talented Bits Studios, and Nikki Conners stand up to the likes of Sam Fisher and Solid snake?

Game Info:

*Mission success in Rogue Ops relies on undetected operations. Players can hide in the shadows, suspend from ceilings, seek refuge inside environmental objects like storage lockers, or slide against walls to peer around corners.

*Heightened enemy AI. When alerted, enemies investigate suspicious behavior and circumstances. Once enemies go to full alert, they never return to routine patrol.

*Eight action-packed missions featuring challenging objectives in 8 diverse environments. Engaging dialogue advances the plot through surprising twists and revelations.

*Extensive arsenal. Nikki's weapons include pistol, shocker, sniper rifle, crossbow, shuriken, smoke bomb, frag grenade, jamming grenade, remote mine, and proximity mine. Depending on the circumstances, players must choose weapons that will not set off alarms or draw attention.

*Cutting-edge spy tools. Field innovations include retina scanner, V.I.S.E.R., fly cam, thermal optical camouflage, adrenaline boost, communication system and grapple hook. Limited battery power on some devices helps balance game play and strategy.

*Cinematically scored soundtrack. Dramatic music and realistic audio effects elevate the intensity of this amazing game experience.
Gameplay:
You take control of the gorgeous looking Nikki Conners. As the game starts, the story unfolds on the horrific slaying of Nikki’s husband and daughter. As any ass kicking video game female would do, she is out for revenge. To do so, she joins a secrete government agency and works closely with them to expose and destroy a terrorist agency named Omega Nineteen, the same group she thinks is behind her family’s tragedy. Cheesy… very much so..



So what can Nikki do in terms of movement? Bits Studio did an amazing job providing players with nearly every movement they could ask for. Everything from climbing, crawling, rolling, shimming across ledges and even pickpocketing is here. And in terms of weapons and gadgets, you will be locked and loaded. M7 long range sniper rifle’s can pick of enemies from afar while shurikens can be thrown at opponents at close range, then pry them off their dead corpses and use them again! Explosives like smoke grenades will help evade enemies and the shocker (a favorite of mine) will send a 26-Watt electro-shock charge into anyone who stands in your way! Nikki’s VISER a.k.a. Visual Imaging Sight - Electro-Radiation allows you to get heat readings through walls to see what your next victim will be. One of the coolest items in the game is the Fly Cam. Nikki uses this to safely scout out high-density enemy areas. Nikki can also use it to access areas she cannot reach. This device can interact with the environment, and you control its movements! The amount of time you can use many of the items like the Viser depends on your battery life, something you can charge back up during the game.

With every movement seen in previous spy games plus some amazing new items Nikki definitely stacks up in terms of options to the likes of Sam and the gang.

Performing tasks is done by approaching items or areas. Once you do that a green icon will pop up. To perform the action hit the action button. This is used in situations like grabbing a ledge you want to shimmy on, set a bomb, or even pick pocket a guy. Icons can sometimes be a pain to find as I found myself sometimes wondering around a room just to find I was a step to the left of the icon… The problem you will find with Rogue Ops is the frame rate in high action situations can be sluggish and inconsistent. On top of that controlling Nikki during such events can seem to be a chore with a clumsy fighting control. The stealth elements are spot on, but fighting multiple enemies could have been fine tuned.

One specific element that is a real plus is your ability to have a bloodless kill. A.I. in R.O. is so smart they will follow blood trails of downed enemies (which you can pick up and hide in the shadows). With a bloodless kill you must approach an opponent from behind with out being noticed. As you do a meter bar will fill up. Once its full you hit the action button and a combo circle comes up. You must push the directions as shown in the amount of time given. If you do you are treated to a cinematic killing experience. If not be prepared to get your butt kicked.


MGS nostalgia, anyone??

Bits did a great job on the phenomenal missions. Each is very well laid out and requires some thinking. One such mission requires you to shoot down dead bodies that hang on a meat rack like hook. By shooting them to the ground, they create a path that blocks the laser censor on the floor allowing you safe passage as opposed to being shot in the face. With eight different settings and one training level players will see diverse terrain and a number of thought provoking and sometimes downright funny objectives.

All this is done with some nice graphics. Player models are all done very well and levels all have great texture work and represent what they set out to do. While Nikki is a hotty she isn’t someone we will be talking about six years down the road based solely on looks… Ms. Croft anyone. The game itself is very stylized in its own right. The bloodless kills have an amazing cinematic look, but the lack of quality shadow effects and the constant movement in framerate take away from an otherwise crisp looking game.

Sound:
Voice acting seems like it was done by porn stars as each line is delivered in a way only they could. Dialog in this game is more over-done than a Steven Segal movie… Thankfully the sound department did an amazing job with sound effects that allow gamers to experience every explosion and every footstep in the game. The soundtrack is equally impressive as it really adds a great feel to the game, helping you get into your missions.

Closing Comments:

Rogue Ops, to me, is a welcomed surprise. Early on, my good friend and PR contact, Tim, gave me the heads up on Kemcos next project. After seeing the last few titles they released today, I was reluctant to investigate the title, but I bit the bait and was lucky enough to see the title progress over the past year. While the game doesn’t top Splinter Cell or Metal Gear Solid, it does offer its own flavor to stealth games. Kemco looks to be turning things around and Rogue Ops is a great start. It’s definitely a stepping-stone for them, and I have it on good word that, if the title sells well, we will be seeing more of Nikki. I sure hope we do because Rogue Ops may have its flaws, but when it gets right down to it… it’s a ton of fun!