GoldenEye: Dark Agent

Invoking the name of Rare's 1997 first-person shooter for N64 -- easily its most highly acclaimed James Bond game predecessor -- 2004's GoldenEye: Rogue Agent is an original super spy adventure experienced from a different point of view. Developed by Electronic Art's Los Angeles studios, the game has players taking the role of an MI6 agent working toward elite "00" license-to-kill status, who is dismissed for "reckless brutality." Seizing the opportunity to bring such a highly skilled and well-trained operative into his own organization, infamous Bond supervillian Auric Goldfinger welcomes the player's disenfranchised agent into his ranks.

Like its N64 forebear, the 128-bit version of GoldenEye is a first-person shooter with lots of opportunity for multiplayer action. Standard deathmatches and domination games are supported, as well as a "Tug of War" game that has teams competing to move a bomb across the map by flipping a series of switches. Four-player split-screen play is offered, and properly equipped PlayStation 2 and Xbox gamers can go online to find competitive multiplayer games for up to eight. Also like the original, Rogue Agent features a full single-player campaign as well.

Though playing as the "bad guy" in GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, gamers may find that their opponents are often other evil minions from rival underworld operations. As the game begins, Goldfinger is in a struggle with the nefarious Dr. No for control of the world's most powerful criminal organization. The game is officially licensed by MGM (which holds the rights to the franchise), so players can expect to meet other famous (and infamous) characters from the James Bond universe, such as Oddjob, Pussy Galore, Scaramanga, and Xenia Onatopp, as they make their way through this adventure.