TSA’s Top 100 of 2011 – #60 Agent

Kovacs 33 Comments

This entry could be real short. It says something about the pedigree of Rockstar that, without a single screenshot or vague tantalising concept art, a game we know so little about can not only make our top 100 but chart higher than forty other titles. Put that in some perspective. We want Agent more than Crysis 2, Beyond Good & Evil 2 and Dragon Age 2. Maybe we just don’t like games with “2” in their titles.

Intel about Agent is as clandestine as its (apparent) subject matter. Set in the 70s during the Cold War, it’s a spy thriller replete with what we can only assume will be furtive, shadowy shenanigans played out against the back-drop of what was a very precarious and volatile time in modern history.

Rockstar announced back in July of 2007 that they were working on a new franchise exclusively for the PS3. It wasn’t until E3 2009, however, before Sony’s Jack Tretton revealed more about the title – if confirming its name and presenting one solitary logo to the masses can be classified as much of a reveal.

The politics of Agent outside of its espionage-themed gameplay is also steeped in mystery and intrigue. Brokered between Sony and Rockstar as some sort of bargaining chip to allow LA Noire to go multiplatform, allegedly, Agent now also has the unfortunate accolade of becoming the next puck in the dreaded exclusivity wars. Expect a deluge of “Agent Confirmed for 360” articles to fester across the Internet’s already battle-scarred back for the next two to ten years.

It’s Rockstar. Some may have disliked where they went with GTAIV (personally, I enjoyed it) but few can dispute the fact that they can spin a high-budget, cinematic, story-focused yarn. New franchises must start from somewhere, of course, and it’s that fact, coupled with the recognised production values of its publisher, that gives us some confidence regarding Agent’s placement on this list, blind as we may be. Of course, that’s probably just the poison, MacGyvered into our bloodstream via a modified umbrella tip. Urk!

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33 Comments

  1. Right. Agent.

  2. i just hope they work on the engine a bit

  3. It’s hard to get excited about it when we know so little but hopefully it will be good.

    • I find it hard to get excited about because its Rockstar who have done nothing new since GTAIII, but after seeing the LA Noire trailer I’m getting hyped for both now.

      • The LA Noire trailer did not get me hyped at all for the same reason you stated. I hope this will be something different.

  4. This is my 2nd most eagerly awaited game. GT5 obviously the first. I wonder how long this one will be on my pre order list? Hopefully not 18 Months like GT5! AGENT ‘had’ a relese date of September 2010 on Play.com but now awaiting relese date :(

  5. If i remember correctly, I read an article in a previous issue of a US gaming magazine where Rockstar stated that they want to make that next revolutionary step with Agent as they did with GTA3

  6. I’d lay money on this being cancelled within a year. No news of any kind in two years or so does not bode well.

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