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Agents Of Mayhem: Some games consider themselves serious and some games don’t. This one slides straight into the latter category. From the publishers of the classic Saints Row series – one for which I haven’t played much – we have Agents Of Mayhem, which I personally feel should be Donald Trump’s political party name.
(DVDfever Dom: Certainly when the Republicans kick him out and he has to form an independent party!)
I’m always concerned when I start playing a game and realise that it’s going to heavily rely on comedy. Having only played two funny ones before – Portal and Portal 2, I began this with streams of trepidation. A few hours in, and my worries had passed and I had another game to add to my funny list. It’s a blatant spin-off of Saints Row IV, not although having not played enough of Saints Row, I didn’t quite get all the references.
Agents Of Mayhem is a third-person open-world shooting adventure, although you can cut out the open=world part of it if you want. You take control of a hilariously formed group of agents who, under the clear instruction of the gorgeous Perserphone, have to save the world which has been taken over by L.E.G.I.O.N. The story is set in Seoul, and throughout, doesn’t take too many twists and turns. If you want an exciting and inspiring story, then this isn’t the game for you.
The opening gave me a few chuckles with Perserphone acting like Moneypenny, calling a meeting with the unlike trio of Hollywood, Hardtrack and Fortune (known as the franchise force). Each character offers their unique and utterly preposterous sense of humour, but they also offer different fighting styles. Hardtrack is slow and sluggish, and therefore uses his shotgun and his extremely powerful melee. Fortune, on the other hand, is quick and agile and dances through the battlefield with precision and glory. Most importantly, Hollywood is an absolute tool and completely loves himself. Cracked me up every time, and the relationship between these three is shown in the opening hour. As you unlock more of the 12 playable characters – with two more if you preorder – you get to fight using different styles, unlock more abilities and overall have a rounded experience.
After the start of the first mission, you’re able to interchange fluidly between your three chosen characters. This helped me make tactical decisions on who I was going to use and I found myself often changing character mid-fight or mid-jump. The idea of changing character is quite cool, but it did make me wonder why they weren’t just all fighting at the same time, and why the combat didn’t try and emulate games such as Mass Effect, but with a little less hide and seek (I’m not a little kid anymore…) You will find your experience fractured by the little nuances, such as the repetitiveness and your car grinding to a stop when you’ve jumped in it. Then there’s the biggest problem with the gameplay – where the hell is the multiplayer? Surely this style of game is made for a multiplayer experience, be it sitting on the couch with your wife, or online with your made up friends. However, for some reason this function is lacking… hopefully an update will come, but I am surprised by the absence.
The graphics are sharp and supported by decent voice acting and an interesting soundtrack. Agents Of Mayhem stays true to its roots and gives you an anime-style experience. Even the game is sectioned into arcs, although as mentioned some will become quite repetitive. The cut-scenes reminded me of what Overwatch could have been if they bothered using them. I was drawing similarities with the anime scenes used in Guilty Gear, mixed with a little bit of Transformers. In-game, the graphics reminded me of Infamous Second Son, which really isn’t a bad thing. Even the world bears similar resemblances. Considering I played this, before it’s official release, I was impressed, since at no point did I notice any glitches. Throughout your playthrough, you won’t be overwhelmed with the sound, but it will capture the feel of the game. The range of character voices, on the other hand, was fantastic and I found myself wanting to hear more and more. Just you wait till you hear the magnificent English accent… typical.
Sometimes, it’s hard to suggest what makes you enjoy a game. Be it the 20 hours I have given this over two-and-a-half days or the sheer laughter I have startled others with whilst enjoying the story. Or maybe it’s the varied gameplay of the agents, because it certainly isn’t the repetitive nature of the story missions; Those where you unlock characters were fantastic and had that feeling of unlocking the coolest Pokemon. After each mission, you’ll find yourself keen to learn the new moves you’ve acquired and spend your hard-earned cash on levelling up. Agents Of Mayhem oozes class and, as an experience, mixes Infamous, Overwatch and not enough of Mass Effect. It is a game I recommend all to give a go, even if it has some obvious shortcomings. After all, the purpose of playing games is to have fun, is it not?
The scores on the doors…
- Graphics: 8 – they won’t take your breath away
Sound: 8 – I hope they all got paid for those voices
Gameplay: 7 – fun but repetitive and lacking a multiplayer
Enjoyment: 8 – it certainly is fun
Overall: 8 – a perfect game to keep you going through the summer
Agents Of Mayhem is released on Friday on PS4, Xbox One and PC, and click on the packshot for the full-size version.
Important info:
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Developer: Volition
- Players: single player
- HDTV options: up to 1080p
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
|
GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY ENJOYMENT |
8 8 7 8 |
| OVERALL | 8 |
Producer: Greg Donovan
Writers: Tony Bedard, Jeff Bielawski, Jason L Blair, Jennifer A Campbell, Kelsi Champley, Matt Entin, Corey Hitchcock, Jason Scott, Alex Toplansky and Mylissa Zelechowski
Music: Larry E Gates II, Malcolm Kirby Jr and Cris Velasco
Cast:
Agent Braddock (Janel Braddock): Cherise Boothe
Agent Daisy (Piper Andrews) / Ivana Bangya: Misty Lee
Agent Fortune (Marina Santos) / Pride Technician / Additional Voices: Melanie Minichino
Agent Gat (Johnny Gat): Daniel Dae Kim
Agent Hardtack (Ishmael Funderburke) / Vasquez: Terrence ‘T.C.’ Carson
Agent Hollywood (Rod Stone) / Scooter T.M. Bull / Rottmaner / True Stories of K-Pop Host / Additional Voices: Trevor Devall
Agent Joule (Cosima Bellini): Anna Vocino
Agent Kingpin (Pierce Washington): Arif S Kinchen
Agent Oni (Masamune Senichi): Matthew Yang King
Agent Rama (Pranati Malhotra) / Aiko / Lydecker / Gluttony Trooper / Additional Voices: Eliza Schneider
Agent Red Card (Ingo Rotkapp) / Marcus Thunderpump / Nagata / LEGION Lair Master / Chief Bot: Dave B Mitchell
Agent Scheherazade / Rookie Bot: Sharon Muthu
Agent Yeti (Oleg Kirrlov) / LEGION PA: Mark Allan Stewart
Persephone Brimstone / Sarx / Chastity Belter / Crazed Fan: Kay Bess
Friday (Stephanie Albright): Larissa Gallagher
I have been a video game player since 1993 and a music fan since I can remember. I studied Film and Journalism at university and ended up becoming a Primary School teacher. Video games changed my life and sent me on the right track and have stayed with me ever since.