
Title: Global Agenda
Publisher: Hi-Rez Studios
Platform: PC
Cost: $49.99
Genre: Massively Multiplayer Online Third Person Role Playing Shooter
Verdict: Interesting blend of the third person shooter and the MMO
Pros: Unique gameplay, and a persistent world
Cons: Sacrifices on both sides were made when merging the MMO and the third person shooter
In the year 2155, things are rough. There’s one global government, and they aren’t really pro freedom. The only logical course of action is obviously to join one of the many private agencies fighting against that government for control, right? OK, so the premise of Global Agenda is a little cliché, but don’t let that deter you – there’s actually a lot to love about Hi-Rez Studios’ first outing.
You start the game off in true MMO fashion by choosing a class. the Assault class gives you access to heavy weapons like rocket launchers, and miniguns. Medics do what medics do in every game – they heal other players. The Recon class focuses on stealth and range attacks, allowing access to abilities such as invisibility. Last but not least, the Robotics class allows you to build turrets and other devices that can blow your enemies to bits on your behalf. On the battlefield, the four classes compliment each other nicely with Assaults leading the charge on the various objectives you’ll have to capture, Recons providing long distance help, or sneak attacking the enemy, Robitics agents building turrets to defend an objective or keep the enemy pinned down, and Medics keeping the team patched up and ready for action.

Once you have picked a class, it’s time to jump into the action. Combat combines elements of both third person shooters, and MMO’s. You can’t just click on a target to select it, and just click it to death from there – you actually have to aim to score a hit. Unfortunately, the damage done by each shot is controlled solely by dice rolls happening behind the scenes. A head shot is no more or less likely to deal additional damage than a shot to the torso. The somewhat simple shooting mechanic is offset by the wide variety of weapons and devices available to each class. Setting up a turret in the right place, or firing a rocket that will follow your target as best it can helps to flesh out the combat. The inclusion of jet packs also helps to add some depth to the combat by allowing players to jet forward quickly, or rocket up to the top of a tall structure. Unfortunately the sheer awesomeness of the jet pack is diminished by the fact that you can’t shoot and fly at the same time.

Speaking of combat, it comes in two flavors: PvP, and PvE. In PvP matches, two teams square off in one of several objective based game types. They’re all pretty run of the mill for shooter fans – some modes require you to take one or more objectives from the other team permanently, and some allow for a back and forth. At the end of each mission you’ll be rewarded with cash and XP. In PvE mode, players are matched up into teams, and sent on a dungeon crawl in order to gather loot, and kill a boss. Alright, so there aren’t actual “dungeons” but the concept is the same – make your way through the facility, kill the big bad, get some loot, celebrate with pie and iced cream. Again, cash and XP for all, HOORAY! The only real problem here is that there’s no plot holding these PvE missions together. The mission descriptions all boil down to “go here, and shoot stuff”. That’s not to say the action doesn’t stand on it’s own two feet, but it would have been nice to see a bit more background on why we’re raiding these places.
Global Agenda also includes a persistent world map where player formed agencies (think guilds) can battle over territory. When you open up the Conquest menu, you are presented with a map that’s broken down into several regions, and broken down further into hexes. Each hex grants it’s controlling agency with resources, allowing the agency to generate income. The amount of fun you’re going to have with Conquest mode is directly dependent on which agency you’re with. In my time with the game I was with an agency that didn’t spend a lot of time worrying about Conquest mode. Consequently, we didn’t have a lot of land, and we didn’t engage in a lot of battles to defend that land or gather new land. The concept of a player driven, persistent map with ever changing borders is a unique and intriguing one – just make sure the agency you’re in makes heavy use of this feature before you think about dropping $13 a month on a subscription to the Conquest server.

So now you’ve got all this cash and XP, but what to do with it? Well, the XP will eventually earn you skill points which can be applied to various abilities on the skill tree. You can upgrade your proficiency with various weapon types, as well as your resistance to various types of damage. In order to avoid balance issues, the skill tree wasn’t given a lot of branches, thus making character progression feel a little basic. I don’t mean to say that it’s shallow, just that the devs played things on the safe side. As for new weapons and armor, you don’t get those in any sort of traditional way. In fact, armor is strictly superficial – your upgrades do all of the stat enhancements that armor would handle in any other MMO. You can also make upgrades to your energy supply – your universal, rechargeable ammo supply. New weapons and devices are awarded as you level up, which leads to an even playing field, as well as a lack of individuality among players of the same class.
Global Agenda sets out to fuse the MMORPG with the third person shooter, and for the most part, that fusion is a success. Both genres had to make some sacrifices for the greater good, but the final product is worth it. Run and gun gameplay is balanced with skill trees and upgradeable armor and weaponry for a unique gaming experience. Throw in the persistent elements found in Conquest mode, and Global Agenda becomes a unique and robust gaming experience that fans of shooters and MMO’s alike can sink their teeth into.