Global Agenda Review

07 Sep 2010 at 14:00:43 by Jeff Hollis
Systems used to review this title: (PC, MMO)

Global Agenda is a unique game, and this makes it somewhat hard to describe. We've talked about the game a lot here on IncGamers since its US launch, and with the UK boxed release hitting shops this week, we thought it was time for a review.  Imagine, if you will, a very well-rounded, mature, fully developed FPS game.  It's a high quality shooter, full of run-and-gun action.  Now, take that game and add some MMORPG elements, but do so without compromising the high quality FPS aspect of the game.  That, my friends, is Global Agenda.

Global Agenda markets itself as an MMO, and this is an accurate description.  However, it's the first game I've ever played that successfully hybridizes MMO gameplay and FPS action.  Mind you, there have been a lot of MMOFPS games in the past, but those games had a whole of MMO going on, and they threw in a little bit of FPS as an afterthought.  These games have, for the most part, really struggled.  Tabula Rasa, a game designed by none other than Richard Garriott, is perhaps the latest and greatest example of prior attempts at creating a successful MMOFPS.  But Tabula Rasa had an awkward interface, a clumsy UI, and involved no shooting skill whatsoever.  Once you tab-targeted an opponent, you simply clicked your mouse and hotkeys over and over and over again, using various MMO style skills.  Your targeting reticule could be 45 degrees off target, and it didn't matter.  Your bullets somehow managed to find their way to the alien enemies.  The FPS gamers out there quickly grew disenchanted with Tabula Rasa, and that was part of the reason the game ultimately failed.

Global Agenda's foundation is firmly rooted in FPS mechanics.  You have to keep your sights on the target if you want to hit anything.  You have to judiciously use your grenades, estimating range and distance, if you want them to land at your enemy's feet.  You have to use your various shields at the right time, set up turrets and force fields in appropriate locations, heal your team mates at the critical moments, and pop out of stealth at just the right time if you're going to succeed.  This is very different from traditional MMOs, wherein a player with Tier 47 raid armor he got from killing some demi-god makes him much more powerful than everyone else.  Just like every good shooter on the market today, your tactics are the single most important factor in determining if you're going to win.   

However, there are MMO elements aplenty in Global Agenda.  There are four classes to pick from, and they are all quite different.  Since Global Agenda takes place in the year 2155, it's a sci-fi themed shooter.  (The atmosphere in GA is beautifully futuristic; it's high tech, with a grunge edge, and it's all quite a bit of fun).  All the classes reflect this futuristic, science fiction edginess.  The Assault is the heavy tank of the bunch.  He uses grenade launchers, mini-guns, and rockets to keep aggro, relying on a nearby Medic to heal him.  The Medics, for their part, have some interesting weapons that do damage (Pain, Agony, and Euthaniser guns), but in keeping with their primary role, have a health restoring gun, some AOE healing grenades, and other futuristic do-dads to restore their team mates.  The Recon class is the stealth fighter of the group.  Able to turn invisible, he can get close to enemies and launch a devastating melee attack.  The Robotics class is the most unusual.  This class has a series of “pets”, but in a very unconventional sense.  He sets up force fields, healing stations, and the all important turrets that fire bullets, rockets, and other destructive whatnot. 

As you can imagine, these four classes complement each other quite well.  When running missions or engaged in PvP, a balanced group definitely has a traditional tank-healer-DPS triad feel to it.  Every class brings something unique to the group.  What's more, each class is visually unique.  However, in my experience, groups in Global Agenda tend to rely a lot on the Assaults and Medics, while the Recons and Robotics aren't always quite as vital. 

Like other MMOs, each of the classes has three skill or talent trees with which to customize their abilities.  Tanks can select skills that make them tankier, able to withstand different types of damage, increasing their health, etc.   As a variant, they can also choose skills that increase their weapon range, increase the number of rounds they can fire before become depleted, improve the damage their explosives do, etc.  The same holds true for each of the other classes as well.  Perhaps the most interesting variant available to the four classes is the “poison” Medic.  Instead of emphasizing the healing he does, this Medic dishes out increased amount of both DPS and DoT damage.  While he can still throw some heals around, he basically becomes something of a high tech, futuristic shadow priest. 

Gameplay is pretty frenetic.  Even during boss battles, there isn't the set-play that most MMOs seem to fall into, with one main tank grabbing aggro from a boss, the healer focusing on keeping the tank alive, and the DPS classes handling the adds, etc.  GA is a much more dynamic game.  Again, FPS tactics are the key here, as players are forced to utilize cover, set up turrets strategically, and take advantageous positions to win.  Like other MMOs, the PvE elements of the game are fun, but they do not adequately prepare players for PvP scenarios. PvP in Global Agenda is just as tough and challenging as PvP is in any other FPS game.   

The PvE aspect of the game largely involves completing missions.  The missions are short, generally 15 or 20 minutes of gameplay, and they culminate in a boss battle.  Players are rewarded for dying infrequently, and there is a time limit for completion.  PvP battles will be familiar to most FPS players, in that the game creates matchups, and players must take and hold objectives.  There is a bit of a strategic element to the overarching game as well, in that Agencies (the futuristic equivalent of guilds) can take and hold territory.  The rewards system used to be pretty paltry, but was recently changed, so that players now get more dropped loot.  However, no matter how many good drops a player gets, tactics still rule the day.  Good gear does not equate to an automatic win.

Perhaps the best single element of Global Agenda is the company behind the game, Hi-Rez Studios.  Hi-Rez is a small, flexible company, and they have proven that they listen to their players.  This summer they launched the “Sandstorm” expansion for Global Agenda, which was completely free to players.  Sandstorm introduced new maps, consumables, a salvage system, solo play, and a host of other improvements to every single aspect of the game.  Sandstorm is not only ambitious, it's impressive.  With Sandstorm, Hi-Rez really listened to what their players wanted in the game, and they have improved the game considerably along those lines.  I can't say that I've seen this kind of responsiveness from an MMO company in the past. 

Galobal Agenda is a great FPS action with increasingly strong MMO elements, making the game a uniquely successful MMOFPS hybrid. Each of the four classes are fun to play, there are a lot of character customization options, and both PvE and PvP are a lot of fun.  Global Agenda is also completely free to play, which is extremely unusual for an MMO.  The biggest upside is that the game is constantly improving, and player feedback is obviously important to the devs. 

It’s worth noting however that Global Agenda commits the “humans only” error found in older MMOs; you cannot play an alien, mutant, or other sci-fi monster.  In an era of MMOs that boast 10 different races, this gets a little dull.  The only other possible downside is the limited number of maps.  The Sandstorm expansion improved this, both for PvE and PvP encounters, but this could still use a boost. 

It's hard to say enough positive things about Global Agenda.  GA is in the unique position in that they have managed to succeed where so many others have failed – it's a fun, innovative MMOFPS, it's free to play, it's got an addictive quality to it, and it's run by a great company.  Hi-Rez has already improved this game, and is committed to further improvements.  Based on their track record, these upgrades will likely be substantial. 

Currently, Global Agenda is available via digital download and Hi-Rez recently changed the game’s subscription model so it will follow a similar model to Guild Wars where there are no subs but you will have to pay for the expansions. Fortunately their first major upgrade Sandstorm is free so now is a good time to get your hands on the game.

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