PS3 Fanboy

While it was a feature touted when it originally debuted, it became increasingly clear that The Agency would unlikely have cross-platform play between the PS3 and PC versions. Now, it's official: the spy-themed SOE-developed MMO will definitely not have cross-platform play. The two worlds of the PS3 and PC versions will be kept separate. The reason? According to the developers, the imbalance between keyboard and mouse versus controller play.

"PC guys say, 'PS3 guys have aim assist and the controls nerfed for them'. And PS3 guys say, 'PC guys have a mouse and keyboard - it's all easier for them'. Even if it's not true," Hal Milton said. He also added, "a couple of members of our team gained a lot of experience working on Shadowrun, and no matter how well you fine-tune it, you end up with a player-base that's polarized." [Ed's note: Shadowrun is one of the few games that features cross-platform play between Windows and Xbox 360 systems.]

Our friends over at Massively got a chance to talk to SOE's Director of Development, Matt Wilson, about the latest developments concerning The Agency. Wilson reveals the following:

• They are currently in "full alpha" and the plan is for a beta in the fall. They are also working towards a demo.
• They haven't decided between a subscription based financial model or a microtransaction one. However, Wilson noted that the PS3 is a console, and "console players don't generally do subscriptions."
• The penalty for death will be "as lightweight as possible to begin with" since the player will die "frequently." Penalty will mostly be in the form of lost gameplay time, but Wilson cites an example of after dying ten times, you'll need to get fixed up at a field office, presumably losing extra time.
• World events are planned, and SOE is hoping for content that "is easily playable for everyone" and accessible to players who do not invest as much time into the game.
• Vehicle combat will take place. No other specific details are given.

With SOE coming out with two MMOs in the near future, do you think the PS3 will dominate as a console for that genre? Read the entire interview over at Massively.

An announcement regarding Sony's online game, The Agency, ruffled some feathers last month. "You can customize your character any way you like with microtransactions for clothes and such!" was more or less what was told to the public. Eurogamer went on the scene to uncover the reasoning behind such an action and found out that, no, you won't spend any more real-life money than it costs to buy the game itself.

Instead of enlisting Live Gamer to create a microtransaction system, there's going to be a real-world auction house where players can buy and sell in-game items. You'll get new duds and accessories by taking out enemies with a sharp-looking coat, or a nice pair of shades, then taking them away by force. Much better than paying some cash up front for a piece of polygonal cloth, right?

[via Joystiq]

We haven't had a chance to really see The Agency in motion, especially with a typical espionage/spy musical score in the background. This world premiere from X-Play shows off the main characters in the game from both the U.N.I.T.E. and ParaGON factions. There's a short clip of actual gameplay footage and it looks a bit like Uncharted went to the mall to buy some tuxedos and have a shootout against enemies other than pirates. Still, the game will have to show us more before we can truly judge its worth, but this is a good start for the PS3's first real MMO.

We feel like we've heard this spiel before -- MMO's were promised to come onto the PS3 because, let's face it, the thing is practically a computer. What's different this time around is that Sony no longer is saying that MMO's will be something to look forward to, but their forward strategy is to focus on them as key selling points.

Sony Online Entertainment honcho John Smedley said this in an interview with the Seattle Times: "MMOs are going to be a real strong selling point for the PS3 long term - there's going to be some great ones on the PS3." He goes on to blab a little bit about The Agency, which we know only bare bones about, but is supposedly going to be a real shining star and pave the way for other MMO's to get onto the PS3. We'll find out soon enough, right?

[Via CVG]

Hal Milton, lead designer of The Agency, continues to declassify restricted information regarding the upcoming spy-mercenary MMO shooter. This time he discloses details regarding operatives that can be recruited for either of the two factions in the game. Operatives function as collectible NPCs that will help build your espionage network. You can collect, trade, and bet operatives away; Milton puts it "...similar [to] but not exactly the same as what folks have seen in collectible card games in the past."

Now, how do these pawns work strategically in a spy thriller like The Agency? First of all, there are four types of operatives: combat, stealth, support, and social. Obviously, each one has a particular skill; some can gather intel to help direct you on your mission, others can provide direct support by securing a checkpoint or causing a distraction that'll help you pass tricky spots. One interesting thing about operatives is that you may have to sacrifice one in order to find out the truth about certain aspects in a mission -- then you'll have to face the repercussions of your decision. Tie this up with the ability to swap operatives between the UNITE and ParaGON groups and you're sure to have a convoluted, quadruple-crossing, bloody spy-game on your hands.

It's all rather an intricate and unique system. So if you find all of this confusing (as you should because anything that involves spies always is), then it might be a good idea to check out the rest of the in-depth interview over at The Agency HQ.

For someone who is working on a video game about secret agents, Hal Milton has very loose lips. During this interview with The Agency HQ, Milton sheds some light on a lot of features that we can expect to see in the game - and they all sound intriguing. The Agency promises to be far more than just a massively multiplayer shooter. Between the Aliases gameplay, intelligence collecting and the complex levelling system there's plenty of non-combat gameplay to keep you busy when you get tired of pulling triggers.

Check out the interview for in-depth info on everything we've just mentioned. The reasons to get this game are piling up and we can't wait to see it in action. Hopefully a solid release date will be announced at E3 or Sony's Gamer's day. Whenever that will be.

We all love videos about games. We love video interviews slightly less, especially when painted towards the PC side of the upcoming MMO The Agency, also due out on the PS3. Sony Online Entertainment's Kevin O'Hara speaks up a bit regarding the game, so go ahead and take a listen. It seems to be shaping up nicely.

If you don't remember, The Agency is an MMO designed for the PS3 and PC -- we assume it's a bigger deal to the PS3 crew though. While many online games gladly accommodate cross-platform play, like Phantasy Star Universe, it seems the group in charge of The Agency is having a slightly harder time.

It's not that they don't know how to do it, but they feel it might be a bit unfair due to the difference in control scheme between the console and the PC. Sony Online Entertainment's CEO, John Smedley, affirms this, saying, "Would the mouse player have a unique advantage? Would we have to make the auto-aiming system on the console a lot better to compensate for that? That would take some of the skill element away on the console."

You'll still be able to log into your character from either the PC or PS3. SOE is still going to try out cross-platform play, but as far as we can tell, they're warning you not to count on it actually making it to retail.

Sure, CES may have been two weeks ago, but interesting info is still trickling out like some delayed, leaky faucet. An interview on Joystiq with two designers behind the upcoming multiplayer online Spy-em-up The Agency contains a tremendous amount of information regarding almost every aspect of the game. Split into bite-sized category chunks, the layout of the interview makes it easy to find information on different aspects of the game, such as its business-model, possible future content or (our most anticipated feature) operatives.

The more we read about this game, the more into it we become. Teddy bears with guns in their stomachs and cameras in their eyes? Sold! Where do we sign?

When we first heard about The Agency during Sony's Gamer's Day last May we were, quite frankly, a bit meh about the whole thing. This new video interview from GameTrailers, however, shows off some of the gameplay and gives an interesting look at what the game is aiming to become. Operatives and Home integration sounds like a really interesting way to blur the lines and have you playing even when you're not playing. We're sticking this one onto our radar and are actually looking forward to its release. Whenever that may be.

It's been a long time since we last heard from SOE about their upcoming PS3/PC MMO action game, The Agency. There's a lot of potential in this online initiative. Watch the SOE presentation from the CES show in Las Vegas, and tell us what you think. It appears the game isn't delivering on every level, but the concept has us excited.

[Via NeoGAF]

First revealed a while back, Sony's The Agency is touted to be the first major MMO title to get released exclusively on a console. It takes some stealth, some action, some FPS, and some RPG elements to make a pretty decent looking title that could swerve either into the "overhyped junk" pile or the "hidden gem of the PS3 universe" pile. We won't know until it gets a release date.
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