Over the past few years, we've seen some of the better adventures of James Bond played out faithfully on video game consoles. Rare's awesome GoldenEye for Nintendo 64 comes to mind, as does EA's release of 007 Nightfire. On the other hand, there have been a handful of less-than-spectacular games released with the Bond name attached, including Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and the somewhat less-than-stellar Agent Under Fire. But not to worry, as it appears to be on the right track yet again with another completely original James Bond game for the next-gen consoles, Everything or Nothing.

This time around however, there are noticeable changes, mostly for the better. For the first time since the release of Tomorrow Never Dies on the PlayStation, the game is not a first-person shooter. This means that Bond appears on-screen, moving to your reactions whether it be running along in a level, using a weapon to dispatch an enemy, or completing one of the sub-missions within a level, like dropping a key explosive or snagging a particular item to proceed further. At first, I was skeptical of the shift from first to third-person view, only because so many games these days utilize the third-person view as it is. But the more I got into the game, the more I realized that this allows Bond's playability to expand further on particular levels. I don't think I could've done driving or rappelling down an exploding building as easily in first-person as I could have in third. The camera needs some adjusting, but I'm sure some kind of manual adjusting will be included in the game's final release. There's also a somewhat modified combat system, where you can use weapons for better effectiveness, choose from a stunning array of Q's finest gadgets, grab nearby items for fighting, or take on enemies with a neat little high punch-low punch set-up; resulting in a few combo opportunities that make for better combat. You can also do some cool stealth-like moves, like peering around a wall and even shooting around it with some good blind shots. I admit it, the new build's grown on me.

The story's pretty much similar to previous Bond efforts. A madman by the name of Nikolai Diavolo has developed an incredible new technology that can actually eat away at the world's strongest metals, which can result in catastrophic losses depending on how the technology was released. Called in by M and his agency, Bond must somehow stop Nikolai from unleashing the terrifying technology, along with the help of new Bond girl Serena St. Germaine. So, in a sense, there's a bad guy, his main cronies, an army, and you and a girl sent in to save the world yet again. It's been done before, but thanks to the writing style of Bruce Fierstein (who's lent a hand writing a number of Bond films over the years), the story looks like it'll move along at a good pace. The opening sequence alone is Bond material, as he begins running off an exploding building to proceed to another enemy-laden area. And that's not including what awaits in such locales as Egypt, Peru, New Orleans, and the Red Square in Moscow.

EA's also gone out to replace the somewhat ridiculous sound alike talent from last year's Nightfire effort (although it was effective, for the most part) with the real deal, as Everything or Nothing features plenty of familiar voices from the Bond series. The new Bond himself, Pierce Brosnan, has stepped into the virtual shoes of himself, providing his image and some genuine voice work. Dame Judi Dench also supplies her voice as M, briefing you on several missions and giving you advice on particular areas. John Cleese stops by as Q, giving you tips on how to use your Q-gadgets and commenting you on your somewhat tepid response at times. Then you've got Richard Kiel. Now, Richard played the classic villain Jaws, a huge man with metal teeth and a bad attitude, in the old Bond flick Moonraker. Now he's back in EoN, helping Nikolai out and trying to take you on in a speeding train car. It's good to see ol' Jaws again, he's the man.

You've also got some new voice talents. Willem Dafoe (Green Goblin from Spiderman) is on deck as the voice of Nikolai. Beauty Heidi Klum is here as Katya Nadanova, and Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie) lends her image and voice to Serena St. Germaine. All their images and movements are intact for only the most authentic Bond experience. It's almost as if you're enjoying a new Bond movie in itself.

The game's single player mode is fun, with responsive controls in the combat and some great looking graphics to keep you reeled in. Frame rate seems to be an issue at times (as is the camera), but I'm sure the final build will be tweaked to perfection. The game also utilizes some neat bonus modes for you and your friends. You can challenge your buddies in four player combat or go with one buddy in two-player co-op in a number of scenarios. I haven't gotten a chance to play these modes, as the build of the game I've played wasn't complete, but they sound very promising.

Overall, the game looks to be a surprising effort by the folks at EA, and it certainly seems to have something to back up all the hype that's going into it. Plus there's something about dealing with Shannon and Heidi in digital form while you're trying to kick some ass and save the world. Who knows, maybe you'll feel like Bond all over again. Look for a final review upon the game's release, and keep your controllers shaken, not stirred.