August 27, 1997 - UK developer Rare forever altered the history books of console gaming when GoldenEye 007 debuted for Nintendo 64. Not only did the game capture the charisma and character of James Bond, but it also broke the barrier of PC gaming, becoming the first truly triumphant first-person shooter to launch exclusively to console. Critical acclaim for GoldenEye 007 was literally phenomenal, with many publications lauding "Game of the Year" awards on the surprise hit.

Despite the success and acclaim of the gaming community, Rare opted out of the Bond series and EA quickly snatched up the rights. Though there were many valiant attempts, the new James Bond games simply could not compare to beloved GoldenEye. Now, Electronic Arts in association with Eurocom Entertainment, has delivered the newest installment to the James Bond universe - 007 Nightfire.

007 Nightfire is by and far, the best James Bond game since the N64 classic. The polished and improved multiplayer modes combined with the original plot of the single player mode create a gaming experience that almost lives up to expectations. However, although Nightfire shows signs of fun and excitement, the addictive nature that we have come to expect since GoldenEye is absent. Once you successfully complete the solo missions there really is not much motivation to play through again. Granted, the multiplayer options might keep you occupied for a few hours, they also fail to captivate players for any extended period of time.

It is truly unfortunate that Nightfire isn't as ambitious as it could have been with a little more time and effort spent perfecting minor components of the game. There is a lot of potential that almost seems wasted when reflecting upon the finished product. The story, for example, is well conceived considering it is an original plot written especially for the game. I won't go into too much detail, but James has to foil a sinister plot composed by a man named Raphael Drake involving a stolen piece of vital hardware that controls missile guidance. I applaud the creativity of the plot but, it is almost completely overlooked taking into account the short length of the game. The average person will have no difficulty completing the single player portions of the game within a couple of days at most. A 3-day rental should provide ample time to successfully beat all the solo missions.

The multiplayer options add some depth to the life of Nightfire but they fail grab your interest for more than a few hours at a time. I admit EA went to great lengths to provide players with as much options and customization as possible for multiplayer games. There are a nice variety of modes ranging from capture the flag, to team battles and your basic death match. Character selection is plentiful as well with past favorites such as Odd Job thrown in for good measure. You are also given the option to pretty much customize any aspect of the game you want, right down to which weapon sets you want to use or whether you desire to have bots participate.

It is the immersion, the desire to continue playing that is lacking. I really felt as if I was playing the game rather than becoming a part of the game. When a couple of my friends joined in on the action there was little to no smack talk, no obnoxious threats, in other words no emotion. There were no gratifying moments when completing a kill, making it seem more like a chore and less like a craving.

Questions arose while playing through the multiplayer components of Nightfire. For instance, considering Die Another Day has recently hit theatres, why did EA feel the necessity to create a brand new story? The multiplayer maps feature locations from past Bond flicks yet in the single player they wanted to go the opposite way and deliver originality. If EA had acquired the licensing rights to Die Another Day they could have concerned themselves less with assembling a totally fresh plot and more with tweaking the elements that could have made Nightfire substantially better. Another query I had was the reasoning behind including self-guiding missiles with a detonating timer. One of the highlights to the multiplayer aspects is being able to pilot your missiles around any level, hunting for unexpected victims to prey on. Sadly, this effect is diminished because the missiles will automatically detonate after a certain period of time. The weapon could have been much more deadly had players been able to guide their missiles until they came into contact with an object or person.

Visually Nightfire is hit and miss. The rights to Pierce Brosnan were once again obtained after an absence in Agent Under Fire, however the characters still appear blocky and dull. This is in part due to the fact that Nightfire was not developed specifically for the Xbox, thus never really pushes its limits. On the other hand the driving sections of the solo missions look great and the animations throughout the game never fail to impress. But despite these bright spots Nightfire never graphically goes beyond a level that is merely satisfactory. Part of Halo's repertoire was a graphics engine that defied expectations and achieved a pinnacle not before seen in console gaming. Thus for any games on the Xbox to truly be considered a visual success they have to at least compare to Halo on some level. Unfortunately, Bond is not even in the same league as Halo, let alone some of the other titles that have graced the Xbox. Everything looks average, which is just good enough not to be an eye sore.

To give credit where it is due, the sound department did a bang up job on all the audio moieties of the game. The opening sequence even has a theme song, complete with the funky artistic silhouettes and morphing shapes that are seen at the beginning of most Bond flicks. Pierce Brosnan and other recognizable actors lend their voicing talents to the game, giving it a more authentic feeling. Plus all the guns and other miscellaneous noise effects sound appropriate all adding to the mix of things.

After reading all of this you are probably asking yourself right now, did he like this game or not. I will admit that there are some enjoyable moments but I feel as if the Nightfire was uninspired, released simply for the sake of porting it to Xbox to make some quick cash. I never felt immersed in the action, I never thought of myself as if I were James Bond. Instead I played a game, which aside from the Bond licensing, looked and felt like any other First Person Shooter. I truly believe that for a game to stand out from the crowd it has to offer something unique in terms of gameplay or with a gimmick (think Red Faction's GeoMod feature), and Nightfire really does neither. It doesn't offer any unique features, and EA was not even considerate enough to implement system link or Xbox Live play. All of this severely hampers the replay value, there is no motivating reasons to play this game religiously ala Halo or in its day GoldenEye.

For the average person, perhaps searching for a shooter to tide them over until Halo 2 arrives, Nightfire will not satisfy your hunger. I would recommend the game as merely a rental, considering you should be able to pass solo missions and at least somewhat appreciate the multiplayer segments in that time. Only die hard fans of Bond should consider Nightfire as a purchase, and even then you may find yourself disappointed. There is some fun to be had, but frankly not nearly enough to warrant a $50 price tag. As it stands 007 Nightfire is the best James Bond game for the next generation consoles, yet it fails to achieve what it set out to accomplish, knock the Nintendo 64 masterpiece GoldenEye from its reign as James Bond champion. It can be enjoyable, but there are much larger fish in the sea worthy of your money.