Activision recently showed off its upcoming James Bond 007 game Quantum of Solace, based on the upcoming movie of the same name. From what we've seen, it could be right up there in popularity with Rare's revered Nintendo 64 classic Goldeneye.
Quantum of Solace covers events that take place in the new film and the previous 2006 film release, Casino Royale. In single-player mode, you command James Bond, played by a digital Daniel Craig. Along with capturing his likeness, Activision also included his boss M, voiced by her real movie counterpart, Judi Dench.
In the first mission, museum, you roam around the upper levels before eventually going through the halls below to take out enemy gunmen. In the train mission, Bond's mission takes place inside and outside the train depending on whether sections are blocked. Climbing up top adds a new level of challenge as you avoid shooting baddies and lights on top of the railway tunnel. Although it's fun, the final battle left us wanting more. Instead of blasting the boss, you engage in a Quick Time Event where you press buttons to beat him up. We had hoped for something more exciting.
Gameplay is similar to Call of Duty 4, as you roam through stages shooting and switching weapons. If you shift into the cover mode, Bond is viewable on-screen, so you can see when he's vulnerable and when he's safe. The switch from first to third-person perspective is smooth, almost to the point that you won't notice after doing it a couple of times. Environmental detail is staggering, particularly as you're climbing on the roof of the train. Lights whiz by rapidly, leaving a quick reddened trail behind them. Enemies animate nicely, collapsing to the ground as you fill them with lead. There are also some real "firecracker" moments throughout the game, such as when you take out a group of thugs with an explosive barrel (in a museum, no less) or jump from one train to another after the cars become unbuckled.
Along with the action-oriented stages, Bond performs additional tasks such as decoding doors. It's a simple matter of pressing the d-pad in the highlighted direction when a green arrow appears while avoiding the red ones; do it five times and door opens. There are also sequences where you need to sneak Bond past enemies, such as when you slide between train cars or slowly step across a high beam. Doing these things makes you feel like Bond, rather than just another Uzi-packin' doofus in a tuxedo.
Quantum of Solace also has an excellent amount of multiplayer modes. Team Conflict pits MI6 against special Organization operatives in a number of maps. The one we played took place in the construction yard, recreated from the beginning of Casino Royale. It's chock full of several hiding spots and sniper perches, as you can climb up to ledges and hide behind construction equipment while waiting to plug your opponent. There's also a Golden Gun mode, in which one player carries the highly regarded James Bond weapon, which lets you kill someone with a single bullet; whoever murders the carrier gets to use it.
Although Quantum of Solace is fun, its November 4th release could impact its sales, since it will compete against Resistance 2 and Gears of War 2. However, the company is confident that it'll get its fair share of fans, so we'll toast a martini to them as we await its final release. Check back for the review to see if Bond's latest adventure leaves us shaken and stirred.
Reader Comments (3)
Always been a huge fan of the James Bond games its great that there finnaly putting one out for the new systems.
da best GamEs r ***in out 4 PS3...and dis iz 1 of them
l(.)(.)ks like a fun game