I'm sure that many of you people out there will have already dismissed this game. It can't be any good, I hear you say. No way. It goes under that age-old equation, Bond + EA = Crap.

Well, quite simply, you're wrong.

It turns out that latest Bond game is, I think you'll find, very enjoyable - more so than the average Agent Under Fire and Nightfire. True, EA can never bring back the same level of gameplay that many of us loved in the classic Goldeneye, but can still deliver good, fun games, which make very effective use of the Bond license.

 

Graphics:

Thankfully, EA has done a great job with the visuals, with (mostly) big, colourful environments, which range from a market village to ancient ruins, and the vehicles (which include a Porsche Cayenne, a Triumph Daytona 600 motorbike, and of course the good old Aston Martin Vanquish) are all suitably shiny and realistic. What makes the graphics really stand out though, is that characters. Somehow (possibly through kidnap and blackmail), EA has managed to get the entire main cast to have their faces scanned onto 3D models, so you'll be seeing Dame Judi Dench, Shannon Elisabeth (from Scary Movie), John Cleese ("Don't mention the war!") as Q, and Willem Dafoe as 'The Bad Guy', Nikolai Diavolo. Perhaps surprisingly, Richard Kiel makes his return as Jaws for the game, and Mya (who sings the theme tune) plays the part of an NSA agent (probably the only way they could get her to do the song).

And who could forget that suave, dashing chap from Ireland, Pierce Brosnan. Obviously the current Agent 007 has been scanned in too, and he looks more realistic in this Bond game than he ever has before. The characters movements and facial expressions are all fairly realistic, and while the bulk of the enemies in the game don't show the same level of realism, the characters are generally of high-quality and it shows that EA spent a long time designing them.

 

All is not well in the visuals department, however. In many of the cut scenes there is a noticeable amount of blur and distortion, which comes as a real disappointment when the in-game graphics are of such quality. Apart from this small yet disappointing little niggle, the graphics are on the whole very nice indeed.

Sounds:

It turns out that as well as getting all the cast to have their faces scanned into the Big EA Face Scanning Gizmo™, all the main actors have lent their voice talent to the game. So yes, that really is Brosnan you're hearing, and not some cheap imitation (*cough* Nightfire *cough*). Almost everybody in the game can talk (though the limited phrases the guards use mean you'll probably hear the same shouts and cries of 'Kill him!' over and over). Be warned though - some of the dialogue, particularly from Brosnan, is as cheesy as three month old cheddar.

The music is typically Bond-ish, including that theme tune and a title song by Mya which is actually pretty good. But hey, I'm told I have a poor taste in music, so don't hold me to that. The guns all sound authentic (judging by every other gun game I've played) so all in all the sounds are pretty decent too.

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Bond. James Bond.:

As I'm sure most of you are aware, EA took the Bond series into a new direction with this game by making it third person, instead of the traditional first person that has been used in the last five Bond games to date (not counting the atrocious Tomorrow Never Dies on the Playstation). This was, in my opinion, a brilliant move by EA, because it does many things for the latest Bond game that none of the previous Bond games have managed to achieve. No, not even that one by Rare. Firstly, bringing the series into third person brings a whole new level of stealth into the game, following the trend set by Sam Fisher and Solid Snake. The other Bond games only touched on the use of so-called 'stealth', and even then did not manage it to great effect. This time around, however, Bond can pull off all sorts of cunning stealth attacks, such as sneaking up on a lone guard and silently taking him down, or hiding round corners and sneaking a look round the side to see if any guards are hanging around. Unfortunately for stealth fans, the stealth sections are few and far between, and though you can use stealth at many points in the game, it's sometimes easier just to get into the fray and shoot, maybe using a wall for cover.

 

Another good reason to bring the Bond series into the third person was that the game generally feels so much more cinematic. You will really feel like you're taking part in the movie, that you are Bond. From the opening sequence/training level, which sees you on a stopping an exchange between two foreign powers, you go to the title sequence, complete with title song, dancing ladies, and everything else. The varied locations, the cheesy dialogue, the girls, the gadgets, the cars, and even Jaws - it's quite literally a playable Bond movie. It could not feel more authentic.

But hey, authentic does not necessarily mean good, right? Well, you're right. But the gameplay actually is good, let down only by a couple of irritating flaws. The on-foot sections are great fun to play, which will mainly see you taking cover behind a wall or box and dispatching your enemies one by one, with weapons such as rifles, shotguns, and various pistols, including my personal favourite, the Desert Eagle, which can take down opponents in a couple of shots. However, while the on-foot sections (which take up about 70% of the game) are fun, the targeting system for wasting your enemies can be annoying. It uses a lock-on system a la Metroid Prime, with a little cursor inside the main targeting reticule, controlled by the C-stick, which is used to allow you to aim for those all-important headshots (or groin-shots if you're feeling malicious). However, this is very fiddly and after a while you will probably prefer to put three bullets in your foe's chest to take him down, rather than waste time trying for a headshot. Another flaw in the gameplay is that weapon changing is controlled by the D-pad, which is also quite fiddly.

 

Like EA's previous Bond games, you earn points depending on how well you complete your mission, earning Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum medals in the process, which leads to unlocking extra goodies. Another small gameplay element that makes a return from Bond's two previous adventures is the 'Bond Moment' system, which earns you points if you do things like Bond would. For example, in the nightclub level, instead of shooting everybody in the room in front of you, it is possible to bring down the lighting structure from the ceiling and kill them that way. It's quite a clever system that works well, and makes a welcome return in Everything or Nothing to make you feel all the more like Agent 007. The game does have a co-op multiplayer mode, but I'm afraid I haven't had the opportunity to play it, so I can't give you a verdict on that.

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The Gadgets:

And where would Bond be without his trusty gadgets? Every five or six levels you are treated to a short 'MI6 Interlude', which is basically an excuse to show off your latest gadgets and cars (more on them later). 007 has a whole new range of toys to play with on his missions, including the Q-Spider (a little remote control spider used to spy on hard to reach areas, and can later be fitted with explosives), Thermo Vision, (which is useful for spotting enemies in the dark), grenades disguised as coins, the frankly ridiculous Nano Suit (which makes you invisible for short periods of time) and a rappel gun, which is by far the most useful gadget. Ever need to climb to a high ledge, but no elevator in sight? How inconvenient. Still, with the rappel gun you can walk straight up the wall with ease, and even shoot while you're climbing in case you need to protect yourself. This also works both ways - you can jump of certain ledges and the rappel cord means you're in no fear of dying, as you can calmly stroll off the wall at the bottom.
These unique and clever gadgets all add to that James Bond feel, because let's face it - it wouldn't be Bond without them. And on that note, let's move on to…

 

The Vehicles:

Once again, the driving levels make a comeback, taking up about 30% of the game. These were coded by the Need for Speed Underground team, so the quality of these sections is quite high in terms of handling and sense of speed. You can take control of a Porsche Cayenne Turbo (and before all you car fanatics start complaining, this one's equipped with missiles and machine guns), the trusty Aston Martin V12 Vanquish, complete with missiles, acid slicks, EMP, etc), and, a first for the Bond games, a Triumph Daytona 600 motorcycle. This is by far the coolest vehicle, equipped with yet more missiles, as well as a very amusing flamethrower, which comes in particular use when, say, you're in between two motorcyclists and need to get them off your back. A quick blast with the flamethrower will send both flying. You can also use your own gun to shoot any hostiles. The driving sections are excellent fun, and are mostly varied, with the exception of perhaps one too many 'get here before this happens' missions. Thankfully these aren't too difficult, as sections such as these can get very frustrating.

Playability:

The levels in this game are fairly short - not XIII short, but short enough to let you complete one in fifteen or twenty minutes tops, making it quite good if you just feel like playing for short bursts. The controls are a little complicated for new players, but after a little while you'll get to grips with it (though, admittedly, I'm still trying to get the hang of changing weapons quickly). After a while, though, you should be playing through fine without any problems.

 

Lifespan:

The game has lots of missions to keep you entertained, and they're just compulsive enough to make you want to keep playing, to go through to the next level to find out what happens next. The game has three difficulties, Operative (Easy), Agent (Normal) and 00 Agent (Hard). Agent difficulty is the one I recommend starting with, as Operative could be completed within a week or so. If you play through on Agent, it would probably take a month or so to complete, but the multiplayer lengthens its lifespan.

Final Say:

This game is surprisingly entertaining. The gameplay is very cinematic, and it feels as close to a Bond movie as is humanly possible. The best Bond game from this generation of consoles (not that that's saying much) is good fun to play, and as enjoyable as the dialogue is cheesy. You feel like you really are Bond, and if you think about it, what more could you want from a Bond game?