007 returns with a bang.Once upon a time on a console far far away there was a Bond game and it was good. So good in fact that it saved the fortunes of that console and made the name of a games developer to boot. The developer was Rare, the console was the N64 and the game was Goldeneye 007. Despite being released long after the film, the game took the console world by storm with its well designed story mode and its fiendishly addictive multiplayer.
Fast forward to 2008 and there have been a slew of awful Bond games since including the awful Goldeneye Rogue Agent. Now though, we have a new James Bond in Daniel Craig and a new, more realistic and altogether visceral style slightly borrowed form the Bourne Trilogy. Treyarch has stepped up to the plate to develop the game version of Bond's latest adventure, Quantum of Solace.
In Quantum of Solace we find James Bond searching for revenge for the death of Vesper, his love interest from Casino Royale. He dons his best cufflinks and travels the world from Siena in Italy, to Bregenz in Austria to a final showdown in the middle of the Bolivian desert. Because there was no game version of Casino Royale the game also takes a detour through the highlights of that film to by way of playable, scene-setting flashbacks. This means that you do get to play through the awesome parkour chase through a Madagascan building site and shanty town from Casino Royale, which is a bonus.
The first surprise with Quantum of Solace is that the game is actually fun to play. After the string of disappointments that we suffered in between Goldeneye and Quantum of Solace, this is a very welcome surprise. The game design is very slick and has the same dramatic impact as the films. It even has its own theme done by Bjork, which is better than the Jack White/Alicia Keyes number that opens the film.
The game kicks off with Bond capturing Mr White at his estate. You end up in a pitched battle with White's henchmen in a chase to grab him before he escapes in a helicopter. And from then on the game plays out like a version of the film that is so jacked up on steroids it would be equally happy wrestling in WWE. Treyarch has really cranked up the action and has produced a compelling blend of stealth and all out gunplay that rivals most first person shooters of the day.
The stealth elements are particularly well implemented. Bond has to sneak into a secret meeting at the spectacular opera house in Bregenz. He has the ability to fit a silencer to pretty much any weapon he picks up so it makes it much easier to shoot guards in the back of the head, whether it be with his trusty Walther or a high powered sniper rifle. Treyarch has also managed to develop a cover system that works almost as well as that of Rainbow Six Vegas. The dynamics of the game are helped no end by their use Call of Duty 4 engine which it is now adept at manipulating.
Another nifty touch that the boys at Treyarch have slipped in is the ability to do takedowns. This is something that has been borrowed from the Bourne Conspiracy and it's actually done a much better job of it than Sierra's flawed film tie-in. Just click the right thumbstick and you initiate a short quick time event that will allow Bond to execute a visually effective takedown move. Running takedowns can also be undertaken by sprinting (holding down the left thumbstick) straight at an enemy. The same QTE will be triggered when you get close enough and again Bond will dispatch henchmen with clinical ease.
The single-player mode is complemented very nicely by a multiplayer mode which has everything you'd expect from a modern FPS. It plays much better than the Call of Duty World At War multiplayer beta did actually. The weapons are well balanced and Treyarch have never had problems with multiplayer level design so the game plays as well on Xbox Live as it does in single player.
The main problem with Quantum of Solace is the weight of expectation. It has all the right bits in all the right places but it just doesn't do anything new. Goldeneye set new standards by proving that FPS games can have a very happy home on consoles and whilst Quantum of Solace is an extremely fun and competent shooter but it doesn't break any new ground at all.
Quantum of Solace is undoubtedly the finest Bond game since Goldeneye 007. It does all the right things and certainly wipes the floor with the dubious Bourne Conspiracy. Where it falls down is that it only meets expectations and doesn't exceed them. Sadly despite this being and excellent game it will be remembered for being good but not great.
Bungie vows never to follow the Activision route and charge extra for online multiplayer
(1) (30/07) 
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#1 - peej - on 17/11/2008 at 09:10 wrote:
Who's that in the thumbnail btw? Doesn't look like Danny boy!
#2 - peej - on 25/01/2010 at 13:48 wrote:
Gameplay have this on sale for 6.50 or thereabout at the moment so if you're COD obsessed and at a loose end, go get!