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Hands-on with the hottest bond yet! Sexy girls...

By Douglas C. Perry

Updated: May 21, 2012 7:13 am

Posted: Jan 14, 2004 2:38 am

While it almost seems like beating a dead horse, Electronic Arts has yet to beat down the Goldeneye curse. Yeah, that's a long time ago, it was 1997, in fact, but the world's largest independent third-party publisher ought to get it right, shouldn't it? Following the wonderfully cliché-ridden naming process for James Bond movies, EA's James Bond: Everything or Nothing is a game that's not based on any James Bond movie, but it looks and plays just like one. It's also interesting to note that this Bond experience is different enough from any of the previous first-person shooters in the Bond series, that it's hardly worth comparing this one to those. First things first. On the production side, EA has done a remarkable job of securing the likenesses and voices of several well-known Hollywood talents. Bond has been re-created in the perfect likeness of Pierce Brosnan, M is acted by Judy Dench, and Q is voice acted by the Monty Python master John Cleese. Numerous secondary appearances are made, from the currently popular Elizabeth Shannon as a likeable Bond girl, to Willem Dafoe as the enemy to the Japanese pop star Misaki Ito as Q's assistant. To round out the cast is the lovely Victoria's Secret lingerie girl Heidi Klum and singer Mya Starling. From the preview build we have, the videogames characters are remarkably re-created in videogame form, from the body shape to the facial structure, hair and distinct facial lines. Is it weird to have these characters look so Hollywood...like? No, in fact. It's pretty cool, especially because the game plays well.Switching to a third-person perspective appears to have been the first order of business for EA in its fifth year with the Bond license, and, like any 3D game these days, that change brings along with it a glut of potential problems. Namely camera angles. But it looks as if EA has worked hard into the Christmas season to get this game right, and several gameplay schemes seemed to have paid off well. Players use the shoulder buttons to crouch, sneak around and to stick to corners. Using an aiming scheme similar to kill.switch's, players can aim, spin out from a behind a corner, and plug their opponents with relative ease. The camera doesn't hurt your head with overly quick moves, and it is well buffered from the walls and from tight spots in alleys, hallways and the like.

The cool new addition to the targeting scheme occurs with the newly implemented Pipper. The reticule targets an enemy -- and can switch from one to the next with the direction button -- and it has two parts. The outer aiming device, which functions as a frame, and the single red dot in the middle. By using the left analog controller, players can aim the reticule onto an enemy, but with the right analog they can actually move the Pipper around within the reticule -- even outside of it -- to pinpoint parts of the enemies' body. So, if you want to perform headshots all day, you can; armshots, be our guest; crotch shots -- hey, if you buy the game, it's up to you... Whichever body part you aim at, the accuracy and control is tight, quick and responsive. Hardcore gamers should dig it.
James Bond: EOO exercises several similar gameplay elements seen in the previous Bond games, but here, that's a good thing. The game is predominantly an action-shooter, but EA has connected with its erudite racing development team in Canada to provide a heaping armful of killer racing/driving levels. For instance, in the third level Train Chase, Bond must prevent a Russian train from escaping. If he runs left he gets into a sweet maroon Cayenne Turbo, but if he runs right, he jumps onto a high-powered motorcycle, which is faster and more fun, but far more dangerous, and thus a greater challenge. One of the things we've noticed that also differentiates this from previous Bond games is its multiple paths. The game is well designed, build for both casual gamer and well constructed with the hardcore gamer in mind -- things that EA has never delivered in any of its previous Bond titles. The game offers three difficulty modes, Operative, Agent, and 00 agent (easy, medium, and hard). As players step up to the next difficulty level, they'll notice the requisite difficulties in enemies, but also more objectives. It also looks like EA has really tried to not dumb down this version like it has the last two or three games. So, while players might blast past the first two levels readily, they won't be blowing through the rest of the game as quickly. Thank God for that. As previous unveiled at Camp EA in summer 2003, another cool element separates this from the others. Using a rappel device, Bond can jump down the sides of buildings -- swinging left or right, switching direction and using guns to target enemies while rappelling -- or he can climb up to second and third stories of buildings to progress. This adds a nice streamline 3D technique to plow through levels, and it also is accompanied by a camera that works perfectly to make the addition nearly flawless. Several other elements push this game far and away from the blase Bond pack. While it may not be new to videogames in general, a Spider-Bot has been added to the lineup of gadgets, and is a first for the Bond series. The bot is quick and agile, and it is used to locate special areas, blow up enemies and to explore. While I've definitely seen this kind of gadget before, I'll admit it works quite well here. Additionally, EA must have been drooling a bit over Spider-Man, because it's added "Bond Sense." Bond Sense isn't really like Spidey Sense, rather, it's like a super slow-motion pause. The game switches to a darker palette, Bond can select weapons in the middle a heated gun fight, and he can also see things he couldn't see before, such as breakable items, hidden enemies and more. Did we mention the game is also online for PS2? That's right, EA took the extra time this winter to build a two-player online co-operative mode, including a deathmatch level. These online levels were created entirely for the online game, and they really demand players work cooperatively to make it through each new one. There's also a killer new Arcade mode, inspired by the VR missions from Konami's Metal Gear Solid series. It's a Survival Mode of sorts, and it's not going to start a revolution, but the gameplay is tight, the challenge level is hard and if you have a good gameplaying friend around, this mode may keep you up all night. It's very cool. All in all, James Bond: Everything or Nothing is on the right path to success. It's running at a relatively solid 30 FPS, it's already proving to be a game that's not following its brethren, and I think the team has actually trimmed down the "duh-duh-duhhhh-duh" sound clip that's been so overused before. Wouldn't it be great to play another stellar Bond game again? We think this may be the one.