James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing

The James Bond games, like all movie title related games, have a checkered past. The Bond gaming franchise’s highest and most memorable point was Goldeneye for the N64, but from what I’ve seen, there may just be a new player in town.

The more I found out about EON, the more excited I got. Having a big time publisher like EA has its perks. For example, this game is not based on a movie so much as it IS a movie. Similar to what Shiny tried to do with Enter the Matrix, however, this is no spin-off. This game actually has its own cast featuring Pierce Brosnan, Willem Dafoe, Shannon Elizabeth, Mya, Heidi Klum, Richard Kiel (the original Jaws), Judi Dench (M) and of course, John Cleese (Q). This is all very exciting seeing as they weren’t pulled off the set of some Bond movie to spend a couple hours getting models done of their likenesses, they are actually acting in this game. The shear theory of the movie/game gap being bridged is enough to get me excited, but I really haven’t even gotten to the good part.

One thing that Enter the Matrix taught us is that a great idea and extraordinary amounts of money doesn’t mean you’ll have an extraordinary game. In the end, a lot of it boils down to the basics, story and gameplay. EA got the hint. Taking a third person perspective this time, EON will mix game elements from such titles as Splinter Cell, Max Payne, and their own Need For Speed titles. The upside of a third person Bond game, is well, Bond. If all you see is a gun bobbing around shooting evil, you don’t really feel like Bond, but the third person perspective goes a long way to fixing that. Clever gadgets, highly destructible terrain, tight gameplay and a standard Bond film plot with more than its fair share of attractive women should fix any other problems you were having.

Details on multiplayer have been less forthcoming, but it has been said that there will be a two player co-op mode, a 4 player, single-screen brawl mode, and a racing mode. I’m pretty sure the single player will be enough to carry the game, but I certainly won’t complain about co-op. The only thing EA has working against it is its own ambition. This is a huge project bringing a lot of different game styles, talent, and ideas together. Check back later this month to see if they pulled off making the greatest Bond game ever!