BOND GAME

This is Activision’s first attempt at trumping EA with the 007 licence. This means that Treyarch is working hard with the Call of Duty 4 engine to bring the best James Bond experience to life, through video games. Featuring both first and third-person action, a nifty cover-system and quick-time scenarios, Quantum of Solace has lots of potential for actually being a good game.

This is sort of a last minute preview considering that the game is due out next week. But there’s nothing in the rule book that says a last-minute preview isn’t applicable for informing gamers about another movie-based game. It’s quite all right, though, because for the first time in move-to-game history, Activision has done something new and inventive: they used a game engine that actually helps produce fun games. Running on the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, 007: Quantum of Solace takes gamers into the role of 007 like never before.

There isn’t much to say about this game so close to its release that won’t sound like a review, but I will say that the action is absolutely entertaining. The gun mechanics are as good as CoD 4 (duh), and the mixture of third-person wall-covering adds a good touch of strategy to the overall play mechanics. A neat addition to the wall-covering in this game is the third-person view. During firefights, players will play Bond from outside of his eyes, to get a better look at the surrounding environments, as well as how much damage is being done to said environments. Not to hammer a nail through the floorboard, but the CoD 4 engine supports dynamic environmental deconstruction. So players will see set pieces blasting from one area to another and possibly all the way to kingdom come. Well, maybe not kingdom come, but you get my drift.

In addition to the third-person wall covering, the game will also feature third-person fighting, adventuring and some platforming. The game goes in third-person (just like in previous first-person 007 games) to accentuate moments that would otherwise feel un-Bondsy in first-person. For instance, the fighting uses the button-rhythm mechanic that recent Bond games have employed, which allows players to perform a series of preset, yet dynamic sequences. Hey, it sure beats the fighting system in The Bourne Conspiracy. Close-combat can also be used as stealth-tactics in the game – performing these moves allow Bond to stealthily get around some areas without alerting the enemies.

Enough about the close-combat. Let’s talk weapons. Bond can carry two main weapons and a sidearm at any time. There’s approximately 22 different guns in the game. However, each weapon can be modified and altered to suit the player’s weapon specifics. Hence, if you want a sub-machine gun with a scope and a silencer, guess what? Yep, it’s possible. The loadouts can also be modified for multiplayer matches as well. Hence, the weapons are almost a throwback to Rare’s massive multiplayer weapon options in Perfect Dark.