I imagine most people reading this are at least aware of a game called GoldenEye that was released way back in 1997 on the Nintendo 64 console, and like me many of you will have played it to death. Based on the Bond movie of the same name, it arguably changed the way console first person shooters were viewed forever; no longer did you have to own a gaming PC and internet connection to play a decent multiplayer game, and oooh those graphics - the best game of its type could be played by anyone sitting on their lounge settee, and on the same console as Mario 64...
I’ve longed for a Bond game to grab me like GoldenEye did ever since, and while Quantum of Solace might not be quite the genre-pushing game that GoldenEye was, it’s a step in the right direction with excellent production values that are on display right from the gripping, cinematic intro level. Years of what were often lookalike, poorly-implemented Bond games (8 in 7 years! - the last couple of which didn’t sell well) have left a slightly sour taste, and it’s no coincidence that long-time Bond licence holders EA dropped it before the last Bond movie, Casino Royale. Someone was bound to pick up the licence and Activision needed a good game to kick their relationship off with, so there was no half-arsed, rushed Casino Royale game. But fear not; Quantum of Solace:The Game seems to have absorbed several missions and settings from its cinematic predecessor.
The game throws you into missions with a map/intro sequence as ‘M’ (Judi Dench) does a sort of debrief of previous missions with Bond and intercuts them with what is currently going on. To be honest, not having read anything about the development of the game, and playing it in my normal dopey state, I had no idea what the heck was going on or why - but I recognised names, settings and characters from Casino Royale so I presumed I’d either loaded the wrong game or ‘Q’ had developed some sort of time travel equipment. But nope, Quantum of Solace does indeed have you playing some bits you’ll have seen in Casino Royale, and more cynical reviewers than I might suspect that these levels have been lying around for 2 years or so waiting to see the light of day. The press blurb says that it “seamlessly blends the heart-pounding action and excitement of the new Quantum of Solace” feature film with the “Casino Royale” movie”. And I’ll be darned it if doesn’t!
Developers Treyarch (best known for the Spider Man and certain Call of Duty games) have for the most part, done a fine job in giving us an explosive, colourful and slick Bond adventure by using Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Combat game engine. This Bond game (we’ll call it Quantum Casino of Royale Solace) is multi-paced, always playable and entertaining, and always feels “Bondy” enough. This might well be helped by the fact that Daniel Craig now plays Bond, and his acting is as wooden and expressionless as most video games character's faces, thus making his in-game persona truly uncanny.
Bond is naturally cunning and efficient, and the game moves quickly and smoothly, allowing you to aim like a sharpshooter and making you believe you’re in the movie(s). It does a good job of blending really intense first-person shootouts with a third-person cover system (a bit like Rainbow Six Vegas’, only better) that allows you to truly feel what it is like to be the ultimate double-O secret agent licensed killing machine (I suppose). You can call up info, intel, hack into CCTV systems and a detailed map on your in-game phone, and more mobile phones can be found in each level. These can be checked to download images and audio files that can tip you off as to what the enemy has in store for you as you progress. Locked doors are electronically picked by pressing the left stick in the correct prompted direction, and enemies can be taken down by clicking the right stick and pressing a single button at the right time. The game cuts to third person for this move, and also for certain stealth sections (shimmying along window ledges and past windows), balance sections (as James has to traverse a narrow beam) and also for the excellent cover mode (tap ‘A’), which works better than any I’ve played yet, as it allows you to aim with great haste and accuracy, and also pan right back behind you (some games’ cover modes won’t). There are many sections where stealth can be a wise option and can save you a lot of trouble too (if you’re spotted by some security cameras a squad of elite soldiers will be dispatched to sort you out), although any mission can completed quite happily by going “Rambo” if you so wish. Bond also casts a shadow (you can see his feet too), I’m not sure if this ever becomes a gameplay element ala Metal Gear Solid 2, but crouching (B button) does render your footsteps silent allowing you to sneak up on some enemies and take them down silently. Oh, and a note to all developers: ‘Crouch’ needs to be set to the left stick (L3) click button by default, nothing else will do, so sort it out. Having ‘Sprint’ set to it is daft, find another way – if you ask me having a ‘Sprint’ feature at all is completely pointless, surely controlling the speed of directional movement is what analogue sticks are for?
QoS doesn’t have a split screen multiplayer mode but does have system link and Xbox Live for 2-12 players. Simply playing multiplayer games earns you points that you can spend at the weapons store, unlocking better, more accurate and more powerful weapons upgrades along the way. There are 14 primary and 7 secondary weapons (including a Super Magnum and even a nailgun!) to which you can add attachments like silencers or better scopes. If you like throwing stuff around there are 6 types of grenades (flash, frag, smoke, teargas, concussion grenades & proximity mines), and several gadgets; Flak Vest (better damage protection), Stability (more accuracy with a scope from cover), Preservation (automatically kick or toss an incoming grenade away when in cover), Gloves (more accuracy with single handed weapons like pistols), Extra Grenades, Extra Ammo, Explosive Awareness (you can see nearby proximity mines on your mini map), Extra Damage, Extra Health, Multiple Armaments (able to carry 2 primary weapons), Extra Explosive Damage, Extra Damage (when firing from the hip or from cover), Increased Melee Attack Radius, Faster Reloads, Increased Fire Rate, Silent Footsteps - these are similar to CoD4’s perks, and hopefully the matchmaking works well enough to avoid noobs getting bunged in with pimped veterans. They were even considerate enough to give you 6 ‘loadout’ slots in which to configure and save your favourite combinations of weapons, attachments and gadgets.
There are 12 maps (and more promised via DLC), Barge, Chemical Plant, Concourse, Construction Site, Docks, Eco Hotel, Embassy, Italia, Rooftop, Science Center, Siena and Spa. All offer a nice variation in a similar way to Call of Duty 4, but the relatively small size of the maps and an obvious lack of vehicles means that this doesn’t have the variation of multiplayer shooter like Halo 3, BF Bad Company or Frontlines. I mentioned that the upgrade system is a lot like Call of Duty 4’s and the various solo and team modes (Bond Evasion, Golden Gun, Territory Control, Conflict etc) play in the same entertaining, fluid, all-action way, I can honestly say I never experienced a moments lag, or any aiming issues. It also retains the solo main game’s cover mode, something I didn’t think would work in a fast-paced multiplayer game, but it does, and extremely well at that.
QoS isn’t overly long even with events from two movies and 15 levels that take you from Lake Como in Italy to Madagascar to the climax in Bolivia but is always entertaining and involving, with plenty of thrilling Bond-esque shootouts, sniping sections, foot chases, set pieces, gorgeous flames and explosions, all accompanied by meaty sound effects, voice acting from the real actors and music that cuts in and out at just the right moments. It offers plenty of replay value with those phones to find and higher difficulty settings (Agent and OO7 above the rather easy default setting, Field Operative) and an enjoyably expansive multiplayer mode. It isn’t going to rock the videogames industry like GoldenEye did (especially with the amount of big-name games being released around now), but at the same time is probably my favourite Bond game since.
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