James Bond 007: Nightfire Preview
EA’s first effort for a non-licensed Bond game was good, but it lacked that same thrill that GoldenEye 007 provided. Well, EA is on the move again, and along with Eurocom/EAC, plan to release a brand spanking-new James Bond game with Pierce Brosnan’s mug as the protagonist.
While it may seem as though NightFire is based upon Agent Under Fire, the similarities between the game end after the screenshots. EA is promising a whole new aspect of the game, in which they make you think like Bond himself when in certain situations (no, not THOSE situations). You’ll have a whole new inventory of gadjets at your disposal; Q-Claw, Q-Camera, Q-Specs, Q-Deodorant, etc., and it will be up to you to decide how best to use them.
Gameplay is your traditional variety of Bond, minus the bedroom. You’ll be able to shoot, fly, submerge underwater, and drive. Bond has at his disposal the Aston Martin v-12 Vanquish (whatever the hell that is) for some great chase scenes; although this time the driving portion, which was already solid, gets an even heftier upgrade with the use of the Hot Pursuit 2 engine. There is an underwater driving portion as well, and you are able to switch on-the-fly into the depths.
One of the main gripes I had with Agent Under Fire was that it still felt like a 3rd person adventure designed to replicate a 1st person shooter. The level of intensity wasn’t there, and the game did certainly baby-walk you through at some parts (such as in the first level…”Hmm, Fireworks”). Hints like these take away from the creative aspect of the game, and leaves you feeling, well, used. There is no word yet if this situation will be improved, but it could easily be corrected with tighter corridors and a less-confusing control scheme (using the tiny d-pad to cycle through items didn’t really add much to the flavour of intense combat.)
With all that said, the multiplayer is one area that is going to be vastly improved. NF now has old, yet memorable villains making cameos. Such favorites include Nick-Nack, man-woman MayDay, and of course, Jaws, the man-eater, metal-twister who tormented us in GoldenEye 007.
The main reason EA moved away from a license was so that they could have as much flexibility as they want, and it is their ingenuity that will keep me coming back for more. I can’t wait to see what new experiences this game may bring.
Final Score: 6.5