James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing

"Clearly the best Bond game since GoldenEye"

PROS: Great cast; quality graphics; intuitive controls; plenty of missions; good variety; amazing plot

CONS: Multiplayer sorely lacking; weird unlocks

Bond is back. And he's at his best here.

Everything or Nothing is considerably the best Bond game since GoldenEye 64. It is quite obvious to see why.

This game features as more missions than Agent Under Fire and NightFire combined. Although they aren't as long as some of those, they clearly are much better-done than those, and the game itself has a much better polish than those two. Let me tell you why.

They used the actual Bond cast from Die Another Day. Pierce Brosnan is Bond. Judi Dench is M. John Cleese is Q. Even Richard Kiel plays Jaws, as he did in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. He's as quiet as usual, and ever since his girl died, he's been back to his old ways. In addition to them, Willem Defoe, Shannon Elizabeth, Heidi Klum, and Mya star in this game. The voice acting is the best in any game in the Bond franchise yet.

Also, Bond has scrapped the first-person shooter style to go for a more modern third-person view, which didn't work so well in the Tomorrow Never Dies game. It works better here. The controls are very similar to the previous two games, but the character control has been modified to fit the new third-person view. It's pretty smooth and the camera rarely works against you. The game's opening sequence does enough to tell you how to get by, and after you complete that mission, the game takes you through a training sequence. It's very easy to learn through this, and it only takes about 5 minutes of your time.

The graphics are very good and considerable detail has been put into the game's characters by using the actors as models. The environments are also rich in detail- the Incan ruins, the pre-Katrina Louisiana Bayou, and the ancient Egyptian structures are all magnificently done.

The plot here could be used for a Bond movie. It's better than that of Tomorrow Never Dies. The opening sequence is irrelevant to the rest of the story, but the rest of the game plays out like a realistic Bond plot, better than that of NightFire, which felt like a Moonraker ripoff. The original storyline will make any Bond fan want to play more to know what happens.

There are 29 missions in this game, and all are well-done. There are a few missions where you go in gunning, which is necessary for the classic Bond feel. Also, there are convert operations where you have to be as stealthy as possible. You can even earn Bond moves by silencing guards stealthily. There's even a stealth driving mission. In addition, there are plenty of other driving missions, too. You'll even get to drive The Vanish (the v12 Vanquish) from Die Another Day, but most of the time you're driving a Porsche Cayenne Turbo, which doesn't feel like a Bond car. You also have an awesome motorcycle outfitted with all of the coolest Q-lab gadgets, which is used several times throughout the game. The motorcycle handles pretty well, but don't count on not wiping out. It's well-done and adds a new twist to the game. There are also a few more original missions here, such as rappelling down the face of a building, a car race, and a tank sequence, homage to that of GoldenEye 64.

The Bond moves here aren't that easy to earn. Some of them are, but most of them require thought on how you do things. They often involve stealth kills, driving stunts, electricity, and a few other surprises.

There are a few things working against this game. The multiplayer isn't very good- it's an additional story that you follow, but there's no online play for this (it is the GameCube). You'll need a friend and have to work well together with them in order to pass. There's a poor character selection (you can't even play as Bond) and the missions are quite hard to complete, even if you're working as a team with your buddy.

Another thing that I don't like is the awkward unlocks. There are only a couple worthwhile ones, which are semi-useful upgrades for your motorcycle and car. They're not really upgrades, but instead weaker weapons. Other unlocks are the three women in ugly outfits that only appear in certain scenes of the game (they will have their old outfit on in a couple scenes for some weird reason). There's a secret mission, which is pretty boring, to be unlocked as well. The unlocks could've been better, at least I think so.

Overall, this game is a must-buy for any fan of the James Bond franchise. It's a very good buy for anyone else, too. It's just that they could've added more depth to the multiplayer and improved the unlocks. This is definitely the best Bond game since GoldenEye 64, and should be on your shelf if it isn't already. I give Everything or Nothing an 8 out of 10.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/31/06