James Bond 007: NightFire

"On par with Goldeneye? Not quite, but still a good Bond game."

James Bond 007: Nightfire was made by EA Games. EA Games also made Agent Under Fire, which was another Bond Game. Nightfire is a major upgrade to Agent Under Fire, and is a lot better.

While Bond in Agent Under Fire didn't look or sound like Pierce Brosnan, Nightfire makes those changes and makes Bond in Nightfire look and sound like him. It makes the game a lot better. Nightfire looks AND feels like a real James Bond movie, which makes the game really cool. A cool introduction to the game, and many twists happen.

The game's levels are designed very well. There are multiple paths for you to take, so this isn't a plain shooter that forces you to take one path every time. The AI isn't the best for a first-person shooter, which makes the game a bit of a downfall, but the game is pretty difficult. The enemies' firepower can take you down easily in the tougher difficulties while they still damage you quite a bit on the easiest difficulty. The sounds, music, and voice acting is also done really well. Objectives are not complicated so it won't frustrate you.

Multiplayer is great too. Even though there isn't online, you can still have a blast playing against 3 other friends and bots in multiplayer mode. There are a ton of multiplayer modes and other options. There are many characters to choose from, and a lot of them are from previous Bond movies. You have to unlock most of the multiplayer modes in the single player mode by getting a certain amount of points in the level by performing ''Bond Moves'', Target Times, maintaining health, etc. Multiplayer could have been a whole lot better with online, but it's still fun.

However, this isn't without it's flaws. Even though this is a huge step up from Agent Under Fire, this game spans only 12 mission. This game has only 12 missions for crying out loud! They should have at least added secret missions once you've beaten the game. The missions are fun, but there could have been more levels. Like I told you earlier, the enemy AI is kinda dumb. Sometimes, the enemies never take cover. Their ''strategic positions'' to take cover and fire is kinda lame because you can still shoot them when they are hiding. Sometimes they don't do a thing when the alarm goes off in that area. The single-player mode is really short. You can most likely beat this game in a weekend. The levels are fun, so they add lots of replay value.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics are great. They are totally awesome in cut-scenes before and after missions. And the graphics during gameplay are pretty good, but not on par with the ones in the cut-scenes. There is never slowdown or glitches either.

Sound: 8/10

The classic Bond music is commonly heard in the game. It can get annoying, but that rarely happens, and most of the music is still done really well. The gunshots sound really cool too. Enemies shouting the same stuff repeatedly gets old too. Yet, another minor flaw.

Control: 9/10

The controls are pretty tight. You might miss your selected weapon by switching through your weapons with the D-Pad, but that's not a big problem. It's a standard FPS control scheme. Similar to the one in Agent Under Fire, but it's harder to zoom in with some weapons in this game. The controls are still good though.

Gameplay: 9/10

With action packed gameplay, the missions in Nightfire are awesome. It really looks and feels like a Bond Movie. And the number of cool weapons, branching paths in the levels, and cool music make this one of the best Bond games. And the high number of multiplayer options are really cool. Playing against bots is fun, but taking on your friends in multiplayer never gets old.

Replayability: 7/10

Too bad the single player mode isn't lengthy, but its levels add a lot of replayability. So does the multiplayer. You need to unlock most of the characters and different modes in multiplayer, which isn't easy. You can also upgrade your gadgets and weapons too. Multiplayer adds a lot of replay value, if you go against your friends.

PROS:

+Looks and feels like a James Bond movie
+Tight, exciting gameplay
+Lots of multiplayer options

CONS:

-Only 12 missions; should have been more of them
-No system link or online play
-Lame AI

Final thoughts

Is it on par with Goldeneye? Not quite, so Goldeneye still stands as the best Bond game. If you were too obsessed with Agent Under Fire, buy this one. If you aren't a hardcore FPS gamer, rent this first. If you love FPS games, this is a must-buy. This is still worth trying out you are not a hardcore FPS gamer. I give this game, 8 out of 10.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/19/03, Updated 06/19/03