James Bond 007: NightFire

"Bond. James Bond."

This is the next Bond game from EA Games. It's very much improved compared to N64's the World is Not Enough and Tomorrow Never Dies. I like this game a lot and feel it is underrated. It is often compared to Goldeneye and thought of as a bad re-make. Here is the review-

Introduction- The newest Bond game around town. Newest Bond out now. Very cool with amazing weapons and game play, EA is just too nice and gave us a great story too. As well as some great music, graphics, and fun. Not as good as Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64, but most likely the second best Bond game ever.

Gameplay 10/10- Goldeneye was probably one of the best first person shooters ever. Nightfire certainly is somewhere close to that level. The controls are pretty much whatever you want. Each control set is different and can be inverted, adding a new feel. The strongest part of this game is clearly the Story Mode, known as Nightfire. You play as everyone's favorite M16 agent James Bond, also known as 007. The difficulty revolves around three levels- Operative, Agent, and 00 Agent. Also known as Easy, Medium, and Hard. The game on Operative is pretty simple but gets much harder on Agent. Enemy AI increases as well as accuracy and number of enemies to provide another level of challenge. Not as easy as it may seem but surely not too hard. You will have a lot of fun playing the different missions on different difficulty levels. The weapons add to the fun because there is such a variety among them. As I stated before the control is awesome and shouldn't bother anyone. Clearly better game play then most games. However there is a bad side. A flaw. The gameplay is hurt so much by its relatively short length. Very short and not really enough time to experience the great gameplay. Not enough to hurt the score I am giving gameplay, but just a heads up.

Story 8/10- I am gonna say it right now, not worthy of making a Bond movie after it but great for a game. As James Bond you mission is to stop Raphael Drake, head of Phoenix International Corporation. The company is known for tampering with warheads from around the world. I won't say what exactly what he's up too but it's no good. James Bond has to stop him with some assistance from Q, M and you. The story could have added some depth to it, to make it more interesting and feel like one of the classic James Bond movies. Let me also say that in the last level you will be in an intense battle to decide the fate of the world which will excite so many who wanted to see the ending. The cut-scenes in between missions are what tell the story, and it is a great story, just not the best.

Graphics/Sound- 9/10- It's nice of EA to give us the classic Bond theme into this game. So much to have nice gunfights to the Bind tune. The game has also added some new tunes that also fit well into the story and multiplayer. The voices of the characters and gunshots are also clear and nice to the ear. The graphics as good, but not the best the Gamecube could do. Slight improvements in certain spots would have made this score a ten out of ten. Pleasing to the eye, but should have been better. The characters aren't blurry or had to make out, just choppy when viewed right up close. I really wish EA could have done a little more time here becuase my score would have been 10/10. Alas, its still great.

Play Time/Replayability- This game will take you about 5-6 hours to beat if you play straight through. I don't know how long because so 5-6 hours is an educated guess. You won't be able to beat a mission straight through but will be able to eventually beat it. You will most likely want to play this again. With tons of weapons and several different and vast amount of multiplayer options as well as an awesome replayable campaign then this not something to miss.

Final Recommendation- Get it. If you get it as a gift keep it. Keep an eye on this one. Playing as Bond with so many options, weapons, characters, and other things to unlock it should keep you busy for a long while, and you won't get bored.

Here is the last part of the review-

Pros-
-Good Story
-Great Multiplayer
-Good Weapon Selection
-Great Controls
Cons-
-Short for Story Length
-Graphics aren't the best
-Characters are choppy when up close

Overall Nightfire is great, and should be a game bought by all 007's fans. Should be a must have for almost any FPS fan. Hope you enjoyed the Nightfire Review!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/03