James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing

"His reputation almost preceded him"

If you have read some of my other reviews, then you know my love for Electronic Arts and their licensed games is rather...poisonous. When not shovelling out updates to their sports franchises, they tend to mass produce games based on popular licenses (including two of my favorites) that oftentimes fail in realizing them well. The need to meet the dateline of a film release, for instance, means those games churned out for them are not what they could be. They lack what made the original source so great – no soul, nor emotion. Even when the game has nothing to do with a film, the games are shoved out (see 007 Nightfire's release in time for...Die Another Day in 2002).

However, once in a while when the developers at EA are allowed to imagine within a frame on a license, instead of following it point by point, a nice surprise is found. Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup was a great take on the fictional sport found more in the Harry Potter novels than the films, and the developers did a great job in bringing those imagined moments to visual life. I am somewhat pleased to say that Everything or Nothing is another step in a direction EA should go more in when dealing with licensed ware, rather than to tread backwards through their massively mediocre failures (*cough* Rogue Agent *cough*...er *vomit*).

The classic Nintendo 64 First Person Shooter GoldenEye 007 was not only monumental for First Person Shooters on consoles, but for the James Bond games as well. It created a large shadow that enveloped any future game with "Bond," or "007," in the title. After several laughable, boring, and bland attempts at capturing the essence of Bond, EA comes as close to doing it right than ever before. Not only has EA spread the goods in what they do best in the visual presentation, which is outstanding throughout in-game (explosions are top, although EA's FMV treatment still suffers from compression in the cut-scenes), but more importantly where it was usually lacking: in the gameplay.

Finally escaping from the first person perspective after several tries, we now get a full look at Bond from the third person once again since the dreadful Tomorrow Never Dies on the PlayStation. Pierce Brosnan gives his likeness to the role both in appearance and in voice, thus relieving us of the horrible Pierce-as-Bond impersonators littering the past several games. He along with the wonderful Dame Judi Dench and John Cleese reprise their roles from the films, as M and Q respectively, and do a wonderful job at helping the game reach a level of officialness. Other performers such as Willem Dafoe, Shannon Elizabeth, Maya, Heidi Klume, and an old friend from the past in the character of Jaws make the game feel even more like a Bond film. Was the celeb cast really needed? Not really, but everyone does a great job in their characters.

The overall presentation here is very commendable. The game gives the feeling of being in a big-budget action film with chases, firefights, and stunts worthy of the 007 name. After the obligatory opening action sequence, followed by the cool but way short theme from Maya, the game throws you into a world of action. You'll be running down the side of an exploding building, chasing enemies in a helicopter, motorcycle, and your Aston Martin (all outfitted by Q, of course), and even get a chance to meet some video game Bond Girls along the way (none of whom thankfully say "Yo' Mama!"). The only problem I had with EA's Bond formula here is in the final battle with villain #2: the main villain and #2 must be fought together, and #2 goes out with the bathwater. Oh, there are other sub-villains, like Jaws, which provide some nice little boss battles, but #2 should have been eliminated more...fashionably.

The action, though, is fun and infused with a bit of other gameplay like stealth, a skydiving-type segment, on-rails missions (much better implemented than before), and the chance to participate in a full-on off road rally race that nets you a meeting with the main villain of the game. There are even moments when you can use some cool gadgets like a grapple gun, cloaking device, and the Q-Spider which runs around and along with giving you reconnaissance, can also be used as remote explosive device. Sure, it's a bit Sci-Fi, but much more tolerable in a game than in that power-glove fetish feature: Die Another Day. You can even mix it up a bit, like when you have to destroy an enemy compound: you blast enemies in your car, then when you reach the compound, release the Q gadget and control it to destroy the inner "core."

The missions are fun, and filled with action, but they can suffer from some rather cheap difficulty in the harder settings. Enemies can take rounds to drop, and can whittle your health down in seconds. There was also the problem of certain timed actions not giving enough leeway, as the clock counts down even when you have no control of James like when you have to open the back of a large truck and must drive his Aston Martin into it for transporting. Not to mention the always lame "no hurt civilian" clause, where if you accidentally blow them up in their cars it's "mission failed." Why can't I break a few eggs saving the world, damn it?! The bastards are good for it. If the developers have to stick so closely with the license, why not feature a small cut-scene showing the innocents crawling out of their wrecked vehicle unharmed? That would be more tolerable than ending it all.

The hike in difficulty was really felt when I wanted to net rewards to elongate the playing of the game. Replay in an EA Bond game? Yep, I'm surprised too. Attaining cheats like unlimited ammo, all weapons, a "Platinum Gun", and unlimited energy for your gadgets make getting a high score rating somewhat worth it. However, some of the required tasks were a close shave to much for my tastes, but at least there is some replay in...how many Bond games has it been? Having to input cheat codes each time for their use is rather annoying, though, and the constant loading for these levels isn't exactly forgettable (even when you choose to bypass a cut-scene), but the levels, in general, are mostly fun to go through more than once to attempt to get rewards, or just for the fun of it on the lower to mid difficulties.

There are also a couple of extra training missions you can unlock containing a noteworthy cool remix of Maya's song, continuing the great mixes of music that play throughout the game. I would say Everything or Nothing has some the best music in a Bond game since GoldenEye 007, with some lively interpretations of the classic Bond theme.

I was also quite surprised to see a gameplay feature that was lacking in many of EA's past Bond games: Body Hit Detection. You see, Nintendo's Rare really ruined me with their development of GoldenEye 007, and Perfect Dark; I really need this feature to fully enjoy games like this – but especially in First Person Shooters. The body hit detection was there for some EA offerings, as I remember shooting Nazis straight in their sacks in Medal of Honor and relishing that, but the feature has been missing from many of their games with the James Bond ones greatly in need of it. It has been missing from quite a few games actually, and many gamers, sadly, don't really seem to care. Not only does it serve as to give reprieve in an intense firefight, for when you shoot an enemy the body hit detection makes them stop shooting, but it can also let you know your hitting an enemy far from you. Without this feature, enemies just stand there taking round after round as if nothing is happening to them.

I also am grateful for the ability to shoot guns out of the hands of enemies. Why don't more developers do this? It can aid immensely in, again, giving reprieve in a firefight. I mean, how cool is it to shoot a gun away, then snatch it up for yourself while the enemy is left shaking his hand? It's puzzling why EA left out some helpful features in many past efforts and debuted them both in a third person game.

Although I appreciate the deeper features, my gratitude for them somewhat diminished while playing. The body hit detection is a bit broken, because while the enemies do react to being shot with, say, several rounds of ammo to their chest, they can just shrug it off, wiping their chest in annoyance rather than clutching them in defeat allowing them to descend upon you. Pinpointing exact damage for guns and body parts can be difficult as well since the reticule is a small red dot that only appears when an enemy does (you can't aim and shoot at whatever you want without an enemy present). And because the game is third person your targeting farther away with, well, James in the way.

There are some lock-on features that can aid in aiming by holding the target in in your view, along with environmental objects, allowing you to aim better, but they won't always work. If you're leaning against a wall and the enemy is approaching, you can lose the target lock and the enemy can be close from you shooting you, meaning you have to get off the wall, run a little ways back, then attack to avoid more cheap hits. Plus there isn't any kind of indication an enemy is in-front of you while on a wall, so you can be blindly attacked with an enemy, again, close to you. This can bring the problem of fighting in close quarters, if you do chose to take an enemy head-on, which tends be problematic. When you go to grab an enemy to disarm them, you must press X and Y together. Well, you know how the GameCube's pad is laid out, so you also press A along with the two. This can be troublesome if your near a context sensitive item that you need to press A for, or it can just feel uncomfortable to do.

Another annoying twofer? The Z button. It acts both as a crouch and lean against wall button. It can get really bothersome to want to do one action and get another. These were the only times the controls became bothersome, as the rest of the controls are spot on: selecting a weapon and using it is quick and easy, and the controls for the vehicles work very well with acceleration and weapon firing complying fully with the intense moments given.

One final gripe about the single player: some levels tend to go on a little longer than needed. I know this is the age of that wonderful little gem named Halo, but I really wish developers realized not all levels need drag on (or how 'bout not copying so much?). Present levels in better segments, such as the skydiving level which is segmented between the action and the free falling, and let me get to my favorite place and replay them at ease. EA and other developers seriously need to do this.

And what would a Bond game be without a fun multiplayer? Well...like this, actually. Although there is a deathmatch-type mode, most of the multiplayer is made up of a co-op type deal where you and another player flip switches and shoot bad guys. It's different than what came before, a little fun, but deathmatching and its full modes, for me, is so much more fun than what was mostly given here. And I usually find there is more fun to be had especially when there are bots present, which there are none here. An EA Bond game with a good single player that falters in multiplayer – I found it to be the other way around in the past series of Bond games on Nintendo systems I've played (after GoldenEye 007).

If only the problems were recognized and addressed, then this would have been, definitely, a great Bond game. As it is, the game is still some fun, and at this time in the game's life I would say worth the bargain-bin asking price (no more than a 20, though; used would be just as good), but it's just not better than GoldenEye 007. Oh, it's better than anything EA put out after, but not better than the gameplay and features of a classic that EA refused to acknowledge in any other way than in name alone. It is, though, finally a fun and legitimate entry for Bond from EA since then.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/27/06, Updated 01/28/09

Game Release: James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (US, 02/17/04)