007: The World is Not Enough

"The Name's Bond, James Bond."

It was 1995 when the first Bond game hit the Nintendo 64. It had everything, variety, fun, superb levels and graphics and decent multiplayer. Viewed by many as the best game ever, Rare had started a trend of First person shooters on the N64. And then, we heard the shocking news that EA had got the license. What? NOOO! they've ruined it! But did they?

THE NAME'S BOND JAMES BOND
Plain and simple, you are james Bond. You use the gadgets, you defeat the baddies and you bed the women (Not Really of course).The story is as Taut as A Bond film should be. Oil Tycoon Robert King has been murdered by Vengeful ex KGB Assassin Victor 'Renard' Zokas. Renard (Robert Carlyle) Has a bullet in his brain, that will kill him eventually, but not before he causes a bit of mayhem first! Bond must now act as charge to King's daughter, Elektra (Played by Sophie Marceau), who may be his next target. He also must find out who the 'Turncoat' is in the King Organization. The story takes you all over the world, from Bilbao, London and eventually to Kazakhstan. There are also some interesting characters to meet and talk to (Yes they do have voices this time), Including Rotund Zukovsky, who is the comic relief.

SHAKEN BUT NOT STIRRED
EA Were very keen to show off the new graphics engine and well done, it is a visual masterpiece. Lovely rendered backgrounds, and explicit detail make this just as good as Goldeneye (If not better). The characters however are a letdown. They are 2D. 2D? Yes 2D. Nuff said. they look sparesly detailed and are wooden which is a shame. Level design is good (Apart from Cold reception), You will not get lost in this game. Things are easy to do and This is a good part to the game. The game is not as fast paced as Goldeneye, but is fast nonetheless. Presentation is good, Easy to read menus coupled with Fine options just adds to it. However the backgrounds are simply rubbish - the same as the loading screens. I wished they put SOMETHING In. I get so bored when waiting for the next level to load. Weapons are nicely done, and are drawn brilliantly. They look far more like their real life counterparts than in ANY N64 Game. The special effects in this game are laughably awful. You throw a Grenade and the resulting explosion is a small orange ball with yellow flames coming out of it. Very Poor.

NO MR. BOND, I EXPECT YOU TO DIE
The game music is Recycled several times throughout the game. Whilst being poor also, and their only being a few tracks, I was a little disappointed, and when they started using the title screen music, I looked on in disgust. A travesty compared with Goldeneye. The Bond theme is lacking also. Sound effects are good, The gunfire sounding VERY Realistic, with The ambience being good also. Voice acting is superb. They didn't get Pierce, but they got John Cleese. Any voice acting is good, though, Goldeneye didn't have it!

GROW UP 007
The Control system is very well suited to this type of game. It is the same as in Goldeneye, so this will be no surprise to Goldeneye fans. It is also easy to learn, so don't worry if you've never played this type of game before.

I'll TAKE A HIT DEALER
The game does play well. There are 3 different difficulty levels, all taking time to master. Agent is for beginners, Secret agent for beginners, but the real challenge is 00 Agent mode which will take a long time to successfully master. Levels are smooth to negotiate, level design is superb and bad guys are easy to dispatch, with the big arsenal at your disposal. The game is easy to learn as well. Targeting is auto on the easier levels, but you will fell on your own when it is manual aim. You WILL have to learn manual aim.

FINISH THE JOB JAMES, IF YOU CAN
Multiplayer ode will never be as good as Perfect dark, or goldeneye, but it is a cool feature to have. I Initially disliked it - a few options, two bots. And most of all Good Versus Evil. ?. Whoever thought that up should be slapped round the face. Persevere, and this will be a good reason to get it.

FOR ENGLAND JAMES
There aren't that many levels in the game, with no secret ones. It is lacking slightly in the Lifespan dept. There are a few Secrets to discover, but these are merely extras for multiplayer.

FINALLY.....
This game is flawed. It will never be as good as goldeneye, I'll tell you that now. But Still, this game will be a worthwhile addition to your collection. Buy It.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/24/01, Updated 03/05/02