James Bond 007: NightFire

"It starts off well, but....."

So the next James Bond game has come.After goldeneye I have come to expect a lot of the james bond games.This one doesn't live up to goldeneye at all.

Graphics 8/10
When you see the opening cinamatics you realize how great the graphics in this game are.You get into the first level, by dropping into this stunning artic zone.You think, wow these graphics are so great..so if the graphics stay like this, this game could be the best looking game on the ps2.Unfortunately,the graphics drop quite a bit.First of all the interiors of the buildings are very bland.There isnt a whole lot of details inside.For example,in the party( the first area you go to) I noticed the same painting on the wall four times in each room!The thing that also annoyed me was seeing the same people in the same clothes and faces everywhere.I saw three identical people talking to eachother at the party!The cinamatics at the ends of level are absolutely amazing though.

Story 4/10
The story in this is a typical 007 storyline.Some organization(called pheonix or something) led by a guy named Drake has some bomb satellite thing.So James Bond is sent in by MI6 to take out Drake and his plan.You've seen this type of thing before if you've seen a Bond movie.

Gameplay/controls 8/10
The game plays very nicely with simple objectives and a good difficulty.There are a few difficulties for nightfire mode(story mode).The controls are easy to learn but different from other FPS.The left and right analog sticks move your character and look around.The R1 button fires and square is alternate fire.Other buttons do things like jumping, crouching, and manual aiming.

Sound 4/10
I personally have a problem with the sound effects and voice acting in this game.The voices picked do not match the character at all.Why couldn't they get a good voice for Bond?!They should at least make him sound right.The voice for bond is very deep and makes him sound like an old man.Also the guns dont really sound like guns.The shots just sound like little crashes and beeps.

Lasting appeal 6/10
The story mode is pretty short with only about 12 or 13 missions.However there is a pretty cool multiplayer mode.The problem with multiplayer mode is that half the modes and characters and options are locked when you start!
I'd rather just have all the multiplayer stuff unlocked rather than having to earn those stupid medals in single player mode.The modes in multiplayer actually arent all that good anyway.They are all pretty pointless entertainment.But its still fun if you have some friends to play with.

So to rent or to buy?
I would say unless you are a big james bond fan or you have a multitap and four controllers this would be just a rental.The story mode is too short, but multiplayer mode is cool only if you have some friends and controllers.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/03, Updated 02/17/03