007: Everything or Nothing
Posted February 28, 2004
The Plot:
"Everything or Nothing" doesn't have nothing wrong with it, but it does feel like EA Games has thrown everything into the production. Although gamers still have fond memories of Bond's console adventure "Goldeneye", "Everything or Nothing" is an enormous adventure with impressive production values and a very cinematic feel that challenges the movies.
Gameplay:
Differing from what we've seen in Bond video game adventures, "Everything or Nothing" is a third-person shooter. There's also upgraded hand-to-hand combat and the ability to use new gadgets, such a handy rappel that allows Bond to quickly climb up walls or take a dive off of high spaces. This becomes particularly useful in one early sequence where Bond must get to the bottom of an exploding research facility - jumping off high ledges has Bond automatically using his rappel. Players will also find themselves in vertical shootouts as they're climbing down walls or mountains.
Plenty of other gadgets also make an appearance, including Bond's usual array of vehicles (a nifty motorbike, the Aston Martin and others) and Q Spiders. These little mechanical spiders can be employed to get ahead of Bond and scout out the path ahead. When outfitted with explosives, Bond can send these little spiders ahead to take out enemies awaiting him. An RC car also makes an appearance when Bond needs to pay a visit to a warehouse. There's also a nano suit that renders Bond invisible briefly, grenades, thermovision and more.
With the game's new third-person perspective, players will need to use the left trigger to lock on to enemies and the right trigger to shoot. This works perfectly fine when you're dealing with a couple of enemies at a time. However, when you're dealing with a pack of them and they're all around you, well, Bond's in trouble. It could be argued that one should be more stealthy in the game and scout out ahead (Bond can lean up against walls and peek/shoot around corners, although this isn't as smooth as "Kill.Switch", one of my favorites from last year), but the lock-on system still could use a bit of improvement. Ammo isn't always in great supply, either, which forces players to conserve. I have no complaints about enemy AI; while not stunning, they were often clever and ducked attacks surprisingly well. "Bond Sense", which appears when you go into your inventory, allows Bond to see enemies, rappel points, shootable/usable/throwable objects and more.
The game is a mixture of different elements. A lot of levels will require Bond to either drive or fly. Some on-foot sequences will have players deciding whether or run-and-gun or approach more stealthily. Some on-foot sequences require stealth (such as a frustrating mission where Bond has to see out a character in a hotel without being spotted and having the guards set off the alarm). The driving sequences generally handle quite well and some moments (such as racing through the city of New Orleans) allow Bond to choose from multiple paths (sort of "Midnight Club II" with missles). Throughout the entire game, "Bond Moments" can happen, which give players more points. Different difficulty levels, medals to earn and other aspects gives the game some additional replay value.
Despite familiarity with certain elements of the game, there are some sequences that juice up moments that would otherwise not be that thrilling. A terrific example is a drive through a small town in Peru in a tank. While this ride is "on rails", there's still a great deal of action, with vehicles giving chase, choppers in the air and a wonderfully cinematic moment where Bond must face off against another tank in the city square.
The production is, as previously mentioned, a pretty costly one. The game's cast includes Pierce Brosnan, Shannon Elizabeth, Heidi Klum, Mya (who also performs the theme music), Willem Dafoe, John Cleese, Richard Kiel, Judi Dench and others. The game was written by Bruce Fierstein, who was the writer for Bond films "Goldeneye" (still my favorite of the recent Bond films), "Tomorrow Never Dies" and "The World is Not Enough". The story concerns the use of nanotechnology by Nikolai Diavolo (Dafoe) to create tiny robots who have a taste for steel, which would destroy whole cities at a time.
Multi-player co-op is available, but game does not feature any XBOX Live compatibility.
Graphics:
"Everything or Nothing" looks terrific, as this clearly appears to be the biggest Bond game project yet. Levels are superbly designed and benefit from lots of little details, especially in the New Orleans level. Textures look very good, as does lighting. Character models are also first-rate and animations are smooth. Vehicles look absolutely stunning, as they all appear crisply rendered and shiny. Framerate only very rarely appears choppy. My favorite moments throughout the game still remain the swift camera move following Bond as he leaps off a cliff and begins rappelling down a mountain or wall.
Audio:
"Everything or Nothing" sounds as big as it looks. The game's Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation is fantastic, with plenty of surround use for sound effects, such as helicopters, gunfire from vehicles giving chase and even some more subtle, ambient sounds. The game's score is marvelous, with a professional feel that manages to add excitement and set the tone without calling too much attention to itself. As mentioned, the voice acting cast is first-rate, and everyone does a fantastic job.
Conclusion:
Rating Issues: "Everything or Nothing" is rated "T" (Teen) for violence.
Final Thoughts: "Everything or Nothing" certainly created a lot of concern for switching to the third-person perspective, but EA has certainly pulled it off. This is one of the most entertaining games I've played in a while and while it has a few stretches that fall a bit flat in comparison to the rest, this really tries to match the energy and excitement of the Bond films and mostly succeeds. Highly recommended.
"Everything or Nothing" doesn't have nothing wrong with it, but it does feel like EA Games has thrown everything into the production. Although gamers still have fond memories of Bond's console adventure "Goldeneye", "Everything or Nothing" is an enormous adventure with impressive production values and a very cinematic feel that challenges the movies.
Gameplay:
Differing from what we've seen in Bond video game adventures, "Everything or Nothing" is a third-person shooter. There's also upgraded hand-to-hand combat and the ability to use new gadgets, such a handy rappel that allows Bond to quickly climb up walls or take a dive off of high spaces. This becomes particularly useful in one early sequence where Bond must get to the bottom of an exploding research facility - jumping off high ledges has Bond automatically using his rappel. Players will also find themselves in vertical shootouts as they're climbing down walls or mountains.
Plenty of other gadgets also make an appearance, including Bond's usual array of vehicles (a nifty motorbike, the Aston Martin and others) and Q Spiders. These little mechanical spiders can be employed to get ahead of Bond and scout out the path ahead. When outfitted with explosives, Bond can send these little spiders ahead to take out enemies awaiting him. An RC car also makes an appearance when Bond needs to pay a visit to a warehouse. There's also a nano suit that renders Bond invisible briefly, grenades, thermovision and more.
With the game's new third-person perspective, players will need to use the left trigger to lock on to enemies and the right trigger to shoot. This works perfectly fine when you're dealing with a couple of enemies at a time. However, when you're dealing with a pack of them and they're all around you, well, Bond's in trouble. It could be argued that one should be more stealthy in the game and scout out ahead (Bond can lean up against walls and peek/shoot around corners, although this isn't as smooth as "Kill.Switch", one of my favorites from last year), but the lock-on system still could use a bit of improvement. Ammo isn't always in great supply, either, which forces players to conserve. I have no complaints about enemy AI; while not stunning, they were often clever and ducked attacks surprisingly well. "Bond Sense", which appears when you go into your inventory, allows Bond to see enemies, rappel points, shootable/usable/throwable objects and more.
The game is a mixture of different elements. A lot of levels will require Bond to either drive or fly. Some on-foot sequences will have players deciding whether or run-and-gun or approach more stealthily. Some on-foot sequences require stealth (such as a frustrating mission where Bond has to see out a character in a hotel without being spotted and having the guards set off the alarm). The driving sequences generally handle quite well and some moments (such as racing through the city of New Orleans) allow Bond to choose from multiple paths (sort of "Midnight Club II" with missles). Throughout the entire game, "Bond Moments" can happen, which give players more points. Different difficulty levels, medals to earn and other aspects gives the game some additional replay value.
Despite familiarity with certain elements of the game, there are some sequences that juice up moments that would otherwise not be that thrilling. A terrific example is a drive through a small town in Peru in a tank. While this ride is "on rails", there's still a great deal of action, with vehicles giving chase, choppers in the air and a wonderfully cinematic moment where Bond must face off against another tank in the city square.
The production is, as previously mentioned, a pretty costly one. The game's cast includes Pierce Brosnan, Shannon Elizabeth, Heidi Klum, Mya (who also performs the theme music), Willem Dafoe, John Cleese, Richard Kiel, Judi Dench and others. The game was written by Bruce Fierstein, who was the writer for Bond films "Goldeneye" (still my favorite of the recent Bond films), "Tomorrow Never Dies" and "The World is Not Enough". The story concerns the use of nanotechnology by Nikolai Diavolo (Dafoe) to create tiny robots who have a taste for steel, which would destroy whole cities at a time.
Multi-player co-op is available, but game does not feature any XBOX Live compatibility.
Graphics:
"Everything or Nothing" looks terrific, as this clearly appears to be the biggest Bond game project yet. Levels are superbly designed and benefit from lots of little details, especially in the New Orleans level. Textures look very good, as does lighting. Character models are also first-rate and animations are smooth. Vehicles look absolutely stunning, as they all appear crisply rendered and shiny. Framerate only very rarely appears choppy. My favorite moments throughout the game still remain the swift camera move following Bond as he leaps off a cliff and begins rappelling down a mountain or wall.
Audio:
"Everything or Nothing" sounds as big as it looks. The game's Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation is fantastic, with plenty of surround use for sound effects, such as helicopters, gunfire from vehicles giving chase and even some more subtle, ambient sounds. The game's score is marvelous, with a professional feel that manages to add excitement and set the tone without calling too much attention to itself. As mentioned, the voice acting cast is first-rate, and everyone does a fantastic job.
Conclusion:
Rating Issues: "Everything or Nothing" is rated "T" (Teen) for violence.
Final Thoughts: "Everything or Nothing" certainly created a lot of concern for switching to the third-person perspective, but EA has certainly pulled it off. This is one of the most entertaining games I've played in a while and while it has a few stretches that fall a bit flat in comparison to the rest, this really tries to match the energy and excitement of the Bond films and mostly succeeds. Highly recommended.