James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing

Reviewed by Chris Acevedo
April 2005

Developer: Griptonite Games
Website: Click Here
Publisher: EA Games
Players: 4
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Pierce Brosnan must be a real diva. Before he came around, every Bond game to date, from the classic N64 version on up, has been first person view. Now, with 007: Everything or Nothing, we have to stare at Pierce's rear end all day from a third person perspective (not that I'm complaining). I'm sure he saw the games being made with his likeness and had a meeting with the head suits 007 Inc: "The poor players will only see my face on the box! Surely they should see me every 5 seconds!" The only problem, though, is that the change in perspective completely altered the dynamics of game play. This game is more reminiscent of Splinter Cell than anything else. I'm not necessarily complaining as such, just be warned you're not going to be playing 4-way death match on one TV like you did in middle school.

The game is actually pretty good. Other reviews have noted this game is just like playing through a movie and they're right. There are frequent in-game movies where the story is progressed through conversation and slick camera work. The graphics, especially on the Xbox version, are realistic enough you would swear you're looking at a pre-rendered movie, but it's all in-game.

The single player mode, which most of you might want to get your hands on, is the usual fare of 'run and gun.' But multiplayer is where this game shines the most. A feature not seen in many modern games is a campaign co-op option. These are not the same missions you slogged through the first time around in single player; these are whole new missions designed for two people to fight through. I had flash-backs of Counter-strike as my teammate and I would flank bunkered enemies, only to have them flank us in return. The AI is pretty ruthless.

Basically, if you enjoy Shannon Elizabeth staring at you while she blows gun smoke out of a barrel, you should buy this game ASAP. At least give it a weekend rental and see if you can hang with the difficulty for a couple days.

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