Stay up to date with all Treyarch News

• September

  15

  News > Gamespy: James Bond 007 In Quantum Of Solace (x360)

"We want to make a Bond game that lives up to the quality of the film, because, let's face it, licensed movie games usually aren't that good." These are the words of Treyarch's Adam Gascoine, a self-proclaimed Bond fanatic. He was at the helm of our first hands-on with 007: Quantum of Solace, the licensed game based on the upcoming film. We asked him if it was a buzzkill to know everything that was going to happen in the film before shooting wrapped. He said that he's a little sad that he won't be able to see the film with fresh eyes, but his love for the character's strong enough for him to get over it.

We test-drove three short setpieces of Quantum, a narrative fusion of the upcoming film and 2006's "Casino Royale," with Gascoine during Games Convention, and it's tough to argue that it won't feel immediately familiar to shooter fans.

Although a fuss was made about QoS' control scheme and the switch from first-person to third-person, we feel like the best summary of it is "Rainbow Six: Vegas-lite." It's tough to argue with the game's guts; it's running on the Call of Duty 4 engine, so the shooting mechanics should feel instantly accessible to anyone who put in time as Soap McTavish. The demo started in caverns located in Siena, Italy. It's the same demo that German gamers played on the show floor. Bond's in pursuit of someone (Gascoine pointed out that Treyarch tweaked the show code to prevent any potential film spoilers, including the name of the guy we pursued), and is battling through his henchmen to capture him alive.

It's definitely an on-rails style shooter, just like CoD4. It's got cover mechanics that let you shoot in third-person. A few Internet denizens drew comparisons to Gears of War, but it's much more like Rainbow Six: Vegas. When Bond snaps into cover, the camera moves outward to Daniel Craig's detailed visage. We didn't ask Gascoine if QoS will feature CoD4's "clown-car" respawning, but the game definitely seems to follow the familiar formula by combining a series of big setpieces and dramatic film scores with action based on our ducking, covering, and shooting.

From that section, we moved into the rooftops of Siena, still pursuing this unnamed man, in a short demo not available on the showroom floor. In this area, we got a feel for the differences between QoS and CoD4. Bond must jump from rooftop to rooftop in pursuit. The action's a little quicker and more taxing on the reflexes. We noticed that besides explosive objects (if it's not a barrel, it's something), if Bond shoots windows, the glass will temporarily blind (read: stun) enemies. After powering through a few more henchmen, the demo went to black, just before a spoiler could hit. That seemed to happen quite a bit.

The final section was a hands-on with the same demo that Activision showed at E3. Of the three slivers we sampled, the "Casino Royale" level showed off the most impressive and diverse tech that QoS offers at this point. QoS spans both events in the new film as well as the 2006 Bond reboot. In the film, Obanno, the African warlord, is in the casino preparing to kill villainous banker Le Chiffre. In the film, Bond thwarts the assassination attempt, but as Gascoine pointed out, Treyarch will fill in what happens in between a few minutes of film time.

Because this level takes place in a hotel, we got a chance to see how Bond stealthily moves in tight corridors, and how he fights in close quarters. Bond's hand-to-hand combat resembles the fighting system in The Bourne Conspiracy, but it's much simpler. As Bond rushes at enemies, you'll click the right stick to melee-attack them. It prompts a God of War-like quick timer event, but unlike Bourne's mini-game, you'll simply need to hit a specific button quickly. We noticed a slight hitch during this level, though. If one guard saw Bond, it seemed as though the entire flock of guards telepathically knew he was in the building and began rushing in.

As the demo ended (nearly as quickly as it started), we asked Gascoine a few questions. QoS will release day and date with the movie, since Danjaq, the holders of the 007 license, are particularly cautious about any spoilers. There's going to be an extra level based on an action sequence aboard a train that was cut from "Casino Royale" for length. Nerve Software, the team behind Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, will handle online multiplayer. Most details are thin, but Gascoine confirmed support for 12 players with a perks system akin to CoD4's and a credit system designed to buy weapons after earning XP. QoS will support trophies on PS3, and both Xbox 360 achievements and PS3 trophies will be identical, with roughly a 60% emphasis on single-player accomplishments.

At the end of our short demo, we walked away from 007: Quantum of Solace with a sense that Treyarch's taking an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to its adaptation. It's got built-in appeal thanks to Call of Duty 4's success, and its third-person sections resemble the excellent cover system in the Rainbow Six: Vegas series. If we have any complaints at this point, it's simply that we're unsure about enemy AI. In the "Casino Royale" level, it seemed as though henchmen would go nuts on the subtlest noise. Hopefully this will be fine-tuned in time for the game's release. In any case, we're pretty sure Treyarch will have much more to show as we get closer to November.

http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/james-bond-007/902389p1.html