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  News > Game Zone: Quantum Of Solace: The Game Review

About a decade ago, a James Bond-based game came out that shook the fledgling first-person shooter genre to its very core. The game was GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64. The game was an instant classic and one of the best games ever created, bringing innovative gameplay concepts, intense action, and unparalleled multiplayer options. Many gamers still look back fondly on GoldenEye, but it came with unfortunate side effect: every single Bond game to come out since has been held to the ridiculously high standards set by it. Unfortunately, all have fallen short, some more spectacularly than others. However, as the first fruits of Activision’s purchase of the Bond license, Quantum of Solace is looking to change that.

Melding together elements of Casino Royale and the soon-to-be-released Bond film of the same name, Quantum of Solace marks the best example yet of film/games synergy for the Bond franchise, featuring the likeness of Daniel Craig, as well as voice work from a good chunk of the films’ cast, including Craig, Dame Judi Dench, Eva Green, and Olga Kurylenko, as well as intermixed story elements from each film to provide a cohesive experience.

Powered by the Call of Duty 4 engine and filled with some great action sequences, Quantum of Solace is a solid entry to the Bond video game franchise, to be sure. However, does it finally reach the bar set by GoldenEye? Unfortunately, the game has a fair share of problems, missing that mark of greatness. Still, if you are a Bond maniac and love a good FPS, then Quantum of Solace is worth a look this holiday season.

As mentioned above, the game’s storyline combines elements from the two most recent James Bond films, effectively putting you into the MI6 agent’s most intense action situations, beginning at the very end of Casino Royale. You’ll progress through the situations in Quantum of Solace, and then flashback to its predecessor.

The game does a good job with the action, but the story elements skim a good portion of the films’ plot elements in favor of the action sequences and a voiceover cut scene to attempt to set the scene. While this may be less than ideal compared to many games out there, it’s an intriguing way of continuing the action without spoiling some of the upcoming film’s plot details.

Most of what’s here is stuff that FPS fans have seen before, there are still some great situations to be had in Quantum of Solace. The game packs in tons of action-packed firefights, cool destructible environments and exciting sequences to keep the game moving at a fast pace.

While an FPS by design, a significant portion of the action will be done from behind cover in the third-person perspective, as in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas. You’ll be able to find cover just about anywhere, simply hit the A button and 007 will either get behind it or dash to it if it’s too far away. Cover works just like it does in other games, as you can lean out to aim, blind fire, and reposition yourself to get a better shot.

Aside from cover, there are a few other situations where the game will switch to third-person view. You can take down enemies in quick time event and even fight a few bosses this way, and a few sequences will have you navigating across a narrow ledge avoiding enemy fire or staying out of a spotlight. The game does a fine job of popping in and out of third-person view without interrupting the flow of the gameplay.

Unfortunately, there are a few problems with Quantum of Solace’s gameplay. The AI is pretty insipid, often running at you wildly and shooting when cover would be the more intelligent option. While they can take cover behind objects, they’ll often do the blind charge, which is disappointing.

Secondly, there are some glitchy issues with the cover system. Getting out of cover can be a pain, but sometimes 007 will pop out for no apparent reason. Another very frustrating thing happens when you get hit by a grenade when behind cover, as Bond will pop out from behind still feeling the damage from the grenade but now getting pelted with enemy fire.

Graphically, Quantum of Solace can be a mixed bag. While some of the character models look fantastic (Craig’s is especially lifelike), many of the enemies look a bit plain and lack detail, seeming like they would belong on an early Xbox 360 title than a current one. The environments can also look great, but there are some bouts of slowdown and framerate hitches when too much is going on on-screen.

The sound is very well done, with James Bond’s immortal theme music making an appearance here as well as some score elements from the films. The voice work by the cast members is also solid.

Quantum of Solace is a fun and exciting Bond title that has some truly engaging situations and pretty production values. However, there are some ugly issues, like poor AI and a buggy cover system, that keep it from truly being a truly great shooter.

http://xbox360.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r35674.htm