Yes I just wrote a review, but I think we can all agree that didn't work, it was written hastily and in under an hour with no spell check, done on a whim to avoid real work. This time I've taken my time and hopefully it'll be better.
Now my 360 has been on the red lights of death so I've gone back a generation and taken a step into the world of square faces and 16 colours. But at least back then games were sold by story and game play not the hype they've created by being a sequel. Admittedly 007 Nightfire generated its own hype by being a bond game but personally I still think its one of the best, and at least one of the last great bond games.
Upon loading the game a surprisingly well designed title screen arrives, admittedly it's slightly ruined by the bond theme in the background. Once you get into the game the first level is probably one of the best intro levels around, you are Bond (naturally) in a helicopter with a sniper rifle and you have to defend a 'source' from a group of assailants driving cars trying to kill your 'source'. The level is split up nicely with almost puzzle like sections of increasingly difficult shots and some cleverly designed quick-time events, the helicopter flies you around to the right places, admittedly making it feel more like a quick-time event but the setting is nicely designed and provides a distraction from it. The level then progresses onto one of the best designed parts of the game, the diving. For a game of its age its surprisingly good, admittedly the physics could be better but I've seen worse from games within this generation, the scene involves smashing through the streets of Paris and violently blowing up any 'baddies' that happen to be in the way, throughout the level the gadgets are fully optimized and by the end you have used all four - this can be good or bad as it ruins any 'surprise' for later, but then again if you cant guess what a smokescreen is going to do I don't think you should be worrying about plotlines and surprises more with walking and breathing at the same time.
Unfortunately the level ends and your left with a loading/cut scene of bond and the 'source' in his vanquish at Paris, the music starts up again and well I just left it to do its thing cos man I cant stand that music, when I came back the level score screen was up and apparently I had Gold. I assumed that was good and clicked continue, now the second level is unfortunately the best level in the game - unfortunately because it means the rest of the game from here on out gets a lot worse. This mission incorporates the last element missing from a bond game - stealth, now this region is very dangerous, hardly any games get it right and those that do either only focus on that (Thief) or do it by accident but the majority get it wrong ... horribly. This game falls in to the middle sector - personally I think stealth was overlooked and its only down to the awful AI that stealth is even possible, by walking (not sneaking there's no way to really do it accept crouch) uptown the idiotic guard who is looking the other way, now this is essential to do otherwise your stuck with the pistol for the rest of the level, you automatically take the weapon and the guard surrenders. The rest of the level is actually well structured there are a few ways to get into the party/fortress thing, you can fall into a truck or sneak around the edge or do what everyone really wants to and blast your way through the stupid AI. Either way works and all with advantages, is it ammo or stealth points and admittedly you'll have more fun blasting you way through as sneaking round the whole castle is sooo daym boring!
However fun the blasting your way through the emery sounds naturally with a game of this age there are huge problems with it, the movement is clunky and the aiming feels very rigid, but with aids such as auto-aim it jumps to the chest and enables an easy killing but auto-aim is a cheat for any gamer who has a pair really. Also the speed of movement may annoy, a lot, you run slower than grass grows and to get to walk - for some reason I'm not sure why but lets pretend people like to move slower than grass - the analogue stick has to be moved in the slightest way other wise you've jumped straight off the edge and you have to start again (an aggravation section on the second level).
The rest of the game starts to peter out as I said, the levels become a little samey and the story becomes even harder to follow. Another couple of driving levels appear and there a nice break from the shooting, as the car can just pretty much kill anything that moves, including bridges (which now I think about it don't move). Realism takes a huge hit when on the last level your trapped in a gondolier and a helicopter flown by the big bad guy, you then have to wait for the side to be shot out by the 'copter so you can shoot back with a confidently placed rocket launcher, in this scene you as Bond must take at least 5 hits from the helicopter but don't worry your Bond you cant die!
Now the next thing I love about this game - multiplayer. Admittedly this is before the powerful reign of internet gaming and people generally met up to play the multiplayer, which in my opinion makes everything faster funnier and sometimes a hell of a lot more annoying. It has a variety of maps and AI difficultly with little perks that are hard to miss but if you get them it adds a huge advantage. It also has a very similar feel to call of duty 4, yes the graphics are worse and bot glitches happen all the live long day but it has loads of different game modes with class customization that is better than some of the 'best' multiplayer's ... *cough* Battlefield: Bad Company ...
Overall it's good for a quick laugh and so long as you can deal with the worse graphics and you turn the background music down it'd do to kill an afternoon with a group of friends.
Buy It
Now my 360 has been on the red lights of death so I've gone back a generation and taken a step into the world of square faces and 16 colours. But at least back then games were sold by story and game play not the hype they've created by being a sequel. Admittedly 007 Nightfire generated its own hype by being a bond game but personally I still think its one of the best, and at least one of the last great bond games.
Upon loading the game a surprisingly well designed title screen arrives, admittedly it's slightly ruined by the bond theme in the background. Once you get into the game the first level is probably one of the best intro levels around, you are Bond (naturally) in a helicopter with a sniper rifle and you have to defend a 'source' from a group of assailants driving cars trying to kill your 'source'. The level is split up nicely with almost puzzle like sections of increasingly difficult shots and some cleverly designed quick-time events, the helicopter flies you around to the right places, admittedly making it feel more like a quick-time event but the setting is nicely designed and provides a distraction from it. The level then progresses onto one of the best designed parts of the game, the diving. For a game of its age its surprisingly good, admittedly the physics could be better but I've seen worse from games within this generation, the scene involves smashing through the streets of Paris and violently blowing up any 'baddies' that happen to be in the way, throughout the level the gadgets are fully optimized and by the end you have used all four - this can be good or bad as it ruins any 'surprise' for later, but then again if you cant guess what a smokescreen is going to do I don't think you should be worrying about plotlines and surprises more with walking and breathing at the same time.
Unfortunately the level ends and your left with a loading/cut scene of bond and the 'source' in his vanquish at Paris, the music starts up again and well I just left it to do its thing cos man I cant stand that music, when I came back the level score screen was up and apparently I had Gold. I assumed that was good and clicked continue, now the second level is unfortunately the best level in the game - unfortunately because it means the rest of the game from here on out gets a lot worse. This mission incorporates the last element missing from a bond game - stealth, now this region is very dangerous, hardly any games get it right and those that do either only focus on that (Thief) or do it by accident but the majority get it wrong ... horribly. This game falls in to the middle sector - personally I think stealth was overlooked and its only down to the awful AI that stealth is even possible, by walking (not sneaking there's no way to really do it accept crouch) uptown the idiotic guard who is looking the other way, now this is essential to do otherwise your stuck with the pistol for the rest of the level, you automatically take the weapon and the guard surrenders. The rest of the level is actually well structured there are a few ways to get into the party/fortress thing, you can fall into a truck or sneak around the edge or do what everyone really wants to and blast your way through the stupid AI. Either way works and all with advantages, is it ammo or stealth points and admittedly you'll have more fun blasting you way through as sneaking round the whole castle is sooo daym boring!
However fun the blasting your way through the emery sounds naturally with a game of this age there are huge problems with it, the movement is clunky and the aiming feels very rigid, but with aids such as auto-aim it jumps to the chest and enables an easy killing but auto-aim is a cheat for any gamer who has a pair really. Also the speed of movement may annoy, a lot, you run slower than grass grows and to get to walk - for some reason I'm not sure why but lets pretend people like to move slower than grass - the analogue stick has to be moved in the slightest way other wise you've jumped straight off the edge and you have to start again (an aggravation section on the second level).
The rest of the game starts to peter out as I said, the levels become a little samey and the story becomes even harder to follow. Another couple of driving levels appear and there a nice break from the shooting, as the car can just pretty much kill anything that moves, including bridges (which now I think about it don't move). Realism takes a huge hit when on the last level your trapped in a gondolier and a helicopter flown by the big bad guy, you then have to wait for the side to be shot out by the 'copter so you can shoot back with a confidently placed rocket launcher, in this scene you as Bond must take at least 5 hits from the helicopter but don't worry your Bond you cant die!
Now the next thing I love about this game - multiplayer. Admittedly this is before the powerful reign of internet gaming and people generally met up to play the multiplayer, which in my opinion makes everything faster funnier and sometimes a hell of a lot more annoying. It has a variety of maps and AI difficultly with little perks that are hard to miss but if you get them it adds a huge advantage. It also has a very similar feel to call of duty 4, yes the graphics are worse and bot glitches happen all the live long day but it has loads of different game modes with class customization that is better than some of the 'best' multiplayer's ... *cough* Battlefield: Bad Company ...
Overall it's good for a quick laugh and so long as you can deal with the worse graphics and you turn the background music down it'd do to kill an afternoon with a group of friends.
Buy It
