Singularity of Loneliness
Making a game out of the Bond franchise would seem to be an easy fit for developers. You’ve got guns, gadgets, borderline humour and gratuitous (if slightly comic-book style) violence and alluring girls.
Though many have tried different approaches there are few teams to actually pull off a decent game. In early development, Treyarch looked to have produced a cool shooter that was as violent and moody than the recent films. But the final release is an exercise in mediocrity that treads an incredibly ordinary fps path.
Encompassing both Casino Royale and the more recent Quantum of Solace film, this videogame adaptation jumps around both plots like a demented rabbit, neither making any sense to a newcomer or even someone who loves the new films. This narrative dementia makes the game impossible to enjoy on any story-driven level and although its core mechanics are solid enough - being based on the Call of Duty 4 engine – it feels like a painful reworking of the most generic fps you could think of.
On the positive side the cover system which switches you out of first-person into third-person works very well and isn’t as jarring as the same system used in Hell’s Highway a few months back. Some of the levels are quite beautiful too, with the pursuit section in Venice standing out in particular as it culminates in probably the best moment of the game. But all this is undone by the final level which looks like something the PS2 threw up six years and has more similarities with Soldier of Fortune levels than anything related to Bond.
Multiplayer again is a solid experience with a few unique modes thrown in for good measure. But the question is – why would you be playing this when there are so many other good shooters out there. Even Call of Duty: World at War is a far more satisfying experience never mind the messianic Call of Duty 4.
In the end Quantum of Solace is so bland you forget it’s actually a Bond game. They should really take the series back to its cheesy roots or at least make an effort with stamping some originality onto its carcass before it rots away entirely. If you want a gadget filled, humour-heavy, spy game then go and get No One Lives Forever 2 – it’s everything Bond should be without taking itself too seriously. Avoid this at all costs.
