I am continuing with the rather futile task of playing all the video games.

With the release of Skyfall this week, Bond fatigue is really beginning to set in - but the quest continues with 007: Nightfire.

Game 000008: 007: Nightfire

EA's sequel to 007: Agent Under Fire makes incremental improvements on its predecessor, but was certainly not revolutionary. I elected to play the PS2 version of the game, (as my PS2 was already connected to my TV), and blasted through this game's single player in under 6 hours on the easiest difficulty in a number of short gaming sessions spread across the week.

Nightfire is another FPS focussed game with an occasional driving or on-rails shooting section thrown in to mix things up a little. Thankfully the quantity of the latter had been reduced somewhat from Agent Under Fire, and the cars controlled slightly better too. Having just finished recently released 007: Legends, the non-linearity of some of the levels made a refreshing change. Unlike Legends, Bond is equipped with an impressive range of gadgets which often provide fun additional ways to complete objectives or dispatch enemies. Additionally, taking the stealthy route is more palatable, as it is quite possible to play quickly and still remain unseen. While Legends' approach is certainly more "realistic", Nightfire's way is more fun.

I guess this games controls did feel somewhat clunky and outdated - and playing the game with the default controls is certainly a reminder of how far the genre has come in the last few years, (anyone remember left analogue stick vertical axis to move back and forwards, horizontal axis to aim left and right?) ... luckily the controls are customisable, and I was soon playing with something more familiar.

The game was split into 12 missions - the best of which had you penetrating fortified bases, either secretly taking down enemy goons out of sight or engaging them in intense fire-fights through the narrow corridors. The worst of which had you penetrating underwater bases in a "submarine car" while trying to wrestle the awkward controls in order to navigate a fast moving minefield. Overall, it's probably one of the better Goldeneye clones I've played, and is certainly not a bad game - but if you like your gaming to offer you new experiences, then Nightfire does nothing particularly noteworthy. Despite it being competent, I was bored of it by the time I was done.

A word of warning - if you are thinking of picking this game up then reviews suggest that you should stay away from the PC and GBA versions.

---

Next time I'll be playing through something (slightly) different; 007: Racing for the original Playstation.

I am continuing with the rather futile task of playing all the video games.

With the release of Skyfall this week, Bond fatigue is really beginning to set in - but the quest continues with 007: Nightfire.

Game 000008: 007: Nightfire

EA's sequel to 007: Agent Under Fire makes incremental improvements on its predecessor, but was certainly not revolutionary. I elected to play the PS2 version of the game, (as my PS2 was already connected to my TV), and blasted through this game's single player in under 6 hours on the easiest difficulty in a number of short gaming sessions spread across the week.

Nightfire is another FPS focussed game with an occasional driving or on-rails shooting section thrown in to mix things up a little. Thankfully the quantity of the latter had been reduced somewhat from Agent Under Fire, and the cars controlled slightly better too. Having just finished recently released 007: Legends, the non-linearity of some of the levels made a refreshing change. Unlike Legends, Bond is equipped with an impressive range of gadgets which often provide fun additional ways to complete objectives or dispatch enemies. Additionally, taking the stealthy route is more palatable, as it is quite possible to play quickly and still remain unseen. While Legends' approach is certainly more "realistic", Nightfire's way is more fun.

I guess this games controls did feel somewhat clunky and outdated - and playing the game with the default controls is certainly a reminder of how far the genre has come in the last few years, (anyone remember left analogue stick vertical axis to move back and forwards, horizontal axis to aim left and right?) ... luckily the controls are customisable, and I was soon playing with something more familiar.

The game was split into 12 missions - the best of which had you penetrating fortified bases, either secretly taking down enemy goons out of sight or engaging them in intense fire-fights through the narrow corridors. The worst of which had you penetrating underwater bases in a "submarine car" while trying to wrestle the awkward controls in order to navigate a fast moving minefield. Overall, it's probably one of the better Goldeneye clones I've played, and is certainly not a bad game - but if you like your gaming to offer you new experiences, then Nightfire does nothing particularly noteworthy. Despite it being competent, I was bored of it by the time I was done.

A word of warning - if you are thinking of picking this game up then reviews suggest that you should stay away from the PC and GBA versions.

---

Next time I'll be playing through something (slightly) different; 007: Racing for the original Playstation.

So, on a scale. How excited for watching the new Bond movie are you? :D

I've enjoyed reading your blogs!

In my youth, I really liked Nightfire. I used to defend the game to death. I once proclaimed that it was superior to Halo on an internet forum, and was laughed out of town. I haven't played Nightfire or the original Halo in a very long time, so I can't really say if that opinion stands. Probably not, I was a fanboy back in the day, and had an irrational hatred for the Xbox.

What I loved most about Nightfire was that it felt like the sequel that finally did Goldeneye justice. I played so much Goldeneye in my grandmother's basement, which created a love for all things Bond. Tomorrow Never Dies was absolute crap, and I never played The World is Not Enough because I didn't own a N64, and my uncle didn't buy it. 007 Racing was... well, you'll play it soon enough, ha ha. After a long wait, the first Bond game I was Agent under Fire. And it sucked. It was completely void of personality. I thought it was so boring and lame.

I was down in the dumps for so long following so many meh Bond games, that Nightfire seemed glorious when I played it. It was as if someone actually tried to make a good game. And it had Pierce's face, which was cool.

Now, can I just say, Skyfall is going to be soooo awesommmeeeeee.

Oh man. Nightfire was pretty much my childhood. I was a little too young for Goldeneye to have any sort of significant impact, but this and the other bond games for that generation of consoles are pretty definitive in my memory. Then I played Halo 2 for the first time and realized that high quality First Person Shooters already existed, but I didn't own the right console to play them on.

Nightfire was awesome, 007 Racing not so much.

i remember playing this on my original xbox. and loved it! doing it stealth and finding all the different ways to complete a mission:) and also played a lot of local multiplayer with friends. so much fun.

@BoG said:

I've enjoyed reading your blogs!

In my youth, I really liked Nightfire. I used to defend the game to death. I once proclaimed that it was superior to Halo on an internet forum, and was laughed out of town. I haven't played Nightfire or the original Halo in a very long time, so I can't really say if that opinion stands. Probably not, I was a fanboy back in the day, and had an irrational hatred for the Xbox.

I must say, at the time, I completely agreed with your opinion. I loved Nightfire, and while I didn't have the hatred you've mentioned having, I was pretty meh on the original Halo at the time (for various reasons... not all the fault of the game).