The question, of course, had gained saliency after a string of Bond games that reflected their film’s critical success (or rather, a lack of it). From Russia With Love satisfied some diehard fans’ desire for an authentic Bond adventure, but GoldenEye: Rogue Agent’s attempt to capture Bond videogame fans merely antagonised most. With Activision’s purchase of the Bond license in 2006, many hoped for a reversal of fortunes for the virtual incarnation of their favourite superspy. But then, silence. Until now.
The Spy Who Kicked Me.
Recently, Activision announced that yes, it would be releasing a Bond game to coincide with the release of 007’s next silver screen outing, Quantum of Solace. Perhaps more interestingly, and reassuringly, Activision also let loose a few gameplay details: namely, that it would be based on the Call of Duty 4 engine, and that the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions would be developed by Treyarch, who are responsible for Call of Duty 3 and the upcoming Call of Duty: World at War. Additionally, because Quantum of Solace begins mere hour after Casino Royale, Activision decided that it’d just be easiest to combine the two films into the one game, rather than use the traditional draw-out-any-action-sequence-possible route of most film-to-videogame Bond adaptations.
So, how does Bond play on the current-generation systems? Well, to start off, we’d recommend taking the COD4 engine with a caveat - it won’t all be first person, for a start. Treyarch wanted players to not only know they’re Bond, but to know they’re Daniel-Craig-Bond. The solution was to include a third-person cover system to regularly remind players of their license to kill. Craig will also be providing his own voice-over for the game. Of course, the emphasis is on action - this is a videogame, after all - but it won’t all be gunplay. Garrett Young, executive producer for Quantum of Solace has confirmed that there will be action-based quicktime events, like the parkour opening to Casino Royale. Players will also often be given a choice between stealth and Rambo-style play, reflecting the realistic turn of the modern Bond film. Gadgets also won’t be the focus of the game, though they will make the cut. And what of GoldenEye 64’s great mainstay, the multiplayer mode? Will it make Quantum of Solace? The answer, fortunately, is yes, with multiple online “unique Bond modes” (including a ‘Golden Gun’ stage, which seems to make it into every Bond iteration) for up to 12 players.
This never happened to the other fella!
Quantum of Solace has a lot to live up to. Indirectly, it’s the follow-up to a game that regularly makes the sort of top-ten lists that would make any developer envious. Directly, it’s the videogame adaptation of both the most well-received Bond film in at least a decade, and of possibly the most anticipated. Casino Royale brought the Bond films out of the doldrums. Can Quantum of Solace do the same for Bond videogames?
Quantum of Solace will be released later this year, along with the film, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, PC, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS.
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