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EA Games' latest James Bond adventure, Everything or Nothing arrives on the Xbox as a major step forward for the series. The new third-person viewpoint is surprisingly effective and lets you see Bond in action. EON mixes its third-person stealth combat mode hand-to-hand and vehicular missions that make for an action-packed experience. The intuitive controls allow you to perform a variety of slick moves including rappelling off buildings. Bond can use stealth moves, night-vision and his "Sense" to find hidden enemies. EON also includes digitally scanned models that look just move and sound just like the real actors. This cinematic approach effectively recreates the feel of a Bond film, but the developers haven't lost sight of the what's really important, and have made a solidly entertaining game to compliment the visuals. It's a slick package that's highly entertaining, making Everything or Nothing one of the best Bond games to date. For the most part, James Bond has had an impressive run with the current generation of consoles with the previous titles Nightfire and Tomorrow Never Dies doing a good job of bringing the famous British spy's exploits to video game form. However, the games did tend to become a bit predictable with mostly first person shooting mixed in with a few car chases. However, it seems that EA has decided the franchise needs something more, and Everything or Nothing for the Xbox offers the most ambitious and clever installment in the series yet. Bond fans won't be disappointed since the game has the trademark action sequences, plot twists and engaging villains you've come to expect - though adds a bit more. This time, the plot revolves around a Russian scientist who's been kidnapped and taken to a clandestine military complex in Egypt. As the game unfolds, Bond uncovers a deeper, more sinister plot involving a rogue group looking to blackmail the world with their new nano-technology. It's up to Bond to stop this nefarious organization's plans for world domination. Everything or Nothing definitely feels like a Bond movie in both presentation and pacing with exotic locales and women, with the action unfolding at a surprisingly fast pace. Unlike previous titles, EON offers an excellent variety of missions that's more creative and should keep your interest levels higher than previous games. There are two main modes in the game, and the first one implements a huge change. Unlike earlier Bond titles, Everything or Nothing implements a third-person mode where players take the role of the superspy in shooter type missions. Bond has a variety of cool new abilities this time that add a lot of excitement to the gameplay. He might be a bit old, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a few new tricks up his sleeve. Players can now switch to a thermal vision mode to view hidden enemies, and sneak silently around while crouching to avoid being caught. Bond can sneak up behind opponents and guards and take them out silently, lessening the risk of each mission. These new stealth missions are well-designed, adding depth and tension to the gameplay. In addition, players can use the new "Bond Sense" to find hidden enemies who might be hiding behind walls. As usual, Bond has some cool new gadgets, including a new rappelling gun that allows Bond to walk up and down walls vertically. In addition, Q has developed new remote control robots that you can steer through air vents and then detonate from a distance. Of course, Bond won't always be able to evade detection from foes and will have to fight them to the death. When it comes time to battle enemies, the game's newly improved combat system allows the player much greater flexibility with improved punching and kicking moves. In addition, Bond can now use objects in each level such as chairs, wrenches, and bars against foes. Everything or Nothing lets the player use a variety of weapons including pistols, machine guns and sniper rifles to name just a few. During each mission, Bond can also pick up weapons and ammunition from fallen foes. When firing one of Bond's weapons, players can either shoot manually or auto-target foes to take them out quickly. Controlling Bond and using his gadgets is simple in practice, and the game includes an extensive tutorial level which introduces you to the controls almost painlessly. Once you're in the game, you'll find switching between gadgets and guns is a simple task. Sneaking up behind enemies and taking them out only requires you to press a single button. In addition to weapons and stealth, 007 can use disguises and hide behind objects to pass through levels without confronting foes. The controls are quite intuitive and make playing the game quite easy. Another impressive aspect of the game are the varied mission objectives which give the game more depth. Some of Bond's missions require a lot of firepower, while others require you to sneak through undetected. While there are preset objectives that must be completed on each level before you progress, EON gives you some leeway in how you complete each mission, making the gameplay feel more open-ended. However, the missions and main plot are still linear, so you'll usually end up at the same place. Each mission presents the player with a unique challenge that keeps the interest level high throughout. Everything or Nothing's third-person missions are excellent, but players can also drive some cool cars including Bond's trademark Aston Martin in dangerous combat missions. Other missions allow you to fly helicopters, and race motorcycles through the streets. Each of Bond's vehicles are equipped with a special weapons like machine guns and missiles to help him blast through each level. As in the third-person missions, players can choose to shoot manually or auto-target their opponents. There are also certain points where Bond can jump out of the vehicle, which adds to the excitement. The vehicular missions seem deceptively simple on the surface, but players have to be careful not to take too much damage. You also have to conserve your weapons in these modes since your ammo is limited and you don't have many opportunities to restock. Controlling the vehicles and using the weapons is remarkably simple and most players should have little difficulty steering and aiming. While these missions are decent in their own right, they seem a little under-developed compared to the sophisticated design evident in the shooting missions. Adding to the challenge is a unique reward structure. Before each mission, you can select from several difficulty levels, ranging from easy to hard. Playing at the harder levels makes the enemies more aggressive and adds more objectives to each mission, but completing them allows you to unlock more special features. In addition, as you play the game, you'll be rewarded with special medals when you perform a particularly cool stunt such as jumping over a flaming debris field or taking out all the enemies in a single level without being caught. These sub-objectives definitely makes things more interesting and helps you in thinking like Bond. The design of the missions is excellent and there's a good flow between them that makes you feel like you're interacting with a movie. Speaking of which, you'd expect Everything or Nothing to have supremely polished production values and it does. The game's level-designs are quite epic, with large envirornemnts that take you from the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, to the French Quarter in New Orleans and finally, to Red Square in Moscow. Each level shows an impressive level of detail, in movements and animation, that accurately recreates the epic feel of a Bond film. There are many impressive cut-scenes as well, which highlight some really cool Bond stunts and action sequences. The ground-based combat levels are particularly impressive with excellent level maps. Special effects are nicely done as well. The extensive voice-overs from the actual Bond actors and the classic score definitely give the game an authentic feel. As you'd expect, Pierce Brosnan plays 007 brilliantly with his trademark deadpan humor and style. During the game, you'll get advice and direction from Judi Dench as M and John Cleese plays gadget-guru Q. Bond meets several beautiful women during the mission, including Shannon Elizabeth playing a geologist. She joined by famous model Heidi Klum playing the Russian Scientist and pop performer Maya as a secret agent. There's also a surprising appearance of a famous classic Bond villain from the Roger Moore era, but we won't ruin the surprise. Each of the actors does an excellent job with their roles, and they have also been scanned into the game digitally, which makes you feel like you're inside the movie. EA has done a brilliant job in creating a virtual Bond movie, it definitely has the feel and pace of the films down pat. The tone is perfect and there's nothing that feels out of place with the conventions in the films. Everything or Nothing's superb production values are excellent, and the excellent plotting and storyline should keep you involved in the action throughout. While
film-to-game translations are notoriously uneven, James Bond has had a
remarkably consistent record since the brilliant GoldenEye appeared on the N64.
Now, you can add Everything or Nothing to the list. The plot moves from third
person to action sequences brilliantly, and this varied mission structure keeps
things fresh. Using the third-person perspective this time out is surprisingly
effective, and makes the new stealth elements work beautifully with the rest of
the game. Even though the driving missions seem a little less polished than the
shooting sequences, they're still solid additions to the series, and much
improved from previous installments. The smooth controls and intuitive interface
make the action easy to get into, with autotargeting and other helps allowing
you to get right into the action. The digitized actors and extensive voice-overs
further help this feel like an authentic Bond move. The designers deserve a lot
of credit for moving the series forward with innovative features and creative
mission structures. Instead of going the safe route, the developers have taken
some chances that pay off to give the durable 007 franchise a renewed appeal.
Everything or Nothing is an intelligently designed, clever and interesting game
that recreates the feel of a Bond film while offering highly-tuned, solidly
entertaining gameplay.
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