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BY LIAM GASCOIN
Times Correspondent | Wednesday, November 19, 2008 | (No comments posted.)
Three words. Bond. James Bond.
The greatest spy is back and has a new video game called (guess what), "Quantum of Solace," based on the new Bond movie. This first-person shooter actually follows both "Casino Royale," the last installment in the Bond series, and "Quantum," its sequel.
You play as Bond. In "Casino Royale," you have just become a Double 0 and basically are trying to stop Le Chiffre, every terrorist's favorite banker.
In "Quantum," you investigate a mysterious crime organization that has agents everywhere. You jump back to "Casino Royale" in flashbacks.
I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but you do a lot of chasing and shooting. I did like chasing Mitchell (M' s traitor-bodyguard) through the markets and rooftops of Siena, Italy. When I ran into a house, a lady in a white dress told me to get out. You could hear church bells ringing and what sounds like a soccer crowd cheering in the distance. I shot one bell out of a tower to take out some enemies.
When you shoot a bad guy in "Quantum," there is no blood. But if you shoot at, say, a fruit cart, fruit explodes everywhere. My mom liked that touch.
Anyway, M scolds you for killing Mitchell, you fight hired killers in an opera house and end up following a suspect named Dominic Green to Bolivia.
There are some good Bond-style explosions.
To be honest, I wish the developers had made two separate campaigns, one for "Casino Royale" and one for "Quantum of Solace." If you haven't seen both, the storylines get confusing.
The sound effect and soundtrack of "Quantum" are great. It really sounds like you're in a gun battle but the action seems mediocre, like they stole the "Call of Duty 4" gameplay and watered it down. When Daniel Craig-as-Bond is shooting his gun, you feel like you are aiming and everything, but throwing grenades is just so weird. Your arm doesn't bend. The perspective shifts from first to third-person so you can see yourself playing as Bond so you notice when you move stiffly.
The graphics are not as good as I expected for the next-generation consoles, either. Once again, they're not necessarily bad; they're just not great. For example, I don't think Bond blinks. Not once.
Story mode is passable and the online multiplayer modes are pretty cool.
Sometimes you take on a team of enemies, or have to defuse two out of three bombs before time runs out. Or you fight on teams, and one member of the MI6 team is randomly chosen to be Bond. The M16 team has to escort Bond to safety and eliminate everyone else to win.
I think I will give "Quantum" a 6 out of 10 because I like James Bond and the game is cool but the gameplay is mostly unoriginal and repetitive. I think they should make a Bond game where you play as Sean Connery. He's definitely the BEST BOND EVER.
See ya!
Liam Gascoin, 13, one of the nation's youngest gaming critics, writes exclusively for The Times. Reach him at TheVidKids@aol.com.
Ifyouplay
"Quantum of Solace" by Activision
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 1, Wii, Nintendo DS, Windows
Rating: T (alcohol reference, mild language, violence)
Mode: Single-player (12 online)
Grade: C+
Cost: $69.99 to $29.99
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