Quantum of Solace

Review by The Grevster

Bond is back, after a long time break from console gaming 007 is shooting his way onto Xbox 360 in the blockbuster hit Quantum of Solace, a direct sequel to Casino Royale. People have already begun asking that inevitable question "Will it be better than Goldeneye?" Well is it?

Based on the Call of Duty 4 Engine, developed by Treyarch and featuring game mechanics that look very similar to Rainbow Six Vegas and Gears of War, you can't help but undeniably feel an urge to want to play this game. On paper it has everything you could want from an FPS, it controls well, the cover system works fine enough, ducking and covering between fire fights and action sequences play out pleasantly enough to keep you attention. But, although these all add together to make a fine experience, they quickly become complacent, making the game fall directly into that category of shooter games that just miss the mark, a genre the 360 has plenty of.

Story

Kicking off just minutes after the end of Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace: The Game follows James Bond as he seeks to find the killer of his girlfriend Vesper Lynd, whilst simultaneously finding out what "The Organisation" is and those who are behind it. The game follows the plot of not only Quantum but also of Daniel Craig's previous outing as 007 Casino Royale, and so serves up varying missions interlaced with flashbacks, that all in all offer an enjoyable ride. However there are many noticeable instances where you would be expecting to interact, but they are either AI controlled or part of a video sequence, most notably the beginning car chase. Although the game is obviously directly integrated with the film, the developers have taken a more lacklustre approach. Missing almost all of the key narratives and key plot points, Quantum the game acts more like an overview, than a story.

Gampeplay

Quantum has several game mechanics that make it stand out from the over-crowded playing field that is an Xbox 360 shooter. It features a nice, simple and easy to use cover system that although at times can become cumbersome, works well and definitely adds something more. There are several scripted events that are intuitive and certainly add a new dynamic. These are plentiful and are great welcomed additions and include - pressing buttons in sequence a la Shenmue to defeat enemies and progress through action set pieces, shimmying and jumping from ledges and balconies, whilst watching different viewpoints to avoid detection and also a cool inclusion of Bond trying to get back to his Aston Martin after being poisoned. These are great little additions that really add something new, and although most are borrowed from varying series, it's nice to see them all collated into one experience.

One glaringly obvious omission from Quantum that really detracted from the experience that just can't be overlooked is vehicles. Nearly every Bond game to date has featured a vehicle mission in some way, shape or form, whether it be by boat, car, plane etc. These have always been a welcome side mission to the usual shoot fest and are sorely missing from Quantum of Solace. I couldn't help but sick back in anger, when having to watch a video sequence of an intense car chase, when I could have been playing it.

There are several attempts throughout to try and create additions that are new and exciting, yet over time they become tired and boring. Watching the same melee combat animation over and over again is yawn inducing, and the poor effort made for security such as hacking cameras, really fail to push any difficulty on the user. Taking away the necessity to evade and stealthily avoid detection, instead just allowing a quick flick of the cameras on and off switch, really seem like a quick fix was made instead of introducing some new game mechanics that really could have made this overall a better game. Still, there are times when you genuinely enjoy what Quantum has to offer, from great action sequences such as the construction site chase from Casino Royale to the on top of the Train battle, yet these are very seldom, and most of the time you will find yourself corridor bound, ploughing down the same mind numbingly poor enemies that you have already encountered plenty of times prior.

Quibbles with gameplay aside though, the single player story is enjoyable enough to play through comfortably in one sitting, lasting a mere 4-6 hours depending on skill and difficulty. This is made all the easier due to the poorly implemented AI, occasionally sending enemies aimlessly towards you without objective, or making them sit behind cover for hours on end, until you are within punching distance. I suppose this is a bad and good point at the same time, as at least they don't respawn in continual waves until you progress, like in Call of Duty 4.

Graphics and Sound

Overall Quantum of Solace is pretty disappointing coming off the back of such a great engine, you expect more, yet textures, lighting and overall polish are really under par, and are certainly not up to scratch with the likes of Call of Duty, Halo and Gears. However character animations are good enough to hold your attention and voice acting provided by the stars are implanted well, although at times they can seem forced and are used inappropriately. The guns sounds menacing and crackle loudly enough to make you feel as though you are actually involved in frantic gun fights, but simple sounds such as grenades hitting the floor and bullets shattering against concrete surfaces lack punch, and really make you take a step back, and realise you are playing a video game.

Multiplayer

As with all shooters, after the single player is done and dusted, there is always the multiplayer to get to grips with and Quantum of Solace is no different. Amongst all the usual fair of Team Deathmatch and the like, we are also served up some mode dynamic game modes which offer some variety. The Bond vs. Mode is particularly interesting where one person plays as Bond and the rest of the lobby have to try and kill him, each round means a switch of Bond, giving all players a go at being the 00 agent. There is also Bond Evasion, which features players escorting VIP's between checkpoints and the infamous Golden Gun makes a re-appearance with its one shot kill! Included is a system featuring weapon upgrades, and cash boosted bonuses of attachments, damage boosters and overall weapon improvers, all in all adding longevity to the game, but still there's no denying the inevitable, this just isn't really all that fun.

Conclusion

Overall Quantum of Solace isn't a bad game, it works well, features some nice ideas, and makes for an enjoyable, although short, amount of play time. What makes this fail is its poor implementation. The frame work and mechanics are in place, they are just underutilized throughout and really don't make this feel like a 'Bond' game at all. If you are looking for Goldeneye, you better dust off your N64 again, as this isn't it, but it's a good place to start.