James Bond 007: NightFire
After the disappointment of James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire, EA Games takes another swing at James Bond video games. This time, the outcome is more rewarding. Offering another original storyline and Pierce Brosnan's likeness, James Bond 007: Nightfire brings the series back into the spotlight and reminds us how a good James Bond video game should be.

Graphics:

The graphics in Nightfire are a LOT more polished than Agent Under Fire's. No more cheesy effects; Nightfire's graphics aim to please. The cutscenes looks great, along with the in game graphics. Also, James Bond doesn't look stupid this time around. Instead of blending all the previous actors into one, EA Games was able to get their hands on Pierce Brosnan's likeness. This makes the game feel a lot more like the movies, and it looks a lot better overall.

Sound and Music:

The game certainly sounds good as well. All the voices, while not done by the actors who play them in the movies, sound pretty good. This time around Bond sounds a lot more like Pierce Brosnan, instead of Sean Connery. Sound effects, such as explosions and guns shooting, all sound equally as good as the voices. Musically, the game succeeds as well. With all the great Bond tunes and remixes thrown into the game, what's not to love?

Storyline:

In an attempt to destroy the world's supply of post-industrial waste, a business man by the name of Rafael Drake has transformed the Phoenix Corporation from an ecology ravaging behemoth into the world's leading regeneration company. Later, you find out that he plans to use the US Missile Defense Platform to eradicate remaining nuclear arsenals which threaten his island. He has codenamed his plan "Project Nightfire". Throughout the game you will meet up with a variety of characters, including Zoe Nightshade, who was the CIA Agent who helped you out in Agent Under Fire. Along with her, you'll encounter two other "Bond" girls, one of which is good, and the other who is bad. Nightfire's storyline was a lot more pleasing than that of AUF's. It's a lot more plausible, and seeing as how the US Missile Defense Platform is currently in production right now, it doesn't seem too far fetched.

Gameplay:

Throughout the game you will go on twelve different missions, which include normal shooting ones, a few driving ones, and a few stealth ones. All of these missions play extremely well. Where as AUF's missions seemed repetitive and boring, Nightfire's missions offer more variety and excitement. You will travel through many exotic locations during the game, including a mission where you must drive a specialized car underwater and another where you will go into space and face Drake on the US Missile Defense Platform. The single player is extremely well done, with exciting gameplay and a great storyline. The multiplayer is fun as well, although it is not as fast paced as TimeSplitters 2. This is especially true if you pick Jaws as your character, seeing as how the speed of a character depends on how big they are. You also don't reload as fast in Nightfire as in other FPS games. This is due to the fact that Nightfire takes a more realistic approach, making everything seem as it would if the battle were real. There's only a small amount of playable levels, but the game still has more than Agent Under Fire did. Nightfire also offers more play modes, more weapons, and more playable characters. The multiplayer in the game reminded me a lot of The World is Not Enough's, which is great. Although Pirate Yoshi and Bomber Link both complained about the multiplayer, it isn't as bad as they say. They are just too used to the fast paced TimeSplitters 2 and can't get used to a more REALISTIC approach to first-person shooters.

Controls:

The controls in the game are pretty much the same as Agent Under Fire's. However, the controller is used more efficiently than before. A few things are changed, but it is for the better. With controls nearly the same as AUF's, its hard to so much more about them.

Replayability:

The game has loads of replay value. In order to unlock all the special characters, modes, and levels in the multiplayer mode, you must first complete certain objectives in the single player mode. While this was fairly easy to do in AUF, taking only a day or two, Nightfire's objectives can be extremely hard to unlock. In order to achieve the certain amount of points required, you will have to put the game on the hardest difficulty. Once you do this, you will be annihilated quickly if you are not careful. Along with that, there is always the multiplayer mode, which allows you to either play against your friends or against the good old AI Bots.

Overall, Nightfire does everything that Agent Under Fire couldn't. While it doesn't compare to GoldenEye, it certainly surpasses both Agent Under Fire and The World is Not Enough in terms of gameplay, storyline, graphics, and just about everything else. Nightfire reminds us what a James Bond game should both feel and play like, which is why I'm hoping the next Bond game takes a lesson or two from it, instead of winding up like another Agent Under Fire.
Graphics: 9.0/10
Sound and Music: 9.0/10
Storyline: 9.6/10
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Controls: 9.0/10
Replayability: 8.0/10
8.0
Out of 10