Press Start to Play

“James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing”

Available on Gamecube, X-Box, Playstation 2, Gameboy Advanced

Developer/Publisher: Electronic Arts

Rated T for Teen

Grade: A

James Bond has returned to the video game world once again in Electronic Arts’ “James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing.” The game includes the voices of Pierce Brosnan, Judi Dench, John Cleese, Willem Dafoe, Shannon Elizabeth, Mya and Heidi Klum.

Richard Kiel also returns to once again to voice the character he played in “Moonraker,” Jaws. Along with a new plot and twists, the game plays just like a Bond movie would.

This new addition to the James Bond franchise of games is by far one of the most unique and well-done Bond games since “Goldeneye.” It gives players the opportunity to use gadgets that, until now, could never have been used in a video game. You will get a chance to try out unique gadgets that Q creates for Agent 007 – the ‘repel’ device being one of the cooler items, as it allows you to scale up and down high places.

“Everything or Nothing” also sets itself apart from other Bond games by enabling the gamer to use more stealth tactics to increase secret agent skills. Players are rewarded for figuring out extra side tactics to reach objects, take out enemies or to create a Bond-like type of trick, such as taking out a mass of enemies by collapsing the bridge they are on. You can press yourself against the wall and target an oncoming soldier and as he rounds the corner. You can take him out with a quick snapping of his neck.

Tactics that kill, or take out, enemies silently are the key to staying alive in most scenarios. If you fire off an AK-47 at an enemy, others in the area will react to it. It becomes easy to trigger responses from patrolling soldiers and the player can be quickly overwhelmed by an onslaught of enemies. Using hand-to-hand combat is a good way to silence enemies as well as to save your ammunition incase you get surrounded.

The weapons are very variable from one to the next. Some guns fire rounds quickly while others are slower but more powerful. You can run out of ammo very quickly so practicing sneaking up on enemies is a good idea. Your best bet is to use AK-47s or SIGs and salvage your Desert Eagle ammo for when you need to take out a few enemies quickly. The AK tends to miss, while the Eagle packs a powerful punch and takes fewer shots to eliminate an enemy.

Bond also gets his shot at driving in this game. You get to try out a few different vehicles including cars, tanks, motorcycles and helicopters. Each are equipped with machine guns, bombs and missiles. In some cases Q adds some extra toys to help you take out your pesky enemies or to get rid of the road rage built up inside of you. The motorcycle in one level includes side-mounted flamethrowers to make sure other motorists don’t come to close. Each driving level does occasionally involve a timed mission, but they usually take only two or three tries to finally complete.

The single player mode itself is very much mind blowing because of the vast amounts of detail that EA and MGM Studios put into the game. Dafoe was a perfect choice to play the main villain and having the Bond movie actors, along with others, use their looks and voices is a great touch to the game. Any fan of “Syphon Filter,” “Metal Gear” or older Bond games will really appreciate this one. It plays like you would expect a James Bond movie to look like. It has its slow moments and then the fast paced action. It is obvious that EA took their time creating this game.

The multiplayer is also a very unique addition to the Bond series. The arena battle is not available right off the bat. First you and another player must gain points in co-op missions in order to unlock areas and eventually enable the arena battle option. It’s a very unique way of assuring players get the most out of the game by requiring them to complete other tasks before being able to use the modes most players want to play. It may seem annoying at first, but it forces you to try an option that most players might overlook.

The single player also has its benefits of completing a job well done. If you can complete special tasks on the hardest levels, you a granted cheats to use in all levels. If you manage to achieve a high score on normal, you get other things granted to you such as production stills. These can appear to be simple tasks but as the game progresses it becomes more and more difficult to attain these hidden objectives. Also once you use a cheat in a level you have not already completed, you will not be allowed to move on to the next mission.

This addition to the popular “007” series is absolutely fantastic. It delivers a challenging set of missions that are difficult enough to provide a challenge without becoming annoying. The graphics are very smooth and the controls are a little complicated, but learnable.

“James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing” is a must buy for any fan of the Bond series or of other third-person agent games. The game is available on X-Box, PS2, Gamecube and also on Gameboy Advanced, but the GBA version is obviously not as detailed. Average cost is around $50.