James Bond 007: From Russia with Love
Electronic Arts - Electronic Arts
Xbox
Release date: 2006-09-08
Video Game
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James Bond 007: From Russia with Love
Date undefined The beginning of From Russia With Love is a pretty indicative sign of the troubles to follow. It not only is incongruous with the story of either the movie or the remainder of the game, it's emabarrasingly easy and dull. I was struck by how restrictive and blocky the environment felt, and insulted by the bright red glowing ammo boxes and blue glowing armor vests. Have I grown stupid since my last Bond game? Do I need neon lights to point out power-ups? No, but I would have appreciated a more thoughtful attempt at this tribute to one of my favorite movies.
The worst crime EA committed was entirely misunderstanding the theme and pace of a classic Bond game. Challenge is presented through wave after wave of charging soldiers, each one as easy to mow down as the last. Exploration and discovery are nonexistent; the few sequences of varied gameplay are constricted to no more than pushing the A button (which alights on the screen for you) in proximity to a glowing onscreen "action" indicator. And the left trigger lock-on mechanic just emphasizes EA's inability to balance gameplay: every level is little more than running and repeatedly tapping the lock and fire triggers. The total lack of challenge in the gunplay evaporated my enthusiasm within the first two levels. This isn't James Bond, this is Sean Connery in "Die Hard". Yawn.
Speaking of Mr Connery, this vocal performance is pretty inexcusable, even for a 75 year old. He sounds less like our robust young hero than an old codger rushing through work just to grab a quick check and hit the Sizzler buffet. Though he may fancy himself as a guy who could still beat up Alex Trebek, the truth is that at this point Darrell Hammond is a better Sean Connery impersonator that Connery himself.
The sights and sounds of the game are impressive. A few of the movie's locales are re-created, and the developers generally did a solid job of conveying the atmosphere of the original sets. Watching the game over the shoulder of a player would give the impression of a fantastic world. Picking up the controller, however, reminds you what a dull and crushing path James must tread. Environments are tiny and heavily restricted, for example crates can be climbed using the action button, but only the ones which the developers deem necessary to advance movement. EA gave a half-hearted attempt at building an "upgradeable" weapons and gadgets system. The player earns "research points" by searching for information strewn thoughout the environment. These points can be used to upgrade your arsenal slightly, though I honestly couldnt see any benefits. And some flaw in the game prevented my from using "special" ammo on my weapons even after upgrade, leaving the excercise largely a waste. Idiotically, EA again used a glowing signal to mark each one of the valuable documents and drawers, completely rendering the search joyless.
I fully understand the need to expand and fabricate large portions of a film's story to build it into a video game. But the way EA butchered and bastardized the movie's plot is unacceptable. The chase scene in the Aston Martin is turned into an endless fragfest, with Bond exploding wave after wave of paper mache enemy cars. (Did I mention how cartoonish and awful the driving mechanics are?) And the climactic, terrifying fight scene in the train car is reduced to a dumb mid-game cutscene in a dining car, where Red Grant escapes and Bond is left to -surprise!- fight off wave after wave of generic henchmen. Grant reappears in what may be one of the dumbest, cheapest, cruelest boss fights I've ever endured.
If FRWL has one saving grace, it's the jetpack. The flying levels feel and sound like a jetpack should, and while little more than a button mashing fragfest like the rest of the game, it at least provides a sense of verticality and creative control that the rest of the game doesnt attempt. So in conclusion, if you love James Bond, Sean Connery, and the classic From Russia With Love...DON'T PLAY THIS GAME.
James Bond 007: From Russia with Love
Date undefinedIf you are a Bond fan that enjoyed Everything or Nothing needs to buy this game as well. The justice that was done to Pierce in EON, the same is done in this one, with improvements on things that were seen in the original game. The newest feature that is on this game is the "Bond focus" that allows you to zoom in on enemies and shoot bombs and radios on the enemy soldier's waist. The story is told, and stays true enough to the movie that all fans will want to play this. The gameplay is very much the same as EON, so that is why this game would probably appeal more to fans of that game. The sweetest part is that Sean Connery himself actually talks for Bond in the game. I used to think that they must have just took his voice from the movie, but Connery actually sat in the studio and did the voice! I couldn't believe it, and it sounds great as Connery gets to be Bond once again in his favorite 007 movie. Overall, you will love the game if you are a fan, especially if you liked Everything or Nothing. The look and feel is just something no fan will get tired of, I love it!
James Bond 007: From Russia with Love
Date undefinedHonestly, EA promised a step up from their last third person action adventure, Everything or Nothing. Sadly, what you've got is a rudimentary action game with generic level design and uninspired gameplay. The gadgets are nifty, but I wouldn't say this has much substance. The game has a rather iffy multiplayer game to boot, something I hardly enjoyed with a third person 'fragfest' perspective. The game is relatively easy to breeze through, my save file took around 5 hours of playtime start to finish. For my money's worth, I'd give the nod to Everything or Nothing. As far as the continuation of the story is concerned (and the reprisal of Sean Connery as Bond), that's the only real reason why I bothered to play it. However, FRWL purists take note, some plot elements have been rewritten accordingly. Worth a rental, at most.
