Yes, that’s right, folks. The suave and oh-so-cool Bond is back, and he’s even better than before. Everything or Nothing, hereafter referred to as EoN, puts you once again in the shoes of everyone’s favourite super spy- James Bond. Armed with some nifty weapons, gadgets and his ever-present charm, Bond is ready to kick some serious ass.
Although only three stages were present in the preview copy of the game, those three stages certainly managed to capture some excellent qualities that we may expect to see when EoN is released.
The first stage of the game allows a first-hand taste of what your average missions are going to be like. Armed with a variety of weapons and the ability to use funky MARTIAL ARTS (Isn’t that so cool?! ) moves against your opponents, you will never get bored of taking out one of the enemy’s troops.
The weapons sound excellent when fired, and the hand-to-hand attacks are fluid and have a variety of different animations (Such as punching someone in his groin, and then following up with an uppercut to his exposed chin). I replayed the mission many times just to find out just how many ways you could kill an enemy without using a weapon.
Another tactic I found was to pick up random debris that has been scattered throughout the levels (Such as chunks of stone or a burnt out camera) and throwing them at an enemy. Amazingly, a well-aimed camera to a bad guy’s head is sufficient to put him out of his misery.
The level also demonstrated the high quality of EoN’s graphics. EoN’s explosions and special effects are certainly some of the best I have ever seen. The crisp and detailed environments also make you feel as if the world on your screen is real.
The next level, which is actually an extract from the actual stage and thus extremely short, detailed one of the boss fights of the game. In order to defeat the enemy, the player had to think on his feet and come up with an effective strategy to the battle. In certain situations, players will be forced to utilize environmental hazards to defeat the bosses. In my case, I was unarmed and had to resort to knocking the enemy into a damaged electrical pylon to “damage” him.
Finally, the last level deviated from the path of typical first-person shooters by putting you in control of a vehicle. Players can expect to be able to drive nifty vehicles that are outfitted with deadly gadgets like rocket launchers and flamethrowers. The game physics are also very lifelike, with motorcycles tumbling and skidding all over the place when their drivers are killed.
An interesting feature is the player’s ability to perform “stunts” on his spruced up bike, such as wheelies and skids. These “stunts” can sometimes be used to overcome certain obstacles that will be encountered during the game.
Unfortunately, the only playable multiplayer level of EoN was a co-op level in which players have to work together to get past obstacles and to tackle enemy troops. The level was well designed and working with a fellow gamer is rather satisfying. Especially when a rocket-propelled grenade kills him and you proceed to take out the shooter when he is reloading. Now THAT’S teamwork. Of course, one should expect that the retail copy of EoN would contain other popular game modes, such as Deathmatch and Capture the Flag.
From what I have gathered so far, EoN is certainly a promising title that gamers should look out for. The gameplay is smooth, enjoyable and at certain times, hilarious. If you’re a fan of James Bond, or even a casual gamer, be sure to consider getting EoN when it is released. You will not be disappointed. I shall not spoil it for you by saying that the menu screen of EoN also contains a HOT bond girl in a beautiful white satin dress which shimmers and slides over her figure and makes you stare and drool as she twirls about with a pistol in her hand and… Did I just say all that? No, of course I didn’t. If I did, forget I said anything. Why are you still here? Stop reading, now!
