007: Quantum of Solace

007: Quantum of Solace is a shooter game released on consoles and PC back in 2008 and is based on two films: Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale. If you’re a fan of the James Bond books and films then you’ll likely have a blast with this game as you fight enemies and complete missions in the shoes of the famous secret agent.

A classic bond story

The game follows largely the same plot as the film Quantum of Solace, with certain missions taking place in the past during the events of Casino Royale. The plot is largely centered around a criminal organization known as Quantum, with the first scene of the game involving you as Bond kidnapping a prominent member of the organization for interrogation – Mr. White. Following backstabbing and betrayal, White makes a daring escape which leads to a long chain of events full of high-stakes action. If you’re looking for a classic Bond experience then we highly recommend you download 007: Quantum of Solace as it has everything you could ask for.

Engaging shooter gameplay

007: Quantum of Solace boasts gameplay very similar to the likes of Call of Duty and other first-person shooter games. You get to try out and use all sorts of different weapons, from pistols to snipers and machine guns, all from a first-person perspective. The one big difference between this shooter and others, however, is that you get put into the third person when hiding behind cover. Not only is this good for spotting enemies without putting yourself in harm's way, but it also helps reinforce the fact that you’re playing as the famous James Bond and not just some generic character. 007: Quantum of Solace is immersive, tense, and for a game released all the way back in 2008 it’s still very enjoyable to play through. You even get fast-paced quick-time events at various points throughout the story, switching up the gameplay to keep things interesting and unique.

Attention to detail

The main characters from the Bond films that appear in the game such as James Bond, Dominic Greene, and Camille Montes, all share a likeness to their film counterparts and are even voiced by the same actors. This detail is important for making a successful film-based video game, and 007: Quantum of Solace really hits the nail on the head here, providing a truly immersive experience for players. All the weapons and environments are modeled very well too. Overall, the attention to detail in this game is fantastic and very much worthy of praise.

Pros:

• A classic bond story based on two best-selling films
• Intuitive shooter mechanics
• A range of environments and gameplay styles to enjoy throughout the game
• Fantastic soundtrack

Cons:

• Slightly outdated graphics
• Some gunfights can feel a bit slow and tedious with how much you’re required to hide behind cover in certain levels

Now, I Know what you're thinking. A movie tie-in, published by Activision, with movie likenesses. Well hold your horses, because Quantum of Solace is playable, fun and, while nothing astonishing, is a good laugh for any Bond fan. Taking place over the course of the eponymous movie and the previous Casino Royale, you take the role of Daniel 'Moodiest Bond Ever' Craig as he lays a steadily more inconceivable amount of bullets into the hides of Her Majesty's enemies.

Thankfully, Treyarch have learned a fair amount from the rest of the genre and console Bond games GoldenEye (the Rare one) and Everything Or Nothing. QOS focuses heavily on throwing enthralling setpieces at you, doing its best to take your attention off the tight, yet generic, gameplay. Beneath the hood of exploding helicopters and falling debris QOS plays like Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. You'll predominantly play in FPS-mode, but you can 'stick' to cover, flipping to third-person Craig-O-Vision, blind-firing or popping up to shoot.

A Quick Fling

This isn't badly done, either - many games casually ruin themselves with a shoddy Gears of War-style cover system, but QOS happily copies and refines it In fact, QOS does a great deal right. It looks the part, it controls perfectly well on a keyboard and mouse, and it has some honest-to-God moments of goodness.

Treyarch have taken as much as they can from the licence - everything has a slick, gadgety feel, and they even (much like EA's Everything or Nothing) commissioned a game-only theme song.

The problem, honestly, is that as well as only being a few hours long - six at the very most - nothing QOS does is amazing. There are times when you'll be excited, elated even, by some of the cool things going on around you, but the gameplay and experience, once you lose the initial James Bond veneer, is rather generic.

Overall, the Bond setting makes it fun and the setpieces (as utterly linear as they make everything feel) do keep Quantum of Solace exciting. It's tight, it's enjoyable, it looks good, and while it sits comfortably under the "Pfft, well it'll never be as good as GoldenEye" umbrella, it's one of the few Bond games that come close to the N64 classic.