Military Video Games, computer games - Air Force Times

Bond game packs guns, gadgets, girls

The latest movie-to-game adaptation? Bond. James Bond. Based on the feature film of the same name, “Quantum of Solace,” as well as the previous 007 flick, “Casino Royale,” this covert spy game lets you slip into the shoes of the world’s best-known secret agent and use stealth and cunning to take down enemies with high-tech weaponry or hand-to-hand combat.

The relatively short single-player campaign (lasting only about four to five hours) has you navigate through dangerous locations based on these films primarily from a first-person perspective (like “007: GoldenEye” on the Nintendo 64). When you take cover behind an object, however, the camera pulls out to a third-person view to better see the environment, including the thugs firing at you.

Your pistol, with silencer, will get plenty of action in this game, but you’ll also gain access to automatic rifles, shotguns and hand grenades. If you want to minimize your chances of being detected, press up on the D-pad (Microsoft Xbox 360 version), select “Single Shot,” and aim for the head.

Controlling Bond is quite easy, with dedicated buttons to take cover, sprint to another spot, cycle through weapons, fire, reload and check your mobile phone for mission objectives and other information.

“Quantum of Solace” looks great, too, thanks to the renowned “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” engine, delivering high-definition characters that resemble their real-life counterparts, including Daniel Craig (as Bond), Dame Judi Dench (as M), Olga Kurylenko (as Camille, Bond’s leading lady) and Mathieu Amalric (as the villainous Dominic Greene). For added authenticity, the game also features the real voices of these stars instead of sound-a-likes often used in video games.

The set pieces are equally as impressive, such as a Venetian courtyard, Miami museum, Bolivian desert, the streets of London, a casino in Montenegro and on top of a moving train, to name a few.

While the solo mode is quite short, it’s a nonstop action ride (and you can even skip through all the non-interactive dialogue sequences if you don’t care for the story).

What does add to the game’s longevity and ability to be replayed, however, are the multiplayer modes and special maps you can play, with up to 12 gamers online. While some may like the straightforward kill-or-be-killed “Golden Gun” mode, “Bond Versus” proves a bit deeper with one player as Bond against six enemies; 007 wins if he can take down all the enemies or diffuse the bombs. The “Bond Evasion” mode pits two teams against one another, MI6 and The Organization.

“Quantum of Solace” is a solid “B” title that’s definitely worth a weekend rental if you’re a fan of James Bond or stealthy action games. It doesn’t really offer anything new to the genre, and the short single-player campaign might disappoint those looking for something meatier, but the faithful 007 experience with recognizable characters and locations and multiplayer modes make it a worthy adventure.