Taking a well-known character like James Bond and making a game around him is no easy task. Let’s be honest, out of the people to play James Bond, Sir Sean Connery had the perfect look and the moves to pull off the character better then the rest. I know there are fans that preferred Moore and Brosnan but Sean Connery was the man who really made the character famous. Now the last James Bond game was enjoyable but just did not seem to capture the feel of the series. This may have been due to the fact most gamers were expecting a sequel and there was too much hype around the game. It was decent but nothing like the original Golden Eye.

EA has taken the Bond franchise and treated it well for the most part. When it was announced the newest adventure would not only use an old script as the storyline but feature Sean Connery, a lot of fans had doubts how it would turn out. A few were excited but still wondering if it could be done well and just how they were going to pull it off. Any fan of Bond knows that the relationship between Bond and Q was at times similar to a father and son relationship. Seeing the two on screen together exchanging cheap shots and one-liners was definitely a highlight. Q was masterfully played by the late Desmond Llewelyn. This would be a hard part of the storyline to recreate. So how is the new Bond adventure and is it worth playing? Read the full From Russia with Love review and find out.

Gameplay

From the minute you pop in the game disc, the famous intro will have fans loving the game and feeling like they are back in that time period. The look and feel of the 1960’s movie is captured well and even allows gamers to play a mini-mission before the actual story started just like in most of the movies. There are a few parts of the gameplay where EA decided to take a few liberties as far as the overall story. There are a few key parts missing and some new ones added in for the sake of the action that does not stay true to the original script. While some die-hard Bond fans may want to complain about this, it’s to be expected and the changes are nothing that is going to wreck the overall experience. One of the changes is the group called SPECTOR is renamed Octopus. At times the game tends to jump around a bit but overall the main plot and story are left in tact. Octopus or SPECTOR is using James’ weakness, a knock-out lady in distress, to get a decoder that the British Intelligence Department wants. James wants the girl and, of course, with Sean Connery doing the voice the formula works for the most part.

The overall story is broken up in chapters or missions and players earn extra points for finding valuable Intel and using special moves rather than weapons to take out the bad guys. It is fun and plays well but at times, when compared to a few other games in the series, seems a little easier. You meet up with the usual characters and a few just made for this one special. The way they recreated the meeting with M and with Q was remarkable and with the help of over-dubbed dialogue from the original movie the time spent with Q seems like he was in the sound studio reading the lines right with the rest of the actors. The cars, the guns and even Q’s gadgets are great and work well in the game. The missions show some great planning from the developers. The levels that are right from the movie stand out the most and the recreations help make it seem realistic which helps gamers get into the overall game. The few that were made special or recreated are good just not as exciting but that may be the Bond fan in me talking. As good as the title looks and plays, it’s not all brilliant or dazzling. At times the missions are too easy to get through. The hand to hand combat is a bit odd but once players get used to it works. It also seems at times it becomes a shooting gallery where you need to kill a bunch of bad guys just for the same of stretching out a level or mission.

The vehicles are great looking and you will get to use the jet pack, the old car from the movie and even the boat with the huge machine gun on it. However, they made the driving levels a bit strange and really too easy. You take way too much damage even for a Bond-themed mission, then when it looks bad, you simply find a garage and it’s fixed. A few gamers will find this part of the game too unrealistic and a bit too arcade like. It’s not horrible but seems to take you away from the world they try so hard to place you in. Most of the levels using a vehicle have similar issues and again it’s fun but not the most realistic series. They also tried to use more stealth elements and melee attacks since when Sean played James Bond one of his trademarks was to brawl with enemies much more so than those who played Bond in years to come. It will take any player a little while to get used to the way it is set up. You need to hit the right button for the knock out right when it flashes which again seems a bit too arcade-like. After awhile it becomes comfortable to a point, but it’s easy to want to use the weapons and then not earn the extra bonus points for a Bond Move, which is used for upgrading weapons and unlocking the special trailers and other mini-films and features they added in. Despite a few flaws and some strange or different new features the game is enjoyable and really does capture the look and feel of the game and the movie.

Control / Playability

Russia has some of the nicest controls found in any of the previous games for the most part. Learning the moves won’t take long and the games camera is solid. The learning curve for the advance controls including the targeting system and special gadgets is about 15 minutes tops. Q’s gadgets work well and perhaps are the best part of the whole game. Controlling James himself is easy, but the hardest part will be remembering when to duck to avoid bullets. There are a few places where after a certain move or action, the game takes over briefly and completes the sequence for you I was never a fan of this and while I understand at times it is needed I want to finish the move myself. The only area where the controls seem a bit loose is during the driving parts with the car. It feels like you’re just driving and shooting for the sake of added more to the game and little more. This also may be due to the way the car controls are set up. You use the buttons for the gas and braking and the triggers for the mini-machine guns. Not horrible but not the tightest driving in a Bond game either. Overall the rest off the game controls well.

Graphics / Presentation

This is where the game shines the most, because everything looks like it belongs in the time period of the movie. Bond looks like Bond and the graphics are top-notch. All the lead characters look outstanding and even the henchmen look good and different. Q and others look exactly as they did back then and the cities, planes and buildings have that look that makes you believe you’re in a Bond adventure. A few levels seem better looking and one or two look rushed but nothing major. The fact they were able to make the final title look as good as it does shows they went for quality and for the most part succeed. Sean Connery looks great and probably had a lot of input in the way he looked. New comer Maria Menounos looks good but her out fit looks a bit out of date, meaning it looks like something worn in the 80’s but it fits her role well. The game is something that will make anyone stand back and look excellent artistic work.

Audio

Sir Sean Connery sounds like he was really into the role most of the time. A few areas where the dialogue is mixed in between gun battle and chases sound a bit rough. Overall though, the audio is great and the score is really well done and helps set the action. The weapons and explosions all have their own unique realistic sounds. The most impressive part is the voice talents and the re-creation in the game with the right combination of real actors and sound footage. Overall the audio really helps the game shine.

Replay Value

From Russia with Love will take most gamers about 6-9 hours to beat on the default setting. It seems a bit shorter and it does have a few levels that are very easy. Die-hard gamers will want to earn enough points to max out the weapons and unlock all the movies while most will be content just beating the game itself. The split screen multi-player mode adds a bit of replay value but may get old quickly. An online mode would have been nice but again after the last game, I can see why they wanted to focus just on the single-player game. It offers plenty in the way of customs and weapons and unlocking them all is a challenge. The game has a decent story with some surprises that should make any fan of the film series happy.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 8.0/10 [not an average]

Additional Comments

James Bond is back and this approach worked better than I thought it would and that is great. While it has a few changes from the movie and a few minor flaws, it is fun and well done. The levels were well thought out and most have more than one way through them which is refreshing to see. I would have liked to see better driving levels, but it’s tough to do well in a game that only has a few parts that involve this. Overall, this is a good game and fun to play. Die-hard Bond fans will need to remind themselves a few of the names and characters have been changed but that’s not so bad. Sean Connery added a lot to the game. For fans this one is certainly worth the money to play and worth keep in your collection.

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