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GAME ON!

December 5, 2002

By Ian Bonds

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Or Kwanzaa, or Chanukah, or whatever denominational holiday you happen to celebrate this time of year. More and more games are hitting the shelves, and as they do, I try my best to get my grubby little hands on them and review them for you. This week is no exception, and I’m bringing you tidings of joy for all three systems, as well as a Quick Shot this week for a game I really want to play, but I’ll probably never get the chance to. Oh, and this column also features the review that will no doubt cause a sudden drop in my popularity (that is, if I were popular at all). What could it be? Read on…

THE NAME IS BOND…IAN BOND…

Well actually, it’s Bonds, but I digress. Anyway, as you can tell, our first review is for JAMES BOND 007 NIGHTFIRE, available now for PC, PS2, Xbox and Gamecube, for which I played the latter version. Once again a threat to the world’s security is at hand, and it’s up to everyone’s favorite agent to stop this menace. This time the menace is provided by Raphael Drake of the Phoenix International Corporation, who seems to have stolen some important missile components in order to create the NIGHTFIRE, as weapon of great destructive power.

First off, as you start the game, and I mean, when you press start at the main menu screen, you play through a “Prologue”, like the beginning of every James Bond movie. However, this opening isn’t nearly as exciting as any of the film’s (with the possible exception to GOLDENEYE’S boring opener) and the control through it is on a bit of a curve since it tosses you headfirst into the action. After completing this, you are then treated to a very movie-like opening title sequence, complete with theme song (Madonna, eat your heart out). This game strives to be a James Bond movie, and is even the first game to use Pierce Brosnan’s likeness. Make no mistake, though. The box may claim that it’s Brosnan as Bond, but that’s in features alone, he doesn’t provide the voice for the British agent.

Gameplay is your typical FPS. Walk, shoot, strafe and pick up items as you progress. There’s no real targeting system, per se, but occasionally (and randomly) the sight in the center of the screen tends to drift to an enemy without any real pattern. Odd. There are a few different ways of completing each objective for each level, though. For example, in the first stage you can either blast your way into the mansion with guns blazing, take the easy route hidden in a truck, or sneak around on the ledge beside the building. This adds a nice difficulty level to each stage, beyond the normal one you can select when you start. Also, there are a few driving missions, where you control Bond’s Aston Martin, which, while cool, are a bit lacking in the control area.

The graphics, however, are quite nice. Every item is very detailed, and the characters you interact with a lifelike enough. Backgrounds react, if minimally, to gunfire, and the environments are large and fully realized. The cutscenes throughout also add typical Bond drama and corny one-liners, and the music is similar to your typical Bond score, though a bit monotonous at times.

However, in overall gameplay, it’s just another first person shooter. The multiplayer elements don’t really add too much that we haven’t seen either. Despite numerous efforts, no one can top the standard set by 007 GOLDENEYE on Nintendo 64. While still a fun game to play, at the end, you’re wondering if the franchise will Die Another Day or just continue on with lackluster sequels.

THE SOUND AND THE FURY

For our (unintentional) EXTREME SPORTS GAME OF THE WEEK here at Game On, we’re reviewing ATV OFFROAD FURY 2 for PS2. The sequel to the smash hit, this game brings more of the great gameplay, as well as some new features.

Typical sports game, compete and win. This time, it’s on those little All-Terrain Vehicles everyone seems to love so much. Race against numerous computer controlled opponents while doing tricks and jumps off various types of land to become the best…whatever you call a guy who races ATVs.

Control here, if you’re familiar with the first game, is pretty much exactly the same. Be the fastest and do tricks and you gain player points in each race, developing a Player Profile, which tracks your progress during each session. Depending on how well you do unlocks more courses, as well as better ATVs and some cool mini games. There are 14 Championships in all, and each one has its own particular style for completion, be they just straight-ahead race, or freestyle-type trick competition. I’ve found, however, that most of the time when I attempt a trick, I land before completing it and end up eating dirt, losing my position in the race. Also, these ATVs are a lot easier to tip over than I thought.

Ah, but there’s nothing like soaring through the air on a big, heavy vehicle and then landing on someone’s head to knock them out of position. The graphics here are top notch, with backgrounds being lush and large, both in scope and detail. Water splashes, mud splatters, and even sticks to the rider as he passes through it. The look of the game is as good as the previous one, just tightened up a bit more, with the animation being more fluid which gives the action a smoother feel.

The sound is typical X-Game alternative rock thumpers, but I found myself listening to the same song over and over again. Though, I’ll admit, Quarashi’s “Stick ‘Em Up” is perfect for this kind of race. The online element is present for this game, adding to Playstation’s constantly growing list of Internet-playable titles. However, I’m not sure how well it works, as when I logged on, there was no one there to play! I’m guessing not enough people own this title yet. Maybe I’ll just try after Christmas, as this is a good title, and definitely one to pick up.

QUICK SHOT OF THE WEEK

This week’s Quick Shot is more of a rant than a review. This is because the topic is a title I may never get the opportunity to play. You see, this site’s owner and acclaimed director Kevin Smith just wrapped the shooting of his latest film, JERSEY GIRL. As a parting gift to his stars, he had some animation friends create a game called JEN SAVES BEN, which he bestowed upon them at the end of the shoot. I won’t lie to you. I’m a huge View Askew fan; it’s one of the reasons I’m here at the site. I’ve always tried to incorporate View Askew characters into the games I play. For example, if a game has a create-a-character option, I invariably make someone from one of Kevin’s films. Jay & Silent Bob make an excellent tag-team in WRESTLEMANIA 2000 for N64, and Jason Lee once again returns to the skating world as Banky in TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 3. However, these pale in comparison to an actual View Askew game. And while not in the “View Askew-niverse," this game still has all the earmarks of Kevin’s fondness for returning characters and gentle ribbing of friends. Affleck kidnapped? J-lo battling ninjas? Shit, there’s a cybernetic Matt Damon as a boss. I want to play this game. I NEED to play this game. The gamer in me is intrigued, while the Kevin Smith fan in me is frothing at the mouth. And if that weren’t bad enough, News Askew, our sister site, shows shots of this:

That’s right, a Jay & Silent Bob video game. The word is this may end up at the Secret Stash in Red Bank. It seems I have a road trip in my future. I just hope I have enough quarters for the tolls AND the game.

CRAPTACULAR GAME OF THE WEEK

Warning: The following review is not one that many will agree with. This is just One Gamer’s Opinion.

As games are created, many entries of the same genre are made in order to capitalize on a popular theme. Years ago, that was the fighting game. With games like STREET FIGHTER and MORTAL KOMBAT, fighting games were breaking new ground in control, moves and action. When TEKKEN and VIRTUA FIGHTER came along, the emphasis was on the realism of the look, as well as the style of fighting. After a while, however, the genre became tired, and the world was plagued with bad fighting games that only rehashed the ideas in the originals. Honestly, I haven’t really enjoyed a fighting game since TEKKEN 3 (with the exception of a few games of STRIP STREET FIGHTER I played with a lady-friend, but I digress) and the genre has become one that has lost importance to me over the years. Each new fighting game that comes out, whether it is a sequel to an already existing series or a brand-new title, offers nothing new anymore. Each of these games can be reduced to button-mashing mess of sloppy controls and “been there, done that” action. MORTAL KOMBAT: DEADLY ALLIANCE is no exception. You read right. While the graphics on this game are MUCH improved over the former entries in the series, and the blood effects are nice; it’s still just another button-mashing mess. I’ve played all three versions (for PS2, Gamecube, and yes, Xbox) and the control is simply the worst I’ve ever played. For starters, the analog sticks on each controller are not used at all. This means that control is done by use of the controller’s D-pad. Now, the PS2 controller is the most forgiving in this area, as the D-pad is used often in other games, and has a good deal of give and movement for fluid control of the character. Despite this, the character still moves jerky and awkwardly, and the moves are difficult to execute. On the Gamecube, the D-pad is virtually immovable, and the Xbox is a similar story. With these major problems with this game, in addition to the fact that this game offers up nothing new for the genre other than some new Fatalities with TEKKEN-esque graphics, makes me consider this game a Craptacular mess. If I can’t control it, I can’t enjoy it. And I just don’t enjoy this game.

Well folks, now that I’ve alienated half of my readers, it’s time to end this week’s column. I’ll be back next week, and I hope to see the rest of you there as well. I’ll return with more game reviews and information for you all. Until then, keep smiling, and Game On.

*To read Ian's GAME ON! EXTRA, a recap of the recent Nintendo Cube Club party in Baltimore, click here.

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