James Bond: Quantum of Solace

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James Bond: Quantum of Solace

Preview

Bond, more ruthless than ever

The name's Bond. James Bond.


With that overused opening, we plan to take a closer look at the upcoming James Bond: Quantum of Solace title that is coming out early next month from Activision. The game spans the story of both Daniel Craig's Bond films, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, letting the gamers step into the shoes of this truer-to-the-original version of Bond.

The title, Quantum of Solace, is perhaps one of the most meaningful Bond titles we've ever seen, as it refers, according to author Ian Fleming, to the degree to which one is comfortable in someone else's company. However, the film and thus the game only take the title of the original Ian Fleming story and will thus probably not delve into the original context and deep meaning of the title. Depends on how comfortable you are with blowing stuff up and shooting people dead, I guess.

A little about the plot


Since everyone reading this has certainly seen Casino Royale, it is safe to say that the first part of the game tells a story of James Bond's first big mission where he is slowly and tortuously shaped into a secret agent worthy of the double-0. He starts off as a loose cannon who doesn't really give a damn until he falls in love with a girl. And, as at the end of the film this particular girl dies, the sequel is pretty much about Bond's revenge. And, although this Bond is more dangerous than the old Bond, he is still Bond – thus, there will naturally be a new female lead in the latter part of the game. What happens between Bond and her remains to be seen.

Focus on voice acting


In an attempt to make Quantum of Solace the greatest Bond game ever, the developers have asked pretty much every key actor from the films to reprise their roles in the game. This naturally includes Daniel Craig, but also Olga Kurylenko and Eva Green (the Bond girls from both films), Judy Dench as well as Mathieu Amalric and Mads Mikkelsen (the main nemesis' from both films). And it is not only the voices that we will hear, but we'll also see the actors' likenesses in the game.

Graphics and sounds


The graphics seem pretty OK at this point, although they aren't anything spectacular, given the high expectations that one has for these things these days. We hope that the final title will have better quality lighting effects as, for now, the high quality textures lose some of their appeal at least when you roam inside buildings. The character likenesses are pretty well done, however, although you will undoubtedly notice the thick eyelids on the characters and the unrealistic pallor of the skin.