Gaming Target - GameCube: James Bond 007: Nightfire

Written by Chris Reiter on June 11, 2002

First Impressions: I thought I asked for a martini shaken; not burned.

With a dark tuxedo, hair and gun to match, James Bond has graced the silver screen and the realm of video games many times before, each time pounding a smashing experience. He's the super spy everybody wants to be. And Electronic Arts is presenting this slick secret agent to the world once again this coming fall in an original Bond tale that will leave your jaw dropped for quite a while.

As of now, not many details about this new Bond game's story have been revealed other than that his new mission is to hunt down yet another criminal mastermind by the name of Rafael Drake. Rafael's plot is to conquer the world for himself. Like usual, Bond will travel to exotic locations such as underwater in the South Pacific seas, to the top of the frost covered Australian Alpine Mountains, and even aboard a space station rotating around the Earth's surface. Survival of the British is all you'll need to know how to do.

NightFire won't be your regular straightforward First Person Shooter game. Instead, the gameplay focuses on multiple routes within more than 10 levels of play. For instance, in the first level James is required to gain access to a luxurious castle, except he'll have to somehow slip by security in order to do so. Two ways to go about getting in are to either stroll into a nearby forest, edge around the building's walls without slipping off, avoiding enemy resistance, and finally reach the second story outside of the building to approach the open balcony ledge. Another path that the player might find more suitable is to direct James towards a close bridge and hop on top of a moving truck passing underneath it. By leaping onto the back of the truck, James immediately has access to the castle. Whether you're more liable to take the hard way or the easy way will always be up to you.

Switching between first and third person views, you'll also have a chance to complete missions in a wide array of movements. In doing so, you may want and be able to stray from using a first person view if you're in a safe spot between a wall and a tight squeeze between the edges of death. But in the first person angle you'd find that aiming at an enemy would be easier than it is in the other perspective. Speaking of which, NightFire will include a set of 007's standard weapon models to go along with a bunch of new ones. From a silenced pistol to automatics, each weapon will have a secondary option for two ways to kill the opposition. At this point, Electronic Arts is keeping their lips sealed on any brand new artillery, but there'll be sure to be a great amount of them in the long run.

Gizmos, on the other hand, are a different story. Some of Bond's old tricks are returning for another go. Amongst them are a suit case layered on the outside; a gun on the inside, a cell phone which doubles as a grappling hook, magnetic hand grips for climbing up walls, and description differentiating goggles from night to x-ray vision. Not only will you be able to peer through walls with the x-ray goggles, but also through individual AI model clothing and bodies to reveal their skeletal structures.

The last Bond game, Agent Under Fire, involved a number of scenarios where Bond was able to take to the streets behind the wheel of a vehicle. NightFire is getting dressed up to perform the same exact tactic. From driving the Aston Martin, to a snowmobile, and even a submarine, players will have plenty of time to control both Bond and an assortment of vehicles. Considering that the driving parts of the last game were said to be some of the best in Agent Under Fire, it should appeal as a second hit for the fans yet again.

Entering the visual department of the game, much of it will be layered with non-stop action. Gunfights, blazing fires, explosions, weather effects from falling snow and wind gusting rain, to smoke, and realistic lighting and shadow effects appear to all be shaping up extremely well, especially for the GameCube version of NightFire. One level in particular has Bond within a darkened tunnel. Enemies lie in the distance inside of it. As James fires his gun, not only does his gun's flying bullet spark reflect itself on the held pistol, but it will also rip through the air as a pathway of light mirrors its brightness right onto the walls and the enemies both. So far, NightFire is turning out to be the best looking game in the series yet.

James Bond 007: NightFire

First Impressions: I thought I asked for a martini shaken; not burned.