James Bond 007: Nightfire
- November 19, 2002 00:00 AM PST
007 may be licensed to kill, but will NightFire bring back his long-lost license to thrill?
A killer license like 007 deserves a great game, and after the doldrums of Agent Under Fire, NightFire looks like a step in the right direction. The last phases of development will determine if that is a giant leap or merely a baby step, but an early preview version sported plenty of sharp improvements in the enemy A.I. and graphics. Bond�s enemies were significantly more intelligent, even reacting to flanking tactics by taking cover appropriately, while the visuals depicted cool environments ranging from underneath the sea to a space station in orbit. The difficulty will also be scaled much more evenly to appeal to a broader range of players.NightFire�s original tale doesn�t follow any of the movies, but instead pits Bond against the villain Rafael Drake in levels that mix first-person combat, rail shooting, and car combat. Gadgets, stealth or action pathways, and Bond girls will return in force to round out all the franchise�s trappings. With Pierce Brosnan�s likeness adding the final flair of authenticity, the only remaining question is whether the gameplay can finally match�or even approach�the standard set by GoldenEye.
