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GBA | Action | James Bond 007: Nightfire

Boxart for James Bond 007: Nightfire
James Bond 007: Nightfire 15 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 3.0
  • SOUND: 4.0
  • CONTROL: 2.5
  • FUN FACTOR 3.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 5.0
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.5

Review: James Bond 007: Nightfire

Review by DJDINOBOT | 03/20/2003 | 10:10:00 AM PST

Is that blurry patch of pixels a Bond Girl? Nope, it?s a floor lamp. How about that one? Nope, that?s a coffee table.? Maybe that?s a Bond Girl. Whoops, that book shelf has a machine gun!

James Bond?s latest endeavor reaches maximum market penetration with the release of NightFire for the GBA. If you played the console or PC versions, you?ll recognize a lot of the locations, objectives, and dialog, and the maps are laid out in similar (but more simplistic) fashion.

The big difference is that on the GBA you can?t see your surroundings to save your life. The designers try to compensate by having enemies shout inane one-liners when they spot you, but it barely helps. And the clumsy item-access problems that plague the series are only exacerbated by the GBA?s limited interface. Movement and aiming controls are inconsistent, and when combined with blurry graphics make for innumerable frustrations. This is especially true in stealth missions, where one slip means your arse.

In its defense, NightFire stands head and shoulders above Ecks vs. Sever 2 both graphically and in depth of gameplay. NightFire?s sound effects and music are outstanding, and at times do make up for the graphical limitations. You get to do all sorts of spiffy Bond things like opening doors with wristwatch lasers and infecting computer systems with super viruses. Plenty of secret-agent gadgetry is available to you, and the success of each mission inevitably depends on judicious application of Q?s devices.

Ultimately, this game?s Achilles? heel is its unholy union of awkward controls and oatmeal graphics. Still, it?s the best-looking and most in-depth FPS for the GBA. The debonair Double-O agent will undoubtedly win a following with this title.