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GameCube | Action | James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing

Boxart for James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing 15 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.5
  • SOUND: 4.5
  • CONTROL: 4.5
  • FUN FACTOR 4.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.9
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.3
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Hands-On: James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing

Hands-On by IRONMONKEY | 02/13/2004 | 14:26:22 PM PST

Fans of Ian Fleming?s super secret agent are in for a surprise.

For its fifth Bond outing, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, EA Games is making a radical departure from previous games by switching from a first-person perspective to a third-person one. It?s a bold and surprising move that had many of us skeptical, but after spending some time with playable builds for all consoles, we can honestly say that the gamble is paying off.

Do You Expect Me To Talk?
Along with the perspective switch comes a whole new animal of gameplay tailor-made for players who truly want to tackle missions like the celluloid superspy would. Missions are laid out to offer you a choice between either completing objectives using stealth and subterfuge, or going in barrels blazing. It?s up to you, although special awards go to players who opt to use their skull more than their fists. Speaking of which, Everything or Nothing also introduces a hand-to-hand combat system that enables you to pick up environmental objects like lamps, vases, and wrenches to use against foes.

While about 70 percent of the game centers around action and stealth, the rest is vehicle-based. These sequences, developed by the same team that worked on the Need for Speed series, put you behind the wheel of a Triumph Daytona 600 motorcycle, an Aston Martin Vanquish, a rally car, a tank, and even a helicopter. The driving sequences successfully straddle the line between arcade and sim, and many of them blend seamlessly together with the action sequences, keeping the momentum moving at an exciting pace.

No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You To Die
Though not based on a film, the production value of Everything or Nothing is staggering, resulting in the most cinematic Bond game ever. EA has recruited such Hollywood talent as Willem Dafoe, Shannon Elizabeth, John Cleese, and Mya to provide voice work, and Pierce Brosnan lends his voice and face to what is probably the most scarily realistic-looking Bond ever. Despite minor graphical differences (the Xbox build sports the smoothest animation and most realistic models), the game is almost identical on all three platforms and boasts amazing sound design and a dizzying array of particle effects. Though the jury is still out until a few control tweaks are made, EA is proving that it has some tricks up its sleeve by giving the 007 franchise an arguably much-needed shot in the arm. Everything or Nothing is already an impressive effort indeed.


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