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Play as Sean...Sir Sean

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 44 / 54
Date: November 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

EA finally landed the right mixture of Hollywood polish and fun gameplay two years ago when it released Everything or Nothing, a 007 game that not only featured the likeness of Pierce Brosnan and the entire movie cast, but also their vocal talents as well. Now, after the horrible bore-fest that was Rogue Agent, EA has released From Russia With Love. This game is an expanded version of the classic Bond film, and one-ups the coolness of playing as Pierce Brosnan by allowing players to become Sean Connery.

Personally, playing as Connery is the coolest thing in the world for me as a Bond fan. Years ago Rareware's GoldenEye for the N64 teased players with an "all Bonds" cheat that would enable Connery, but this turned out to be fake. Now we get the real deal, complete with Sir Sean's vocals. He sounds a lot older naturally, and the accent is deeper and thicker, but would you rather have 007 himself, or some nameless actor doing an impersonation?

The core gameplay has not changed from Everything or Nothing, just boosted a bit. You still get a mixture of 3rd-person action and stealth levels, and also vehicle missions. A notable new toy is the jetpack from Thunderball, and it adds a new level of mayhem. Some of the minor frustrations still exist with regards to targeting and aiming, but if you made it through the last game you should be fine here. There's also some nice upgrades and unlockable content to go through, as is now standard with all EA movie-licensed games. (Note that the original name of SPECTRE is still off limits to the Bond franchise itself, hence the new name Octopus).

Overall I'm impressed with EA's effort here. The game does justice to the laid-back nature of the old 007 flicks while injecting doses of 90's-era explosions and effects along the way. It's not meant to be a huge, innovative game, and it shouldn't be compared to the next-gen stuff creeping around the corner. A must-buy to all Bond fans, and a very strong recommendation to anyone remotely curious about playing as Sir Sean himself.

Classic Bond

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 32 / 41
Date: November 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

As a lifelong Bond fan, especially the classic films, this game is a real treat. Following in the footsteps of 'Everything or Nothing' this title allows you enter the world of James Bond as the original Bond, Sean Connery.

The graphics, gameplay and overall feel of 'From Russia With Love' is very similar to it's predecessor but with that classic touch and feel to it. The game is not overly challenging or difficult but it's pure 007 fun. The sound and music are also top notch as well. If you enjoyed 'Everything or Nothing' and are a Bond fan, this is a game that's not to be missed.

Finally - A James Bond Love Rush

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 19
Date: November 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Oh my goodness! A 007 game worth the money and all of the hype. Lets face it, since Goldeneye for Nintendo 64, only Nightfire and No One Lives Forever were decent follow-ups. The others were total garbage.

I've only played the first four missions, but everything seems to be in order for a fun adventure. The controls are easy to learn and the graphics are good. It's nice to play as Sean Connery since Pierce is no longer Bond.

I like the fact that it'll save throughout different points in a mission, so you don't have to totally redo them from the beginning if you should happen to die. I wish you could retrace your steps back to a previous section to pick up needed armor in case you go into it less than 100%. The driving takes a little getting used to since it's very sensitive. I also like the ability to upgrade your weapons by earning bonus points by performing Bond moves.

Since the game is a direct adaptation from the movie, it makes you want to go out and rent it. Since they've hired an unattractive (nice way of saying downright ugly) actor to play as the next Bond, I'm not sure if I'd want to see his face on anything other than the cover for an Extreme Makeover. This Bond will have to go celebate.

Kudos to Electronic Arts! You did the 007 franchise justice.

A Bond game since N64 Goldeneye with great multiplayer!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 16
Date: March 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This 007 game is the best one yet for the PS2! It features all of the story line, characters, unlockable secrets, and action that you would expect from a Bond game, but this one adds more depth and better graphics.

Now, on another note, this game is the first in the Bond series since Goldeneye on Nintendo 64 to offer intense multiplayer action with up to 4 players! Just as you might expect, there are many arenas to choose from along with other options to fully customize your head to head battle experience!

Highly recommended to all!

Style Without Substance

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: December 07, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game without thinking twice. As a committed Bond fan, how could you pass up the chance to play the character in (arguably) the best of the Bond movies, with Sean Connery himself voicing the character?

What I got was forty dollars worth of the most linear first-person shooter I've ever played.

Driving, walking, boating, or rocket-packing, you are always going from point A to B. There's nothing hidden, no larger scope, no period of discovery, and almost no surprises.

Think of the best adventure platform games you've played in the last year or two: whether you like Tom Clancy or Jak and Daxter, or Ratchet and Clank, or any of the Grand Theft Auto series. These all, like them or not, have quite a bit of imagination; areas to explore, items to collect, hidden areas, etc. "From Russia with Love" has a multi-player option. That's pretty much it beyond the story line and being able to unlock a few (not very interesting) challenge levels. Oh yes, and your armor gets stronger. Snore.

Also, on difficulty: there are three options for difficulty (operative, agent, 00 agent) and I had a hard time noticing any difference, outside of a few more mindless grunts to kill on each level (yes, the AI is bad... almost "Rush'n Attack" bad for those of you with long memories). This is even a let-down compared to recent Bond games, where 00 agent difficulty was actually pretty challenging.

To summarize: spend your money elsewhere. EA has produced a new Bond game with few options and less imagination than their previous work. The only saving grace is Connery himself, and the old-Bond feel.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Ever since I heard that there was a new James Bond coming, I prayed that I would be the one to play it and write a review about it first. I guess I bought it a little later.

Anyway, I loved the game. The graphics were great. Except for Tatiana. She looked like she was wearing a wig. But other than that EA captured the existence of the essence. Since Elizabeth and Eda(or Eva, I don't remember) were the bond girls, I wanted to see a bigger contribution to the game by them. I almost thought that Tatiana was the Bond girl. The missions were fun. Especially the Gypsy Camp and Sniper Alley, and all the other Istanbul missions (what do you know I'm a Turk). I would like to congratulate EA for writing the words in Turkish as it is always written and the statue of Atatürk.

Overall the game was good and I liked the ability to upgrade your weapons and gadgets. I haven't tried the multiplayer yet but I think it would have been better if they added a co-op multiplayer like in Everything or Nothing. We could have used Kerim Bey and it would have been fun to use him and James together don't you think?

Another Awesome 007 Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I got this game for my birthday and I loved it. The 3rd person view had me disappointed for a while, but I got used to it and I think it's got a Grand Theft Auto kind of feel to it except with better gadget and gun control. The game isn't too hard or too easy and has alot of levels where you're on foot and not in a vehicle and some levels have both. The game in single player is fun, but I think the multiplayer sucks. There's not that many levels, there's no sound and you can't play as Bond. If you want a game with multiplayer, buy or rent 007 Nightfire. It has the best multiplayer ever and you don't need two people to play it. It can be you and the people you choose to play, and the levels are huge.Anyway, I think it was worth the money and I am glad I got it. I just hope the next game is 1st person view.

The best Bond game since Goldeneye for the N64

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: January 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Since EA acquired the James Bond license, the games that they've churned out have been less than spectacular. This time around, they've went back to the basics here with From Russia With Love, based on the classic Bond film of the same name, with none other than the original Bond, Sean Connery, lending his voice as Agent 007. First off, you'll notice that the environments, characters, and storyline are amazingly faithful to their source material. Not to mention that the assortment of available gadgets is a great touch as well, including the Laser Watch, Q-copter, and of course, the jet-pack. Visually, the game looks slick and amazing, but there's plenty that stops From Russia With Love from being as special as it should have been. The controls can be loose at times, particularly during driving missions where they can be clunky, and the controls during the jet-pack sequences aren't much better. The enemy AI isn't anything to write home about either, and as a whole the game is relatively simple and shouldn't take long to beat. Despite it's drawbacks, there is a fun multi-player mode here if you have a multi-tap, but online capability would have been more than welcome in this department. There is a horde of unlockables as well, and the fact that this is Sean Connery lending his voice as Bond is just so unbelievably cool that any Bond fan won't be able to afford to miss this. All in all, From Russia With Love isn't the best action/platformer you'll play, but it's certainly the best Bond game since the classic Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64, and it's a must play for Bond fans.

Fun, welcome angle on EA Bond series

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The 007 gaming crowd is a tough one to please. It took EA a few stabs to please most fans, and they did so finely with Everything Or Nothing in 2004, still an excellent overall game. Then came the disappointing Rogue Agent, which was like a stopgap while they developed a new game (and perhaps waited to see whom EON Productions chose to be the new filmic Bond).

Now comes a game similar to EON, but with a new twist. This time it's based on the classic Bond movie (same title), expanded with more story, and featuring the original 007, Sean Connery. Being a good sport, Connery has lent his voice and likeness to the game, and while it's older, thicker, and more Scottish than ever (his voice, not his likeness) it's still the same actor, a move generally preferred by fans.

The overall look and feel of FRWL is very similar to EON, but with some differences. Bond looks great---a full walking, fighting, shooting Sean Connery. However, I agree with others who note that Bond does not run, and the shooting has changed a bit to favor a more jerky target system that gives you more points for hitting specific places on the body.

The game is too easy at first play. The EA Bond games have not been particularly difficult, but this time you really need to play on 00 Agent level (highest) to get a challenge. Otherwise, there are too many moments when bursting into a room with guns blazing will succeed. There are also far more power-ups (armor and ammo) on the boards. Since they bothered to include stealth movements and the incentive to do things quietly (points, etc), it's worth the challenge. The controls for inventory and gadgets are different and not as good as EON in terms of changing on the fly. There is no `Bond Mode', as in EON, where you could freeze time to analyze a situation for targets. It has been replaced by a manual aiming feature that you can toggle on and off when you feel like. Moreover, yes, the game is linear, but what EA shooter is not, ultimately? The environments look great, lots of detail---I just wish you could do more with it (open doors, blow things up, etc). Why do some games heavily favor interaction and give so much incentive to explore boards, while others lay out exactly what you need to do and make it too easy? Rewards for curiosity and exploration are always a good thing.

The guns are good, some weaker than the previous Bond entry, others improved. This is an interesting concept---a new engine similar to EON, with a classic, throwback setting to the game. It's not totally clear when the game is set---the 60s, today---but it doesn't really matter. No matter the era, Bond always has Q-Copter gadget-thingees and laser beam watches, great suits and a ridiculous car. Also included is that awesome jetpack from the movie, lots of fun. (No Q-Toupee, however). The overall third-person movement and behavior will be familiar for folks who played EON and the more recent Godfather game.

Finally, they've made death match available again. (EON featured a 2P cooperative mode with unique boards). It's also a third-player death match, something new to the series. Personally, I found Nightfire to have a solid death match, mainly because it had one of the best all-time death match weapons---the remote controlled video-screen rocket launcher that they need to bring back.

Overall, yes, you can nitpick all day. EON was better in some ways; FRWL is unique and even better in other ways. Suffice to say, if you liked EON, this is highly recommended. Especially now that it's so cheap, you won't have much to lose. As usual, there is incentive to replay boards after you've finish the story missions (and there are quite a few) in order to unlock certain features. It's another good Bond game; presumably, Daniel Craig will be appearing in the next outing.

Dissappointing "Spiritual Sequel" to JB: Everything or Nothing

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 10
Date: April 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

James Bond: Everything or Nothing easily ranks somewhere in the 10 best PS2 games I've ever played. Since I've played in the neigborhood of 150 PS2 games, that's quite a compliment. Why is it, that From Russia With Love- the spiritual sequel to EON- feels so mediocre? Actually, it's pretty easy to figure out, and I'll outline it as follows.

The beginning to EON featured the added flair that the Bond movies have had ever since Brosnan started with Goldeneye. Following this was an original song sung by the talented Mya. The fact that an artist had been commissioned for an original song was just impressive. With FRWL, we have a very lackluster opening and some rehashed theme.

Admittedly, the story to FRWL comes off with a reasonable degree of fun, but the gameplay has been unbalanced and utterly drained of the things that made it fun. First of all, the game is a good deal easier- and it's not because I've gotten better at this type of gameplay. I remember having a difficult time with the second mission of EON on 00 Agent difficulty. Even from the beginning, the game force the player to consider tactics and ration their weapons carefully. With FRWL, from the first mission, I found that "Rambo Style" was a very possible style that could be used almost all of the time. Armor was handed out like candy and worse, the armor could be upgraded.

The level design has also suffered. EON's level design was brilliant, enemies attacked you from all sides, but the mechanism used for cover was smooth and well-implemented. Thus, firefights were always interesting. FRWL has a lot of boring hallways and rooms. More importantly, many of the environments are glitchy. Don't try focus shooting an enemy over a foot high hedge...an invisible wall will block your bullets. Don't try flying the mini-Q copters anywhere but the intended ducts...again, you will encounter invisible walls. The more I play FRWL, the more I realise that while EON had fully rendered 3-d environments, corners were cut with FRWL so that the environment is flat-out less interactive.

Now for some specifics: Many little things just don't feel as cool with FRWL. The grappling/rappelling looks far less cool than it did in EON. Moreover, the fact that little dots denote places where grappling or rappeling can be done destroys some of the immersion and reminds me I'm playing a game. With EON, you merely had to run off of a ledge to automatically rappel- WAY cool.

Another thing they screwed up is the targeting. The targeting feels more constricted this time, as if they were making the game more for unskilled gamers. EON featured a very cool slo-mo focus mode where you could pick specific targets or environment objects and sometimes trigger VERY cool bond moments. FRWL has gotten rid of this in favor of a different, poorly implemented focus mode where the player can shoot items off of enemies. The horizontal axis on this mode is inverted, making it unnecessarily confusing. Furthermore, this mode isn't always responsive when you DO correctly shoot something. The result is that you're just better off run-and-gunning everything.

The game also simply comes across as buggy on a number of levels. You'll find that you accomplish extra objectives on a level only to discover that the game lists them as incomplete when you finish the mission- Bond moments are really bad in this regard. And there are other little things...

As bad as all of that is, I have a bigger complaint. EON featured a brilliant single-player mode, but the multiplayer was just as good. In today's overcrowded market of deathmatch multiplayer, EON offered Co-op gameplay. Even better, the co-op mode featured a campaign of original levels entirely separate from the single-player. The levels were VERY well-designed to encourage cooperation between partners. I put countless hours into this mode with friends. FRWL replaced this with a tired deathmatch mode that doesn't stay interesting for long. The entire draw of multiplayer in a game that has auto-aim must originate from tactical strategy, and it is Co-op, not deathmatch, that showcases these strengths.

Finally, EON had much more replay. Once players beat levels on the highest difficulty, platinum objectives were unlocked. Once these objectives were completed, cheats, artwork, and other things were unlocked. FRWL has very little in terms of unlockables and offers only 4 extra story-less levels in terms of replay.

The only good things I can say for FRWL are that the story works and that the score (by 24's Sean Callery) is superb. Hopefully, EA will realize from the negative critical consensus that FRWL was a wrong step and work on alternate ways to solidify the brilliant formula devised in EON.

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