James Bond 007: Nightfire

Preview - Well, Mr Bond, we meet again...

It has long been bemoaned that the most faithful and convincing 007 experience, nay, one of the Nintendo 64’s best games, was Rare’s stunning Goldeneye title, which brought the intrigue, humour and sophistication of Britain’s most famous Spy to life in compelling style. With Nightfire, however, EA Games look set to finally challenge this age-old champion, with a game that doesn’t just look like a Bond film, but actually, and crucially, plays like one too.

So what’s the big deal? Well, for starters, and ‘by the wonders of modern technology’ the game will actually star Pierce Brosnan, as his voice and physique will be employed for the benefit of our small-screen Bond, and the delight of the various lady-gamers out there. What’s more, we’re promised an open-ended approach to gameplay, which will allow gamer to use Bond’s cunning to pick the way through levels, using Q’s gadgets, and a trusty Walther PPK. The mission structure is open-ended, leaving plenty of room for creativity.

The game’s launch is scheduled to coincide with the twentieth movie in the Bond franchise “Die Another Day”, which will also be with us come November. "Pierce Brosnan and Bond have created an unbeatable combination for the franchise over the past few years, so we’re excited to have Pierce aboard to help deliver to fans the ultimate Bond experience," enthuses Chip Lange, of EA Marketing. "I am confident that together, Pierce Brosnan, EA and NightFire will make for the most dynamic and appealing Bond game yet."

The developers are promising a highly cinematic feel to the game, too, with a first-person perspective employed in the traditional fashion to add atmosphere and tension, whilst at dramatic moments in the plot the camera will swirl to a Cinema-style third-person perspective to take in the scene.

A number of devious villains will be out to stop Bond, including Drake’s ferocious Ninja’s, highly-armed Scuba divers, and Yakuza gunmen. Gadgets touted include X-ray goggles, PDA-hackers, a Dart-Pen, and Q’s Camera to name but a few. Gearbox are even suggesting the game will rival and beat Medal of Honour in the graphical stakes, a lofty claim, but EA are embracing the very latest hardware with this one.