In celebration of the upcoming James Bond film, No Time To Die, being released October 8th 2021 let’s take a look at the different entries during the golden age of Bond video games on the PlayStation 2.
For past Bond reviews please visit the according links:
Well this marks a first. Depending on when this actually does get published (writing this as of October 2nd) this could be the first time in site history I have actually finished a project by the imaginary deadline I had set for myself.
CONCLUDING our deep dive into the PlayStation 2’s deep library of James Bond we finish up with Activision’s first and last take on Bond on the PS2. Activision won the Bond rights from Electronic Arts but judging by the ps2 port of Quantum of Solace already firmly had their sights set on the next generation of consoles for true Bond gaming as this version plays like an afterthought.
Title: Quantum of Solace
Genre: Third Person Shooter
Released: November 4th 2008
Platforms: Ps2 / PS3 / Wii / Xbox 360 / PC / Nintendo DS
Developed: Eurocom (ps2)
Published: Activision
~ Activision just had this thing at the time for making alternate versions of their biggest titles and milking Ps2 users (see: COD World at War for ps2) I remember, Activision. Pepperidge farm remembers. We ALL SEE YOU.
~ The PlayStation 2 version of the game is an over-the-shoulder third-person shooter, much like 007: Everything or Nothing. This version excludes missions such as “Miami Airport” and “Train”, but it adds missions such as “Docks”, the Port-au-Prince part of the movie.
~ The PlayStation 2 version is the only console version of the game without a first person perspective
Who Plays Bond?
Daniel Craig makes his digital Bond debut in QoS. One of the things that eventually won me over about this release was that it really does feel grittier and messier than a typical Bond game. Daniel Craig’s bond is by far the most raw Bond since Timothy Dalton’s era and a study done in 2012 actually showed that QoS was the most violent Bond of all time despite being the shortest.
The running and fist fighting feels real and less polished. Trading in all of the franchise’s cliches for a much more brutal take on espionage.
Much like the movies the game and plot has no sense of humor whatsoever – which acted as a turn off for some Bond fans while others welcomed the removal of cheeky cliches.
Daniel Craig offers his likeness and does the voice acting. Which is all done expertly. The entire cast reprise their roles in the game and it’s world class.
Bond Girl(s)?
The plot line of the game follows the baseline of the film but also has quite a few flashbacks of the film Casino Royale.
Camille – just like her film counterpart and Bond is motivated by revenge. Rivera, however is out to kill exiled Bolivian dictator, General Medrano. Medrano and his men murdered her father, raped her mother and burned her house down as a child and she still wears the burns as a reminder.
Rivera is portrayed in both the film and game by impossibly gorgeous, Olga Kurylenko. But it does bother me a little that Kurylenko – who is Ukrainian and Belarusian is not from South America. Not because I’m on the woke train that all actors should play their own genders/sexuality/nationality but sort of because I would love to see a Bolivian actress in the role. Especially considering Bolivia did have an ousted dictator who did horrible things to the Bolivian people under his rule and I think it would be a proud moment for the nation to get a bit of fictional revenge.
Not to say the Ukrainian actress knows nothing about dictatorship and maniacal government oversight. The proud people of Ukraine have had their fair share of bullshit the past century. But that’s for another day.
Villain
There is no shortage of baddies in this game as it covers both the end of Casino Royale and it’s sequel, Quantum of Solace.
Not to spoil the ending of the film, Casino Royale for those of you that have yet to see it (which you should, it’s objectively a good film – which can’t be said about every Bond film) but Bond has some unfinished business with Greene and the organization, Quantum that he seems to work for.
In fact Bond is so hell bent on revenge that he is suspended personally by M from Mi6 for his rash and furious decision making. But a mere suspension doesn’t stop him from wrecking dudes the world over.
The ps2 version of the game remarkably scored the highest with most critics but it still didn’t blow anyone away. It’s missing levels compared to the next gen consoles, it’s controls and aiming systems are LITERALLY hit-or-miss and for such a late release on the system the graphics are just not impressive.
But what Eurocom does get right is a complete overhaul of feel and attitude. Just as Daniel Craig relaunched the franchise as a fierce and furious Bond the game translates that well with brutal enemy stealth takedowns and rough, scrappy cutscenes of fist fights. This is certainly not a Bond you want to bring home to meet the parents.
But as fascinating and fun the bright parts are too often is the game frustrating and not due to difficulty but poor control design. For PlayStation 2 owners at the time, Daniel Craig deserved a better debut and regrettably players would have to wait for the next generation of Bond games to experience it.
OVERALL: 73%
So there you have it, peeps. All six Bond games for the PlayStation 2 reviewed before the deadline I had set for myself. For those keeping count at home that is:
5 different Bonds throughout six different games.
Two different publishers over the course of seven years.
Three different custom Bond songs for their respective titles
One trillion bad guys I’ve murdered in about a month. And I saved the world four times. And ruined it once, I guess. I, also probably would have children from all over the world as well at this point. (How does Bond not have any illegitimate kids with all that shagging?)
So what are you plans? Going to see the new movie in theaters? I plan to – I have never actually went to see a Bond film in theaters with my father so I decided it’s better late than never and I’ll be taking him hopefully sometime next week. I am looking forward to watching Daniel Craig conclude a great run and am excited for what lies next for the franchise. Thanks for reading my unnecessary projects. Until next time.
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