James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (PS2)

...I always wanted to be James Bond. Didn't every guy?

The thing is, as I'm also into video games, I finally got a chance to be the infamous super-spy in an incredible adventure in the shape of Electronic Arts' 'Everything Or Nothing'. Now, most people will look on Pierce Brosnan's last Bond movie - Die Another Day - as his last outing as Bond - but in fact this game is truly his swan song as 007.

James Bond video games ...
...platinum.

Can James Bond, 007 stop this madman before he unleashes global chaos?

Play the amazing 'Everything Or Nothing' to find out!

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GAMEPLAY:

The gameplay of 'Everything Or Nothing' is a little awkward to start with but once you get into the feel of it all, it becomes second nature and you'll have Bond creeping up on enemies and performing silent ... more

* Please note: This review originally appeared on dooyoo.co.uk under my dooyoo alias of dlb74 *

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I'm a really big fan of the movies and have loved the Bond movies since I was a young boy. How could I not? All of those cool gadgets, slick cars and amazing women? As I was growing up (okay, okay... growing OLDER... I never did totally grow up) I always wanted to be James Bond. Didn't every guy?

The thing is, as I'm also into video games, I finally got a chance to be the infamous super-spy in an incredible adventure in the shape of Electronic Arts' 'Everything Or Nothing'. Now, most people will look on Pierce Brosnan's last Bond movie - Die Another Day - as his last outing as Bond - but in fact this game is truly his swan song as 007.

James Bond video games have been a very hit-and-miss affair over the years - with most of them falling into the 'miss' category. The PS2 has a few Bond games on it. First EA released 'Agent Under Fire' which was a reasonable enough first person shooter. The thing I never liked about it was Bond himself. He looked and sounded nothing like Pierce Brosnan - or any other previous on-screen Bond.

Then came another first person shooter based Bond game - 'Nightfire' - which was certainly a step in the right direction with better graphics and all round presentation. Bond was actually a likeness of Brosnan in this game but strangely wasn't voiced by him. This somehow took away some of the authenticity of the Bond franchise.

The third PS2 outing for Bond was a radical step in another direction altogether. Completely dropping the first person shooter perspective altogether, 'Everything Or Nothing' adopted a third person perspective similar to that seen in games such as the Tomb Raider series.

Remarkably, this new perspective works really well within the game and instead of removing you from the action and the feeling that you are 007, it actually seems very fresh and immerses you in the action as it unfolds.

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THE PLOT / THE CAST:

The storyline of 'Everything Or Nothing' is as good as those seen in it's big screen counterparts. The whole game reeks of pure quality and every dollar spent on the production is up there on the screen.

Apart from having both the likeness AND voice of Pierce Brosnan, there are other cast members from some of the more recent movies. Dame Judi Dench lends both her face and likeness as 'M' as does John Cleese who reprises his role of the new 'Q'.

As if this casting wasn't already impressive enough, there is more to come. The villain in the story is played and voiced by none other than Willem Dafoe (who also played The Green Goblin in Spiderman - among lots of other big roles). Dafoe plays the part of a ruthless ex-KGB agent named Nikolai Diavolo, who was also an understudy of Max Zorin (the character who was played by Christopher Walken in Roger Moore's last Bond film, 'A View To A Kill').

There are lots of in-jokes throughout the story that will bring a knowing smile to the faces of any Bond fan that plays the game. One of my favourites is the point where Bond is being briefed by 'M' about Diavolo. A large hologramatic representation of Diavolo is between Bond and 'M':

M: "His teacher was Max Zorin."
Bond: "Yes... We played Bridge together. He lost."

This, of course is a reference to the finale of 'A View To A Kill' where Bond fights and kills Zorin atop San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

Amazingly, this is not the only connection to the Bond movies of Roger Moore. There is one other very notable addition here from the Moore era. Richard Kiel reprises his role of the sinister, metal-toothed 'Jaws', who appeared in both 'The Spy Who Loved Me' and 'Moonraker'. It's somehow both extremely thrilling and a little strange to see Brosnan's Bond up against the metal-mouthed behemoth but it works incredibly well.

Even the secondary characters are well-developed enough to make you forget that you're playing a game and not watching a movie. It wouldn't be a Bond story without gorgeous women - and 'Everthing Or Nothing' is no exception to that rule.

Shannon Elizabeth (of American Pie fame) plays the beautiful geologist, Serena St. Germaine while model, Heidi Klum is Dr. Katya Nadanova - a briliant scientist. The question is as always: Who can be trusted?

The singer/actress, Mya appears in this story as an undercover NSA (National Security Agency) agent, Mya Starling as well as providing the title song of the game. Yes... the game has a brief but authentic opening credits sequence which is much like those in the Bond movies and is certainly over and above what you would expect for a video game. Another plus here is that the title song is actually very good - unlike the Madonna song for 'Die Another Day' - which was okay... just.

Mya's rendition of 'Everything Or Nothing' is just right for a Bond theme and the opening credits it compliments follow a pre-credits sequence which further adds to the feel of the Bond movies for this game.

Anyway... getting back to the plot - before I lose it again...

Diavolo is planning to use nanobots - microscopic machines to aid him in his evil plans for world domination. The nanobots can destroy anything made of metal - with the exception of platinum. Diavolo plans to take over Russia - and then the rest of the world. What army could stop him if his nanobots devour their tanks and all their other military hardware? To seal the deal on his plans, Diavolo has created a fleet of invincible tanks made from platinum.

Can James Bond, 007 stop this madman before he unleashes global chaos?

Play the amazing 'Everything Or Nothing' to find out!

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GAMEPLAY:

The gameplay of 'Everything Or Nothing' is a little awkward to start with but once you get into the feel of it all, it becomes second nature and you'll have Bond creeping up on enemies and performing silent take-downs in no time. That said the enemy AI is actually very good and they react to seeing Bond in a realistic fashion - taking cover behind nearby obstacles before peering round the corner and spraying your surroundings with bullets.

You can choose to automatically target some of your enemies - which can be useful when you're heavily outnumbered but can manually tweak the aim for precise head shots.

If you get surrounded by enemies at close-range - you can engage them in some very impressive and well choreographed hand-to-hand combat. This can also earn you 007 moments which can increase your score and you overall performance in each mission. There are Bond moments spread out throughout the whole game - some of which are simply mind-blowingly cinematic.

As well as the on foot sections, there are quite a few driving sections in the game. These are all very well presented with amazing visuals and intuitive gameplay. The sections let you loose with several different vehicles - ranging from some incredibly fast and exhilarating motorbike levels to others where you get to drive the Porshe Cayenne Turbo S... of course, this being Bond, all the vehicles are laden with rockets, missiles and such like! Good old 'Q'!

There are also lots of 'Q' gadgets available to help Bond survive the missions ahead. These range from such items as the 'Q spider' - a compact robotic spider that can be put to many different uses - from reconnaissance, reaching otherwise impossible to reach areas and using as a mobile explosive device which can be used to take out enemies before they even know you are there.

The 'Q rappel' is also a very effective tool that Bond has at his disposal in this game. It allows you to climb up and down sheer vertical walls. Sometimes, you are so high up on one of these drops that you almost get a feeling of vertigo. The graphics are that convincing.

There are so many other points I have no doubt overlooked while I've typed this review up but suffice to say that gameplay is mostly very, very enjoyable.

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GRAPHICS:

The graphics in 'Everything Or Nothing' are for the most part outstanding with a high degree of detail not only in the characters (in both in game and full motion video sequences) but in the surrounding environments that Bond passes through whilst on the trail of Diavolo.

There are some absolutely outstanding set pieces that are so memorable, you will likely remember quite a few of them after playing the game.

As you pass through different countries, there is a huge amount of variation in the surrounding landscapes which prevents the game from getting boring and repetitive.

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SOUND:

The sound for this game is magnificent - from gun fire through to vehicle sound effects - this game has it all. The sound is incredible through a surround sound system too - and easily sounds as good as a lot of films you'll watch!

The music score is also out of this world - and is composed by Sean Callery (who also scores the hit series 24). The music is movie quailty and would be good enough to release on it's own merits as a CD soundtrack.

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MY CONCLUSION:

'Everything Or Nothing' is an absolutely top-notch game that is full of thrills and spills that will leave you shaken and stirred. The sheer adrenaline rush you will get saving the world as James Bond, 007 will remind you that this is not merely a video game. It is an experience.

Do you like Bond? Do you like video games? If the answer to either of these is 'Yes', then odds are you will love this game. If however the answer to BOTH of those questions is 'Yes', then simply put... You MUST own this game!!! Summary: Premium Bond that will leave you shaken and stirred!!! 

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