There's great potential in the mode. I know a lot of folks will jump straight to, "When can we raid Fort Knox and fight Oddjob?" and sure, that'd be cute, but I'm hoping the originality I'm seeing in the campaign can translate and be maintained, too.
@nessisonett Oh God, those mines in the underwater level... forget the (in)famous Sonic drowning music, it's the beeps from that proximity alert which still give me nightmares!
I see your point, and agree to a degree, but as much as I reckon Everything or Nothing is the best Bond game ever made, the opening mission of NightFire is perhaps the best single level. It's the essence of Bond perfectly distilled into twenty-odd minutes.
But yeah, the multiplayer, with its classic maps, huge guest cast, and remote control mini-vehicles...? Ah, good times!
@nessisonett Thanks for the tag! Not only have I played it (and still own my copy) but it was the version of the game I played first, as I was a broke-ass student at the time of its release and therefore late to the PS3 era.
While I'd agree that it's superior to the PS360 version, that's not exactly a high bar to clear. The whole thing is extremely linear. It does include a unique trip to Haiti, but it cuts the Miami Airport, Montenegro train, Casino Royale poison and Venice levels to make room for it. There's very little freedom of approach in its small environments, the aiming is atrocious, and its QTEs are mercilessly randomised, leading to plenty of frustrating failures and long re-loads. The final shot you have to take to beat the game is near-impossible to connect. Arriving in the wake of EA's rather brilliant handling of the Bond licence... well, let's just say that it adequately matched the quality of its source material.
No disrespect to @get2sammyb and their fond memories of the game (and I totally loved reading this piece, thanks for the throwback) but Eurocom's best Bond remains NightFire.
PS: If you really must play a Quantum of Solace game, check out the DS version. Makes you hold the handheld upright like a book and take actual swipes in hand-to-hand combat, and boasts some fun Resi-esque inventory management to boot. It also has a level based on the movie's original ending which, if nothing else, provides some interesting behind-the-scenes insight.
@Gremio108 Richard Ayoade and Matt Berry have already played a couple of droids in Star Wars, so voicing Metal Sonic would be a natural evolution for either actor!
@get2sammyb "My only criticism is that I prefer the box art of the Standard/Special Edition to the one they're using on the Collector's Edition."
Apologies if you've since discovered this for yourself but, according to an alternate listing on the Strictly Limited Games website, the Special Edition's cover is specifically highlighted as being reversible, and the Shenmue Dojo has a promotional image confirming as such. While SLG's listing of the Collector's Edition doesn't make the same mention, it's got a lot more to describe, so I can imagine it being glossed over or forgotten. I'd be real surprised if the Collector's Edition copy wasn't also reversible!
It's disappointing to see reporting lead with the outfits (which sure, make for some entertaining banner pictures, if nothing else) when the sloppy vibe-coded update has literally broken what was a happily polished and complete collection.
There's so much more to this story than, "get these ugly skins out of my face" when the core promise of enjoying remastered Tomb Raider classics has been rendered unplayable. Old bugs squashed in previous patches have returned alongside all new ones which block progress, corrupt saves, remove cutscenes and ruin audio. Textures can become randomised, leading to bridges built out of passports and crocodiles made of cola cans. Laser traps and spikes don't hurt Lara any more. Her arms crumple and break whenever she jumps, and her braid has a life of its own, clipping through her body and flapping about in Photo Mode.
And while I'd argue a Challenge Mode is a bad fit for the games' gameplay style anyway, it's inoffensive as an optional and free extra feature. What's offensive is how adding it has totally ruined an important piece of videogame preservation, trampling over the careful work of passionate human developers with lazy AI garbage.
@DennisReynolds Zip was actually introduced in Tomb Raider Chronicles back in the series' PSone days, although you're right, the Legend Trilogy made him a more recognisable part of the team. He was recently re-integrated into the unified canon for the recent Netflix animated series, The Legend of Lara Croft. I'm real pleased to see him back. Always liked him.
Apologies for being a nerd. This is one heck of a strong cast. Really looking forward to seeing them all in action!
Comments 8
Re: 'Launching the Game Is Just the Beginning': Don't Trade In 007 First Light for PS5
There's great potential in the mode. I know a lot of folks will jump straight to, "When can we raid Fort Knox and fight Oddjob?" and sure, that'd be cute, but I'm hoping the originality I'm seeing in the campaign can translate and be maintained, too.
Re: This 007 Game You Didn't Play Was Basically PS2's Uncharted
@nessisonett Oh God, those mines in the underwater level... forget the (in)famous Sonic drowning music, it's the beeps from that proximity alert which still give me nightmares!
I see your point, and agree to a degree, but as much as I reckon Everything or Nothing is the best Bond game ever made, the opening mission of NightFire is perhaps the best single level. It's the essence of Bond perfectly distilled into twenty-odd minutes.
But yeah, the multiplayer, with its classic maps, huge guest cast, and remote control mini-vehicles...? Ah, good times!
Re: This 007 Game You Didn't Play Was Basically PS2's Uncharted
@nessisonett Thanks for the tag! Not only have I played it (and still own my copy) but it was the version of the game I played first, as I was a broke-ass student at the time of its release and therefore late to the PS3 era.
While I'd agree that it's superior to the PS360 version, that's not exactly a high bar to clear. The whole thing is extremely linear. It does include a unique trip to Haiti, but it cuts the Miami Airport, Montenegro train, Casino Royale poison and Venice levels to make room for it. There's very little freedom of approach in its small environments, the aiming is atrocious, and its QTEs are mercilessly randomised, leading to plenty of frustrating failures and long re-loads. The final shot you have to take to beat the game is near-impossible to connect. Arriving in the wake of EA's rather brilliant handling of the Bond licence... well, let's just say that it adequately matched the quality of its source material.
No disrespect to @get2sammyb and their fond memories of the game (and I totally loved reading this piece, thanks for the throwback) but Eurocom's best Bond remains NightFire.
PS: If you really must play a Quantum of Solace game, check out the DS version. Makes you hold the handheld upright like a book and take actual swipes in hand-to-hand combat, and boasts some fun Resi-esque inventory management to boot. It also has a level based on the movie's original ending which, if nothing else, provides some interesting behind-the-scenes insight.
Re: State of Play Confirmed for 2nd June, 60+ Minutes of Wolverine and PS5 Games
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and whatever Sonic's got cooking for his 35th Anniversary, please and thank you!
Re: Jim Carrey Confirmed to Return for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 in New Teaser Trailer
@Gremio108 Richard Ayoade and Matt Berry have already played a couple of droids in Star Wars, so voicing Metal Sonic would be a natural evolution for either actor!
Re: Shenmue 3 Enhanced Brings Big Upgrades and Must-Have Collector's Editions to PS5
@get2sammyb "My only criticism is that I prefer the box art of the Standard/Special Edition to the one they're using on the Collector's Edition."
Apologies if you've since discovered this for yourself but, according to an alternate listing on the Strictly Limited Games website, the Special Edition's cover is specifically highlighted as being reversible, and the Shenmue Dojo has a promotional image confirming as such. While SLG's listing of the Collector's Edition doesn't make the same mention, it's got a lot more to describe, so I can imagine it being glossed over or forgotten. I'd be real surprised if the Collector's Edition copy wasn't also reversible!
Re: 'Unprofessional and Shameful': Tomb Raider Fans Hate 1-3 Remaster's New Outfits
It's disappointing to see reporting lead with the outfits (which sure, make for some entertaining banner pictures, if nothing else) when the sloppy vibe-coded update has literally broken what was a happily polished and complete collection.
There's so much more to this story than, "get these ugly skins out of my face" when the core promise of enjoying remastered Tomb Raider classics has been rendered unplayable. Old bugs squashed in previous patches have returned alongside all new ones which block progress, corrupt saves, remove cutscenes and ruin audio. Textures can become randomised, leading to bridges built out of passports and crocodiles made of cola cans. Laser traps and spikes don't hurt Lara any more. Her arms crumple and break whenever she jumps, and her braid has a life of its own, clipping through her body and flapping about in Photo Mode.
And while I'd argue a Challenge Mode is a bad fit for the games' gameplay style anyway, it's inoffensive as an optional and free extra feature. What's offensive is how adding it has totally ruined an important piece of videogame preservation, trampling over the careful work of passionate human developers with lazy AI garbage.
Re: Amazon's Tomb Raider TV Show Reveals Completely New Characters and Castings
@DennisReynolds Zip was actually introduced in Tomb Raider Chronicles back in the series' PSone days, although you're right, the Legend Trilogy made him a more recognisable part of the team. He was recently re-integrated into the unified canon for the recent Netflix animated series, The Legend of Lara Croft. I'm real pleased to see him back. Always liked him.
Apologies for being a nerd. This is one heck of a strong cast. Really looking forward to seeing them all in action!