In case you've missed it…lately, we’ve been taking a little trip down memory lane
with the GameCube.
Our friend Kevin from Jersey City, New Jersey, sent us a bunch of GameCube games, and I’ve
been going through them one by one…stuff I haven’t played in years.
One of those games was 007: Nightfire.
And you should watch that review—I had a little coming-to-Bond moment, it was pretty
heartfelt.
But long story short, I actually ended up enjoying that game…when I wasn’t expecting
GoldenEye.
This is a Bond game that demands you don’t expect GoldenEye.
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing…is a pretty interesting game.
It’s the one where Electronic Arts finally took all the GoldenEye expectations and said
f*ck it.
And changed the entire look.
It’s also the one with Shannon Elizabeth, who also changed her look.
Through plastic surgery.
EA took a different route, but the results are similarly delightful.
And buoyant.
Like some of the other games Kevin sent us, I actually reviewed another version of this
one before.
The PlayStation 2 version, back in 2012.
And one of the things I still like about it…is its ambition.
I mean, it seems simple enough, but…it was bucking the tradition of one of the most beloved
shooters ever.
That was a gutsy call to, just…walk away from GoldenEye.
But hey…if you’re stuck in a shadow, why not walk out?
So the result is actually this interesting mashup of ideas.
Ideas that, in about ten years time, would provide the foundation for the industry’s
biggest games.
Everything or Nothing is a very early, very primitive…cover-based shooter.
Now, it’s nowhere near as polished or refined as they are today, but that’s what it is.
You’re taking cover, shooting from behind walls…
You’re doing a lot of things that are very familiar today.
It’s, just…you’re doing them in ways that nothing like how we do them today.
So the first big difference is that…you can’t actually aim in this game.
That’s right, it’s a shooter…where you can’t aim.
Instead, it has this kind of…auto-lock system.
If you pull up your weapon near an enemy, Bond sort of automatically targets the one
he thinks you’re looking at.
And a lot of the time, that actually works.
But a lot of the times, it really doesn’t.
Maybe if I had boobs, Bond would pay attention to what
I want, too.
So aside from the awkward targeting, what else do you need to know about Everything
or Nothing?
Well, in addition to the cover-based shooting…the game also has a lot more vehicle sections
than prior Bond games.
So you’re driving cars, flying helicopters…it really puts an emphasis on that kind of stuff,
to make the gameplay more diverse.
And it is.
As a result, this feels like a very well-rounded, all-in-one type of action game.
Which also feels inherently Bond, right?
I mean, there’s a lot more to James Bond that just shooting a gun.
He does rappel down walls, he does use stealth, he does operate machinery he may or may not
actually know how to operate.
By ditching the FPS-ness, Everything or Nothing actually…feels more Bond, if that makes
sense.
And you know, another thing that may surprise you, when you go back to these games…is
the quality of their presentation.
Nightfire looked awesome, especially for such an early GameCube release.
And it’s the same story with this one—this is a very good looking game, for its time.
Its environments are huge and detailed, there’s plenty of cool effects…I’m telling you.
The freaking GameCube.
There was some juice in that box.
And the music’s great, too.
In fact, I was playing this while TJ was in the room, and he was actually bummed when
I stopped.
He was enjoying just listening to this game.
Look, for reasons both valid and nostalgic…GoldenEye will always be my favorite 007 game.
In fact, for a long time…my friends and I just called it Bond.
As if to say, that’s the Bond game, and there are no others.
These last few days have changed my tune a bit.
I’ve had a lot of fun with both Nightfire and Everything or Nothing…more than I ever
remembered having before.
Even if this one’s not a first-person shooter.
And even if it’s not GoldenEye.
I guess 007 has more skills than I thought.
It’s James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing.