New Bond demo is no Goldeneye
Quantum of Solace is the new James Bond game which accompanies the forthcoming movie of the same title, along with its prequel, Casino Royale. You play the tough, uncompromising new iteration of the Bond character, brought to life in the movies by Daniel Craig. Based on the same engine used to produce Call Of Duty 4 (a game we loved), Quantum of Solace adds third-person shooter (3PS) elements. So, for example, when you take cover, you're switched into 3PS mode, watching the realistic-looking British spy blast enemies away. This aspect of the game has been emphasized by the development studio, Treyarch, as something they wanted to add to the gameplay in order to remind gamers that they're not simply playing Call Of Duty 4 "with new maps". Unfortunately, the 3PS elements feel somewhat tacked-on and we suspect that they're more the result of the movie franchise's insistence than anything else.
The demo itself leaves a lot to be desired. Despite testing the game on a high-spec machine, we found that using the top-end graphics settings resulted in low framerates and a generally jumpy, unplayable experience. Setting the graphics to mid-range resulted in unacceptably low-resolution textures. We noticed that some great elements of Call Of Duty 4's gameplay were missing too, like the ability to shoot through various lighter forms of cover.
Ever since Goldeneye 007, we've loved games featuring Ian Fleming's classic creation. Based on the demo alone, we have to say that Quantum of Solace just doesn't match up, either when it comes to gameplay or up-to-date graphics. That said, the demo only consists of one very short mission (about 2-5 minutes of gameplay), so it is perhaps unfair to judge the entire game on such a short taster. Hopefully, the final game will be more fun.
In closing, this is an unconvincing demo from a franchise we'd come to love - and a disappointing showing for a title we'd been looking forward to intently.
