As Quantum of Solace made its way into movie theaters, so did a game of the same name make it across nearly every gaming platform. Of course, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 received all of the attention in the graphics and gameplay department but that didn’t stop the PlayStation 2 from releasing an exciting and surprisingly adequate version. Our favorite British secret agent is back and this Bond isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty or defy MI6 to complete his mission.

 
“Ouch! Not so hard! George Lazenby use to give me a hug before he kicked me.”

James Bond is certainly no stranger to video games having made quite an impact on the Nintendo 64 with critic darling GoldenEye and later jumping to various other newer platforms with games that aren’t even tied to a movie. We’ve even seen a return to classic Bond (in From Russia With Love) as played by the best 007 of them all … Sean Connery. Quantum of Solace is the first game in the franchise that introduces us to a refreshingly newly installed Double-O agent willing to do to great lengths to bring down a threat connected to the death of a woman he loved.

As far as the story is concerned, Quantum takes places directly after the events of Daniel Craig’s first turn as Bond on the big screen, Casino Royale. Reeling after the death of his true love, Vesper, Bond is making his current mission to track down the stolen money he won during a high-stakes poker game very personal. Tracking said money to a Mr. White, Bond unravels a new threat that comes in the form of Dominic Greene, who is the real mastermind behind the events that unfolded in Casino Royale. Now 007 decides to do whatever it takes to destroy this new threat and finally get his revenge.

As a first-person shooter, Quantum does have the basics down well enough without the Call of Duty 4 engine the next-generation versions are built on and the dated shooting reticule will bring back memories of classic shooters of old. Aside from the simplistic approach to the first-person shooter mechanics, the game decides to take a page from Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas by adding a third-person perspective when taking cover behind a flat surface. Behind cover, you’ll get a chance to fire without exposing yourself as well as perform a quick snapshot around corners Solid Snake-style. You can even quickly move to the next cover spot with the Triangle button.

Bond can certainly handle different weapons in past games and does so well enough in this game. There are even moments when he’ll be tasked with taking out a number of enemy snipers using a sniper rifle as well. This Bond, as I mentioned, is not afraid of getting his hands dirty and has a number of melee attacks and takedown moves that don’t require weapons. You can sneak up behind an enemy take them down before they can alert their friends. There are even fighting sequences that occur as Quick Time Events where you’ll have to press a sequence of buttons as they flash on the screen.

“I’m sorry, man, I won’t ever make fun of guys that drink vodka martinis ever again!”

As a spy, you’ll be using stealth as well during the game. During a mission that will take you near an opera house, Bond must sneak in the backstage area in order to listen in on an important conversation. The sneaking around isn’t as deep as in the Splinter Cell series but they are challenging. It’s refreshing to see some diversity in a first-person shooter and this game certainly supplies more than enough to break up the shooting action. As a shooter, Quantum doesn’t revolutionize the genre; in fact, it takes it back to the days when fallen foes drop dead and suddenly blink out of existence. It’s the type of shooter where the enemy much rather take cover behind an explosive barrel rather than behind the stack of bricks not too far away.

The game’s biggest flaw does happen to be the enemy AI and while it’s not as bad as some bargain-bin first-person shooters you can find on the PS2 it makes for some truly dumb moments. In Haiti, where Bond faces off against a number of armed thugs, a number of them will run straight at you rather than take advantage of the numerous places to take cover behind. It’s mindless enemies like this that take the tactics out of the shooting action. My other complaint is directed at the fact that there is no multiplayer mode in the game. You don’t have to include online play but at least give us a reason to keep us coming back for more Bond action. 

Still, it’s hard to complain when the controls are solid and the framerate remains steady. The levels in the game are also quite entertaining, taking Bond through several situations and locales connected to the movie. Sure, you won’t be playing the movie scene for scene so you’ll be seeing places and performing a number of tasks not seen in the movie. This is why the story falls apart in the game since it references events that only those who have seen the movie will recognize.

Visually, Quantum of Solace is, of course, nowhere near as beautiful as its PS3 or Xbox 360 counterpart but it does the job right. At least Bond looks a lot like Daniel Craig during the game’s cut scenes and a bit like him during the in-game action. It’s too bad that the environments look flat and uninteresting … much like they would look if this game was released on the original PlayStation. Dead bad guys also disappear right before your eyes leaving no trace that they were ever there in the first place. Still, the animation is slick and fluid and the cut scenes look good because of it.

 
“Why must I always wear a tux to a big shootout?”

As for the game’s sound, it soars thanks to the fact that the film’s cast provides the voices. It’s great to hear Craig spouting some original lines and even more of a thrill having the great Judi Dench provide Intel throughout the game. Oh, even the music is great since it blends the film’s original score with that of classic Bond theme music. The sound effects are not bad at all either.

It’s rare to find a current-generation version of a multi-platform release to be just as good as the next-generation version that clearly gets more attention. Quantum of Solace on the PS2 does manage to be a competent and thrilling first-person shooter that makes due with the current-generation technology. While there are a few sore spots (the weak AI and no multiplayer whatsoever, for instance), the game is faithful to the Bond franchise and first-person shooters. If you don’t own a PlayStation 3, then this PS2 version is definitely not a bad alternative.

Gameplay: 7.5
There’s rarely a dull moment in Quantum and the game’s levels offer some variety to the mix that closely follows the events of the movie. The first-person shooter mechanics work well and so does the third-person cover feature and the stealth missions won’t make Sam Fisher proud but they‘re good enough.

Graphics: 7.5
The game’s graphics aren’t spectacular on the PS2 but at least the character models look good with 007 looking a lot like Daniel Craig. It also features smooth animation but aside from that this game has a dated look that’s nowhere near as good as it should be even on the PS2.

Sound: 8.0
Aside from the excellent score that’s true to the Bond franchise, the opening theme song rocks. It also helps to have an excellent voice cast from the movie with original dialogue performed by the film’s cast like Judi Dench and Daniel Craig.

Difficulty: Medium
Bond will go up against some pretty brainless enemies who think the best cover is behind an explosive barrel. Then again, some of them are actually good shots and will keep James on his toes.

Concept: 6.0
The lack on online or even offline multiplayer action doesn’t give gamers the incentive to want to play this game again. At least the PS2 version of the game plays a bit differently than the next-generation version and that’s fine seeing as the levels make for some fun moments connected to the movie.

Overall: 7.5
While it’s not as gorgeous as the next-generation version, Quantum of Solace for the PS2 is certainly able to handle the action just as well with enough moments to keep the game exciting. The game does have its share of problems that show up often but in the end there is more good here than bad. In other words, you will most definitely want to step into the shoes of this 007.