Electronic Arts, developer of the newest video game in the Bond franchise, “The World is Not Enough,” had its hands full trying to build the perfect Bond game.
Rare, the developer behind the smash hits “GoldenEye” and the non-Bond-related “Perfect Dark,” pioneered the Nintendo 64 first-person shooters and created the multiplayer option that hooked gamers throughout the nation.
Rare gave away the license to the James Bond franchise, disappointing those who were awaiting a bang-up Bond sequel from the acknowledged leader in shooters. Electronic Arts, the developer that had put out a dismal “Tomorrow Never Dies” adaptation for the Sony Playstation, took control of the franchise, and speculation was that Rare had passed by a perfect opportunity to develop “The World is Not Enough.”
Electronic Arts was determined to prove the doubters wrong and surpass the original success of “GoldenEye.” The question on gamers’ minds was: Can it match Rare’s efforts and put out a game worthy of “GoldenEye’s” mantle?
Well, Electronic Arts certainly had a lot to live up to. With “The World Is Not Enough,” it faced the almost-insurmountable task of beating Rare at its own game. And it almost pulls it off.
“The World Is Not Enough” takes everything from “GoldenEye” and expands it thoroughly. Graphics are improved, the artificial intelligence of the enemies is better, and the missions are more satisfying. Even more so than “Perfect Dark,” which was basically all about blowing stuff up and calling it a “mission.”
Granted, “The World is Not Enough” has plenty of bullets and explosions too, but players will find that the missions are much more detailed and fun to play. Blowing stuff up is still a major part of the gameplay here (you are James Bond, after all), but it also involves elements of stealth, subterfuge and rescue.
As the difficulty level increases, more mission objectives appear to give this game a lot of replay value. Electronic Arts and its partner, Eurocom Software, made a huge effort to make this game satisfying to “GoldenEye” fans. It features 40-odd gadgets and weapons, all of which are extremely enjoyable to use, and the graphics, while a little grainy, are excellent and help the game follow the plot of the movie faithfully.
Bond must complete a number of levels that range from average to just plain eye-popping. In one level, Bond must evade helicopters equipped with huge chainsaws while blasting enemies. Bond also must chase terrorists through the streets of Istanbul, neutralize enemies in the depths of the London subway system and swim through a sunken submarine to stop a nuclear explosion (which could have easily been terribly botched, but Electronic Arts pulls it off). Electronic Arts did an excellent job with the level design, even surpassing “Perfect Dark” in certain respects.
Electronic Arts also had to come up with an entirely new game engine, and it did a bang-up job. Level textures and physics are dead on, and enemies react differently to gun shots in different areas. Shoot one in the leg, and he’ll hop on one foot, but shoot him in the chest with a shotgun and he’ll fly backward as if he were hit with a cannonball.
Killing enemies, the bread and butter of games like this, is so satisfying and life-like that you may start considering yourself mentally unbalanced.
But what about the real issue that concerns die-hard shooter fans: the multiplayer game? This is the feature that will make or break this game for Rare fans, and “The World is Not Enough” just can’t stand up to Rare’s mastery of it.
This is not to say that the game’s multiplayer is bad; it’s just not up to the impossibly high standards of “Perfect Dark.” The computer-controlled enemies are not as smart, the game doesn’t save your ranking or statistics as does “Perfect Dark” and the pace is not as fast. Aside from that, playing this with a few friends will make you forget “GoldenEye” but make you long for Rare’s masterpiece.
Electronic Arts has done a great job with the Bond license. The single-player missions are a blast, better than “Perfect Dark,” and will keep gamers engrossed for weeks. The multiplayer leaves a little to be desired, but not everyone can hit a home run the first time at bat. “The World is Not Enough” doesn’t surpass the incredibly high standard set by Rare, but it’s a great purchase for fans of their games.