With IO’s uber-exciting 007 First Light now hours away, I wanted to spotlight a James Bond game you’ve probably never played: Quantum of Solace.
No, I’m not talking about Treyarch’s Call of Duty-esque first-person shooter, but Eurocom’s underrated PS2 adaptation, which plays a lot like Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.
Like the main console game, this single player campaign fuses the story of Casino Royale with its namesake, making for a globe-trotting campaign packed with all kinds of secret agent shenanigans.
While the PS3 game is a trigger happy affair, this overlooked PS2 version sticks much closer to the blueprint of Bond, favouring genuine espionage and stealth.
It’s got a cover system like Naughty Dog’s flagship franchise, and you’re encouraged to use it to flank enemies, where you can pick them off using silent melee attacks.
Of course, when the action goes live, this game delivers a rather impressive spectacle. Cover can be destroyed, forcing you to keep moving, while bits of environmental scenery will splinter and explode.
The controls aren’t the best, and they do speak to an era of game dev where gunplay wasn’t quite as dialled in.
You snap to cover and can pop-up and aim around corners by pushing the analogue stick, but the DualShock 2’s fiddly deadzone makes it difficult to line up shots. A precise aim toggle – activated with L3 – helps make targeting easier, but it’s not ideal.
I think this game is probably best on its easiest difficulty setting, largely because it reduces the frustration attached to the controls and allows you to enjoy the spectacle.
The visuals are genuinely impressive for a 2008 PS2 game, not a million miles away from what you’d find on the PS3 at the time, despite the lower resolution and creaking hardware.
It also features the likeness and voice work of actor Daniel Craig, as well as other famous performers from the film franchise, including Judy Dench’s M.
Of course you can beat the campaign in a little over 90 minutes, so this probably wouldn’t have represented value for money if you picked it up at full price on launch day.
But I do think Eurocom delivered a surprisingly enjoyable adventure here, despite all of the marketing focus and energy being placed on the more modern PS3 version.
The UK studio would go on to make a couple more James Bond games before being shut down in 2012, including the okay GoldenEye 007 Reloaded and the disastrous cash-in 007 Legends.
Actually, its history will forever be linked to Ian Fleming’s agent, as one of its first games was a platforming adaptation of cartoon series James Bond Jr. for the NES.
But I’d argue this version of Quantum of Solace, with its impressive presentation and Uncharted-esque action, was among some of its best work – certainly its most underrated.
If you ever find a copy rattling around in a bargain bin somewhere, be sure to pick it up; it’s no Everything or Nothing, but it’s absolutely worth a playthrough.
Hands up if you actually played Quantum of Solace on the PS2, potentially one of the most underrated Bond games ever made. Are you tempted to try it out after reading this article? Let us know below.
