With "EA" given the rights to create Bond games after the legendary successful "Goldeneye 64" by "Rare," how do they top it? Making it a third-person shooter, having only half the levels that its predecessor had, and not providing a multiplayer experience. It's a downgrade. Now I personally (retrospectively speaking) don't mind changing the game from a first-person shooter to a third person; I find it quite as ambitious as 007 Racing. A change with potential, and games like Everything or Nothing and From Russia With Love are pure examples of how to make a third-person shooter Bond game. But like 007 Racing, it fails for the same reasons. Trying to move Bond is just as much of a chore as steering the vehicles in 007 Racing. Whether I'm using the D-pad or an analog stick, I could barely keep Bond in a straight line, as I would find myself walking into walls or directly in the line of enemy fire. And instead of being pushed back by a bullet or still moving when being shot, he freezes for a second making it difficult to avoid further gunfire, especially if there's more than one opponent. There's a cool stealth feature of sneaking up behind a guard and punching him out, except half of the time, my gun will fire instead, so clearly Bond has to be at a particular spot, which is difficult to achieve. In half the levels, I'm usually stuck with the challenge of trying to spot the enemy before being fired upon. That reason is thanks to having graphics looking as bad as the ones in 007 Racing. But I have to give the worst game on the list a little credit because at least I could see everything when in this game, enemies are either camouflaged with the background, or they're already firing before the other side of the level can fully load. And if it's not the graphics, then it's the difficulty of keeping the camera from running away when pursuing a target. I was about to give up on the game right from experiencing all these problems during the first level but pushed through the mission for the franchise (and the help of cheats).
I should note that this game wasn't originally going to follow the Tomorrow Never Dies storyline. Initially, it would function as a sequel titled Tomorrow Never Dies: The Mission Continues until focus groups demanded it should be like the movie. The change shouldn't bother a casual player or even a Bond fan since it follows the story with a few tweaks. The only time the game completely derails from the story of the film are missions 6 and 7. However, knowing what the game could have been based on its promo featuring Q's actor Desmond Llewelyn, it sounds more exciting than telling the same story. Plus, the graphics looked better, and has cool missions that are not featured in the game (including an additional driving level). That said, the story can still be garbage. The new levels and mechanics could be near unplayable (an underwater level with these controls, I think not). And as good as the graphics may seem, EA did have a tendency of making the graphics in their promos look better than the actual product. I'm just saying; we could have had a better, if not as good as Goldeneye Bond game.
Despite having most of the same problems as the previous game I ranked, I did have more fun and interest in it by comparison. The graphics may be as bad, but it still has more personality through its vibrant colors and level design. I enjoy visiting the snowy mountains of Russia, sneaking into Carver's lairs, checking out of Hotel Atlantic, and firing through the night streets of Saigon. The game's soundtrack isn't half bad either. It's not as memorable as its predecessor, none the less it still puts me in the right mood when playing each level, adding to the atmosphere when the soundtrack in 007 Racing was just noise. And for all my complaining about the mechanics, I'm at least happy the game spares the pain of having no auto-aim. I kind of like how the game gives the player ability to lock on to a target in third person and aim in first-person, making me wish the game made it optional to play in either setting.
Unlike the poor attempt at storytelling in 007 Racing, this game does very well take it a step further from Goldeneye. All the game's cinematic cutscenes are mission briefings, this time making the player feel like M is directly telling him or her what to do with the use of visual aid, as opposed to just reading instructions and comments from the characters. Since the game doesn't have the budget to produce cinematic cutscenes, heavily edited clips of the movie can be shown at the end of certain levels to either conclude it or set up the next one (including the film's title sequence with the game's credits replacing the film's). Admittedly, there are two things 007 Racing did do better with telling its story. It was the first Bond game to feature cinematic cut scenes of Bond in action, and it used one to end the game. This game ends so abruptly that there's no real sense of accomplishment. Bond jumps on a getaway boat with Wai Lin; it says Mission Complete like all the other missions, and that's it. I understand a harder difficulty unlocks a montage of the game, that's a little better, but it doesn't feel any different from watching the mini trailer played at the very start.
I know what I'm about to say may sound a little blasphemous, and I'm not saying this to put a gaming legend down, but the game does have a little bit more variety than Goldeneye. I have no problem walking around blasting enemies and using different means to complete an objective. But really think about what the game offers in comparison. There's skiing, a fighter jet a player can activate to cause mindless destruction, an infrared snipper, a chance to play as a character other than Bond in the story Wai Lin, and hey, did I mention about a driving level in my last post? How does none of this sound just a tad more exciting? They are spoiled by the problems that hold the game back from fully succeeding, but even so, I can still happily say I had some amusement. The times when I had to ski, for instance, was fun, where I felt the weight of going down the mountains performing stunts while leading enemies into trees. What ruins half of the fun is the lousy controls for steering Bond, and the chase coming to a bit of a halt for when I need to fight off opponents with ski poles.
Overall Thoughts
Tomorrow Never Dies suffers from what 007 Racing had. The game had promising potential that the franchise would improve that's ruined by inadequate controls, low-quality graphics, playing the story safe, and ignoring everything that made Goldeneye a hit. But unlike how I most likely would rather watch someone else play 007 Racing on YouTube before even thinking about playing it again, Tomorrow Never Dies is one I wouldn't mind as much re-experiencing. Despite what it does wrong, it offers new and exciting ways of playing as Bond in its crude stages but can still be enjoyable, making the experience less of a pain.
Least Favorite Mission: Ski Ridge
Ski Ridge is one of the few levels that has nothing to do with the film's story at all. I don't mind additions to the story, except this level is the same as the first one. I'm once again up in the snowcap mountains skiing and penetrating into enemy territory. The only significant difference is Bond gets into a boss battle with the criminal, who was only briefly seen at the beginning of the movie Satoshi Isagura. Now that I think about it, this mission could serve as a hint to what the game's original story would be about. Since Isagura's fate is unknown in the film, it is possible that he was going to be the game's main villain with the motivation to unleash nerve gas on Yokohama as his main plan. It's by far the only clue of the game's original story; that goes without saying the mystery of it is more fascinating than the level itself.
Favorite Mission: Hotel Atlantic
When I was looking up clips of the game before buying it, this level is what made me interested in giving the game a chance after hearing so many negative reviews. I love exploring the many different rooms as I am firing upon the assassins, especially the bar. And though it's evident from the start that all these staff workers will become your enemies since each of them is casually wielding guns, it's great that the level doesn't start right away with the action, allowing the atmosphere to sync-in. The level's highlight is the game's first boss battle with one of the best throwaway henchmen ever in the film franchise Dr. Kaufman. The only criticism I have is the game's handling of Bond's former lover Paris, who you have to protect on the way out of the hotel and doesn't die. On the one hand, I'm happy to protect Paris in the game and see her live because I did grow a fondness for the character in the film. But on the other hand, when the level is over, she's never seen or heard from again, making it pointless for the game to keep her alive.
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