When I started this list, I mentioned that the Bond games introduced me to the franchise, hence why I'm ranking the games. Well, here's an essential piece of nostalgia I had with this game. I was too young to be part of the Goldeneye craze when it was popular, and I haven't played any first-person shooter games during my childhood. The only T-rated game I was able to play that involved guns was Tomb Raider, except that was a third-person shooter game. Not to say third-person shooters don't receive the same controversy for violence (Grand Theft Auto anyone). Still, for me, there was nothing more extraordinary than looking through the eyes of the protagonist. When I was in third grade, I went to hang out with my best friend at the time, who had access to adult-rated material. I usually refused to play and view media beyond my age. Not because I didn't want to. Actually, I was excitingly curious to taste the forbidden fruit. I simply didn't want to find myself grounded if my mom found out. One of the few times I caved in was when he showed me his Ps1 copy of The World is Not Enough.
Before the game, despite seeing Bond's face, I had no idea who he was, nor did I recognize him. My friend suggested we play the game. At first, I was hesitant about it, but having a chance to play a teen-rated first-person shooter that I had been deprived of all my life seemed like a one-time opportunity. Hyping me up to play the game was the footage of the gun-barrel sequence. Seeing Bond walking in a gun barrel and firing at the screen that causes blood to drip and cover the entire image was one of the most fantastic images I've ever seen. As soon as I heard the theme song itself; I was sucked in even further to its cool and catchy tune that screamed danger, class, and excitement. I played the first mission of the game, and despite never finishing it (or making it to the second floor), I enjoyed every second of it. I mostly stunned guards as they fired at me and had trouble opening doors. My friend would shout "circle," but it sounded like he said suckle, which confused me more. Occasionally my friend would unlock the gun game option for me to experience the authentic first-person experience. I died more times than I remember, finding myself anxious to move forward but was amused at seeing blood trickle down the screen to provide my death with some style. With the experience, gun-barrel sequence, and the trailer in mind, I became fascinated with exploring the Bond franchise that my dad and fearful mom helped make it happen by renting me movies and buying one of the games. My friend later gave me his game copy, and I became addicted to its first-person shooting mechanics, level design, gadgets, and storyline with the aid of film clips from the movie. I used to play the game so often that I would spend half of my playtime finishing it in one sitting. And since I knew how to beat every level with the film clips giving the game a bit of a cinematic feel, I would play this for my friends and brothers to make it seem like they were watching the film only with me playing as Bond.
For serving as my first introduction to the Bond franchise, my first rated T first-person shooter, and a game I spent hours of my youth replaying it, I obviously hold this game close to my heart. It's a childhood staple and my gateway to new and exciting things. Having lived passed that point of my life with more experience of playing Bond games under my belt, how does it hold up, especially when compared to its N64 counterpart?
For starters, it is terrific that EA took the first-person shooter form to their Ps1 consoles to make up for the failure of Tomorrow Never Dies with a better control system and alternate ways of accomplishing objectives. Yet compared to the previous N64 Bond games, they're just as limited as their first attempt at creating one. Since EA was working again with the same company that made Tomorrow Never Dies, Black Ops Entertainment, for the Ps1 version, many flaws from their first Bond game collaboration transferred to their second attempt. It has one mission more as opposed to having ten missions in Tomorrow Never Dies, which would be fine if the N64 didn't technically have fourteen. As changing the difficulty would add new objectives in previous N64 Bond games to make them feel challenging and rewarding, this game does the bare minimum by only having two settings with nothing unique to make the experience different and exciting. There are cheats to unlock and would be worth unlocking if they were anything worth playing for. There were all kinds of cheats to unlock before this, including new levels and character skins for multiplayer. The cheats are standard (invincibility, all weapons, and infinite ammo) and wouldn't matter as much after finishing the game. The levels don't have a sandbox environment, nor will the game let you keep playing if you fail the mission.
Above all, the reasons why unlockables are worthless are primarily because there is no multiplayer! One of the biggest reasons Tomorrow Never Dies tanked so hard was for having no options to allow friends to challenge against friends in a death match! Multiplayer mode was such an essential ingredient to Goldeneye's success that Eurocom's involvement with the second Bond N64 game not only created a mutliplayer but also made it an ahead of its time upgrade. Half of the criticisms I fault this Bond game for (so far) did appear in later games. What made them replayable was that they had larger-scale levels and multiplayer worth replaying over and over again. EA and Black Ops seemed so focused on getting the levels and controls right in first-person that they overlooked or didn't have time or money to create a key factor to the game franchise's success.
In Tomorrow Never Dies, most of the storytelling consists of mission briefings, movie footage, and non-cinematic looking cutscenes during the mission. The Ps1 version of The World is Not Enough uses this method of storytelling as well, with a few slight differences. As most of the cutscenes were MI6 interface briefings in the previous game, the briefings are treated similarly to those from Goldeneye and the N64 port. M provides the briefing, R gives Bond the gadgets, and Moneypenny gives flirtatious advice. Instead of reading them, their voices are heard while occasional footage from the film, maps, character designs and gadgets appear on the screen. It already felt more immersive to hear M's voice in the first PS1 Bond game to feel like Bond getting ready for a mission. And while I do miss the computer cutscene briefings, having an updated version of the N64 games briefing is satisfying. It's a joy to hear John Cleese's voice R sounding as frustrated as Q, and Moneypenny never letting down her attraction towards Bond.
Footage of the movie was hardly ever used in Tomorrow Never Dies, where here the clips are fully utilized as bookends for each mission. Realistically speaking, the clips are used because they're cheaper than animating cutscenes. The best way to sell gamers into seeing the movie is, of course, by using clips as a preview to get gamers interested. I'd rather have pixelated cutscenes telling the story like the N64 game, but I still enjoy seeing clips of a movie featured in the game. The reason (for this game's case) is partly because the game never uses any special camera work or fancy editing to make the in-between mission cutscenes look cinematic. I'm mostly staring into the dead eyes of stiff pixelated figures who master ventriloquism. It's a bit creepy. When ignoring that, I always feel the archive footage help bring some authenticity to feeling a part of the film's world. The game is already marketing the film for serving as a tie-in, and unlike how Tomorrow Never Dies uses clips at random moments, the film footage helps move the story forward. Just like the N64 game, the story and characters are clear and accurate enough to the source material to entertain gamers who have not seen the film.
There were only a few times the story didn't make sense. During an animated cutscene, how Lachaise dies becomes baffling. We just see his secretary move her arm, and he suddenly collapses. We know she kills him, but how? The N64 game may have handled the scene backward while taking liberties, but it still made it clear how the Swiss banker dies. If the makers can't animate a knife, why not take the same liberty as Eurocom's involvement by having her use a gun? The editing for the archive footage typically does a seamless job of shortening the scenes from the movie. The only time it's questionable is when Zukovsky interrupts Bond's torture. In the film, he's taking down some of Elektra's thugs before interrogating her. In the game's edited version, he just casually enters the room walking past a random dead body on the floor. I know he kills Bullion in the scene which would remove the liberty to have Bond fight him. But they could've edited this moment out. It always felt weird to me to watch him appear in Elektra's hideout out of nowhere as if anyone can enter.
Despite having fewer levels than the N64 game, they still have similar objectives and layouts. There's a ski simulation level involving gunning down Parahawks. A stealth mission in Elekra's mansion. A level having the player walk as a civilian before fighting against the terrorists in Kazakhstan. And even the subway mission where Bond has to defuse a bomb (Which was never in the movie). Like both Quantum of Solace games, they share the same story, similar features, and levels but still have their significant differences. As Quantum of Solace for the Ps2 condensed two levels into one, this game does the same thing. Instead of two separate missions of searching Elektra's estate and killing Davidov in the next, the Ps1 game places them in one level, except Bond kills Davidov within the compounds of the manor than in the forest. The game mercifully turns the pointless two-part City of Walkways levels into one, creating an experience that doesn't overstay its welcome. Chasing the Cigar girl, however, only happens for one level, and there's no subway station to save while pursuing her. That part of the mission is moved near the end of the game with a different foe instead of a little after the beginning.
One of the improvements the Ps1 game has over the N64 game and the film itself is the handlings of standard, non-threatening, or forgettable henchmen. I'm not referring to the Cigar Girl. I'm more so referring to Bullion, Davidov, and Gabor. Henchmen who just exist in both media who you know Bond, or his allies can quickly kill, and do so. The Ps1 version doesn't treat them so lightly. The villain replacing the Cigar Girl for placing a deadly gas in the subway is Bullion right after attempting to kill Bond, Christmas Jones, and his "boss" Zukovsky. For a henchman who's not a physical match for Bond, an easy pushover, and a wimp than a laid-back intimidating looking foe who is always in control, the game certainly makes him the badass he should be. He has a bigger plan, is always one step ahead of Bond, has a stricter design, and sounds smooth and confident when threatening Bond. Davidov, who was just a disposable villain to move the plot along, in the game asserts his authority as head of security in a very Bond villain-like manner. I miss the mission where I can kill him my way but having him as the first boss fight villain is a fair and memorable trade-off. While these villains have been improved, they don't get challenging boss fights, but Gabor does. Personality-wise, I think he's better in the N64 game. He barely shows up in any of the levels or cutscenes in the PS1 game making his appearance feel random. Yet he's so heavily armed that bullets can't kill him, unlike the previous bosses Bond fights. Players must use the pipe bombs he throws to kill him as his guards come storming in to kill Bond. That's way better than stunning and punching him in the N64 game. It's so cool to have the Ps1 version improve upon the henchmen, just as how the Ps2 Quantum of Solace game improved the villains from the source material. Too bad the only villain that doesn't get fully utilize is Renard. Two versions of the game, and Renard does not serve as a near unstoppable game boss when he's begging to be one.
Another upgrade the game offers is two additional levels. The N64 game never had a level involving Bond and Christmas making their way to the pipeline to stop a bomb. It included M's capture and the command center as a multiplayer map. But that's it. The Ps1 game only mentions M capture through a briefing, but the command center does become a mission in itself. It's one of the more exciting levels involving rescuing hostages, fighting in the dark with special night goggles, and protecting Christmas before riding through the pipeline to stop the bomb. The other level takes place at Zukovsky's Casino, the only level where there is no firearm use. It's a direction as different as the Casino Poison level in Quantum, where the goal is to bribe Zukovsky with money by playing Blackjack. I think gamers would agree that playing blackjack is a better break from gunning down assassins than playing a drunk simulation level (not that I ever minded it).
For its new content and ungraded enemies, half of what made the levels in the N64 game unique and give variety have been eliminated or changed for the worst. As difficult as it was to swim underwater in a maze to find and stop Renard, I still enjoyed the challenge as it brought some variety to the game. The Ps1 port ultimately eliminates that concept resulting in players fighting their way through the sub to kill Renard. A level design that the N64 game could've easily done. It's not as much of a sin as not translating the attack on MI6 mission to the Ps1 port. At least the sub level offers some unsuspected twists to make the last level feel rewarding. Renard occasionally pops up to shoot Bond, there's a radiation room where you have to get out at a certain time before getting an instant death, and a climax of destroying the computer core as Renard is about to start the meltdown. It's a better level change than Cold Reception. Eurocom invented the on-rails shooting for the Bond game franchise, probably knowing how needlessly clunky it would be to control Bond on skis in its first-person design. You'd think Black Ops would do the same after its clunky fighting and steering mechanics for skiing in Tomorrow Never Dies, but they don't. The controls for this game are easier to grasp, except for when Bond is on skis. Since the controls and gameplay are still designed as first-person mechanics for the level, it's easy to forget Bond is on skis until you start moving him. He never stays still or responds to the controls accurately. Instead, he's sliding all over the map, making it hard to pursue enemies or go to your destination. It's just as easy to get stuck in places since the controls don't contain the use of breaks. On the bright side however, it's the only level where the controls are as bad as Tomorrow Never Dies.
For what its worth there are some levels I prefer over the N64 game. The most obvious is the City of Walkways. Not to act like it's one of my all-time favorite levels from the game or that I don't miss some of the features from the original (the collapsing dock and riding on the conveyor belt). But the goons are easier to spot, blowing up the helicopters isn't a hassle, and the level lets players recreate how Bond destroyed the last helicopter. The Courier mission doesn't start with Bond casually picking up items and ends with an all-out firefight when Lachaise gets killed. Players have to make their way past security to get to his office. The situation creates more choices for the players, whether they want to sneak past guards and security cameras or just run in shooting up the place. I appreciate the level more for the freedoms it allows for different gamers than having it function one way. My favorite level from the N64 game Fallen Angel has some upgrades too. I can use a gadget to free M, I have to protect her at one point, and I get a proper boss battle with Gabor. What keeps it from being my favorite are a few things. Players can't take their time to kill Elektra. There is no poison gas room to escape. And I don't have the choice to let Zukovsky live a little longer at least (I still like to think he survived in the N64 game if I don't grab his gun).
Also, what this level and all the other levels lack (that briefly mentioned earlier) is giving their locations a large scale. In the N64 game, the environments were massively huge to explore, get lost, and allow players to do a little more creative thinking outside the box. There are so many places to go to kill Davidov that killing him will never always be the same. While searching for clues in Elektra's mansion, the environment is so spacious that it means Gabor and Davidov can roam freely around, and I can't be seen by them or harm them. Having these open environments, even within closed buildings, made the N64 game feel as big as the film. In the Ps1 version, all the maps are small, easy to navigate, and sometimes claustrophobic. The small scale of these levels can't allow as much unpredictability as the previous version, making the replay value of the game feel like an exact repeat.
But what the levels do have that the N64 version doesn't are the designs. As open as the levels were in the original, there was less time to give them personality. Some stand out in the other version, such as the MI6 building and Maiden's Tower. But usually, their designs were very standard. Those details were easy to overlook thanks to having various objectives and an atmospheric score. But since Black Ops most likely knew they couldn't make their levels as big as Eurocom's, they may as well give them more personality. If they didn't have the budget to have Bond avoid subways in the station, they had him mainly fight inside different train cars to pursue Bullion. If players can't swim to Renard, they give the submarine control rooms vibrant colors, cabins to find weapons, a lounge where the crew would relax, and a radiation room to survive. When chasing the Cigar Girl, the city may feel as tight as cities from a German Expressionism film, but at least has a pub with a picture of Winston Churchill and a launch area for the balloon. My favorite is Elektra's mansion. As the halls and rooms felt the same in the N64 game, each room now has a distinct environment. It has a TV room, a kitchen, a game room, a closet, and Elektra's bedroom with a piano playing the Bond theme. It feels more like a place I would love to hang around rather than feeling like I'm in a typically armed fortress. And adding the flair of each level is the score, whether it raises the excitement, gives a corporate vibe for formal locations, or sounds ominous.
I praised Eurocom's achievement for improving Bond gadgets for first-person after Rare's Goldeneye. With this game, I applaud the gadgets for having more variety than in the N64 game. Make no mistake. I miss using Bond's awesome watch that has multiple features. All this game gives for his watch is a grapplehook that he takes off, so he's never shown wearing it. With that said, some of the items from Eurocom's game make a return. These items include a micro camera, night vision goggles (with one setting), and an exploding pen. Others have been reinvented. I'm not using my watch to stun guards. I have the phone from Tomorrow Never Dies that can do it and scan fingerprints like in the film. Some of the gadgets have been either turned into weapons or vice versa. I now have a regular dart gun than having my watch fire darts, but I also have a rocket launcher disguised as a video camera. The newer features include a credit card lock pick and a VLF disruptor disguised as a pen. My personal favorite new additions involve mini flashlights disguised as Flash Bang grenades and a Satchel Charge. Realistically, I could play the game without ever using them. But I still take pleasure blinding my enemies and blowing them up.
I will give my overall thoughts on both games and ranking after covering my favorite and least favorite missions.
Least Favorite Mission: Masquerade
Cold Reception is the worst level to control Bond, which is enough to make it my least favorite. But for me, it's the level where Bond has to pose as a doctor at the nuclear base to get to Renard. I'm usually a fan of levels that allow players to explore before pulling out a gun. The level delivers by having me show ID badges to guards, cutting the power to get past them, and stealing other badges to get elsewhere. I especially like how you can't shoot or stun the guards, but you can use your fists if you want to playthings the violent way. I'll most likely be dead, but it's fun to try. My problem with the level is when the action does happen. Compared to the other version, the level perfectly recaptured every detail during Bond's encounter at the nuclear base in the film and still made it a playable level. I'm okay with liberties', but the level only does the bare minimum. It just covers basic check marks with no unique challenge. I take that back. There are challenges but not fun or exciting ones, more so annoying. When it comes to protecting people, I have more problems defending Dr. Jones than I do Natalya in Goldeneye. She doesn't move as much as Natalya, but she walks into danger or just stands there to be killed by terrorists who keep popping up. I have no idea where each terrorist is going to appear. I'm just praying I get to them before they get to her. On numerous gameplays (including this one), when I thought the area was clear of terrorists as I made my way into the next room, it was a mission fail a few steps later. There were still terrorists in the room where I left Christmas Jones, and they killed her. If I'm lucky to kill them all and not have a single one respawn as I make my exit, I still have to use my grapple hook watch to escape the explosion. It should be easy, but there are times when the watch does not latch onto the cable. It becomes a challenge in itself to figure out the proper positioning when there are only a few seconds before detonation. Since using it is typically a leap of fate in this scenario (unlike the watch in the N64 version), I would wind up half of the time dead. And the worst part of all this is there's no checkpoint. So, if I die from failing to spot all terrorists or if I'm not aiming my grapple hook a proper way, I will have to start all over again. Meaning I would spend 3 or 4 minutes showing my ID cards to get back to the action. Compared to Cold Reception, I figured out the controls and knew how to get through the level more painlessly than I do here. Plus, riding down the mountain is fun if you don't bother stopping and shooting at the goons.
Favorite Mission: Russian Roulette
I speak so highly about The Courier mission, especially when having such an essential nostalgia for it that it wouldn't be shocking if it were my favorite mission. And out of all the action-packed levels, I pick the one with no action. But that's what I like about it. This mission offers an integral part of Bond that no other games have, gambling. We all remember him firing guns, charming the ladies, using gadgets, and making amusing quips. But gambling is another iconic part of Bond's identity. He's a man who takes chances, hence why gambling would be one of his hobbies. The first time Bond from the EON series ever appears on screen is when he's gambling. I get that gamers want to just shoot and use unique gadgets, but I personally would love to gamble in the games every now and then, even if it's just a bonus level. Walking around Zukovsky's colorful casino as I talk to women (who have a strange tick of moving their arms backward at random times), meet my favorite ally, and play cards as soothing music plays makes me feel as much like Bond as carrying his signature gun. This level also introduced me to blackjack when I was a kid. Knowing I was underage to bet on money at the time, my friends and I would play for special snacks in the cafeteria at Middle School. So, the mission plays a personal significance to my youth as the first mission did. It's a shame gambling hasn't been incorporated elsewhere in the Bond game franchise. And to me, that's what makes this mission unique and my favorite.
Closing Thoughts on Both Games
Unlike the Quantum of Solace games, objectively speaking, I can't pretend one is not better than the other. As crucial as the Ps1 port was to me, the N64 version is the superior game. It has a cinematic feel, it's less repetitive, it has an incredible multiplayer experience, and it invents and reestablishes certain game elements that would become staples in future Bond games. That doesn't mean the Ps1 version doesn't exceed in other areas because it does with its portrayal of key henchmen, level designs, extensive collection of gadgets, and occasional missions that either outdo the N64 game or are one of a kind. Similarities aside, the reason why these two titles are close together in my rankings is for nostalgia appeal. Not that I grew up playing the N64 game, but for how one is nostalgic, and one makes me feel nostalgic. I still cherish the memories I have of playing the Ps1 game as a kid and how it helped make me a Bond fan. I may not have grown up with the original N64 game, but it feels so similar to many of the other Bond games I played during my childhood that it makes me feel like a kid again. Had I owned an N64 as a kid, I would have played it as often as the others I had including the Ps1 game.
My Official Ranking for These Two Games
Number 7: The World is Not Enough (Ps1)
Number 6: The World is Not Enough (N64)
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