Re-Review: The Last Waltz

Many positive things can be said about filmmaking during the 70s. The late 60s was a rebellious age for film, pushing past the censors and social norms and taking full advantage of giving the film a more surreal and abstract approach. The 70s was the age of new talent of aspiring filmmakers and actors making their mark in history by taking full advantage of filming material that would not be suitable to have screened to wider audiences ten years prior. One of the staples of innovative filmmaking during the era was the Rock N Roll concert films. While there have been a handful of famous and influential concert films and Rock N Roll documentaries released in the 60s, including Monterey Pop (1968), Don't Look Back (1967), and Festival (1967), the 70s was the golden age of the genre. There has yet to be no other decade for concert films and music documentaries that came close to having a long list of titles that are still remembered, studied, or celebrated. Titles include Woodstock (1970), Wattstax (1973), Gimme Shelter (1970), The Concert for Bangladesh (1972), The Kids Are Alright (1979), Let it Be (1970), and Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970). One of the notable concert films from the era that receives many praises from audiences and critics and is still remembered fondly (even going as far as having musicians performing tribute shows based on the concert) is The Last Waltz (1978). 

One of the famous directors to spring from the 70s was Martin Scorsese, who proved his worth as a filmmaker through his urban crime dramas Mean Streets (1973) and Taxi Driver (1976). Scorsese enormously admired music, always wanting to make a film celebrating the art form in some way. There is no doubt that Scorsese's love of Rock N Roll and jazz was carried through the score for his films during the 70s, but in terms of directing a film based around it, he never sat in the chair. Before The Last Waltz, he worked on music films as an assistant director and editor, notably for the documentary Woodstock. The closest Scorsese would get to directing anything music-related was the musical drama New York, New York (1977), which he made shortly after Taxi Driver. While working on the musical, Scorsese's producer on Mean Streets, Jonathan T. Taplin, introduced him to Robbie Robertson, the lead guitarist of the Canadian American rock band known as The Band, with an opportunity to film their most important concert. 

The Band has spent sixteen years on the road performing in various venues across the country. With members experimenting with heroin and tension rising between Robertson and the Band's drummer Levon Helm, Robertson felt it was time The Band went on their separate ways. At least in terms of playing live. Before doing so, Robertson felt The Band should go out in style by having a grand farewell concert called The Last Waltz held in the venue where The Band first played under their band name, the Winterland Ballroom. What was originally going to be just The Band performing, Robertson invited special guest artists that launched their careers, Ronnie Hawkins, and Bob Dylan. Eventually, Robertson felt the need to ask more artists to make their last concert a celebration of sixteen years of music than a somber farewell. The task of documenting such a big concert with no alternate takes and no contract or pay intimidated Scorsese but excited him enough not to want to miss a golden opportunity. 

The film opens with a title card suggesting the film "Should be played loud," which is all capitalized, building up the excitement for the concert that will soon be presented. This disclaimer also feels like a title card that French New Wave filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard would use if he created a concert film for the period for how self-aware and direct it is. Scorsese's influence from the French New Wave would appear continuously in many of his movies, including Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy (1982), and Mean Streets. The first scene starts with one of The Band members, Rick Danko playing a billiards game of "Cut Thorat" as the others stand aside watching him. There are no introductions to any members, nor is it established where they are hanging out for the interview. Most of the focus is on Rick, as the rest of The Band only appears in one brief shot. The scene's audio is relatively low and quiet, subtly implying that the film's disclaimer was not meant to just blast the music but hear the interviews clearly. The sound of billiard balls clash against each other as the sound of an audience's applause off-screen gets louder and louder each time a ball hits another, with quick edits for each shot, prepping up the first concert scene. The first concert scene is shot with Robbie Robertson's back facing the camera, speaking into a microphone to the audience in front of him with the spotlight shining brightly on him. What looks like the first song of the concert is their last through Robbie's dialogue. Surprised that the audience is still waiting for them to do an encore after performing for hours, Robbie and The Band agree to do one last song to close the celebration. Rick Danko wishes everyone a "Happy Thanksgiving," and The Band proceeds to play a grand cover of Marvin Gaye's Don't Do It. During the number, each member of The Band is introduced through capitalized title credit of their name as they play their signature instrument to associate unfamiliar audiences with them. In reality it was end, but on film, the concert's finale feels like the beginning through Scorsese's choice to introduce The Band in their last song. 

After The Band leaves the stage bidding everyone good night, the next scene is in broad daylight on the streets of San Francisco with The Last Waltz theme playing on the soundtrack. Scorsese does not use any spectacular camerawork or editing when capturing San Francisco. The neighborhoods where the Winterland Ballroom is located appear seedy and runned down. To capture the grittiness of these environments, Scorsese uses a handheld camera to film buildings and people waiting in line to get into the theatre through the car's windshield and opened passenger seat window. Many of the people caught on camera react to being filmed by either waving or approaching the camera while in line to get inside the theater or hanging on the street corners far away from the theater, suspiciously wondering why they are being filmed. What appears to be a long journey that was done in one shot is broken up through a series of jump cuts to bring the audience faster and closer to the Winterland Ballroom. After the ride, it is nighttime, and Scorsese shoots one shot of the theater's neon-lit sign that has seen better days. The image of the sign fades out to reveal the film's opening credits at first presented in front of a black background as a couple waltz past the first few frames of credits. After showing the film's title with the couple now waltzing on the right side, the scene fades out and fades in to show the couple dancing among a crowd of other people as each special guest’s credit appears. The couple disappears in the crowd through a dissolve as the camera captures the other people on the dance floor waltzing. The camera makes its way to the orchestra’s conductor (with the aid of a few dissolves) conducting the waltz. Another dissolve leads to a disco ball spinning brightly above the crowd, to the music ending with an establishing wide shot of the entire Winterland Ballroom with fancy chandeliers (some used in Gone with the Wind (1939)), and tables where people dine. Compared to how Scorsese captured the unpleasant exteriors of the Winterland Ballroom and its surroundings in low quality, the glamorous ballroom inside the theatre where the stage is set and couples dance looks like a fairy tale. The contrast between both environments and its transition to beauty plays as a metaphoric rags-to-riches story of The Band's road to fame. The theater itself feels like a character in this sequence as if we are watching the story of Cinderella with the theater as the title character transform for a concert instead of a ball with Bill Grangham (who decorated the Ballroom) as the Fairy Godmother, and The Band as Prince Charming. 

The opening credits sequence is the only time the film captures the people at the concert before the show. Since the concert did take place during a holiday, a few hours before the show would start, audiences would have a Thanksgiving buffet with multiple turkeys and a dance floor with a live orchestra where they could dance. The couple shown waltzing in the opening credit sequence was not actors; they were locals who were caught on camera when Scorsese's crew were taking footage of the people before the show. Scorsese thought they were such a cute couple that he went around San Francisco asking the locals about the couple's whereabouts with photos he had taken from the scene so that they could be featured in the opening credits. Eventually, he found the two dancers and brought them to Los Angeles on a soundstage to film them solo for the opening credits. Apart from people waltzing for thirty seconds, there is little capture of the audience's activity before the show. In fact, during the concert, they are shown even less. Many concert films, especially Woodstock and Monterey Pop, usually show footage of audiences participating through cheering, dancing, or getting high. Scorsese never cuts away from The Band or guest performers to show the audience engaging with the show. Their applauses are heard but never shown up close. The audience usually appears in long shots of the stage with their backs facing the camera or from a reverse shot where the musicians' backs stand out more than any of the faces in the crowd. Watching audiences react to a concert always adds to the excitement of watching a concert film to immerse them in the experience further, whether it is filmed like a second coming, a peaceful community, or a disaster. A canned applause track used in Television Sitcoms would not be out of place for this film because, like sitcoms, the audience is unseen, or in this film's case, barely seen. The film is supposed to be The Band's final concert, and the film does not interview how fans feel about the Band parting, what the group meant to them, or what they expect from this concert. Unconventionally leaving the audience out would not hurt the film. But it is clear Scorsese's' focus is not on the people attending the concert and the performers as just the entertainers. It is purely on The Band and the people singing with them. Scorsese acknowledges people are watching it, but he constructs the film as if The Band is playing their farewell concert for the viewer watching the movie. 

The film captures The Band performing most of their greatest hits, including Up on Cripple Creek, The Shape I'm In, It Makes No Difference, Stagefright, The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down and Ophelia. Robbie Robertson plays one killer guitar solo after another whenever the spotlight is on him. Rick Danko, the bass player, incredibly pours his heart and soul when singing about the heartbreak of a man who misses his loves in It Makes No Difference and captures the nerves of a performer when singing Stagefright. Levon Helm is equally as powerful when emoting to the songs he sings while spectacularly playing the drums without showing any struggle, except when he looks like he has an itch on his nose to scratch in a few shots. Garth Hudson sits behind the three members playing the organ and synthesizer in near darkness as he is shot from the back, or head-up, as if he is the Phantom of the Opera or a wizard creating mythical and futuristic sounds. Hudson disappointingly gets under two minutes of his solo act The Genetic Method, which is a long introduction to the song Chest Fever. But Garth has his moment to fully shine when playing the saxophone at the end of It Makes No Difference. 

The only member of The Band who hardly is ever given a chance to shine in the film is the piano player and one of their prominent singers Richard Manuel. Documented through a hidden black-and-white camera capturing the whole concert from Bill Graham and even the film's album, Richard vocally leads three songs and has three duets with the guests (including the finale), and he only has two scenes of him singing. Or at least one scene showing him singing, whereas, in the latter, his voice is only heard, which is for the finale. During the finale, the cameras did not know where to point since every single performer was on the stage. Making matters worse, Richard was covered by two artists who start to move out of the way just as he ended his solo. Scorsese did shoot the concert on the spot, and it is almost inevitable that mistakes like this will happen. And for the one number, Richard's performance of The Shape I'm In is captured nicely, where he excels just as well as Danko and Helm. The film is nearly two hours long, but without including another song from Manuel or rarely showing his piano playing skills without singing makes him come across as the weakest and replaceable member of The Band when he was far from that. And it is a pity that the other songs he sings never received a proper cinematic presentation because he knocks it out of the park when singing his rendition of Georgia On My Mind.

The various guests invited to share the stage with the Band for their final bow are famous musicians playing different genres of music such as rockabilly, folk, blues, and R&B. Ronnie Hawkins who gave The Band their start as the Hawks (before becoming the Band), does a lively rockabilly rendition of Bo Diddley's Who Do You Love, screaming, improvising the lyrics, and toying around with The Band as he performs. Ronnie was unsure if he belonged at the concert since he was currently playing at bars at the time, but he seemed completely comfortable singing with the people he brought under his wing. An old friend of The Band, Dr. John, approaches the stage in his flashy suit, oversized purple sunglasses, and huge bow tie to bring the New Orleans beat to the theater with Such a Night. Despite Dr. John not caring for the song too much, he sings it with such suave, accompanied by his jazz-style piano playing that he makes it as festive and toe-tapping as the music culture he represents.

Things get odd when Neil Young takes the stage. When Young performed at Woodstock with Crosby, Stills, & Nash, he did not wish to be filmed because he did not want the cameras interfering with the act for how close they were to the stage. Young should have kept that mindset for appearing spaced out in The Last Waltz. Young was coked up with cocaine hanging from his nostril, which Scorsese had to rotoscope in post-production. While under the influence, however, Young gives a solid performance when singing Helpless, aided by The Band's vocals (at one point sing together into the same microphone like Doo-Woppers singing on the street). Behind the curtain, a silhouetted Joni Mitchell provides a heavenly feel for the song. Audiences felt divided by Neil Diamond's appearance for appearing out of place with the rest of the guests. The reason Neil Diamond was invited was because Robertson was producing his album Beautiful Noise. Compared to the rest of the guests interacting with The Band or always having a member present aside them, the spotlight is purely on Diamond. The Band never introduces Diamond (in the film), nor does he acknowledge the other members, feeling that he is taking over the party than being a part of it. It makes one forget for a few minutes that this concert was about The Band for how Neil Diamond is shot. That is not to say Neil Diamond’s performance is bad. He soothingly sings Dry Your Eyes with breathtaking charisma making it worth seeing. Joni Mitchell takes the stage with the song Coyote, a nicely sung performance with lyrics from the song symbolizing Robertson feeling like "a prisoner of the white lines on the freeway" when constantly living life on the road. Compared to Mitchell's deleted performances, Coyote is good, but nothing as haunting as Shadows and Light or Furry Sings the Blues, with Neil Young on harmonica. 

The next few guests who take the stage are some of blues' greatest musicians. Paul Butterfield blows the blues harp with the energy of a fast-moving train as Levon Helm sings Mystery Train. After a debate between Robbie and Levon about whether Muddy Waters should perform the show, Robertson allows Muddy to play the concert after Levon threatened not to do the show. Muddy Waters did not get a rehearsal ahead of time, but he does not need to for how coolly he sings one of his hits Mannish Boy with Paul Butterfield at his side. Unlike how the other performances are shot, the performance until the ending is captured in one shot. The reason for this was because Scorsese and the camera crew had to stop filming to reload the cameras. When Scorsese heard the opening notes to Mannish Boy, he panicked for halting filming during the most iconic blues songs sung by a legend in history. Luckily one of the cameras was accidentally left on to capture the performance, thus making it the longest shot in the film. Nearly failing to capture Muddy's performance was among so many other little mistakes that worked to the film's advantage. Eric Clapton closes out the blues portion of the movie with Further Up on the Road. A song that metaphorically ties into Robertson's fear of the road hurting him or taking the life of him or band members one day. Clapton is as smooth as he usually is with playing the guitar as he vocally releases the heartbreak of a man who hopes the woman who hurt him will someday suffer the same fate. However, his guitar strap breaks loose at the beginning of his performance, causing Robertson to take over immediately. Including Clapton's performance of All Our Past Times with Rick Danko should have made it into the film's final print, as this slight malfunction is not one of Clapton's finer moments. But the incident is made up with Robertson giving a few epic guitar solos. Then again, Robertson does upstage Clapton, giving the scene more reason to be cut and replaced. Still, Robertson’s guitar playing is so chilling to listen to, while Clapton can still incorporate his talents that it is too good not to be included in the film. The film has plenty of emotionally driven, slow-moving numbers; it would get tiresome to see Clapton perform another number of its kind when he has played many fast-paced rock and blues songs.

After staying away from the stage for more than two years, having trouble deciding the costume he should wear for the night, and suffering from stage fright, Van Morrison brings down the Winterland Ballroom when performing Caravan. No signs of his struggle returning to the stage after so long are felt, nor has he lost his mojo for his live comeback. Morrison sings powerfully (with The Band enthusiastically singing back-up vocals with him) and energetically kicking as each member in the horns section blasts the sound. The last of the solo singing guests is another supporter of The Band from the early days, Bob Dylan, who performed with The Band numerous times when he started to go controversially electric than acoustic. At the time of the concert Dylan was editing his French-New wave-inspired concert documentary film with fictional vignettes, Renaldo and Clara (1978). Through constant negotiations before and during the concert about Scorsese's film competing with his, Dylan allowed three out of six songs he sings to be recorded for the film. Through Bill Graham's secret recording, Bob Dylan's set was one gigantic medley, with only the last two songs making their way into the finished film. Despite wearing a hat suitable for his bizarre Rolling Thunder Revue Tour, Dylan's emotionally raw singing voice brings sincerity when performing Forever Young to rocking along with the Band with his reprise of Baby Let Me Follow You Down. 

At the film's finale, most of the guests get together to sing a tenderly bittersweet rendition of I Shall be Released led by Bob Dylan. The finale includes a few surprise guest appearances from Ringo Starr from The Beatles and Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones. While it is always a treat to see two of the popular competitive British rock bands together, their cameo is pointless overall. There is one close-up of Ringo playing the drums, while Ronnie does not get a single frame of him playing guitar, making their appearances so brief that they do not deserve to be mentioned in the film's opening credits and marketing. Deleted footage shows more of the two jamming at the jam session after the finale, before The Band performs their encore, making their appearance warranted, but in the released film, they just exist. To the film's credit, at least Starr and Wood have some sort of introduction in the finale than Bobby Charles. Charles's appearance in the film is a blink-and-miss cameo who stands in the background singing. Charles is in the last song because he performed Down South in New Orleans with Dr. John and The Band, as shown in the deleted footage. At least he made his way into the film, while Pinetop Perkins and Stephen Stills do not make the cut. Nothing is really missing compared to so many other things that were excluded from the film. Pinetop Perkins sings Caldonia with Muddy Waters, who does a swinging job, but it is clear the spotlight is more aimed at Muddy and The Band than him. And Stephen Stills does not show until the near end of the jam session, which is a pleasant surprise but like how Wood and Starr are presented in the film, his amounts to nothing. 

Showing bits of the jam session would have been a better alternative than the appearances of poets Michael McClure and Lawrence Ferlinghetti. As The Band and other musicians took a break from playing after performing Acadian Driftwood with Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, various poets took the stage to entertain the guests during the concert's intermission. How Scorsese includes this part of the event always appears at random and usually less than a minute. McClure's voice is heard immediately after It Makes No Difference, and a dissolve shows him reciting the Introduction to The Canterbury Tales in Chaucerian dialect, ending before anyone can process what he is saying. After Van Morrison's song, the stage suddenly appears ominously empty. Ferlinghetti then walks on the stage to read his short Loud Prayer poem and the film jumps into Dylan's set as if he were never present. 

After filming the show, Robertson wanted to find a way to represent Gospel and country music in the film for their influence on music since they did not cover those styles at the concert. Robertson also wanted the film to have a proper presentation of The Band's hit song The Weight, and his recently written suite named after the show. Scorsese agreed to shoot additional music material on the MGM soundstage to create music video sequences for the film, with special guests The Staple Singers and Emmylou Harris. The appearance of the soundstage scenes at first comes across as jarring, as most of the film's music comes from Winterland Ballroom. To see The Band perform in a completely different environment that looks more polished than the concert scenes feel out of place in contrast to the rest of the film's style. In an interview in the film, Robertson expresses how playing the music would take him and The Band to strange places "Physically, spiritually and psychotically" that were not just on the stage even though they were on the stage. The soundstage sequence is a surreal spiritual experience of how The Band feels mentally when making music. Implications of the supernatural feeling of this mindset are subtle throughout the film. Most of those details come from how the concert scenes are shot and lit. For Helpless, the reason for Joni Mitchell's behind-the-stage vocals were intended to keep her appearance a surprise, but the purple and blue lighting and shadowing make her appear fantom-like. The result of a light blowing out, forcing a blue light to shine on Levon and Butterfield as their surroundings are in darkness, creates an ominous supernatural vibe for the song Mystery Train. The footlights make Danko's skin glow, and a reverse shot of a spotlight shining on him captures the essence of tension, thrill, and adrenaline for Stagefright. Another detail relating to the spirituality of making music is how the people can get as lost in the music as The Band with the couple waltzing. The opening credits sequence is the first soundstage scene in the movie before the film makes these scenes explicit since it is part of the opening credits sequence that combines documented footage. 

Apart from the opening credits, the film has three full-length soundstage sequences. The addition of the Staple Singers joining The Band in the song The Weight gives the tune a gospel presentation, complementing the spiritual theme of performing and symbolizing how music is their religion. The smoke, mystical colors, and blue dress would make Emmylou Harris appear angelic for the Cajun waltz Evangeline. And the reprisal of the film's theme song would take place on a dark and empty stage with the Band playing. A heavenly light would suddenly create larger-than-life shadows of each member and darken again as a crane shot of them would gently pull away from a stage surrounded in an environment by darkness and smoke with globe lights lined up. These visual choices imply that the party is over, The Band have reached the light at the end of the dark tunnel. What is lovely about these sequences is not just Scorsese having the freedom to light the scene or position and move the camera how he pleases but for how the film shows The Band's multiple talents. The concert footage shows Garth playing the saxophone outside of playing the keyboards, but he is also shown playing a beautiful antique accordion for the song Evangeline. Danko is typically on the bass guitar yet is also a skilled fiddle player, as demonstrated in one of the soundstage sequences. Helm not once but twice plays the Madolin instead of the drums for these scenes. Taking over the drums is Richard Manuel. Manuel can briefly be seen playing the rhythm drums for Mystery Train in the concert if a person is really paying attention. When in the Evangeline number Manuel’s drumming talents are shown clearly. Drums are just one of the other instruments Manuel can play because, in the last scene, he sits on the stage playing the Dobro guitar. Robertson still plays the guitar, though, for The Weight sequence, he plays a multi-neck guitar. 

To tie the concert and soundstage scenes together, Scorsese interviews members of The Band in the Shangri-la clubhouse, where they hang out and record their music setting up a relaxed atmosphere. The interviews and how the subjects are documented in films like Don't Look Back, Woodstock, and Gimme Shelter all had their own style of telling a story. In Don't Look Back, it was observing Bob Dylan on and off-stage in his 1965 concert tour in England. Woodstock's interviews consist of Hippies socially engaging during the event and the town's people involvement. Gimme Shelter interviews the people setting up the concert and The Rolling Stones looking over the footage of the infamous concert in Altamont. The Last Waltz interviews take an approach as casual as the interviews in Woodstock, except this time, its primary focus is on the artist than the people attending. And unlike seeing Bob Dylan and the Stones working most of the time, The Band are sitting around smoking, jamming, playing pool, joking around, and talking over one another, making it feel like the audience is hanging out with them as opposed to studying them. How they tell their stories about traveling on the road are less like formal presentations and more like informal stories of how your friend or relative would share their memories or passionately talk about their interest in a subject. It makes The Band feel more like regular people than the talented celebrities depicted on the stage. The interviews cover their compelling stories on the road, how they lived during their career, and their love and knowledge for music.

As the film functions more as a concert film than a documentary about the rise and fall of The Band, the interview scenes are incredibly short. The interviews feel more like breaks from the concert and transitions for the next song than an in-depth study of their successes and failures. One interview has Helm nostalgically talking about how traveling tent shows have influenced the style of rock and roll, followed by Van Morrison singing about the tent shows. Another is about The Band's meeting with famous blues harmonica player Sonny Boy Williamson and how he passed when they were going to perform with him, transitioning to the Mystery Train number with Paul Butterfield. Both the interviews and how many of them relate to the song sequences complement one another by tying into the overall themes of nostalgia, fear, and moving on. The Band members talk about their feelings in the interviews while also serving as their own Greek chorus when they perform. 

Of all the members getting interviewed, Robertson is the one who gets most of the attention. Aside from Scorsese asking Rick Danko what he plans to do after The Last Waltz, no interviews cover how Hudson, Manuel, and Helm about the break-up or the concept of their final concert. Robertson talks all about his superstitions of pressing your luck on the road and how he could no longer do it. Even with his bandmates, Robertson steals the spotlight away from them by answering most questions or making statements. For the concert footage, Robertson is shot to look more like the leader than anyone else in The Band. Compared to documented footage of the Band's performances before the concert, it was never the case. The film has a massive obsession with Robertson over the others for a few reasons. The first is that the concert and making the film was his idea, and as one of the film's producers, he can control his image, unlike the others. The main reason Robertson gets most of the interviews about the end of The Band's career is because he was the only one who wanted to break up The Band. Everyone else still wanted to play on the road, especially Helm, who was furious with Robertson publicizing the end of The Band with a big final concert. Helm intended for the rest of the members and himself to carry on as The Band, just without Robertson, and while they eventually did overtime, Robertson and the studio threatened to sue if they did. 

The Last Waltz, both the film and the motivation for the concert, is without question purely made by Robertson’s fear and ego at the expense of not letting The Band carry on the road under their name. The film is also very clumsy with having noticeably short interviews, Richard Manuel barely having screen-time performing, pointless scenes involving poets, and way too much screen-time with Robbie Robertson. The film is not the best concert film of all time, but it is one of them. Despite the selfish motives, the concert and how it looks is still an all-around dazzling experience with every performer giving their A game. The soundstage sequences are enchanting and haunting at the same time. The interviews are intriguing and allow audiences to bond with The Band as people. And Scorsese’s direction is some of his strongest. It is amazing to see a filmmaker with a love for music successfully achieve the task of filming a big concert, and not only make it appear cinematic even when mistakes were in the way, but still find ways to give it artistic meaning with the material he filmed after.

007 Game Rankings: Number 3. Everything or Nothing (Ps2, GameCube)

I played Everything or Nothing once when I was a kid. When I discovered there was a new Bond game released at my local Blockbuster, you can bet that I had to rent the game as quickly as I can. As a kid spoiled by the first-person shooter experience in previous Bond games, I was put off by the game serving as a third-person shooter. To me, moving the Bond model was nowhere near as exciting or immersive as playing the game in first-person. But I decided to give it a chance, finding myself satisfied playing the pre-title sequence mission and liking the game's song okay. But when the time came for training, I forgot the exact reason why, but I was stuck at one portion of the level. And with the controls and the third person experience feeling so out of place for a Bond game, I did not push myself to press on. I was, in short, bored and puzzled.

Over time, I kept hearing about the game's positive reputation as one of the best Bond games ever. As a young adult still obsessed with the Bond franchise, I wanted to give the game another try, feeling I didn't give it a fair chance as a kid for not meeting my expectations. I bought the game during my early years in college, and I could not believe how foolishly stubborn and impatient I was as a kid. If I had given the game a chance and had the patience as a kid, I would have played it as often as the others. And replaying the game again for this review, it is so much better than I remember it! 

As a kid, I appreciated having a pre-title mission complete with a gun barrel sequence and a Bond-like opening credit sequence like the previous game, Nightfire. While the pre-title mission is not among my top favorites, it is still a smashing first level. I love how there is some time to build up to Bond's presence, unlike in Nightfire, where Bond shows up a few seconds into the cutscene. Players see through Bond's point-of-view as he watches an exchange between terrorists through a sniper scope while hearing his voice, building anticipation for his appearance. After sabotaging the meeting, a disguised Bond appears on the screen during the chaos, running for cover and removing his mask to reveal his identity, suddenly placing players in the middle of the action. From Russia With Love, was better building to Bond's reveal, but at the time, this was the best introduction Bond has ever made in a video game (outside of the gun barrel sequence). Like From Russia With Love, the pre-title mission serves no purpose to the story whatsoever, though still serves as an exciting action-packed level filled with numerous guards and explosions, as Bond retrieves a case and escapes. 

The following opening credit sequence has a few improvements over Nightfire's opening credits. For one thing, there are actually credits. The only piece of credit that appears in Nightfire is the title, which has a significant build-up for the finale, but it is disappointing not to see any credit before it. There is not so much as EA Presents or starring Pierce Brosnan to sell its cinematic feel. Everything or Nothing learns from EA's mistake and takes full advantage of showing each piece of the game's stars as it flows with the rhythm of the music. The second reason why this sequence succeeds over Nightfire is the song. Between both songs, I am more partial to Nearly Civilized by Esthero in Nightfire, but objectively speaking, Mya's song is better used for a song in the opening credits. The song uses the game's title for the chorus rather than just shoehorning it in at the end, and the lyrics have a little more to do with the game by containing themes of love, betrayal, and power when Nightfire was about falling in love and destroying a building (again?). The song itself is also soothing while energetically bouncy with a catchy chorus. The one thing that Nightfire does better is the visuals for the sequence. Make no mistake, the visuals in Everything or Nothing are still outstanding, with plenty of them fitting the story, like tanks, a Russian flag with silhouettes of women holding guns, and nanobots. Nightfire on the other hand, was more epic and intense in its presentation with its colors, shots, and imagery when the credits here looked like screensavers at the time.

Having an all-star voice cast and using the likenesses of the actors helps give the game a cinematic feel. The use of Pierce Brosnan's likeness certainly has a fascinating history. Brosnan imagery started blocky for the Nintendo and PS1 era of the games. The only time the details of Brosnan's likeness were shown at that time was in the cutscenes from 007 Racing, which looked fine, but clearly, there were still ways to go. Though Bond was wholly remodeled in Agent Under Fire, some of Brosnan's features made it into the design. In Nightfire, Brosnan's likeness was used again, only in better detail than 007 Racing. The only distraction was the actor voicing this model sounds nothing like the respective actor when, in other installments, the actors voicing him would do a decent impersonation of Brosnan. In this game, EA goes the extra mile by using both Brosnan's likeness and hiring the man himself to do the voice work. As someone who is not too critical of using the original actors in movie-licensed games as voice actors, hearing Brosnan voice the role helps sell the immersion of playing Bond. There are many times when he sounds like he is reading his lines as opposed to emoting. Still, nothing beats having the current Bond at the time playing the character with a voice that is still as cool and suave as he is on-screen. Brosnan's wooden line delivery is undoubtedly less distracting than old Sean Connery's voice attached to his sixties Bond image (which I still don't mind as much).

As this game is the only time Brosnan voices his iconic role, it marks the debut of Judi Dench voicing M, whose voice would become a regular in the video games from now on. Unfortunately, the game is the final time John Cleese would ever play R. Both actors do well in their respective roles whose voices are heard often in the game, maybe a little often. I have no problem hearing M giving me orders or R giving me tips (unless it involves defeating forklifts) during a mission; my problem is the overlong mission briefing scenes. At first, the game starts with a slideshow presentation like Agent Under Fire of the gadgets I'll be using with R's voice explaining how they work. And at the beginning of a mission in a cutscene, I hear a quick exposition from M similar to Nightfire and Agent Under Fire. But then I discover an MI6 level, which makes me excited to think I will be walking around modern 2000s MI6 for briefings and gadgets. At first, I watched a cutscene of Bond talking to M about my next mission, and then it ends. Thinking I will make my way to the Q lab to obtain gadgets or training, I'm instead watching another cutscene, this time with R. Then, I see Bond and R riding the elevator in a cutscene that appears cinematic, making me think something big is going to happen, only to see a regular cutscene of R showing Bond the vehicle, and afterwards it all ends. These scenes are well-acted, move the story forward, and have plenty of humor during R's scenes, whether in the dialogue or the background (like the films). However, having the MI6 cutscenes as a level with no interaction is unnecessary. And I get it: EA wants to exploit the stars they have, and to have these overlong cutscenes at the start of a mission can get irritating since players want to get right into the action. I understand the length of these briefings for a movie, but for a video game, these details can easily be summed up in a minute or less, as proven in previous Bond games. And to have slideshow-like presentations of R already giving insight into the gadgets makes these cutscenes redundant. I admire how the game is trying to feel like a Bond movie, but these cutscene "levels" are really overdoing it.

In Agent Under Fire, one of the many disappointments with the characters is the wasted potential for R's female assistant, Z, serving as a weak punchline for one of Bond's flirtatious quips. In this game, R gets another female assistant, Miss Nagai, who works in the lab. She is everything Z should have been: active on-screen, providing insight into the gadgets, and flirting with Bond. In many respects, Nagai could have been written out as she tells the Bond information that R can easily tell him. Still, having an additional character who stands out but doesn't overshadow R or Bond is excellent. And out of all the new cast of female ally's Bond encounters, Misaki Ito's voice acting sounds more credible than the others. 

Shannon Elizabeth as the main Bond girl, Serena St. Germaine is as believable as a geologist as Denise Richards is as a nuclear physicist, and Zoey Nightshade as a CIA agent in Agent Under Fire. Granted, Elizabeth does have a bit more personality compared to the women I mentioned, but not by much. As cringy or stilted as Richards and Nightshade can be, for better or worse, I at least remember them and their dialogue. There is nothing about Elizabeth's performance, character, actions, or design that is memorable, even in a so bad its good way. She exists as nothing more than a trophy for Bond. I know people criticize casting pop singer Mya as a secret agent (who Bond later encounters), and she's as believable in her profession as the others. But this odd casting choice and some of her exaggerated line delivery make Mya unforgettable. On top of it, as Serena does so little on-screen, we see this agent gun down goons, defuse a bomb, and hear her sing when posing as a nightclub singer. While it's hard to separate the artist from the character as Mya does not disappear into the role (even in pixelated form), it is laughably badass to see the game's attempt to make her an action hero. I would much rather have her, or at least her character, as the game's main Bond girl instead of Serena. 

Of all the characters cast (without counting the original actors from the films), the casting choice that excited me to give the game another chance is Willem Dafoe as the main villain, Nikolai Diavolo. Given how Dafoe can masterfully play antagonists in ways that are either enjoyably entertaining, menacingly creepy, or both, having him play a Bond villain is a match made in heaven. He may very well be the best original Bond villain in the game franchise. Dafoe's Russian accent may not be the most convincing, but his eerie and playfully evil yet subtle and classy performance makes it easy to overlook and fits with the game's camp. Diavolvo can be sadistically cold when torturing and murdering his victims in some scenes, when in other moments, he is so enthusiastic about the chaos he will bring that he even has his crew place a giant monumental victory statue of him in the midst of a war. For me, what I particularly love about Diavolvo is how bent on revenge he is to kill Bond for killing his mentor Max Zorin from A View to a Kill (I would have loved to see Christopher Walken and Willem Dafoe together as Bond villains if possible). Yet, he does not let his vengeance cause him to overlook the big picture of his scheme.

What is his scheme, some may wonder? The plan is the part of this character that would not translate well in the film, and that's to use nanobots that can eat through any metal to rule the world. I know nanobots would appear and serve a different purpose in the latest Bond film, No Time to Die, except I found it just as dumb (if not dumber) in the movie as I do for the game. The concept certainly raises the stakes and works fine for a Bond game, but for me to picture this as part of the Brosnan period is as good as the sci-fi elements used in Die Another Day. Furthermore, as the villains' locations in the Daniel Craig era games looked like a battlefield from Call of Duty, some of the areas look so colorfully comic book tacky that are filled with sparks and appear otherworldly futuristic that I am expecting Bond to team up with Spider-Man and fight Doc Ock or see Diavolo turn into the Green Goblin (especially when witnessing from a third-person perspective). As out of place as it is, Dafoe becoming the Goblin in a twist sounds cooler than giving him a silly futuristic suit that you'd swear was stolen from the corpse of the villain in Die Another Day, where I am expecting him to produce Sith lightning at any moment. Compared to the deaths of Malprave in Agent Under Fire or Drake in Nightfire, Diavolo's death is more pivotal in presentation. My only gripe is I wish it lasted a little longer, but at least we see him die rather than barely seeing it or suddenly getting a close-up of his dead body. The more I think about it, the henchpeople like Bloch, Red Grant, and Kiko get the more climatic demises. 

While on the topic of henchpeople, Diavolo's team of baddies are hit and miss. Diavolo's lover and second in command, Dr. Katya Nadanova, in terms of writing, is a badass femme fatale. She starts as an innocent victim for Bond to rescue and even assists him during the escape until her true colors are secretly revealed after safely returning to her destination. For the rest of the game, she becomes a constant obstacle for Bond, whether by tossing Serena off a helicopter or capturing him. Like Kiko in the previous game, there is a strong sense of wanting to see Bond axe her off for her betrayal. While the character is written wickedly, Heidi Klum's delivery sounds as wooden as Shannon Elizabeth's. As a victim and scientist, Klum sounds fine; however, once she starts acting villainous and making quips, she sounds incompetent, as if she's trying to sound as threatening and taunting as her lover, only to come off as a weak imitation. And it's a real shame how unconvincing Klum sounds as a villain because Nadanova could have been one of the greats. Even her death is underwhelming since we never see her perish. After all this tension between her and Bond, you'd think there would be some payoff with seeing her suffer.

For a good portion of the game, Bond has to chase after one of Diavolo's scientists with a mechanical hand named Arkady Yayakov. The character has a fiendish design but hardly does anything in the game that is productive. In fact, he never uses his mechanical hand at all in the game, where if you take that gimmick away, nothing will change about him. Bond does not so much as fight against him; he sabotages his lair while fighting off his goons until he is killed by falling lab equipment. With a henchman who shows up often and does very little, the character Jean Le Rouge is the exact opposite. The character looks like Dracula if he were a hunter, appearing sophisticated, undeadly pale, and having a devil-like goatee, as he wears attire Crocodile Dundee would wear while wielding a crossbow. Despite looking calm and collected, when in action, he is a maniac who loves to burn and blow up his victims as he taunts in that creepy French voice. The character is scary, unpredictable, cunning, quick, quiet, loud, and an all-around badass, making him one of the greatest henchpeople in the Bond games of all time, which disappoints me that he is only used in one level.

Rather than developing these new foes, EA is focused on bringing back one of Bond's old foes, Jaws. I should criticize the use of this Bond character as cheap fan service, especially when the new henchmen with potential are wasted for doing nothing or appearing little. When thinking back to the cheap fan service in 007 Racing, though, Jaws' presence is not wasted. In 007 Racing, while mentioned multiple times, we never see him appear on-screen where he could have easily been replaced with another henchperson. The last time Jaws physically appeared in a Bond game was in one of the bonus levels of Goldeneye 64, who is intimidating and a skilled shooter, but is limited in the things he can do. In this game, players can fight this classic henchman in multiple ways, including duking it out on a train, chasing after him on the highway, and dodging his flamethrower on a flaming lift. Naturally, as the game progresses, he becomes harder and harder of a foe, making him a worthy opponent and a near unstoppable force. Do I wish the game gave Yayakov and Le Rouge more time? Absolutely; however, Jaws works just as well, and it is fantastic to see him in a new Bond adventure as a recurring threat.

After the successes of games like Agent Under Fire and Nightfire, for EA to create a Bond game as a third-person shooter was a bit of a risk. EA's last attempt at making a third-person shooter starring Bond was Tomorrow Never Dies for the PS1. It had ambition but horrible controls, making the game very frustrating. And given how Bond gamers, including myself, preferred fighting through the eyes of 007, to see him throughout would take away the immersion we were used to. In the end, EA outdid themselves, fixing the mistakes from their previous attempt and adding plenty of variety and imagination, making it the best of the third-person Bond games. Like the earlier games, the game has alternate routes and optional side tasks, as a player can choose how to act during a mission. For me, stealth is so challenging to do in the game that I usually shoot everybody in my way. For the game serving as a third-person shooter, like the other games that would follow, this game is a cover-based shooter with an auto-aim feature. As games at the time loved to mimic The Matrix almost as much as films and shows love to parody it, time can be slowed down when using Bond senses, where a player can aim at a specific target, change weapons, and figure out where to go when lost. While helpful, it can get a little annoying to use the feature just to lock onto an explosives barrel when I can lock on to enemies. 

Another benefit to the game displayed in third-person is the emphasis on hand-to-hand combat. When in first person, players could only hit an enemy with no absolute combo moves, as the focus was on the weapons and gadgets. The hand-to-hand combat is a bit disappointing, considering only two buttons are used for it, making it feel lacking when engaging. That does not mean that it still isn't fun to play or watch by any means. The sound effects, the different combo moves (if not much), and the death animations still build up the adrenaline when approaching the guard. And to add to the interest of fighting against an enemy is the ability to pick up objects and throw them at enemies, preferably when one chooses to act stealthy.  

Since the gadgets in the previous games were designed for first-person shooters, having them in a third-person shooter allows for more possibilities. After the prologue and training, the third mission opens with Bond using a rappel gun to lower himself from an exploding building, where players can freely swing around while dodging flames. Compared to the later game, From Russia With Love, Everything or Nothing offers more freedom regarding movements, allowing the game to create new obstacles for Bond to dodge. What is even cooler about the feature of rappelling is Bond can also gun down enemies when heading in either direction, further surpassing the original first-person shooter genre in the franchise. Thinking that using the rappel gun is the only way I can feel like I'm free falling, the game actually has a level with Bond free falling to rescue Serena with just as many challenging obstacles.

Increasing the advantages of third-person gameplay with the gadgets is the Q-Spider, a mechanical device used to access unreachable areas and knock out unsuspecting guards. Once again, comparing it to From Russia With Love, the Q-Copters are fun as well, but they've been used in the multiplayer of Nightfire, except it's not in the third person, and they are less vulnerable. The Q-Spiders being a bit more vulnerable should be a disadvantage, but the challenge of positioning them to kill an enemy makes it more exciting and rewarding. I love watching them creep about with an equally creepy sound design and blow guards up with their backs turned. Hearing the guards react to gadget is just as funny as the guards pleading for help in Agent Under Fire. Another way of killing guards by surprise is the Network tap gun, a device that can activate tanks and drone guns to kill in a facility filled with guards, where the player gets to pull the trigger as opposed to watching the show. 

These are not the only gadgets with the element of surprise; Bond carries a few coins in his pocket that can stun or blow-up enemies from afar and destroy machines. The player, at one point, is given the task to use one of the coins to escape a death trap, which, aside from escaping from jail, the situation for players to escape from a death trap has not been used since The World is Not Enough for the N64. The only problem I have with the coins is the unpredictability of whether they will work or not. Sometimes, they hit in the right direction, while other times they can't. In a stealth situation requiring quick action, I find the dart gun a more reliable weapon than the coins; needless to say, the same applies to regular action. However, the coins are not as ridiculous and pointless as Bond's stealth suit. For those who thought the invisible car in Die Another Day was dumb and hard to buy, Bond literally wears a suit that makes him invisible, like Harry Potter's invisible cloak. The device is out of place in the Bond franchise, and I hardly feel the need to use it, given it runs on a low battery. That does not mean it is not a playful feature to have, as I like tinkering around with it occasionally. 

After 007 Racing, the driving missions have drastically improved for each game, with better controls, weapons, and gadgets that will hardly damage you and visually appealing locations. I thought none of the driving levels could top Nightfire, but Everything or Nothing does what I thought was unlikely; it is easily the best driving level in any of the Bond games. The cars have all the typical features like machine guns, missile launchers, smoke screens, and acid slick, but R has equipped a few more features to make driving through enemy territory more exciting with gadgets as ridiculous as the invisible suit. Since the game went above and beyond to a new kind of dumb that fans disliked from Die Another Day, the origin of the invisible suit is featured here. Yes, that means Bond has a car that has an invisible cloak. Like the suit, I hardly use it, though it does come in handy for sneaking around or hiding myself from enemy vehicles. I have frankly found the car's invisible mechanics more reliable than the suit Bond wears. The vehicle also comes with a mini gadget similar to the Q-Spider, except it is on wheels, which are RC cars with a laser (I am thinking of the outrage these ludicrous decisions would get if this were an official Bond film). Unlike the Q-Spiders, players activate through the point of view of its staticky hidden camera, making it seem like the player is Bond using the controls. 

Some of the gadget-based cars Bond drives include a Porsche Cayenne Turbo and Aston Martin Vanquish, which are indeed delights to drive. The game further includes another favorite vehicle in Bond video games, and that is a tank. The last time Bond rode in a tank in the games was for an on-rail shooting level in Agent Under Fire, and the game does so again. At first, I was disappointed that I couldn't drive the tank since I was no longer playing it in first-person and would like to engage in my surroundings other than blasting everything in sight. That is not to say I did not have fun with this on-rails portion, either. And as luck would have it, towards the last few levels of the game, I would finally have the opportunity to drive a tank like I would a car. What makes this experience more rewarding and as outlandish as the other new additional features I pointed out is that this is a futuristic tank, looking like something designed by Skynet in the Terminator franchise. The tank comes equipped with a traditional tank cannon and a space-like plasma gun. And that's only half of it because since Bond is stealing a tank from the villains, this one also comes with nanobots, which players are required to use to succeed and even plan sneak attacks. As I have said many times, the ideas would fail drastically in a Bond film, and by Bond game standards, it's a bit much, and yet I am having too much fun to care as the game gives me exactly what I would expect from one. 

Of all the vehicles Bond drives in the game, my favorite is the Triumph Daytona 600 motorcycle, otherwise known as the Q-Bike. The bike is the fastest and most difficult one to drive, but not in an annoying way (apart from the game making me perform a stunt in one level). Speeding when chasing after enemy vehicles feels like an adrenaline rush that always gets my heart pumping every time, I use it. What makes this vehicle harder than the others is if Bond crashes, he will not still be sitting on the bike; he will fly off and lose a good portion of his health and likely die after a second or third crash (one minor gripe I have with the game is blood does not trickle down on the screen when he dies at any point in the game). This risk thankfully, only increases the pleasure and intensity of driving the Q-Bike rather than spoiling the fun. The game is incredibly generous because since the motorcycle was given to Bond from Q-Branch, it allows the bike to have a few gadgets, such as missiles and a flame thrower. The bike does not come with a machine gun; it comes with something better, and that's Bond wielding a shotgun like he's the Terminator. 

While nonsensical, the number of gadgets each vehicle carries are fascinating and amusing. That said, not all cars have weapons, and I don't mean that in a bad way, either. The game, at one point, has a racing level (delivering more with its racing theme than 007 Racing), where Bond poses as a racer and has to win one to meet and have dinner with Diavolo as a reward (which makes no sense considering Diavolo has seen Bond earlier). The mission is my least favorite driving level in the game for serving as a generic racing level, yet it is still a welcoming change of pace from all the shooting. I'd say a break from the explosions, too, if not for the racetrack, for some odd reason, having explosive barrels, and that is strangely not the most nonsensical thing in the game. A little after the race, when there is action on the road, Bond does not drive a gadget-based car. Like Blood Stone, despite its limitations, the excitement is still present, and unlike Blood Stone, this change is earned considering there have been plenty of missions of Bond driving cars with gadgets beforehand. What's even more remarkable is whether driving a Q-branch car or a regular one, one can still cause unwanted destruction by ramming through enemy vehicles and watching them fly, tumble, and explode.

A major part of the reason why the driving in this game works so stunningly is how spacious these levels are. As much as I love the driving levels in Agent Under Fire and Nightfire, most levels were either tightly small or had little going on in large maps. Not a single driving level here feels like a wasted opportunity with action or too small to explore. Because of this, players can develop their strategy and find different ways to go about their mission. The best alternate routes and choices are mainly located within these levels. A person can either use a cloak to get past enemy vehicles or blow-up a (hopefully) temporarily closed fireworks factory to distract them. And there are plenty of shortcuts to make it to destinations faster, like crashing through fences and breaking through windows. My personal favorite is crashing a Madi Gras parade to make it inside a hotel room. Early in the game, players even have a chance to pick their vehicle of choice, which the Bond games never do, and it is not explicit either, making it a rewarding find.

Another rare thing this game offers is allowing players to fly a vehicle. And I'm not talking about a mini-Q-copter; I'm talking about an actual helicopter that is armed and equipped with missiles, bombs, and flares to distract oncoming enemy fire. Seriously, this game is not holding back on what it can do. All that is missing is another level when flying an aircraft; otherwise, I'm satisfied with what the game delivers. 

Like any classic Bond adventure, Bond visits many exotic locations, including Peru, New Orleans, Egypt, and Moscow. For all my complaints about how some levels look like locations in a Spider-Man game, there are more than plenty that are beautifully designed and fit within the Bond universe. A few levels into the game, and the game has me on a steel train fighting through cars with Jaws as a boss, to having me fly a helicopter through a pyramid with booby traps in the next mission. In Peru, I drive through its dusty streets, heading to places like an abandoned mine shaft (with one of the best uses of the Bond theme in a very subtle way) and a hotel with a secret passageway where I check in stealthy and check out fighting for my life while rescuing another. Though a war zone, the streets of Moscow are still filled with lovely scenery and buildings, which leads to a climax in an underground Cold War-inspired base that looks as gorgeously gigantic as some of the best villains' lairs in the series. While on the subject of lairs, earlier in the game, Bond escapes through Diavolo's mines, a level clearly inspired by Zorin's mine in A View to Kill, looking as grand. 

For me, my favorite exotic location is New Orleans. The color scheme and lights create a busy and festive atmosphere, making for a very scenic and interactive driving experience (with the different routes). As flashy as the environments are, most primary locations contrast with it, whether it is Bond visiting an abandoned plantation with a hidden lab or a graveyard. The closest to a location with any color and life is the Kiss Kiss Club, which has neon colors and a relaxed, jazzy, longue version of the game's title song, sung again by Mya as Bond sneaks around and takes on guards. As mellow as the place is (Complete with a naked woman for Bond to massage), the place has villainy all over it, particularly at the bar with red, purple, and blue neon lights and a shark tank. 

The only gameplay element of the game that is lacking is surprisingly the multiplayer. Multiplayer mode mainly offers co-op mode, where players work together during missions to achieve tasks. This mode is a refreshing change of pace from the traditional combat mode, which I give EA credit for going the extra mile at creating for a Bond game, considering the third person in the franchise was already a risk. As playable as the campaign is, overall, it feels dull and standard since hardly anything about it stands out regarding level design, tasks, and even the character skins. Players cannot play as any of the game's characters but as generic MI6 agents. There is a way for players to play as characters from the game: unlocking them, which is pretty disappointing. However, locking game characters is nowhere near as stupid as forcing players to unlock a combat arena for the classic multiplayer experience. For everything the game gets right, WHY WOULD IT DO SOMETHING AS BRAINLESS AS FORCING PLAYERS TO UNLOCK THE PART GAMERS LOOK FORWARD TO IN A BOND GAME?! THE VERY THING THAT MADE THE SERIES A LEGEND IN MULTIPLAYER GAMING?! Thankfully, the next third-person shooter, From Russia With Love, would give players what they want, and while there are worse multiplayer games in the franchise, this is one I do not plan to revisit. 

It's incredible the game works as well as it did! The game abandons the first-person shooter for a third-person shooter experience that previously failed massively in the franchise, which is tied together by a ridiculous plot that would receive the same harsh criticism as Brosnan's last outing as Bond on-screen. And, yet the game is considered to be one of the best Bond games in the franchise! It's truly one of those games I forget how good it is until I play it. It shares flaws similar to Agent Under Fire in the story and character department. Still, the gameplay offers so much variety with the combat, driving, gadgets, and locations that it is easy to overlook the narrative problems. It tries so many new things, while also bringing enough of the element's players are familiar with to keep them happily engaged. And with the restricted multiplayer aside, it succeeds with every new thing it tries gameplaywise, complete with a half-decent cast of actors and characters, a Bond-like soundtrack, references to Bond films that hardly feel cheap, and a cinematic feel.  

                                         Least Favorite Mission: MI6 Training

Before and after this game, the tutorial levels would be helpful while moving the story along. In this game, after the pre-title mission, everything stops for Bond to be training in the same simulator from Die Another Day. At least in the movie, the simulator looked like reality, while here, it's a generic computer simulator where the only visually appealing part is the red spikes at the bottom of a pit. I wouldn't bother including this if the level were optional, but it's part of story mode. And I get why it's part of it, too, because given how challenging and clunky the controls were in their first attempt at third person shooting and that this is a significant change, they want players to be comfortable with the controls. Fair enough, except the previous mission already did it in a very entertaining and exciting way. Coming back to it does help now and then, so it does fulfill its purpose. But in terms of having anything unique or interesting outside the controls and the pit, it's boringly average. 

                                            Favorite Mission: Death's Door

The Kiss Kiss Club and some of the driving missions were close contenders for my favorite mission, but I had to go with Death's Door for doing something that I rarely see in a Bond game: horror. There are no ghosts, slashings, or Baron Samedi laughing about to make it scary; it relies on two essential things. The first is the henchman Jean Le Rouge, who has the makings of becoming a horror icon for having a combination of Dracula, the devil, and Count Zaroff from The Most Dangerous Game. He's the scariest character in the game franchise for his design and enjoyment of watching people slowly burn like Satan does for those damned to hell. The second and most important reason is the atmosphere! The mission is set in a dimly lit graveyard in the middle of a dark and stormy night. Visually, it's chilling to look at, especially when the lightning strikes, creating a strong source of light. My personal favorite is the sound design, how a player is unsure if it's the sound of thunder or a sniper shot, and having an eerie subtle score that builds on suspense. It's the perfect level to play it stealthy, as it only enhances the terror, by eavesdropping on the guards talking cryptically about killing the poor agent while the flash of lightning could give away your location if you are not careful. Ultimately, it all leads to a loud and chaotic climatic showdown in a hell-like environment with a giant fiery furnace. The level is, of course, highly playable, but the spooky vibe makes it haunting, making it my favorite level in the franchise based on atmosphere. 

007 Game Rankings: Number 4: James Bond 007 Agent Under Fire (Ps2, GameCube)

The Ps1 version of The World is Not Enough was my first exposure to Bond. Agent Under Fire was the first Bond game I ever owned. When I was starting to become a Bond fan as a kid, I saw the game at Toys R US, which had such an appealing cover and features including driving and multiplayer nearly making me beg my mom to purchase the game for me. I played the game throughout my childhood in story mode and versed my brother Jesse in multiplayer. Before NightFire, it was my go-to Bond game, despite the disc I had would stop working in one of the last few levels, where I had to rent the game for GameCube to finish it, eventually getting a replacement over time. I have many nostalgic memories of playing the game, exploring the areas, and goofing around. 

When I started making this list, I was initially going to place it in the number 5 spot, with From Russia with Love as the fourth for a few reasons. Aside from how the Bond model is not designed to look like any of the actors, the game has no gun-barrel sequence, but instead, a trailer takes its place. Bond inside the gun-barrel sequence is such a signature image in the franchise that even Goldeneye 64 can recreate that it feels a little empty not seeing it. I wouldn't care as much if I saw blood dripping on the screen whenever Bond dies in the game to make up for it, but EA does not bother showing it, either. The image tilts, Bond moans (sometimes long enough to sound like he's poorly impersonating a monkey while having an orgasm), and the screen fade to black. The game does not give Bond a proper build-up or grand introduction in its opening cutscene, he just appears without a word, and the game begins. Bond also never wears his famous tux, just a stealth suit and business suit, which I found disappointing at the time of the game's release.

All those reasons I originally wanted to place the game as number 5 are nitpicks compared to its more significant issue with the story and some of the characters. Released after 007 Racing, the mission briefings in this game are better, but not by much. Unlike the previous game, where there are few cutscenes, resulting with a player to read to understand the story, Agent Under Fire, has cinematic cutscenes to tell the story and visuals assisting the information M and R provides. Unlike how Tomorrow Never Dies and the Ps1's The World is Not Enough had some distinct visuals to make the players emersed, the game presents a very standard slideshow, with no gadget to view the briefings like in Tomorrow Never Dies or additional cutscenes or neat transitions to move to the next slide. Watching the briefings shouldn't matter as much because, in the opening cutscenes, M repeats precisely what she said before, making the pre-mission portions pointless. However, if you're trying to follow the plot, some crucial details are mentioned in the briefings, which will make no sense if a player skips them. When it is not story related, it is mission objective related. For instance, in one mission, I'm chasing after a van, and none of R's advice tells me what gadget to stun the van without destroying it. A player would only know what to do if they watched the briefings. 007 Racing is still the worst when setting up missions, but I will credit it for having at least one visually cool scene with Bond learning about his mission. The briefings in this game appear bland, half of the time pointless, and the other half so important that skipping them would have a gamer lost and confused. 

In terms of a story involving clones, as a Bond game, I don't mind the idea. I expect Bond video games to be excessive with its camp, action, and stakes. My problem is the annoying fake-outs whenever an essential character dies. CIA agent Zoey Nightshade gets caught and killed during the blast of a rocket launcher from a badass-looking assassin called Carla, the Jackal, who is heavily skilled and brutal at her job. But it turns out later on that Zoey is alive and that it was a clone of her used to gain inside information that was not meant to die in the blast, as the hit was target towards Bond. In hindsight, this explanation makes the Jackal a horrible shot and not the brightest. Her goal is not just to kill Bond but to obtain a briefcase with vials inside, and yet she uses a rocket launcher, which will kill Bond (if she is good at her aim) but would undoubtedly destroy the exact item she has to recover. The twist with Zoey as a clone in the first two missions makes even less sense, considering that Bond has to save her. She is not placed in a prison for Bond to easily rescue her; she is attached to a submarine and will drown in five minutes if Bond doesn't save her in time. Why take the chance of killing off a clone designed to gather information? 

Another instance involving the annoying clone twist is with one of the game's key villains Nigel Bloch. Bond successfully kills him, yet at the end of the game, the real Bloch is alive, as it was the clone that Bond killed. It is not uncommon for Bond villains to somehow survive a death you swear is final, but this comes off as cheap plot armor, especially when the game already played its clone card as an excuse for survival before. What is further aggravating is making Bloch as the final boss feels like a missed opportunity for Bond to fight against the game's main villain Adrian Malprave. She is only seen twice in the game in person (counting the final level). Malprave looks like she can be a worthy match for Bond for her physical appearance, intelligence, black jumpsuit (making her appear like an assassin), and carrying a state-of-the-art weapon. A boss fight could have made up for her lack of appearance, but Bloch gets the spotlight instead. In contrast, Malprave gets an underwhelming death in a cutscene of her dying in the background of an explosion instead of in the foreground with Bond elaborately killing her. I can almost swear that her inclusion in the game's final frame with Bond escaping was added in at the last minute as if the makers forgot that she was the main villain since Bloch shows up more times than her. 

Another issue I have with the story and character is the Bond girls. I have yet to see any form of Bond media that offers such a wide variety of Bond girls and yet does nothing with most of them. Apart from Malprave, the Jackal, and Nightshade, the rest are underused. Bond encounters two twins working for Malprave, who are hinted as clones. The two have the potential to fight Bond, given their authority (there are giant portraits of them in the office hinting they are more than securities) and suggested gimmicks, or women for Bond to woo. Sadly, they are never seen again after they appear. Bond later encounters a female diver, leading him to a secret lab, and that is all we see of her. Bond never stealthily follows her, nor is she the one to sound the alarm in the next mission. That job goes to another random girl Bond encounters, who is more interesting than the diver since she is turned onto Bond's charm yet actively works against him, and never appears again. She could have been either a decent femme fatale or a reformed henchwoman turned ally for Bond. But no, her appearance is to start the action. She is not even a playable character in multiplayer (most likely because she is only in one of the cinematic cutscenes), while the diver is.

Outside of the minor female villains, the other female allies are no better. Through a mission briefing (and a cutscene with the same information, almost word for word), Bond has to rescue and recover a data chip from a scientist named Dr. Natalya Damescu, who used to work for Malprave. Her character and background sound like she would be the game's Bond girl, only for Bond to meet her for less than thirty seconds and part ways. Bond never rescues her, nor does she do anything active. And she has no personality. R's female assistant Z who has as much screen time, has more personality than her. Z's inclusion could have been a great character working alongside R with Q's brains and Moneypenny's flirtatious nature. Tragically, she never says anything or does anything (on-screen), serving more of a punchline for Bond's quips.

With offering so many Bond girls that do so little, and with the game portraying Bond at his horniest, it is equally annoying to discover that Bond does not make love to any of the women. Oh wait, he has sex with Nightshade after discovering she is alive, but that is if the player finds a hidden item. It is not asking too much for Bond to get a few love scenes; that is part of the character's traits. And while I don't need a game to be filled with scenes of him in bed with women, I would, at the least, expect to see him passionately kiss or make out with a few. It is like the game is trolling Bond fans hoping for some form of eroticism as they play. At one point, the game ironically does by having Bond find a woman in the shower (And for those who played this game as an adolescent, don't act like you haven't used the sniper scope to curiously gaze at her nude body closely). But not just any woman, but a woman resembling the "deceased" Nightshade. Before Bond could even speak to her, it was revealed that this was a hologram projected from R to gain Bond's attention. It is one of the funniest moments ever shown in a Bond game, while also the creepiest for Bond's perverted intentions and that R is playing a sick joke on Bond by luring him with the image of a recently "deceased" ally. 

For all my criticisms of the story and characters, I will give credit for the game's originality. 007 Racing is the first to present a different story in gameplay form but lacks a cinematic experience as most of it involves reading the story and barely shows Bond interacting with the characters in the game. The game, through its various cutscenes, long list of characters, music, and innovative level designs, outdo 007 Racing's attempts at storytelling by a long shot. Initially, the game would not have an original story but would be a Ps2 port of The World is Not Enough with updated graphics. Luckily, the investors had the idea dropped for the film's lack of relevance. However, ideas, characters, and locations from the film are mirrored in the game. The main villain is a cold rich tycoon woman like Elektra King. The red herring for the game's main villain is a bald terrorist working for the villainess like Renard. Zoey Nightshade's personality and design are similar to Christmas Jones. The man with the briefcase in the opening cutscenes resembles Swiss banker Lachaise. There is a piano that plays the Bond theme, like in the Ps1 version of The World is Not Enough. Some music cues from the Ps1 game are reused (particularly for the shower scene). And there are two levels revolving around submarines. In fact, if Bond stays on top of the submarine in the first mission after time runs out, an oxygen bar will appear as soon as Bond is underwater, suggesting the game was originally going to recreate the underwater submarine level in the N64 version of The World is Not Enough. The level with Bond chasing after Bloch in the high-speed tram cars was also going to be based on the scene when Bond and Jones are riding on the transport rigs through the King Pipeline. 

While The World is Not Enough was a heavy influence, the game also homages many other Bond films. The concept of cloning, though never a grand scheme in the Bond films, does hark back to Diamonds Are Forever. Blofeld's clone dies by falling into a pool of hot molten, while Bloch's clone suffers a similar fate, both playing out as fake-out deaths. The demise of Nightshade's clone from a drive-by assassin missing her target that was meant for Bond is a fate all too familiar to Tracy's death at the end of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. But the references to the film don't end there. Bond disguises himself as reporter Mr. Somerset (an alias Bond used in From Russia With Love) to get closer to Malprave's operation in a base inspired by Piz Gloria on top of the snowy mountains with a lair hidden in the ice caverns with a tram cable that Bond uses to escape like in the film, except he doesn't ski. Malprave's base is not the only level resembling locations from other Bond films. The oil rig shares similarities to Blofeld's oil rig base in Diamonds are Forever. The underwater base calls back to Atlantis from The Spy Who Who Loved Me. And Bond riding a tram car to the final room with a layout resembling a volcano with lava at the bottom and some capsule looking like something from outer space is likely a nod to Blofeld's volcano lair in You Only Live Twice. Some of the gameplay objectives allude to other action-based scenes from Bond movies. A few are obvious, like Bond driving a tank as the character did in Goldeneye. And others are a little subtle, such as Bond destroying a lab by causing the reactors to overload as he fights against henchmen in radiation suits, only more action based than the climax in Dr. No. 

Despite the game's many homages to other Bond films, they contain plenty of originality to keep them from feeling like carbon copies. And for all my problems with how the game utilizes most of its characters, that does not mean they are not good. I would love to see Malprave make more appearances in the game or, at the very least, serve as the game's final boss, but she is still an intimidating lead villain filled with class. In a sense, she is like Dr. No, where her presence is always felt despite her lack of screen time. And when she does appear, she's as threatening as she is off-screen. Bloch has all of the qualities of a good Bond henchperson, for his brute design, gruff voice, and physical force. His personality is a ton of fun, too, as he goes from subtle and taunting to loud and maniacal, and still always maintaining as a force to be reckoned with who is always standing tall. As much as I criticize the Jackal for serving as a terrible shot, everything else about her is as badass as Bloch. The sunglasses, red hair, and green camouflage jumpsuit easily make her the most badass-looking character in the game. And the boss fights with her is no disappointment either, of how quick, spontaneous, and near invincible she is. Plus, out of all the characters in the game, she gets the most memorable death that can only be achieved if a player thinks out the side box instead of relying on a weapon. Her voice when she greets Bond even comes across as menacing, sexy, and confident. It makes me wish she had more than one sentence to say. And (big shock) I wish the game could use her more. Really the game has so many characters that half of them could be used in another Bond game. 

This game also includes my favorite original Q lab character in the game R. Originally, R resembled the actor playing the character on-screen, John Cleese, but was dropped due to copyright reasons giving him a nice redesign. Unlike the original take on another Q lab character, Q, in the next game Nightfire, who was just some intelligent old man who only gave exposition without personality, R in this game captures the character's spirit. R is brilliant when describing his gadgets but shows his annoyance towards Bond, and passion for his devices, with a voice resembling the actor who played Q in the films Desmond Llewelyn. The character has so much in common with Q that I wish he were Q. Zoey Nightshade is the only main supporting character I dislike. The idea could be fantastic for Bond to team up with a female CIA agent in a game, except apart from driving vehicles, she is never shown fighting alongside Bond or showing any technical skills, as she spends half of the game getting captured. When her clone self appears in the first two levels, her delivery and one-liners are as awkward and stilted as the character she is loosely based on, Christmas Jones. And when the real Nightshade enters the game, though a little more confident, she is still bland and weak as a character, with line delivery that does not sound creditable as a convincing agent. 

As for Bond himself, despite not resembling any of the actors playing him in the films, his redesign is highly appealing. His design is a combination of Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore, and a touch of Sean Connery, which is certainly not a bad mix. The expressions on this original Bond model magnificently capture the essence of Bond's personality, appearing cold and harsh, suave, and excitedly attracted when approaching the ladies. Adam Blockwood's (who impersonated Brosnan in previous games) voice work embodies the character's personality and the game's visuals. The character's confidence is always present through Blockwood's delivery of Bond's quips, his interaction with the Bond girls, and even when interrogating a surprise appearance of Nightshade. And when reporting to M or instructing Zoey, he sounds like the headstrong professional agent he is. My only issue with Blockwood's voice acting is how silly his line delivery can be. I expect Bond actors to ham things up, but some of his readings sounds so seductive when not commenting on the women he greets that it's hard not to snicker at for a moment. For the number of times the game refuses Bond to make love, you can almost swear he is willing to make love to objects or treat his killings as sexual pleasure. 

The primary reason why I ranked this game higher than I did initially was because of the gameplay. If the story was why I'm ranking these games, I am clearly missing the point of playing a game. I, of course, want to be emotionally invested in a story when playing a game to carry me through each level, but that is not why I am playing these games in the first place. As long as I'm having fun with the gameplay and feeling like I am Bond interacting in engaging environments with distinguishing characters, I am above satisfactory. And this game makes up for its clunky story, needless long list of characters, and absence of certain Bond tropes in its gameplay.

Like many first-person shooter Bond games, the gameplay is not too different, allowing players various options for going about a mission, whether through stealth or explosive action. The latter is more straightforward; however, as someone who likes to cause chaos, I attempt from time to time to use stealth, where in some cases it works, while other times it is almost inevitable to get caught. But either way, it offers tons of amusement with exciting outcomes. Sometimes it's thrilling sneaking in through the vents and shooting guards in the head with a silencer. But other times, I want to cause mindless destruction by shooting random items like glass tubes, exploding boxes, destroying windows to gain weapons, or shooting holes in the walls to create an image. Seeing the guards' reactions adds to the fun of the different strategies. When charging at them, after shooting them a few times, some will retreat, crying for help. With stealth, on the other hand, if you shoot a guard with a silencer, a guard will watch in horror "exclaiming he's hit!" to crying out "NO!" and then search the room. Little details like this bring a bit of dark comedy and humanity to the opponents rather than having them feel like brutal generic thugs!

What's also fascinating about using different methods is how some of the player's decisions can significantly alter a level or provide hidden secrets. Right from the very start of the game, gamers can enter the building through the roof or hack a code from the front door. Each route has a different outcome. If a player climbs through the roof, a player can either shoot, sneak past, or knock out a guard (when doing the latter, the player can gain a card to a vault with a rocket launcher). If one prefers the direct approach, a cutscene will appear where the main villain's voice is heard for the first time telling a guard to kill him when Bond is caught on camera, followed by a guard coming after Bond. Another example is how finding an essential item can affect the outcome of the next level. If Bond grabs a verification code when destroying a lab, Bond and Nightshade have sex, and the following level starts with them splitting up when sneaking aboard an aircraft carrier. If a player forgets to grab the item, Bond gets knocked out by gas and the next level has him awaken in a cell with Nightshade in another cell, and a guard tells them to "knock it off," where Bond has to make his escape (similar to Goldeneye 64). I remember being completely surprised to see the game change the cutscene and have a new objective, wondering what I did to cause it or if the game activated this outcome spontaneously. 

The selection of Q-gadgets is some of the series' best! There's the Q-Laser to break locks, a grappling hook entitled the Q-Claw, a Q-Decryptor to unlock sealed doors, and a Q-Remote to download programs. For all my complaints about how gadgets in the Craig games are all on a mobile phone, the game does the same but surprisingly does it well. This reason is because the Craig games lacked gadgets, including a laser or a grappling hook, as the devices on the phone were generic (like taking a picture or hacking). As much as I'd rather use a laser watch, I'm glad I can use a laser, even if it's through a phone. If anything, I find it astonishing that Bond's phone can not only hack but can shoot lasers and grapple onto objects in high places, which is more than any of the later games that Bond has restricted to his cellphone. Overall, the concept of having so many gadgets on one device is simply replacing Bond's watch from the N64 The World is Not Enough with a phone. The only thing the phone does not do compared to the N64 game is shoot darts, as Bond is just given a Q-labeled dart gun (like in the Ps1 The World is Not Enough). The weapon may sound standard, but it's the best use of a dart gun I have played in any Bond game for two reasons. One is the animation for the guards instantly collapsing on the floor when shot. Most game animations have them slowly pass out, which is realistic, but not as joyful as seeing them fall as if they were shot in the head (that animation is not as violent as the dart gun). And the best reason is the guards are knocked out for the entire level. Not to say I don't like the challenge of completing tasks before they wake up, but usually, the games allow me to punch them to keep them permeably out of my way, making the weapon itself useless unless they are far away. 

The rest of the gadgets are fine, though some are left to be desired. Bond later gets a jetpack called the Q-Jet, which sounds cool but only exists to give Bond a boost as he has to refill the jet's fuel every time, he uses it. I'm not expecting a first-person shooter to provide the same functions as the use of a jetpack in a third-person shooter; I only desire it to be less limiting. The only time the gadget is needed is for the final boss battle when before that, a player can travel to high places with the more exciting and reliable Q-Claw. Bond also carries ex-ray specs, which like plenty of the games that has them, are useless. At first, they come in handy when finding a secret passageway or hidden wires to cut laser trip wires, but once those secrets are discovered, unless you forget about the game's secrets, you will never need them again for another playthrough. A beta version of the game gives the gadget more purpose by having the specs see through people's clothes in social environments to see if they're armed, just like in The World is Not Enough. A cool feature that I wish made its way into this game, or any Bond game, for that matter. Despite not needing them in further replays, they are still delightful to have. Other gadgets include a skeleton key access card used for Bond's watch to unlock doors requiring a keycard, and a pocket-sized micro camera, which are both useful; I just would love to see the physical item appear as I use them. 

During the Ps1 era of Bond games, the driving levels had excellent ideas but was still in their rough stages that needed some serious work. So much work that these levels couldn't be carried out through an entire game revolving strictly around them. Agent Under Fire was the next Bond game released after the failed driving game 007 Racing, and it fixes all of the mistakes. The steering is easy, the use of rockets and missiles doesn't damage health as frequently, the machine guns can destroy enemy vehicles, and the locations are very appealing. It is everything 007 Racing desired to be. Apart from the usual set of weaponry, the cars also feature oil slick, smokescreens, an EMP, a rocket booster, and "of course a refrigerated beverage holder." None of the gadgets feel wasted or are not fun to use when stopping enemy vehicles. I always find myself having great pleasure whenever I play the driving levels, which I appreciate all the more knowing the PlayStation system's history with Bond driving levels. My biggest criticism is how there are only two driving levels minimum. In some respects, I can understand why given EA's poor reception of the previous game. To include driving levels at all is a blessing. I only wish one level wasn't shorter than the other. When driving the BMW Z8 in Hong Kong, there are plenty of places to drive around on the map, but enemies hardly ever appear until the armored van is located. There is so much room but little to do except pick up gadgets that may be useful when finding the van. And once the action starts again, all a player is doing is chasing a van while dodging enemies, which could be done in no time, as the only objective is to use a Q-pulse to stun the van before it gets away. Thankfully, the level when driving the Aston Martin has more to do and explore, with enemy vehicles and helicopters in every corner making up for the short driving level. I would have loved to have at least one more mission driving a Q-gadget-equipped car, or if the first level had more action. 

There are more levels involving on-rail shooting than driving, with three total. Since the on-rails shooting in the N64 The World is Not Enough worked so well, for a game initially based on the film, it would make sense to recreate one of the best levels in the game. These levels are limiting compared to the on-rails shooting in the N64 game. The player can never alter the speeds or route, making the experience straightforward. I can understand Bond not controlling the speed of a car that Zoey drives, but how neat would it be if Bond could control how fast or slow the tram car can go? Instead of going one way in an area surrounded by goons at each exit, how about whatever section Bond destroys blocking his escape is the route he takes, rather than going one way? At one point, the game teases players into thinking that Bond driving a tank will be another driving level until it is revealed after the cutscene that it's another on-rails shooting level. While these levels don't have as much freedom as the on-rails in the N64 game, or misuses ideas for the on-rails concept, I never get bored playing them. I love shooting off the tires of enemy vehicles and watching guards fly off a moving helicopter after getting shot. I still like to blast cars and helicopters in a self-moving tank (as I am at one point suddenly required to wear night-vision goggles without choice). And the level with the tram cars is easily my favorite out of the on-rails levels in this game for its beautifully creative and atmospheric environment, various obstacles, and immersive sound design.

The Bond Move award is one element the game invents that would become a staple in future Bond games. Whenever a player kills an opponent by thinking outside of the box than just shooting them, the 007 logo appears while the Bond theme plays, congratulating the player for acting like Bond. If a player chooses to shoot down a crate hanging over a guard instead of killing him with a headshot, a player will receive an award. Shooting down a helicopter is challenging, but using a sniper rifle and aiming for the pilot's head is more Bond-like. The same can be said about shooting cars, where shooting a tanker truck will kill and destroy numerous cars than feeling the need to fire at each vehicle individually. For the longest time, it took me ages to realize that killing the Jackal with a press of a button is better than just waiting for her to drop dead as I shoot. Sometimes these awards are just handed to a player, like for entering a building or cutting a lock, but when they don't feel handed to you, there is a sense of accomplishment for putting oneself in the mind of a legendary hero. 

If you've been following my ranking, then you would know by this point those multiplayer modes were scarce during the Ps1 era of Bond games. I have yet to mention that the only multiplayer available for PlayStation Bond games at the time was 007 Racing, which is as good as the game itself. Unless players wanted to kill each other with cars, the only way to roam around killing a loved one with a firearm was by playing any of the N64 games. Considering the many updates EA brought to their first Bond PS2 game, they finally allowed PlayStation players to fight against friends the N64 Bond way for their multiplayer in this game. Before my brother Jesse and I would religiously play multiplayer in Nightfire, this game's multiplayer was our addiction. It was not often we would play games involving shooting each other. Both story mode and multiplayer have a fantastic selection of firearms (some originating from the N64 The World is Not Enough), such as the Viper, the Desert Eagle, the M16 rifle (that can fire grenades), a rocket launcher, Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun, and a sniper rifle. My favorite weapon is the Photon Cannon, which is only accessible in multiplayer, most likely because it's an instant kill weapon where its powerful projectiles can follow a player for a certain amount of time. The multiplayer choice of weapons also includes mines, either used as laser tripwires or remote-controlled. The latter is my personal method, as it is always cool luring my enemies to a trap or (and don't act like you're not guilty of it) peeking at someone's screen to see if they are near my booby trap.

Further adding to the campaign are Q-Claw and Q-Jet, which, compared to the two, I typically use the Q-Claw. I, my brother, and others who have played multiplayer with me never get tired of using the Q-Claw, where the player is free to grapple onto anything they wish and even use it as a weapon. The Q-Jet has unlimited fuel but can only go so high compared to the Q-Claw, and it doesn't help that I'm likely going to take some fall damage rather than using it to land or hover around. Character skins are restricted to the characters from the game, which is disappointing because the game does not allow players to play as characters from the Bond movies (most likely because of licensing issues). Frankly, I'm more upset to discover that the GameCube version allows AI bots, while the PS2 version does not contain that feature. But as much as I love killing bots, this is one of the few Bond multiplayer games where playing it with just two players is satisfying enough. Unlike so many other Bond multiplayer campaigns where the maps are so big that it takes forever to find your opponent, most of them are reasonably sized for a riveting two-player experience where AI bots and a few extra players are not usually required to fill in the gaps. None of the maps are based on the levels from the game or any of the films. Though I wish to play in a level from the game, they're entertaining areas to fight in with plenty of nice little details. The Wine Cellar has some cool booby traps. The Dungeon has a cell where players can trap opponents with a secret button on the walls. And the Blue Sector has tunnels for players to roam around in and pipes that blow (harmless) steam whenever a player shoots at them. 

There are three levels that are my preferred choices for combat. There's the Harbor for its sunny setting, shacks to visit, and fort-like rooftops to kill an enemy. Strangely, if one dies in the water, you can see the bodies turn gut red, which looks grotesque. It's probably not meant to be blood and more so a hidden glitch in the game, but it is an image I never get tired of seeing. Then there's the town where I could spend hours playing in, especially when equipped with a Q-Claw to double the pleasure of the experience. There are rooftops to hop on and a few balconies for a player to hide in two of the towers of the Cathedral to get a good sniper shot. My favorite little detail in the town is the sign that gives directions to other multiplayer levels, giving a slight sense of world-building for connecting these maps. 

But my absolute favorite map is not designed for typical multiplayer combat. The level occurs in a train station where the player must protect a VIP agent from another player whose goal is to assassinate. Whether the target is killed or makes it on the train safely, the game would reverse the gamers roles and will continue to alternate until the player with the most points wins. In terms of Bond games, it's a unique multiplayer experience that I wish was carried on in future installments. One of my guess' as to why the idea never went forward was because of the concept. In story mode and multiplayer, a player's kills are justified by their target's carrying weapons. Killing an innocent unarmed civilian is intensely cruel and violent for a game about a secret agent saving the world, blood or no blood. When my brother and I played the level as kids, all we did was have fun killing our OWN agent while cracking jokes. The level is so dark for a Bond game that I am not only surprised it didn't receive controversy but appreciate it for going to places that the Bond-themed villain's game Goldeneye: Rogue Agent refused to go. My second guess for why this mode did not appear in future Bond games was budgetary issues, which may most likely be the case. Like the level Russian Roulette from the Ps1's The World is Not Enough, the escort campaign is a one-of-a-kind experience in the franchise that could not be duplicated in future Bond games, which is why it's so special.

I can pick on the story and poor use of characters all I want with this game, but that does not change how incredibly amusing and groundbreaking (by 007 game standards) the gameplay is! EA took everything that worked from the previous Bond games, while also improving upon the ambitious failures from their previous Bond games in the Ps1 era. This is the first first-person Bond game to incorporate all the ingredients together such as driving levels, on-rails shooting, Bond move awards, multiplayer, original story, and a cinematic presentation that would influence future Bond games. And unlike how people appreciate some of the PS1's Bond games more for their attempts for something new than the actual gameplay, this game is legitimately fun and exciting from start to finish! Yes, the story is weak, but there's still plenty of things to enjoy from the inventive references to the series, and most of the important characters (even if they don't live up to their full potential). I am grateful for the memories it gave me as a kid and how it changed Bond video games, that still holds up as one of the franchises best! 

                                                Least Favorite: Poseidon 

I find no level in the game frustrating, dull, or a chore to play. The mission Poseidon has an appealing futuristic level design for the underwater clone lab, subtle callbacks to Dr. No, and a decision that will alter the ending of this mission and the start of the next. One of my favorite things to do to the guards on the level is to turn on the laser tripwires for them to walk through, which will cause the drone guns to fire upon them. What's disappointing about the level is although this lab is one of the bases for Malprave's cloning operation, it's a relatively small location. I probably wouldn't mind so much the size of the lab if it were a challenge, with maybe a boss fight. But drone guns aside (which are easily avoidable), there are fewer guards to fight compared to other levels. Destroying the lab itself is not complicated. All I'm doing is using the Q-remote. If guards came rushing in every time I used it, that would be some form of challenge. And after easily destroying this important hidden lab, I'm playing a rehash of the climax to the game's first mission that's shorter and smaller in scale, with no stakes. I won't hold this next tidbit of personal information against this level as my least favorite. In connection with my nostalgia, this was the same level that prevented me from progressing forward to the game. Right after I destroyed the clone lab, my copy would get stuck with the never-ending loading screen.

                                            Favorite Mission: Cold Reception

Like From Russia With Love, this game has so many wonderful levels that picking a favorite gets harder and harder. It's hard for me to not to go into details about missions like Bad Diplomacy, Fire & Water, Night of the Jackal, and Forbidden Depths. Maybe someday, I'll make a mission ranking list for some of the Bond games, but for now, I will give the spotlight to Cold Reception. Of all the missions, this is my favorite level to explore. As a kid, I loved it, for the first part of the level taking place in a beautifully designed office environment, and the rest in an ice cavern lair. As an adult, I appreciate the level design as an homage to Piz Gloria from On Her Majesty's Secret Service (along with its story nods to the film), that's more atmospheric and interactive than the official video game version of Piz Gloria. I'm usually the player who goes around shooting guards, but this is one of the few levels where I love using stealth mechanics, given the numerous vents and distinctive ways to kill off guards. What I love to do, specifically, is fire an unsilenced weapon at a door to lure them in, kill one with a silencer as I hide, and hear the other react. Unlike how the alarms in most levels are no threat, this is one of the few where raising the alarm alerts more guards or tries to seal you in. And as it goes off, you can hear Malprave on the speakers ordering her men to kill Bond, giving her a sense of presence and authority. 

The level has one of the most pointless uses of a timer I have ever played in a game. In the first half, Bond has to collect evidence of Malprave's plans before time runs out which can be easily done since the timer is over 10 minutes. And when making it to the next floor, a player is granted additional time. I appreciate that the game does not have me rush through the first part of the level, but the timer is so pointless for giving the player more than enough time to complete the objectives that it may as well not be included. On the bright side, when I want to mess around, I play the first half of the level for an unofficial game of survivor mode. I do it by pressing the alarms to alert guards and killing as many as I can until I either die or, if time runs out, without acquiring any health. When time runs out, nothing happens; no cutscene or announcement from Malprave. But if a player in the level's finale jumps off the tower, instead of using the tram cable to escape, a broken record version of the Bond theme plays, leading to a game over. I have never heard the iconic Bond theme get so (intentionally) comically botched in a game, making it one of the funniest moments in the series. It's one of the rare levels in Bond games past the N64 generation, where I have more freedom to do whatever I want, making it my favorite and most replayed level in the game.