Goldeneye would be ashamed, Activision!
What I AM going to do is tell you what this game's real problem is. You know what problem cripples this game and makes it a huge disappointment? The fact that this game actually calls itself Quantum of Solace. Because this game is definitely not the same Quantum of Solace I was expecting. What this game is... it's a stripped down, extorted, graphically raped version of the game that it should have been.
The Wii is a system that, to be honest, doesn't have nearly as much processing power as the PS3 or 360. But regardless of that, it's capable of some pretty amazing graphics. The reason the Wii usually gets a bad rap for the quality of its graphics or, to a further extent its games is because of the multitude of greedy developers who take advantage of the Wii's family friendliness and overall superior sales. They churn out a hastily put together mess of a game that doesn't even come close to using the Wii's graphical capabilities, makes sloppy overuse of motion controls, and simply cashes in on the Wii's popularity and the casual gamer's general unawareness of what exactly they're getting themselves into.
But wait!!! I'm not saying that that's exactly what happened to this game! Oh, right. That's exactly what I'm saying. The truth is that, compared with the other versions of QoS, this game... well, how do I put this... IT SUCKS!!! It's sad to see the newest James Bond game taken advantage of like this. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm referring to the blatant lack of effort that was put into the Wii version of QoS as compared to the PS3 and 360 versions. I'm not saying that the other versions were masterpieces, but they received a great deal more attention than this unfortunate, neglected mess.
Well, I'd better start giving you the details, hadn't I? I've already, (at least, I hope), made it abundantly clear that this game is nothing more than a shamelessly stripped-down version of what could have been a memorable James Bond game. The first point I must make to validate this aggressive statement is QoS's absolutely HORRENDOUS graphics! Seriously, when I wrote this review, the screenshots displayed on the game's page (you know, the one you were just on?) were from either the PS3 or 360 versions of the game. If you rent (or god-forbid buy) this game and compare the graphics to the screenshots of the other versions, you won't believe your eyes. So little effort was put into some of the details and textures in the game that I'm certain that they could have been done much better on the Gamecube. I'm not kidding. Also, the game is riddled with glitches. One time, I switched from a machine gun to a pistol... but the pistol kept firing like an automatic weapon!! Actually, that was pretty cool...
The graphics, while massively disappointing, are bearable. But the thing that really brought my anger to its boiling point was the part of the game that was really stripped down the most: the multiplayer. Good lord, it was beaten with the tail end of... well, whatever the opposite of Free Radical is, until there was nothing left. A lot of people were hoping, since this is pretty much the first notable James Bond game since Goldeneye, that QoS would at least partially live up to its predecessor's incredible multiplayer. Well, it turns out the multiplayer for QoS was actually pretty good!
..........except on the Wii.
Most of the hype surrounding the release of QoS was in its multiplayer. With a fairly eventful, yet unremarkable campaign, the multiplayer was where developer Activision put most of the content of the game. In the PS3 and 360 versions, the game got quite a lineup of good modes. They included conflict and rush, a deathmatch and objective-based mode, respectively. Plenty of team-based modes, including one where one player is a super-powerful Bond and everyone else is a henchman trying to kill him, were included. They even brought back The Man with the Golden Gun mode and upgraded the powerful golden pistol from Goldeneye into a solid gold revolver that shoots explosive bullets! Holy crap!
Oh, boy! What modes does the Wii version get?! Wow, we get... conflict and rush.
..................What the @#%$?
The Wii version of QoS gets... including team versions of conflict and rush, 4 modes. What do the other versions get? 9. Yep. 5 more than this one. And I'm being generous calling the 2 modes 4 just because you can play with teams or alone. Oh, but that's not all. You should know by now that QoS runs on the CoD 4 engine. Not only are the controls similar, but this game has inherited the credit system that allows you to buy new weapons and perks, called "gadgets" in this game. Oh, but wait! Sorry, I was thinking of the other versions! The Wii version doesn't have any of that! It was removed completely!!
I don't know how reliable the online servers are for the PS3 and 360 versions of QoS, but I've only played online a few times and my Wii has already frozen up twice. Like, fully frozen. It wouldn't go off when I pressed the power button and I had to unplug it. Also, there's something truly messed up with the ranking system. You gain or lose points based on your performances, (sort of like in Mario Kart Wii), but it's... just all screwed up. I started with 5000 points and played a match. For getting second place, (out of four), my rating was bumped up to 5100. The next game, I pwned all (including that annoying guy hiding under the stairs with a machine gun) and got first place. Yay! But then I saw my rating. Not only had it not gone up, it had actually dropped back down to 5000!!! What?!?
And that pretty much sums up 007: Quantum of Solace for the Nintendo Wii. A lackluster campaign, buggy gameplay, sloppy graphics, a multiplayer mode that could make Oddjob cry, and a general disrespect for the game, the Wii, and James Bond in general by the developers makes this a huge disappointment. I suggest that if you want to play a James Bond game, don't make it this one. Or at least not the Wii version. Ugh. I feel like playing a good game. Goldeneye be praised!