From Russia With Love Gadgets Spotlight

Where would James Bond be without his trailer-loads of specialized and deadly weaponry? Probably sitting on a remote beach somewhere with a bevy of beauties surrounding him. He is James friggin' Bond, after all. But still, Bond's gadgets play an important role in the dashing superspy's ability to take down bad guys by the droves without getting his hands too dirty. In the new Electronic Arts Bond game, From Russia With Love, Sean Connery's Bond will not be lacking in the gizmo department. And even if the game's set the early 1960s, the technology is most assuredly cutting-edge. Here we take a look at some of the coolest gadgets in the game's arsenal.

First, there are the brute-force weapons, such as the briefcase turret. What looks like a normal, everyday attaché case becomes, with a few flips of a switch, a deadly mounted machine gun that will automatically spray hot lead into any bad guy unlucky enough to get in its line of sight. It's unclear whether the briefcase turret has full 360-degree mobility, but there's no denying the gadget's ability to get the job done.

Bond's laser watch is more than an expensive-looking piece of jewelry. The watch's built-in high-intensity laser is the perfect solution for taking down pesky door locks, or even an enemy or two, when Bond's in a pinch. The laser isn't as powerful as a bullet, though, and 007 will need to keep the beam focused for a few seconds for it to be of any use. But, if you've got the time, the laser watch can be an excellent tool to have at your disposal.

Sonic cuff links are just what they...ahem...sound like. They're cuff links that, when tossed by Bond into a crowd of bad guys, let off ear-piercing shrieks that stun everyone within their range. From there, Bond can either run up to take out his enemies one by one, or he can choose to evade them altogether. We can almost hear Bond's reaction to the cuff links: "Talk about the sound and the fury..." And as Bond's gadget man, Q, might say, "Oh, grow up, 007."

A serum gun is a handy thing to have in your inventory when you're looking for some help. By shooting an enemy with the gun, the serum causes your target to attack any other enemies in his vicinity, giving you an ideal chance to scamper out of harm's way by covertly moving through the mission.

The next gadget must have been a favorite of Q's, because he named it after himself. The Q copter, as it's known, is a miniature copter that Bond can set up and use to spy on his surroundings. Television capability makes this an ideal surveillance tool, but that's not the limit of the Q copter's capabilities. If you fly it carefully, you can park the copter right in front of a foe and then explode it, taking down the bad guy in the process. Very cool.

Finally, saving the world is a dirty business, and sometimes in the heat of battle, things are going to get ripe. You know, in the toxic sense. That's why it's great to have a gas mask at your disposal. Simply entering your inventory and equipping the mask will save your tail when the room is filled with mustard gas (or some other similarly nasty substance). To be sure, the gas mask is a vital tool to have available, even if Bond would say that Q's just making a big stink out of it.

Oh, grow up, 007.

From Russia With Love is currently set for a November release. Check back for more on the game in the near future, as well as for a full review once the game sneaks its way onto store shelves. Bond will return.