Good Bond license, clean visuals and fun multiplayer are marred by Quantum of Solace's length and gameplay issues.
The game feels like Bond, however I have some quips with the presentation of the title. The cut-scenes are watchable and pack good action, but they don't look all that good. This is running on the IW engine that powered Call of Duty 4, however it doesn't look nearly as polished as that game. There are strange stutters within the cut-scenes, which make them harder to watch. Still, they are colourful and filmic.
The visual representation overall is good. The environments are well-designed and feature rich textures and lighting, with some very good particle effects. Some levels featuring water can flash unexpectedly with lighting, although this is never a regular occurrence. The Siena level in particular is impressive, which shows off said positives very well. The physics won't win any awards, but the visuals are never underwhelming. Objects in the world look slightly poor, the animations are never anything near great, and neither are the blurry backgrounds or explosions, but the set-pieces are satisfying.
The sound is fantastic. The voice work is great from the core cast of the films, and the score is superb. The sound effects are good and the background effects from the action are complimented well by in-game chatter amongst Bond and the enemies. It's great to hear Judi Dench is the comfortable role as M, and Olga supporting Daniel Craig in the lead roles. Mathieu Amalric also lends his voice and likeness to the game, which makes it more immersive as a Bond title.
The gameplay is very similar to Call of Duty, albeit with a few exceptions. The control scheme is different, with the triangle button allowing the play to jump as opposed to the usual X prompt. Also, quick-time events are included in Quantum of Solace. They are used for quick takedowns and interactive cut-scenes. The button prompts are straightforward and taking down enemies is easy, so it is a slight hit-or-miss inclusion; meleeing could have been a better option.
There are a wide variety of weapons within the game. Bond can carry up to three weapons, where any can be replaced. However, there are noted Power weapons scattered throughout the world, which deal lots of damage and can help Bond immensely. For example, there are revolvers, LMGs and others for the player to find, which is a very nice touch. Bond can also throw grenades with the R2 button. There are also a dubious frequency of canisters and electric generators throughout the game, some strangely located, and such as in a Gallery or in a hotel. Still, I guess it helps taking down enemies, but it does make you wonder if Treyarch just scattered them anyway for the sake of gameplay.
Level variety is one of the best aspects of the game, as it will see you travelling to locations such as Siena, Bolivia, Miami, Montenegro and Venice. They are well-designed and are very fun to complete. It makes a change from other games that usually leave you in one particular country or section of a city.
Enemy AI is probably the major downside to Quantum of Solace. Enemies shoot at you without entering cover, while some roll along the ground and take immediate cover right next to canisters. Hell, some even stand right next to them. The stealth patrols are usually in the process of waiting for an enemy to walk towards a wall, look that way and then enable you to shoot them. It isn't the best stealth in a game yet, but it works.
The cover system is another hit-or-miss aspect (literally). Mostly it works fine, but it's just during the aiming towards a different direction that Bond is exposed, thus leading to cheap hits. It's quite annoying, and could have been implemented a lot better.
Later on in the game, it becomes more repetitive. It is quite annoying to keep disabling cameras and taking down enemies, and shooting lame enemies, and is quite disappointing compared to the otherwise fun aspects of the title.
There are also many collectibles to find, though they only come in the form of cell phones. They act as an alternative to Call of Duty "intel", where they give you information on an enemy's location, where a particularly meeting is being held, a note on your safety of a position, a voice message or an image of a particular structure of interest.
As is expected with modern-day shooters, there is a multiplayer component in Quantum of Solace. The game supports 12 players online for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, while the Wii Version supports 4 players online and offline. There are five key modes in the game – Bond Versus pits one player against six other players, who work for the "Organization". It is the player's role of Bond to defuse two of three bombs; a successful defusing of both, or eliminating the six enemy players, will win them the game. Team Conflict pits six MI6 members against six Organization members in a traditional Team Deathmatch variant. Golden Gun is the unique mode of the multiplayer suite, where the aim is to reach 100 points. One point is earned by killing with traditional weapons; however each kill with the infamous Golden gun scores six points. Bond Evasion pits MI6 against Organization, with one of the members as Bond, and the others escorting the VIP to safety. If he dies, the other team wins. Killing each other also wins the game. Finally, Territory Control is a capture and hold variant, and is in my opinion the best mode of the game. It's fun and represents the best form of teamwork, alongside Bond Evasion.
The game is also very short, which is a big problem nowadays. The multiplayer is fun enough, but I do wish there were more levels, because I was enjoying them so much. The collectibles and extra difficulties do not make up for the considerably short length.
Quantum of Solace is an enjoyable first-person shooter which complements its silver screen counterpart nicely. A good representation of the Bond license, mostly clean visuals and great audio are highlights of this adventure, as well as fun multiplayer. The AI problems, as well as length and a few traditional shooter omissions mar an otherwise solid title. If only the systems in place were implemented better, we could have had a great Bond title on our hands. Still, it's a fun globetrotting journey.
SUMMARY
Presentation 7.0 - The use of the Bond license is good, and Daniel Craig makes a playthrough worthwhile.
Graphics 7.0 - Clean environments are a plus, but Quantum of Solace's underwhelming character models and cut-scenes hold it back.
Audio 7.0 - Good voice acting and music.
Gameplay 7.0 - The level design is nothing special, but the weapons are fun to shoot and nothing's broken.
Replayability 7.5 - The campaign is a one-playthrough affair, but multiplayer is pretty fun.
Overall - 7/10