Oddjob? More like Botched Job.
This game is based on some of the best adventures that can be found on Bond's CV. There are five in total (not including a bonus, 'Skyfall' DLC add-on). This should be good then, right? Right? Wrong!
The game starts in a similar fashion to the latest James Bond film outing, 'Skyfall'; in that Bond and one of his many enemies, Patrice, are fighting on top of moving train. Eve (a fellow, MI6 operative) is tasked with taking out Patrice using her rifle, but that is easier said than done. Pressured into shooting by M (Bond and Eve's superior) through an ear-piece, she fires, narrowly missing Patrice and instead hitting Bond. 007 then falls into the water below and, in his "final moments", his life flashes before his eyes with bubbles in the water forming familiar faces that link to certain missions from his past. These are the only creative moments in the entire game.
The first of these surprisingly short missions is Goldfinger, but instead of playing as Sean Connery's Bond, you play as Daniel Craig's. This is the same for all of the missions. This wouldn't be too bad if a) Daniel Craig actually voiced him, and b) Craig did motion-capture for the part, to really make you feel as though you were playing as Craig's gritty, rough-and-tough Bond. But instead, Eurocom dump with a criminally bad soundalike and slap Craig's face on the front (I assume they can do this as Activision still own the rights to use Craig's face from the recent Goldeneye 007 remake). This not only angers Bond fanboys, but also makes you feel cheated. Almost as though Eurocom and Activision have said, "We'll just get a cheap, English voice actor. They won't notice, will they?"
'Goldfinger' is followed by 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', and that by 'Moonraker'. This is then followed by 'License To Kill' and 'Die Another Day'. Then, if you download the DLC which is free for most copies of the game, you have 'Skyfall'. One thing these missions have in common is that they are all compressed versions of the films and feature some more of the higher octane action sequences from their respective films. This would be fine if they played well and made sense. The former comes closer to being achieved than the latter, but both never hit their intended goals. The shooting is a direct and obvious rip-off of 'Call of Duty'. There is nothing wrong with that on paper, but in practice there is no extra 007 feel added to it, just CoD with a 007 label stuck on the front. The only slight Bond feel you get in terms of gameplay, is the occasional use of weak gadgets that are used to solve easy puzzles and get around stupid, AI baddies.
In terms of the latter, certain items used in the game's various missions carry sentimental value and meanings in the films, but these values and meanings are not carried over into the game. Despite this, the script writers felt compelled to act as though everyone knows what these items/objects are and what they mean. But the truth is: not everyone is a James Bond fan or don't necessarily know 007 inside and out. Although, to be fair, the only people who would have bought this game and who Eurocom were aiming it at were (you guessed it!) 007 fans. So, if you are hoping this game would bring you up to speed on everything Bond, you may wish to look elsewhere.
The game also has a multiplayer element to it which is miles better than the campaign. However, this does not make it good... far from it, in fact. It just makes it the better half of this terrible game. Also, it isn't original in any way. It simply apes what has gone before and what has worked well. If only the story could have done the same.... The multiplayer element, then, just feels like a last-minute, unloved and uncared for after-thought without a home.
Overall, this game tries to cover an expansive and tricky Bond universe, but ends up just alienating every Bond fan that has ever lived (me included). And to add insult to injury, this game was supposed to work alongside the film, 'Skyfall', in 2012 to spoil Bond fans, and there is even a '50 Years' logo printed on the box to celebrate this fact. In the end, the only thing it spoilt is people's appetites for more James Bond games.
Basically, if you are looking for a good shooter: buy 'Black Ops 2'. And if you're looking for a good 007 game: buy 'Quantum of Solace' or 'Blood Stone'... just avoid this monstrosity at all costs. No wonder Eurocom have gone bankrupt...