Quantum of Solace
Score: 70% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Activision Developer: Vicarious Visions Media: Cartridge/1 Players: 1 Genre: Shooter/ Action/ Adventure
Graphics & Sound: Quantum of Solace is not only the first Bond game on the DS, but also Activision's first go at the license. While the game isn't perfect by any means and has quite a few issues, it is a very unique experience that makes you stand up and take notice. Unfortunately, the graphics are one of the game's less impressive features. While it gets the job done, everything feels pretty bland in the 3D world. Bond himself looks okay, but many of the villains you face look alike. Sound, on the other hand, is really solid. Not only does the game use the movie's theme as well as the standard Bond theme, but the developers at Vicarious Visions were also able to use actors like Daniel Craig and Dominic Greene in a surprising amount of voicework (especially for a DS game).
Gameplay: The most immediate difference in Quantum of Solace when compared to most DS games is the fact that it uses the book-style. You turn the DS on its side and use the non-touch screen as a map, while the other screen is where all the over-the-shoulder action happens. Bond's actions are controlled primarily by a series of gestures made with the stylus, and while this isn't perfect by any means, it does a lot to make you feel like you are really in the action. Controlling Bond becomes a series of taps on the screen to cause him to walk, tapping enemies to shoot or swipes on the screen to use melee attacks. The problem is, there are quite a few times when trying to block (by holding the stylus to the edge of your screen) sometimes gets read as the start of a punch. So instead of blocking, you rear back and get hit. Other times, shooting by tapping on the enemy can cause the camera to change angles, and thus throw off your shots. Again, not good. Quantum of Solace also features a playing card system to allow you to boost Bond's various stats on the fly. This is an interesting system that will get you different benefits based on how strong of a hand you are carrying.
Difficulty: Quantum of Solace's difficulty is a curious thing. The game's gameplay and levels are rarely any kind of real challenge, but the aforementioned combat issues tend to cause quite a few problems. One of the things players have to get used to, however, is Bond's ability to sneak around (by tapping his feet). If you just try and run and gun your way through the game, you will find it a lot more troublesome than it should be. Instead, look at the game in more of a tactical manner.
Game Mechanics: Besides Quantum of Solace's touch-based control issues, the game's camera also has a few problems. For the most part, it works well, but it occasionally zooms either too close or too far away. I found this is typically the case when using my gun, because the camera gets a lot closer to the action and more times than not, the people you are trying to shoot move off screen. Quantum of Solace does a pretty good job of covering the story for not only the game's movie namesake, but the prequel Casino Royale (at least in part) as well. And while there are a lot of new and interesting features about the game, it definitely isn't something to run out and buy. Most likely, you will want to rent this new 007 game before you purchase it.
-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications AKA Chris Meyer
Exit DS Away: Shuffle Dungeon