Back in 1962 when Sean Connery put on that hairpiece, do you think they had any idea how much of an impact James Bond would have on video games? Even though they hadn’t been invented yet? It would be impressive, that’s all I’m saying. Emerging from the mind of Ian Flemming as a collection of spy stories, the James Bond franchise would soon grow. They would go on to invade and conquer media from films to Monopoly boards. And video games. One of the most popular titles they produced was the N64’s Goldeneye. It was a trendsetter and did its part in creating a home for FPS titles on consoles. But we’re not talking about that one. It was pretty tough to control. Let’s jump ahead a generation into Nightfire.
Shaken But Also A Little Stirred
James Bond 007: Nightfire is an action-espionage FPS for the sixth generation of consoles. Shoot, stealth, and drive through a whole lot of exotic locations in order to stop an evil dude from using an evil weapon to evidently do evil things. As you can see up there, Pierce Brosnan provided his likeness for the go, though not his voice. Maxwell Caulfield is a great stand-in for the man though, so you won’t miss
Nightfire doesn’t follow the plot of any of the movies. Instead, this game is a sort of smorgasbord of a whole bunch of movies, with inspiration drawn from several pieces of 007’s catalog. The set pieces you would expect from the man of mystery are here. You’ll infiltrate a crime lord’s mansion party before escaping from
“For Electronic Arts, James?”
Hopefully you enjoy scenic Japan more than Sean Connery enjoys actual Japanese people.
The gameplay in Nightfire is on point if a bit simplistic. You have at your disposal a whole gaggle of weaponry and gadgets. Pistols with togglable silencers and whatever level-specific weaponry that the enemies drop will define your playthrough. Each weapon you find has a secondary fire option that ranges in utility. You also have a wristwatch laser, a grapple, and other gadgets available whenever the opportunity to use them arises. These are used much less frequently but oftentimes using them will lead to a secret cache of weapons or a 007 emblem for points. The game goes for an arcade-like style of gunplay. This means there’s little to no recoil and no ability to aim down sights. Instead, in its place is a sort of zoom-in where your view gets tracked forward a few feet and you can more
In a James Bond film, the stand-out stars of the movies are the locations and Nightfire does not disappoint in this respect. Almost every level takes place in a different part of the world or out of it. And every level has a unique flavor due to the gimmick. The shipyard outside a nuclear power plant will see you sniping foes from long range. While the Japanese estate will have you run in guns blazing, frequently running out of ammo and having to pick up the guns of enemies. The pace of the game is pretty steady the entire way through. Whenever you start pining for something different, the game will throw you into an underwater car-submarine sequence. Or it’ll just plain put you in space. Though not a long title, Nightfire is a well-crafted and
“Are You Looking For Shells Too?”
But no discussion on Nightfire would be complete without touching on the multiplayer aspect. This is the thing that will bring people together. To save the world. To take people from all walks of life and unite them in one common cause against James Bond Tuxedo, James Bond Mission Suit, and Pussy Galore. There’s four-player
You’ll be shooting your friends in all sorts of exotic locales like Fort Knox, Atlantis, and the king of kings itself, Skyrail. In terms of weapons, you have at your disposal every single weapon in the main game. You can customize the weapon set that everyone will have access to and can even turn on things like grapple points and controllable vehicles. You have to find your weapons and armor out in the open and they all have set points they spawn in at. Expect stiff competition for the sniper and especially the remote-controlled rocket launcher. Nightfire is honestly worth a look if only to try its multiplayer. This really is an experience you should have with friends. You need them within arms reach when they fly that stupid helicopter right into your face for the sixth time in one match.
Oddjob Is A Cheater
The map to end all maps. Never forget that you can run along the stop of those ski lift cables.
Nightfire may not be the classic that its predecessor on the N64 is but it deserves to be, dammit. This is a game with a ton of heart and solid chops behind it to warrant a place on your shelf next to all your other B-list FPS classics. The multiplayer alone is worth the price of admission. Though it’s a rough-looking title in modern times and the gunplay admittedly feels pretty weak, there’s so much fun to be had in this game. Plus,
If you want to feel like a badass and take on seven Oddjobs at once, you can find the game here for Gamecube. And even though I’m more familiar with the Gamecube version, it’s also available for PlayStation 2.