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007 Legends
Developer Eurocom created a spiritual remake for N64 classic GoldenEye on the Wii last year and later brought the game to PS3 and 360. The game wasn’t the FPS tribute we were hoping for, but that doesn’t mean the company is giving up on paying homage to the world’s most famous spy. The upcoming 007 Legends lets players relive five of Bond’s most memorable moments across the entire series, complete with Call of Duty-style gunplay.
The first mission of 007 Legends revolves around Moonraker. Characters still run around in ridiculous, retro orange spacesuits with improbable helmets, but the setting is a modern one. That means Daniel Craig is playing the part of Bond instead of Roger Moore in this instance. Having the game set in current times opens up a broad selection of weapons that look and act at home in the Call of Duty engine.
The hands-off presentation began with a display of Bond’s stealth capabilities. Eurocom’s GoldenEye remake did a decent job of allowing players to choose between being sneaky or trigger happy, and 007 Legends continues this course. Players can play it quiet lurking through the shadows picking off guards with a silenced handgun. A colored indicator above enemies’ heads indicates their level of awareness, allowing you to identify and dispatch high-risk targets. Bond has several sneaky gadgets at his disposal as well. I saw a dart gun disguised as a pen that created distractions and tranquilized unarmed civilians. Bond also has a cell phone which lets him to scan for electric cords, perfect for tracing wires from locked doors to junction boxes.
Of course, sneaking through a highly guarded, super-secret space facility can get tricky. Eventually stealth goes out the window, and Bond settles into high-octane gun battles like a well-worn glove. The gunplay looks as sharp and reliable as any single-player Call of Duty experience. I like that the Moonraker laser makes its return, however it looks like it’s being blasted out of a standard assault rifle instead of something out of science fiction. Moonraker’s Bond girl, Dr. Goodhead, joins Bond as a capable AI partner that can handle herself with a gun.
After gunning down enough guards, the infamous Jaws appears to disrupt the fun. The hulking, metal-toothed bully immediately begins roughing up Bond. The first person brawl is played out via quicktime events. Bond chucks a screwdriver into Jaw’s back, hits him in the face with a metal pipe, and eventually electrocutes him via the teeth with a loose electrical cord. The stunned juggernaut goes reeling backwards over a railing and falls to the floor below.
My time with 007 Legends ends with Bond and Dr. Goodhead being held at gunpoint by the insane scientist HugoDrax. Eurocom promises the rest of the Moonraker mission will be just as action-packed. Eurocom isn’t ready to talk about the other classic Bond films making it into the game, but it did reveal that a free DLC mission based on the new Bond film, Skyfall, will be available after launch. Fans of local mutliplayer can also look forward to four-player splitscreen. I liked what I saw of 007 Legends, and can’t wait to get my hands on the game.
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