007 Legends - Xbox 360

Ruining Your Favorite Bond Moments

2012-10-16T17:00:00Z

James Bond’s history in video games features titles with just about every level of quality. You’ve got classics like GoldenEye, a solid outing with Everything or Nothing, passable entries like Agent Under Fire, the mediocre GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, and plenty in between. Near the bottom of that list is 007 Legends, a mess of a title that’s uninspired at best and nearly broken at worst.

Its problems aren’t any fault of the concept, which is novel if a bit nonsensical. In a scene showcased in the trailer for the film Skyfall, Daniel Craig, as 007, falls off a train. At the beginning of 007 Legends, this causes Bond’s life to flash before his eyes, which plays out in the game’s five missions (each based on a different Bond classic). If you get past the fact that this doesn’t make any sense (considering Casino Royale effectively reset the franchise with Craig as a young Bond), it isn’t a bad idea. The film franchise has so many memorable moments and villains, and paying tribute to them could pay off well in a video game. Except it doesn’t.

When everything is functioning correctly, Bond does little more than follow onscreen indicators that basically scream “PRESS THIS, SHOOT THIS, HACK THIS” at every turn. You’ll occasionally do a basic investigation of a baddie’s office or trudge through awful stealth sections, but the bulk of the gameplay is as cookie-cutter shooter as they come.

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Above: Trailer for the Goldfinger mission

Each of the showcased Bond villains receives the same terrible quicktime event boss battle. You’ll press an analog stick up or down to punch them until a life bar depletes, and occasionally tap a button quickly to disarm them. You’re never in danger during these – most bosses can’t even hit you once.

It’s a bad game when it’s working, but there are plenty of moments that make you wonder how it even got cleared for release. Enemy AI frequently freaks out, causing soldiers to endlessly sprint against walls (often firing their guns at the ground). At one point, the framerate dropped to unplayable levels, except it wasn’t during a firefight – I was just walking around. The visuals are cheap, with doorknobs drawn onto textures like this was a Nintendo 64 game. As I entered one room, enemies materialized out of thin air and dropped to the ground in front of me. These troubles carry over to its simple multiplayer mode, which features lag, terrible character animations, and an upgrade system that can’t even clear the “poor man’s Call of Duty” bar.

Everything about this experience points towards a rushed development that focused on releasing the game close to the film’s opening. Rocksteady has shown us that a great IP can make for a great game if given the appropriate development team. The world of James Bond seems custom-built for an awesome gaming experience, but Activision seems intent on making every possible wrong turn with 007 Legends.

Celebrate James Bond Day With 007 Legends' Opening Credits

2012-10-05T15:41:00Z

It's not just Friday. Today is also Global James Bond Day, which marks the 50th anniversary of Dr. No's theatrical release. Activision is marking the occasion by releasing video of 007 Legends' opening credits.

The sequence blends together memorable moments from the series, including a gold-plated lady, diamonds, and constellations. Strangely enough, it doesn't begin with James Bond shooting our faces off. Maybe that's for the better.

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Look for the game on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 16.

Latest 007 Legends Trailer Sets Sights On Goldfinger

2012-09-18T14:59:35Z

Activision has released a new trailer for 007 Legends, based on the 1964 film Goldfinger. If you're a student of pop culture, you're bound to recognize some of the scenes and characters from the clip — even if you've never seen the movie.

The clip shows the hat-throwing Oddjob, gold-plated Jill Masterson (R.I.P.), bizarre laser-table contraption, and, er, Pussy Galore. Enjoy!

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Click here if you'd like to see trailers for some of the movie adaptations featured in the title. The game is due out on PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 16.

More Movies Revealed For 007 Legends

2012-08-15T15:42:00Z

Activision today revealed the two latest additions to 007 Legends' roster of levels based on Bond movies.

Die Another Day and License to Kill have been added to the game, and you can check out a new trailer for the levels

Other movies used for Legends include Moonraker, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and the upcoming Bond film Skyfall.

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007 Legends comes out for Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 16.

007 Legends Cast Includes Some Bond Movie Veterans

2012-07-27T15:26:19Z

The actors behind Hugo Drax and Jaws are coming back in the upcoming Bond game, which is written by the man behind GoldenEye.

In 007 Legends, the current Bond actor, Daniel Craig, takes on the roles of his predecessor as he goes through some of the most memorable missions in the film series’ history.

Richard Kiel is lending his voice and likeness to the hulking, steel-toothed Jaws, and Michael Lonsdale is reprising his role as the maniacal Hugo Drax. The two actors will be working in close collaboration with the game's writer,who is none other than Bruce Ferstein. Ferstein is known for his work on the films, GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies, as well as the GoldenEye game reboot and Everything or Nothing.

We'll see if this dream team can work magic when the game debuts on consoles and the PC on October 16.

[Source: MTV Multiplayer]

007 Takes To The Slopes

2012-07-11T14:06:00Z

Think of the upcoming James Bond game 007 Legends as a greatest-hits package from the series' decades-long history. The first revealed mission is based on the classic Moonraker, and now we have a trailer for the second one, based on the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

George Lazenby fans/critics will have to make due with the fact that each of the Bonds are being replaced with Daniel Craig's likeness. The ski slopes and portrayal of Ernst Stavro Blofeld look about as authentic as you could hope for, however.

Look for 007 Legends this fall on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

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Reliving Bond’s Greatest Moments

2012-06-07T17:36:00Z

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.

007 Legends Goes Back Into Space

2012-05-21T16:21:00Z

Eurocom's fall James Bond title, 007 Legends, uses locations and themes from the Bond movies, and today you can get a sneak peak at the game's Moonraker level.

The trailer below has all the Moonraker trappings, complete with dated space shuttle and Jaws.

The game will feature other films in the Bond saga, including the latest – Skyfall – which comes out in October.

007 Legends comes out for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this fall.

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