Relive the best moments from the best Bond movies from over the 
past 50 years. Iconic missions from movies like Goldfinger, Moonraker, Dia Another Day, License to Kill, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and even downloadable bonus missions from the new movie Skyfall are just another day in the park for Commander James Bond. Utilize the coolest gadgets to complete the mission MI6 needs done at all costs to save the world. Just try not to die at the hands of Bond’s most infamous villains.
1. Graphics(Average)- Graphically, Bond Legends is a jumble between high end detailed textures and blurry blobs of mess. What I mean is that the world and scenery are generally well done. The faces on the main cast of characters are highly detailed and animated. Still and unmoving objects are also well rendered as well as some of the environments you’ll be crawling through as 007. One of the best examples of this is the raid on Fort Knox in the second mission of Goldfinger.
With that being said, there are still many red flags that go up as you progress and explore throughout the game. One of the things that was quickly noticed right from the very beginning of the game is the animated motion blur during combat. As you pull up your pistol to send out a fresh crop of lead, enemies will be charging at you, guns ablaze full auto and hitting with the accuracy of a storm trooper. Motion blur occurs when you try to follow your targets movement and end up chasing their shadow. This is normal to some extend on most games, but in the case of James Bond: Legends, motion blur goes into the extreme. Enemies will literally disappear into thin air like a ghost phasing through a wall. More then once I had lost my target while fighting only to have them magically appear behind me.
I can’t help but get the overall feeling that James Bond: Legends was designed for the Nintendo Wii system and intended to only be displayed on the standard 480p display. By making it available for the Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 at the same time without spending the extra time to enhance the resolution, they may have extended profitability at the cost of polishing the finished product, resulting in less then stellar graphic performance.
2. Gameplay(Average)- James Bond: Legends is a pretty basic first person shooter. You have a gun, you see an enemy, you shoot the enemy with said gun until he stops moving. A variety of guns are available to play with if you find shooting with the standard bond PPK pistol just isn’t getting the job done. The melee system is a bit overpowered but if you really wanted to, Bond can run around and pistol whip just about everyone instantly taking them out. Real men don’t need bullets anyway. I mean, let’s face it, how else are you going to display your dominance over lesser man and still be merciful by not killing them? Oh yeah, a good old fashioned beat down. Once in a while Bond will have to let his fists do the talking. Sometimes bare knuckle boxing is the only way to get past certain enemies.
A Bond game wouldn’t be a Bond game without gadgets. A couple of examples include a wrist watch you can use as a enemy detecting radar. The other is a multi use smartphone that takes pictures for recon, hack electronic devices and even detect bio signatures to help bypass locked keypad doors. A spy wouldn’t be a spy without his ability to reveal information and these tools will even help find hidden items. These items are worth collecting because they can unlock additional content in game like Goldfinger himself as a playable character. Bond is also able to purchase customizable options for the weapons he has picked up as well as improve his physical combat reactions and awareness via spending experience points gained by completing objectives and challenges in game.
On the flip side of the coin however, the online multiplayer portion of James Bond: Legends is nearly unplayable. One of the biggest and most fun aspects of any shooter game is nearly decimated by glitches and instability. A simple game of Team Deathmatch turns into a virtual slip and slide with guns. As the timer counts down and I’m ready to spring into action, I jam down on the run button and my character sloshes through an invisible trap of thick shoe sucking muck. Coming to and abrupt halt to see if I’m doing something wrong my character vibrates to the left and the right like he is suffering from a seizure of some sort. Backing out, I load up again because it must be my connection, but time and time again I’m rewarded with the same effects. Not exactly the prime conditions for accurately firing from an assault rifle or snipe. The good news is that if you happen to graze someone’s toe with a sniper rifle, it apparently has the force of a rail gun resulting in instant death. Happy hunting.
3. Story(Average)- Unless you are a Bon snob and either can’t stand Daniel Craig or absolutely require the missions to play out exactly like the movies, the missions area descent homage to the Bond movies of the past. It seems a bit odd to jump from one movie to the next without any real story in between, the fun comes from simply paying out the scene.
4. Soundtrack(Great)- A large portion of the budget was definitely spent on getting voice actors to represent themselves in the game. My favorite was the opening scene that played out like a real bond movie. It’s not without its flaws as well. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as the same voice actor uses his talents for minion after minion. Nothing beats the near racist portrayal of chinese accents. HE OVER DARE! GEET HEEM!
5. Replay Value(Average)- Missions can be played multiple times to hind hidden items and secrets that unlock new content. Challenge modes and character customization breath a little life into general game play. The instability of the online features does south the overall experience a bit but even playing a simple match of team glitch out has its charms when you can kill with a flesh wound. More fun can be had if you have someone to play with to do classic verses modes with.
THE BOTTOM LINE: James Bond: Legends is an average shooter game. It will make a great alternative for those parents looking to provide a game that can be played without that big M rating. Legends is still fun even with it’s flaws. A word of warning however, if the person playing the game has not seen any of these Bond movies, they may get lost in the story and lose interest in the game. It’s not going to replace Call of Duty or Battlefield 3 for the hardcore gamers.
Game Rating:(2.75)[Average] Game type:(First Person Shooter) Game System:(PS3, Xbox 360) By: (Activision)
Game Score System: Overall Total Value: (Trash)=0-1.5(Meh)=1.75-2.25(Average)=2.5-3.25(Great)=3.5-4.25(Outstanding)=4.5+
Rating Suggestions:
(Trash): Don’t bother with any form of purchase. This product isn’t worth the effort to purchase it.
(Meh): Not at all impressive. This product isn’t something that should be recommended for most people to enjoy. Flawed or incomplete.
(Average): An average score this product does what it is intended to do and will be worth at least a rent if you are interested in it. A solid item that will be enjoyed if gotten for the right price, usually cheap.
(Great): This product is highly recommended. It is well worth the investment if you are interested in it. You will not be disappointed in a purchase of this item.
(Outstanding): You needed to own two of this product yesterday. Superior quality, going beyond what it was intended to do.
-Nate Biller
