007: Quantum of Solace

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Quantum of Solace
Developer(s)	Treyarch (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) Eurocom (PlayStation 2) Beenox (Microsoft Windows, Wii) Vicarious Visions (Nintendo DS) Nerve Software (Multiplayer)
Publisher(s)	Activision Sony Computer Entertainment (Playstation 3) Square Enix (Japan Only)
Composer(s)	Christopher Lennertz
Series	James Bond
Engine	IW engine 3.0 (version of CoD4: Modern Warfare)[1]
Version	1.2 (Xbox 360) 1.1 (Windows)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows Nintendo DS PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 Wii Xbox 360
Release date(s)	EU October 31, 2008[2] NA November 4, 2008[2] AUS November 20, 2008[2]
Genre(s)	Action, First-person shooter, Third-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	Consoles: ‹ The template (Video game ratings) is being considered for deletion. › ACB: M BBFC: 12 ESRB: T PEGI: 16+ USK: 18, 16 (PS2) Nintendo DS: ‹ The template (Video game ratings) is being considered for deletion. › ACB: PG ESRB: T PEGI: 16+ USK: 12
Media/distribution	Optical disc, Memory card, Download
System requirements Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Processor: Pentium 4 2.4 GHz, Athlon XP 64 2800+ MHz, or any 1.8 GHz Dual Core Processor or better Memory: 512 MB of RAM, 7.4 GB of uncompressed hard disk space Graphics: DirectX 9.0c-compliant 128 MB video card and drivers

007: Quantum of Solace is a first-person shooter (third-person shooter for PlayStation 2) video game based on the films Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. The game was released on October 31, 2008 in Europe and November 4, 2008 in North America^[3] The game's release coincided with the release of Quantum of Solace.^[4] The game is the first James Bond title published by Activision; the company acquired the video game licence to the James Bond franchise in 2006.^[5] The game was released on multiple platforms and was developed by four different companies: Treyarch, Eurocom, Beenox, and Vicarious Visions.^[6] It is powered by the Call of Duty 4 game engine.^[7] It is also the first James Bond video game to be released on a seventh generation console as well as the first to feature Daniel Craig's voice and likeness, as well as those of Eva Green, Judi Dench, Mads Mikkelsen, Olga Kurylenko and Mathieu Amalric.

Plot

The game begins with James Bond kidnapping Mr. White, a member of the previously unknown organization Quantum. While he and M interrogate White, White escapes with the help of a traitorous MI6 agent, who is killed by Bond while White escapes. Later, Bond spies on a meeting of Quantum members and photographs them; among them is Dominic Greene, a well known environmentalist.

The game jumps forward to Bond crash landing in Bolivia, where Greene is trying to buy land. By this time, Bond has met Camille Montes, who is seeking vengeance against General Medrano, who is trying to overthrow the Bolivian government. Bond learns that Medrano killed Camille's family, and this is why she wants revenge. Bond opens up to Camille about the death of his former love, recounting the events of Casino Royale.

Bond and Camille soon arrive at a hotel in the middle of the Bolivian desert. There, Greene and Medrano are discussing the land that Greene want to buy; Greene plans to fund Medrano's attempt to overthrow the government in exchange for the land that Greene wants. Bond and Camille break up the meeting; Camille then kills Medrano while Bond kills Greene. During the fight, the hotel's fuel cells are ignited; Bond and Camille manage to escape from the hotel before it explodes. They leave the area in an MI6 helicopter.

Weapons

Most weapons in the game are named after James Bond films and are based on real weapons such as the FRWL, which is an assault rifle which is based on the AKS-74U^[8] and named after the film, From Russia with Love and the A3 Raker, which is an assault rifle as well which is based on the Steyr AUG^[9] and is named after the film, Moonraker. Weapons in the games which are made by Walther Arms are given their real name and feature the Walther logo on them, such as the P99 and the WA2000.

Gameplay

Multiplayer

The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows editions of the game support 12 players online, while the Beenox-developed Wii version supports 4 players online and offline.

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

• Bond Versus: A lone Bond plays against six other members of the 'Organization'. Bond will win if he defuses two of the three bombs, or else eliminates every member of the Organization. To make the game fairer Bond has two lives, can see all enemies, and can use any weapon set (whereas the members of the Organization have only 3 basic options). The Organization wins if Bond dies twice or if he cannot defuse two bombs in the time limit.
• Team Conflict: Basic Team Deathmatch of MI6 versus the 'Organization'.
• Golden Gun: This is a standard free-for-all conflict, which the main aim is to score 100 points. One point is scored for a kill with normal weapons, or for picking up the Golden Gun, while kills while holding the Golden Gun (or killing the person with it) scores 6. The winner is the first to score 100 points, or the highest amount of points in the allotted time limit.
• Bond Evasion: There are two teams, MI6 and The Organization. One player from the MI6 team is randomly designated as Bond, and therefore as the VIP. MI6 wins the round if Bond can get to the escape point, or if all of the Organization are eliminated. The Organization wins if Bond is prevented from escaping within the time limit, or if he dies.
• Territory Control: Basic match of one team having to control a point to gain points for their team.
• Classic: You start with a GF 18 A (glock 18). Weapons and explosives are spawned around the level for you to pick up.

When playing in Multiplayer, credits are earned based on the number of points accrued. These are used, in a currency format, to purchase further enhancements and upgrades. These can be spent on unlocking new weapons, explosives, gadgets (such as increased health or better accuracy) and attachments for weapons. The upgrades can be accumulated in any order, instead of in a set order, and are able to stack.^[10]

Wii

• Conflict: This is a death-match. Up to four players compete versus each other to score as many kills as possible in a selectable number of minutes.
• Rush: This is a mission death-match. All players (up to four) are against each other, and are assigned certain missions to complete in a selectable number of minutes.
• Team Conflict: The goal is to get the most kills for your team (Organization versus MI-6). The teams can be constructed in any way (3 vs 1, 2 vs 2, 4 vs 0, in a four player match). There is a time limit of 15 minutes.
• Team Rush: This is a team play game. The goal is to do specific missions before the other team does, all while staying alive. 15 minutes is the time limit.

The Wii's ranking system is the same as Mario Kart Wii's online. Players start at 5000 points, and can gain or lose points depending how well they played. The 5000 points are separate for each game mode, for example: A player can have 5350 points in Conflict, and have 5000 points in Rush or Team Rush.

Music

The music for the game was written by composer Christopher Lennertz, who recorded the strings for his score overseas, but then recorded brass, percussion and guitar with members of the Hollywood Studio Symphony in Los Angeles at the Capitol Records Studios.^[11] The game features a different theme song from that of the film, "When Nobody Loves You" (written by Richard Fortus and Kerli; performed by Fortus, Kerli, and David Maurice; produced and arranged by David Maurice). The song plays over an opening title sequence in the Bond tradition that is proprietary to the game, but is based on the (pre-credits) car chase sequence from the film.

Version-specific features

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Nintendo DS

The DS version of the game is drastically different from its console counterparts. The game is played with the DS sideways, similar to Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, and as such is not a first person shooter. Actions (such as firing a weapon) are done by pressing icons on the touchscreen, while the DS's buttons are relegated to primarily initiating hand-to-hand combat. Bond's movements are controlled in a similar fashion to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, where the player drags the stylus around the touchscreen. There are only 6 weapons in this version. The storyline followed by the DS version is also wildly different. The character of Camille is cut altogether, the opening mission at White's Estate is replaced by a training simulation at MI6 Headquarters and, after fighting street gangs in Bolivia, the final mission and boss fights against Greene and Mr. White take place at Guy Haines' Mansion (a deleted scene from the original ending of the film).

Wii

The Wii version of the game is developed by Beenox and features up to 4 players in a split screen offline multiplayer. Online mode allows for a maximum of 4 players in a choice of 4 modes: Conflict, Rush, Team Conflict and Team Rush. These have different ratings for each individual mode based on Mario Kart Wii's rating system. The Wii version also uses Friend Codes which allow players to create games just for themselves and friends. The online mode uses Miis in a manner similar to Mario Kart Wii as well.

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 version of the game is an over-the-shoulder third-person shooter, much like Everything or Nothing but more closely resembling Resident Evil 4. There is no multiplayer. This version excludes missions such as Miami Airport and Train, but it adds missions such as "Docks", where you're playing at the Port-au-Prince part of the movie.

Reception

Quantum of Solace received mostly mixed reviews, with the game average overall having an Metacritic average of 65.1%. The handheld version a 65% average, and the console version a 65.2% average. The PlayStation 2 version receiving the highest ratings and the Wii version receiving the lowest.

The Nintendo DS version has received mixed reviews with an aggregate score of 65/100 from Metacritic and 64.8% from Game Rankings. IGN gave the game a 6.8/10 praising the presentation and its audio, but criticized it for its camera and "odd animations". GameZone gave the game a 7.0/10 praised the game for its voice acting but commented that "there are a few looming problems with the translation."

The PC version has received mixed to good reviews with an aggregate score of 70/100 on Metacritic. GameZone handed the game a 7.8/10 said that the game was "A mediocre attempt at replicating pieces of other great games and wrapping them in the Bond world" and praised it for its multiplayer. IGN gave the game a 7.2/10 said that the graphics are "cleaner than on consoles. Better texture work and a cleaner look thanks to higher resolutions if the users computer will handle it". They said that "The gun play is decent but forgettable and the additions that have been made to COD4’s formula don’t exactly pan out the way Treyarch was hoping".

The PlayStation 2 version received the best reviews with an aggregate score of 73/100 on Metacritic and a 77% on Game Rankings. IGN gave the game a 7.8/10 commenting that: "The single-player is very short and the absence of multiplayer is depressing. All you get are three difficulty levels to plow through." and "The game presents a much more faithful translation of Bond by incorporating some cool stealth missions into the action." GameZone commented that "While it’s not as gorgeous as the next-generation version, Quantum of Solace for the PS2 is certainly able to handle the action just as well with enough moments to keep the game exciting."

The PlayStation 3 version has received mixed reviews with an aggregate score of 65/100 from Metacritic and a 67% from GameRankings. GameZone handed the game a 7.0/10 saying that: "Quantum of Solace: The Game [sic] is actually well above average where licensed material is concerned. As a shooter on its own merits, however, it’s a fairly standard experience helped a bit because it features James Bond."

The Xbox 360 version has received mixed reviews with an aggregate score of 65/100 on Metacritic and a 68% on GameRankings. Eurogamer handed the game a 5/10 saying that: "How can it possibly fail? As it turns out, by being dull, repetitive, unchallenging, ruinously linear, and one of the shortest full-priced games ever." GameZone rather gave the game a 8/10 commenting that: "Quantum of Solace is a solid Bond title that should be worth a look from fans of the secret agent. However, the game does have some pretty glaring issues that bring it down."

The Wii version got the worst aggregate score receiving 54/100 on Metacritic and a 55.6% from Game Rankings. GameZone commented that: "It’s clear from the lack of attention placed on this version of the game that the Wii version gets the short end of the stick. There aren’t many unique moves that take advantage of the technology and the reticle makes it hard to pull off head shots."^{[citation needed]} IGN gave the game a 4.5/10 saying that: "Nearly unplayable at times due to frame issues. At its best, the game is a rough 30 with drops. At its worst, about two or three frames a second. IR is slow as well, and hurts game flow."^{[citation needed]} and "Most of the audio from the other versions stay intact. The score and VO is all very professional, but some of the sound effects are a bit underwhelming."^{[citation needed]}

Post-release issues

Several users have reported that the PC version of the game will not run on Windows XP if Internet Explorer 8 or an updated version of Internet Explorer 7 is installed on the system.^[42][43][44] This essentially makes the game unplayable for users who keep their Windows systems up to date. The issue seems to be fixed if the user reverts the system to Internet Explorer 7 prior to the June 2009 Security Update^[45] by uninstalling all IE7 Security Updates issued since then, but this has the obvious repercussion of leaving the system insecure. As of September 2011, Activision has not released a patch addressing this issue, and there is no page on Activision's customer support database acknowledging it.

References

External links

• Quantum of Solace video game official website