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007 LEGENDS (WIIU)
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Publisher: Activision.
Developer: Eurocom. Released: December 2012. Genre: FPS. Other versions: X360; PS3; PC. Posted 23rd August 2016. By Shane Battams © 2016 |
Despite the absolutely insane number of platforms the James Bond franchise has appeared on, many have a soft spot for his Nintendo outings – particularly the GoldenEye 007 of N64 fame. 007 has featured in many more since; we saw Bond on GameCube and DS; the Wii even received a reimagined version of GoldenEye 007. 007 Legends, marking Bond's debut on Wii U, is no GoldenEye however. That might sound obvious, but it is a game of alarmingly low quality. Not even Jaws could save this one.
Both a loose tie-in for Skyfall and a celebration of 50 Years of Bond, Legends follows the British Spy near the start of Skyfall where he is shot accidentally by friendly fire. While he recovers in the film, 007 Legends sees him suffering from flashbacks to his earlier career in a presumably comatose state. These flashbacks see you reliving events from Goldfinger, Moonraker, License to Kill, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Die Another Day and Skyfall. While – with the sheer number of Bond films – everyone has their preferred instalments, you can’t help but feel that most of these are B-rate choices. How can it be fun playing through the goofiest Bond, the one which killed Brosnan’s career as the super-spy and the most polarising Bond film to date?
Both a loose tie-in for Skyfall and a celebration of 50 Years of Bond, Legends follows the British Spy near the start of Skyfall where he is shot accidentally by friendly fire. While he recovers in the film, 007 Legends sees him suffering from flashbacks to his earlier career in a presumably comatose state. These flashbacks see you reliving events from Goldfinger, Moonraker, License to Kill, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Die Another Day and Skyfall. While – with the sheer number of Bond films – everyone has their preferred instalments, you can’t help but feel that most of these are B-rate choices. How can it be fun playing through the goofiest Bond, the one which killed Brosnan’s career as the super-spy and the most polarising Bond film to date?
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There should be more "guess what's under the hat" mini games...
Needless to say, it feels like it was chopped together. But this is the least of the game’s problems. Rather than capturing the spy-centric flavour of these films, it often boils down to Call of Duty: Bond. Do you remember the slow-mo breaches, mini-gun segments and relentless gunfights with respawning enemies until you progress? No, because that is the furthest from what a Bond product should feel like. At its best, it’s a relentlessly flaccid shooter that never escapes being generic. At its worst, though, it’s an oft-frustrating and noisy sludge. Stealth is even worse, often suffering from buggy AI which makes segments far harder – especially when some require you to be undetected.
When you’re not shooting, the game actually gets worse. Tedious vehicle sections are the worst offender, with awful controls combined with irritating blockades which stun you, often causing you to lose the target you’re pursuing. When you add in shooting guards, it becomes downright infuriating. Less tedious but more dull are the fisticuffs you engage in with guards, devolving the game into a bland series of QTEs. When you don’t do any of the above, obstacles are placed in the form of vanilla hacking mini-games, making sure the pace stops dead. Sections which should be awesome recreations of the movies, such as the downhill chase on a snowy mountain, become irritating imitations of these oft-classic movie moments.
But more offensive is the absolute lack of care in the presentation. The game is a technical mess, often unable to maintain a smooth frame rate and even dropping below 10fps. Nothing looks particularly spectacular either, with bland and dully lit environments and repetitively ugly character models. Shootouts certainly become challenging when it looks akin to a slideshow, and worse is that some QTE segments become next to impossible due to slowdown. The music is generic Bond bombast, the acting is dire – especially the sleepy sounding Daniel Craig knockoff – and the guns sound closer to pea-shooters than weapons of power. It is lame all around.
When you’re not shooting, the game actually gets worse. Tedious vehicle sections are the worst offender, with awful controls combined with irritating blockades which stun you, often causing you to lose the target you’re pursuing. When you add in shooting guards, it becomes downright infuriating. Less tedious but more dull are the fisticuffs you engage in with guards, devolving the game into a bland series of QTEs. When you don’t do any of the above, obstacles are placed in the form of vanilla hacking mini-games, making sure the pace stops dead. Sections which should be awesome recreations of the movies, such as the downhill chase on a snowy mountain, become irritating imitations of these oft-classic movie moments.
But more offensive is the absolute lack of care in the presentation. The game is a technical mess, often unable to maintain a smooth frame rate and even dropping below 10fps. Nothing looks particularly spectacular either, with bland and dully lit environments and repetitively ugly character models. Shootouts certainly become challenging when it looks akin to a slideshow, and worse is that some QTE segments become next to impossible due to slowdown. The music is generic Bond bombast, the acting is dire – especially the sleepy sounding Daniel Craig knockoff – and the guns sound closer to pea-shooters than weapons of power. It is lame all around.
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Old Bond films, reimagined with more photography and even more gunfights.
It’s all a shame because actually, it’s a mostly full-featured game. Though you can breeze through the campaign in a few hours, there’s also challenge mode which tests your skills in certain scenarios. Earning stars is achieved by performing better, such as stealth and combat. There’s also local and online multiplayer, with a variety of modes mostly featured in GoldenEye Reloaded. The latter, though, can be crippled by lag. You can even unlock classic characters, such as Jaws and Pussy Galore, through collectibles in the campaign. Though that, sadly, involves playing the rubbish mode.
Ultimately though, this one is on the lower end of the Bond spectrum. 007 Legends should be a celebration of 50 Years of Bond, letting you relive some classic moments. Instead, you’re forced through a game worse than sitting through Moonraker 100 times. Bad gameplay, worse technical issues and almost no identity with this beloved franchise make sure this is one to avoid. Even if you are a diehard shooter or Bond fan, stay very far from this one. It’s shaken, stirred and sh!t.
Ultimately though, this one is on the lower end of the Bond spectrum. 007 Legends should be a celebration of 50 Years of Bond, letting you relive some classic moments. Instead, you’re forced through a game worse than sitting through Moonraker 100 times. Bad gameplay, worse technical issues and almost no identity with this beloved franchise make sure this is one to avoid. Even if you are a diehard shooter or Bond fan, stay very far from this one. It’s shaken, stirred and sh!t.
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VERDICT
Visual: 3/10
Audio: 3/10 Gameplay: 3/10 Longevity: 5/10 OVERALL: 3/10 |
PIXEL SECONDS: 007 LEGENDS (PS3)
Buoyed by the excellent GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, Eurocom reunited with the Bond license for a follow-up that seemed a recipe for guaranteed success. A first-person shooter utilising Infinity Ward’s superb engine, 007 Legends would act as a show-reel for some of Bond’s most memorable silver-screen moments. At least, that was the plan. Starring Daniel Craig, the game covers six films (one for each of his predecessors), each consisting of two to three level mini-stories. Whilst it’s not a disaster, 007 Legends feels like a missed opportunity and is disappointing for its lack of polish. The enjoyment you’ll glean from the campaign varies wildly. Goldfinger is perhaps the most successful, with an action-packed assault on Fort Knox proving perhaps the highlight of the package. Naff skiing section aside, OHMSS works surprisingly well, considering the source material isn’t especially conducive to an action game. From here on in, things feel rushed. License to Kill squanders a gritty story with a couple of hugely disappointing levels that are a non-entity. Die Another Day does a poor job of apeing Reloaded’s superior nightclub level, and like the film upon which it’s based, makes for a poor showing. Moonraker is saved till last, no doubt because of the unusual, zero-gravity space battles that were to act as a showpiece. It’s ambitious, but doesn’t quite come off, spoiled by some fiddly, frustrating sections. There’s a modest smattering of positives; locations and (most) character likenesses are really good, and the Challenges mode offers a bit of additional mileage. However, 007 Legends feels rushed. Stealth sections are sloppy, loading times are simply horrendous and whilst the shooting is acceptable, it lacks the punch of its Call of Duty stablemates. [5] – Tom Clare © 2019
Buoyed by the excellent GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, Eurocom reunited with the Bond license for a follow-up that seemed a recipe for guaranteed success. A first-person shooter utilising Infinity Ward’s superb engine, 007 Legends would act as a show-reel for some of Bond’s most memorable silver-screen moments. At least, that was the plan. Starring Daniel Craig, the game covers six films (one for each of his predecessors), each consisting of two to three level mini-stories. Whilst it’s not a disaster, 007 Legends feels like a missed opportunity and is disappointing for its lack of polish. The enjoyment you’ll glean from the campaign varies wildly. Goldfinger is perhaps the most successful, with an action-packed assault on Fort Knox proving perhaps the highlight of the package. Naff skiing section aside, OHMSS works surprisingly well, considering the source material isn’t especially conducive to an action game. From here on in, things feel rushed. License to Kill squanders a gritty story with a couple of hugely disappointing levels that are a non-entity. Die Another Day does a poor job of apeing Reloaded’s superior nightclub level, and like the film upon which it’s based, makes for a poor showing. Moonraker is saved till last, no doubt because of the unusual, zero-gravity space battles that were to act as a showpiece. It’s ambitious, but doesn’t quite come off, spoiled by some fiddly, frustrating sections. There’s a modest smattering of positives; locations and (most) character likenesses are really good, and the Challenges mode offers a bit of additional mileage. However, 007 Legends feels rushed. Stealth sections are sloppy, loading times are simply horrendous and whilst the shooting is acceptable, it lacks the punch of its Call of Duty stablemates. [5] – Tom Clare © 2019
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