February 16, 2004
Column: Tonight we drink and discuss James Bond by Robert Keenan
If you’re not playing the new Xbox and PS2 demo for Bond: Everything or Nothing, you really should be.
The shooting segments are pretty meh, fun and nice to look at but nothing too special. The motorcycle sequence though is a complete rush, and while still linear there’s enough split paths to make exploration worth it. The interesting thing about this demo though is the start up screen, a short video of Shannon Elizabeth wearing a slinky dress and doing dirty things to a gun while Bond music blares in the background.
While entrancing, the interesting thing about this scene is that the lovely Shannon is not in the new Bond movie. Hell, for at least another year there won’t BE a Bond movie. So what gives?
The game also stars Heidi Klum and Willem Dafoe, neither of which have anything to do with Bond other than this game. It may be the highest amount of star power in a video game ever.
There’s been voice actors in games before, sometimes famous ones, but this is the first time Hollywood talent has been signed to do voice and likeness just for a game with no movie deal attached. In other news, Onimusha 3 is going to have Jean Reno as a character. The developers themselves stress the amount of work they went to get Reno’s walk and mannerisms perfect. They didn’t just want a likeness, they wanted him as an actor in the game, bringing his own brand of bad ass-ness to the game (rent the Professional if you haven’t seen it, it’s worth your time).
Hollywood and the video game industry have been flirting for years, and after the crash of Silliwood (remember all those horrible FMV games?) this may be the two industries getting snuggly again. But what does having a name actor bring to the table? Are we going to see a virtual Scarface, with new mo-cap and voice from Pacino? What gives?
One of the nice things about games is that without having to use actors or sets the development team can create any fantasy they want. I was against the idea of big name actors doing games at first, but I have to admit Dafoe and Elizabeth do add a touch of class to the game, and I hear time and time again around various stores that people didn’t know that so and so was going to be in the new Bond film. The fact that the action and caliber of polish this game has on it makes it seem not so much a licensed product, but an actual offshoot of the Bond franchise, as important as the new film to Bond fans. Will we see more studios hiring big name talent for their games? Maybe, but we must also realize that few devs have the money that EA does to go after the names big enough to make a difference in sales.
I’m not holding my breath one way or another, but I would point out to Silicon Knights that Natalie Portman would make a GREAT Alexandra Roivas in a new Eternal Darkness game. I’m just saying.
See you next week, and until then keep gaming. I’ll see you in the forums!
-Written by Robert Keenan
