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Quantum of Solace (video game)
Encyclopedia
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
The game's release coincided with the release of Quantum of Solace. 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. The game was released on multiple platforms and was developed by four different companies: Treyarch
, Eurocom
, Beenox
, and Vicarious Visions
. It is powered by the Call of Duty 4
game engine
. 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
.
in Lake Como
, Italy
where Bond is sent to abduct Mr. White
from his home. After fighting the resistance at the White estate, Bond successfully escapes with White. White is taken to Siena
, Italy, where Bond and M
interrogate him for information regarding Quantum, an organization unknown to MI6 at the time. White escapes with the assistance of M's bodyguard, Mitchell, who is revealed to be a traitor. Bond chases Mitchell through the rooftops and engages him in combat, where Mitchell is pushed by Bond into a fall resulting in Mitchell's death.
The game then takes Bond to Lake Constance
in Bregenz
, Austria
, where members of Quantum meet up to discuss the "Tierra Project." Amongst them is a key member, Dominic Greene
, who poses as an environmentalist. Bond disrupts their meeting, takes photos of the Quantum members, and escapes the area. The plot fast forwards to Camille Montes and Bond crash landing in Greene's intended land acquisition in Oruro Province
, Bolivia
. Bond endures a violent gun fight to reach Camille. He soon learns Camille is pursuing the man responsible for murdering her family: General Medrano. Learning this, Bond opens up to Camille, telling her that Quantum was responsible for the death of his former love, Vesper Lynd
.
The gameplay then takes the form of flash backs from Casino Royale. Bond begins in Antananarivo
, Madagascar
, having been recently promoted to Double 0 status. Bond pursues Mollaka, a bomb maker, through a construction site and embassy before killing him (which is not shown). Bond then travels to Miami Airport to stop a terrorist from destroying a Skyfleet airliner. He successfully stops the terrorist, and it is revealed the bomber was hired by Le Chiffre, a private banker to numerous terrorist organizations around the world. Le Chiffre had sold stocks of Skyfleet, using his clients' funds to bet against the market in order to receive profit after the airliner's destruction. Le Chiffre sets up a high stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Petrovac, Montenegro
in order to win back his client's funds.
Bond meets Vesper Lynd
, an accountant from the Treasury, on his way to Montenegro. After their meeting, Bond fights off dealers from a drug organization spread throughout the train and kills the boss who was invited to the Casino Royale game of Le Chiffre and replaces him in the game (a notable difference from the film). After combat, Bond arrives in Montenegro, where he comes face to face with Le Chiffre. After defeating Le Chiffre in the poker game, Vesper is kidnapped. Bond pursues the kidnappers but crashes his car and is taken hostage. He escapes and battles through Le Chiffre's barge to rescue Vesper. While he is successful, Bond and Vesper are re-captured by Le Chiffre's body guards. Near death, they are saved when Mr. White kills Le Chiffre for his recent actions, leaving Bond and Vesper alive.
Later on, Bond and Vesper begin a romantic relationship, and Bond resigns from MI6, acknowledging that his work could strip him of his humanity. Bond and Vesper travel through exotic locations, arriving in Venice
. Bond receives a call from M, who informs him that the funds won from the poker game were never returned to the Treasury. He pursues Vesper, who is meeting members of Quantum. Bond fights off the Quantum members in a building collapsing into the Venice waters. Vesper allows herself to drown, feeling guilt over her betrayal.
The game returns to the storyline of Quantum of Solace, with Camille and Bond arriving at a hotel in the middle of the Bolivian desert,in La Paz Province, where Greene and General Medrano are meeting. Greene plans to fund Medrano's war against the Bolivian government in exchange for his desired land acquisition. (In the film, we learn Greene wants the land for the massive underground water supply, which is cut off from the rest of the country. With the land, Greene can become the major utility supplier in Bolivia and receive all profits). Bond battles Quantum members and helps Camille kill Medrano and kills Greene by igniting the hotel's fuel cells, causing the hotel to catch on fire. Camille eliminates Medrano and escapes with Bond just as the hotel explodes. Bond and Camille are then seen walking towards an MI6 helicopter, leaving the destroyed area.
The game ends with a scene not seen in the film. Mr. White and Guy Haines (another Quantum associate) review all of these events. Bond, who is seen outside spying on both of them, speaks with M about his findings. The final scene shows Bond going through the rain, ready to engage the Quantum members as the screen fades to black.
and are based on real weapons such as the FRWL, which is an assault rifle
probably based on the AKS-74U and named after the film, From Russia with Love
and the A3 Raker, which is an assault rifle as well probably based on the Steyr AUG
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
.
-developed Wii version supports 4 players online and offline.
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.
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.
in Los Angeles at the Capitol Records Studios
. 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.
, 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).
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 Mii
s in a manner similar to Mario Kart Wii as well.
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 Port-au-Prince
part of the movie.
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." 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." 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."
or an updated version of Internet Explorer 7
is installed on the system. 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 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.
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
(third-person shooter
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
for PlayStation 2) video game based on the films Casino Royale
Casino Royale (2006 film)
Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
and Quantum of Solace. The game was released for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. The game was released on October 31, 2008 in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and November 4, 2008 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
The game's release coincided with the release of Quantum of Solace. 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. The game was released on multiple platforms and was developed by four different companies: Treyarch
Treyarch
Treyarch is an American video game developer company, founded in 1996 by Peter Akemann and Doğan Köslü , and acquired by Activision in 2001...
, Eurocom
Eurocom
Eurocom is a British video game developer founded specifically to develop games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Since then Eurocom has expanded to several other platforms including handheld game systems and most major video game consoles.The company was once famous for its arcade to console...
, Beenox
Beenox
Beenox is a video game developer, established in Québec City, Québec. Founded in 2000 by Dominique Brown. Beenox has been awarded with the Quebec's Best Employer 2008 title and is among the Top 50 of the World’s best video game developers published in March 2008 by the Game Developers Research...
, and Vicarious Visions
Vicarious Visions
Vicarious Visions is an American video game developer founded by the high school brothers Karthik and Guha Bala in 1990, which developed some PC and Game Boy Color games in late 90's and 2000. They later developed Terminus, which won two Independent Games Festival Awards in 1999...
. It is powered by the Call of Duty 4
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a 2007 first-person shooter video game, developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. A handheld game was made for the Nintendo DS. The game was released in North America, Australia, and...
game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
. It is also the first James Bond video game to be released on a seventh generation console
History of video game consoles (seventh generation)
In the history of video games, the seventh generation of consoles is the current generation , and includes consoles released since late by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony...
as well as the first to feature Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert...
's voice and likeness, as well as those of Eva Green
Eva Green
Eva Gaëlle Green is a French actress and model.Green performed in theatre before making her film debut in The Dreamers , which generated controversy over her numerous nude scenes. She achieved greater fame for her parts in Kingdom of Heaven , and in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, for...
, Judi Dench
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA is an English film, stage and television actress.Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years she played in several of William Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo...
, Mads Mikkelsen
Mads Mikkelsen
' is a Danish actor.-Life and career:Mikkelsen was born in the Østerbro area of Copenhagen, the son of Bente Christiansen and Henning Mikkelsen, a cab driver. He is the brother of actor Lars Mikkelsen. After attending Århus Theatre School, he made his film debut in the movie Pusher...
, Olga Kurylenko
Olga Kurylenko
Olha Kostyantynivna Kurylenko , better known as Olga Kurylenko, is a French actress and model. She is perhaps best known as the Bond girl, Camille Montes, in the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. She also portrayed Nika Boronina in the movie adaptation of the video game Hitman...
and Mathieu Amalric
Mathieu Amalric
Mathieu Amalric is a French actor and film director, perhaps best known internationally for his performance as the lead villain in Bond film Quantum Of Solace and for his role in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, for which he drew critical acclaim...
.
Plot
The game begins with James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
in Lake Como
Lake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
where Bond is sent to abduct Mr. White
Mr. White (James Bond)
Mr. White is a fictional character and antagonist played by Jesper Christensen in the James Bond films Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace....
from his home. After fighting the resistance at the White estate, Bond successfully escapes with White. White is taken to Siena
Siena
Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...
, Italy, where Bond and M
M (James Bond)
M is a fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, as well as the films in the Bond franchise. The head of MI6 and Bond's superior, M has been portrayed by three actors in the official Bond film series: Bernard Lee, Robert Brown and since 1995 by Judi Dench. Background =Ian Fleming...
interrogate him for information regarding Quantum, an organization unknown to MI6 at the time. White escapes with the assistance of M's bodyguard, Mitchell, who is revealed to be a traitor. Bond chases Mitchell through the rooftops and engages him in combat, where Mitchell is pushed by Bond into a fall resulting in Mitchell's death.
The game then takes Bond to Lake Constance
Lake Constance
Lake Constance is a lake on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps, and consists of three bodies of water: the Obersee , the Untersee , and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein.The lake is situated in Germany, Switzerland and Austria near the Alps...
in Bregenz
Bregenz
-Culture:The annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele is a world-famous festival which takes place on and around a stage on Lake Constance, where a different opera is performed every second year.-Sport:* A1 Bregenz HB is a handball team....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, where members of Quantum meet up to discuss the "Tierra Project." Amongst them is a key member, Dominic Greene
Dominic Greene
Dominic Greene is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. He is portrayed by French actor Mathieu Amalric.-In the film:...
, who poses as an environmentalist. Bond disrupts their meeting, takes photos of the Quantum members, and escapes the area. The plot fast forwards to Camille Montes and Bond crash landing in Greene's intended land acquisition in Oruro Province
Oruro Department
Oruro is a department in Bolivia, with an area of 53,588 km². Its capital is the city of Oruro. At the time of census 2001 it had a population of 391,870.- Provinces of Oruro :...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. Bond endures a violent gun fight to reach Camille. He soon learns Camille is pursuing the man responsible for murdering her family: General Medrano. Learning this, Bond opens up to Camille, telling her that Quantum was responsible for the death of his former love, Vesper Lynd
Vesper Lynd
Vesper Lynd is a fictional character featured in Ian Fleming's James Bond novel Casino Royale. The name is a pun on "West Berlin". It has been claimed that Fleming based Lynd on the real life Special Operations Executive agent Christine Granville. In the 1967 film of Casino Royale, she is played by...
.
The gameplay then takes the form of flash backs from Casino Royale. Bond begins in Antananarivo
Antananarivo
Antananarivo , formerly Tananarive , is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is also known by its French colonial shorthand form Tana....
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, having been recently promoted to Double 0 status. Bond pursues Mollaka, a bomb maker, through a construction site and embassy before killing him (which is not shown). Bond then travels to Miami Airport to stop a terrorist from destroying a Skyfleet airliner. He successfully stops the terrorist, and it is revealed the bomber was hired by Le Chiffre, a private banker to numerous terrorist organizations around the world. Le Chiffre had sold stocks of Skyfleet, using his clients' funds to bet against the market in order to receive profit after the airliner's destruction. Le Chiffre sets up a high stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Petrovac, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
in order to win back his client's funds.
Bond meets Vesper Lynd
Vesper Lynd
Vesper Lynd is a fictional character featured in Ian Fleming's James Bond novel Casino Royale. The name is a pun on "West Berlin". It has been claimed that Fleming based Lynd on the real life Special Operations Executive agent Christine Granville. In the 1967 film of Casino Royale, she is played by...
, an accountant from the Treasury, on his way to Montenegro. After their meeting, Bond fights off dealers from a drug organization spread throughout the train and kills the boss who was invited to the Casino Royale game of Le Chiffre and replaces him in the game (a notable difference from the film). After combat, Bond arrives in Montenegro, where he comes face to face with Le Chiffre. After defeating Le Chiffre in the poker game, Vesper is kidnapped. Bond pursues the kidnappers but crashes his car and is taken hostage. He escapes and battles through Le Chiffre's barge to rescue Vesper. While he is successful, Bond and Vesper are re-captured by Le Chiffre's body guards. Near death, they are saved when Mr. White kills Le Chiffre for his recent actions, leaving Bond and Vesper alive.
Later on, Bond and Vesper begin a romantic relationship, and Bond resigns from MI6, acknowledging that his work could strip him of his humanity. Bond and Vesper travel through exotic locations, arriving in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. Bond receives a call from M, who informs him that the funds won from the poker game were never returned to the Treasury. He pursues Vesper, who is meeting members of Quantum. Bond fights off the Quantum members in a building collapsing into the Venice waters. Vesper allows herself to drown, feeling guilt over her betrayal.
The game returns to the storyline of Quantum of Solace, with Camille and Bond arriving at a hotel in the middle of the Bolivian desert,in La Paz Province, where Greene and General Medrano are meeting. Greene plans to fund Medrano's war against the Bolivian government in exchange for his desired land acquisition. (In the film, we learn Greene wants the land for the massive underground water supply, which is cut off from the rest of the country. With the land, Greene can become the major utility supplier in Bolivia and receive all profits). Bond battles Quantum members and helps Camille kill Medrano and kills Greene by igniting the hotel's fuel cells, causing the hotel to catch on fire. Camille eliminates Medrano and escapes with Bond just as the hotel explodes. Bond and Camille are then seen walking towards an MI6 helicopter, leaving the destroyed area.
The game ends with a scene not seen in the film. Mr. White and Guy Haines (another Quantum associate) review all of these events. Bond, who is seen outside spying on both of them, speaks with M about his findings. The final scene shows Bond going through the rain, ready to engage the Quantum members as the screen fades to black.
Weapons
Most weapons in the game are named after James Bond filmsJames Bond (film series)
The James Bond film series is a British series of motion pictures based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond , who originally appeared in a series of books by Ian Fleming. Earlier films were based on Fleming's novels and short stories, followed later by films with original storylines...
and are based on real weapons such as the FRWL, which is an assault rifle
Assault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
probably based on the AKS-74U and named after the film, From Russia with Love
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
and the A3 Raker, which is an assault rifle as well probably based on the Steyr AUG
Steyr AUG
The AUG is an Austrian bullpup 5.56mm assault rifle, designed in the early 1970s by Steyr Mannlicher GmbH & Co KG . The AUG was adopted by the Austrian Army as the StG 77 in 1977, where it replaced the 7.62mm StG 58 automatic rifle...
and is named after the film, Moonraker
Moonraker (film)
Moonraker is the eleventh spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The third and final film in the series to be directed by Lewis Gilbert, it co-stars Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Corinne Clery, and Richard Kiel...
. 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
Walther P99
The Walther P99 is a semi-automatic pistol developed by the German company Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen of Ulm for law enforcement, security forces and the civilian shooting market as a replacement for the Walther P5 and the P88...
and the WA2000
Walther WA 2000
The WA 2000 is a semi-automatic bullpup sniper rifle that was produced by the Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen company. It was produced in three different calibers. Production of the rifle was limited and it was shortly stopped because it was too expensive to achieve widespread sales...
.
Multiplayer
The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows editions of the game support 12 players online, while the BeenoxBeenox
Beenox is a video game developer, established in Québec City, Québec. Founded in 2000 by Dominique Brown. Beenox has been awarded with the Quebec's Best Employer 2008 title and is among the Top 50 of the World’s best video game developers published in March 2008 by the Game Developers Research...
-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.
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.
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
Mario Kart Wii
is a racing video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. It is the sixth installment in the Mario Kart series and the second Mario Kart title to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The game was released worldwide...
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 SymphonyHollywood Studio Symphony
The Hollywood Studio Symphony is the credited name of the symphony orchestra behind many major soundtracks, including The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Sucker Punch, Jurassic Park 3, Last Samurai, Pirates of the Caribbean, We Are Marshall, Spider-Man 2, Lost and The...
in Los Angeles at the Capitol Records Studios
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. The game features a different theme song from that of the film, "When Nobody Loves You" (written by Richard Fortus
Richard Fortus
Richard Fortus is a professional guitarist who is most famous for being rhythm guitarist in Guns N' Roses.Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Fortus cut his teeth throughout the Midwest with his band, The Eyes. The four-piece alternative band independently released "Freedom in a Cage", which was...
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.
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 SwordNinja Gaiden Dragon Sword
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword has received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregator Game Rankings, the game received an average score of 85% based on 14 reviews. On Metacritic, the game received an average score of 84 out of 100, based on 17 reviews...
, 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
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
is the fourteenth game in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. It was released after The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii and before The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the Nintendo DS...
, 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 BeenoxBeenox
Beenox is a video game developer, established in Québec City, Québec. Founded in 2000 by Dominique Brown. Beenox has been awarded with the Quebec's Best Employer 2008 title and is among the Top 50 of the World’s best video game developers published in March 2008 by the Game Developers Research...
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
Mario Kart Wii
is a racing video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. It is the sixth installment in the Mario Kart series and the second Mario Kart title to use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. The game was released worldwide...
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 Mii
Mii
A is a digital avatar used in Nintendo's Wii and Nintendo 3DS gaming consoles. They allow users to capture a likeness of themselves and others. After creating one using the Wii's Mii Channel or the Nintendo 3DS's Mii Maker, they can be used as playable characters in various titles for the...
s 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-personVirtual camera system
A virtual camera system aims at controlling a camera or a set of cameras to display a view of a 3D virtual world. Camera systems are used in videogames where their purpose is to show the action at the best possible angle; more generally, they are used in 3D virtual worlds when a third person view...
shooter, much like Everything or Nothing
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
007: Everything or Nothing is a third-person shooter video game, where the player controls James Bond. Bond is modeled after and voiced by the former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, making it his final performance for the character in game and film...
but more closely resembling Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
. 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 Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
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
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and 64.8% from Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game a 6.8/10 praising the presentation and its audio, but criticized it for its camera and "odd animations". GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
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." 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." 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."
Post-release issues
Several users have reported that the PC version of the game will not run on Windows XP if Internet Explorer 8Internet Explorer 8
Windows Internet Explorer 8 is a web browser developed by Microsoft in the Internet Explorer browser series. The browser was released on March 19, 2009 for Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7. Both 32-bit and 64-bit builds are available...
or an updated version of Internet Explorer 7
Internet Explorer 7
Windows Internet Explorer 7 is a web browser released by Microsoft in October 2006. Internet Explorer 7 is part of a long line of versions of Internet Explorer and was the first major update to the browser in more than 5 years...
is installed on the system. 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 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.