PREVIEW: Quantum of Solace

Erm...I'm struggling to find a way to start this preview other than "Bond is Back"  - well at least, he will be, on October 31st, and of course he will be appearing (For the first time ever as Daniel Craig) in video game format too. Now, for me, the best Bond game ever was Nightfire (2002) for PS2, which, though it was a very good game in most aspects, should have no trouble being outdone by its next-gen counterparts. And I have to say that the next Bond game does certainly look like it is going to be the best yet (And the first released for PC - good news for me). So what's it going to be like? Well it will be better than previous Bonds because...

1. It's based on an updated version of the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, so great scenery effects, explosions, destructible environments and people will die in interesting ways.
2. It'll be played in what seems to be an interesting blend of first- and third- person which will enable much more fluid control, so you can "Do it like Bond does it" (But not in that way). The shooting will be done in first person, but when you are (for example) scrabbling across a ledge or ducking behind cover you will zoom out and see yourself. This will make the game much more...um...interesting...
3. The AI is (supposedly) much better, so you can fight unscripted battles - that is enemy "a" will not always appear in the same place and do the same things even if the preceding events are the same
4. It'll be very cinematic, with lots of very exciting exploding things and cool angles, which they might even be able to fit some slow motion into somewhere...Locations will include Montenegro, Venice, Bolivia and Austria.
5. ONLINE MULTIPLAYER - two words say it all...
6. It is an amalgamation of Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale, so expect to see exploding planes, casinos and houses sinking as well as all the new stuff thats going to happen in Quantum of Solace
7. Third person cover. Something that sets this game apart from anything else is the ability to cover and shoot in a third person view.

All in all, it looks like this is going to be the game to bring Bond games back into the mainstream and I for one will be first in line to buy it...

Quantum of Solace is out on all platforms on 31st October to coincide with the release of Quantum of Solace the movie. Expect a full review very soon. In the meantime, we've an HD trailer of the game for you: