EA and Eutechnyx have a great concept here, but as in our last preview, we still have qualms with the controls -- the game's gadgets and cars are tougher to get a hold of than it seems in the movies. Of course, Bond makes it all look so easy, and besides, EA is hammering on the game to get it on spec, and were quick to ensure us that this is just a preview copy. We'll see how the final comes around when it's released later this winter, but until then, catch a glimpse of our first videos of 007 Racing below to get a feel for the ride.
EA Gamers' Day Impressions
Remembering back to when we discovered that Electronic Arts had a game in the works titled 007 Racing, I can remember the horror on our faces, as each of our editors all had a the same bad feeling that the game was going to be another in a long line of kart racing games that have made use of big licenses. Luckily, EA had no intention of butchering the Bond license and soon after contacting its PR department at that time, our fears were quickly put to rest, as we learned that the game was going to be a mission-based driving game featuring James Bond and a slew of his famous, gadget-filled, state-of-the-art vehicles.
Although the game was featured at the May 2000 E3 in Los Angeles, it was extremely early and only featured a part of a mission. The game showed some promise, but it was just way too early to pass any real judgements. However, today at EA's Gamers' Day we got a chance to play a version of the game that was a little further along in development and give the game another spin.
While it's still in the very early stages of development, pre-Alpha to be more precise, we were able to tell rather quickly that it was definitely a lot further long in development. Featuring several of the game's levels in tact, 007 Racing appears to be headed in the right direction and shows plenty of promise. The first thing that players will notice is that the framerate appears to be fairly high, as the game moves along at a quick pace, there's an excellent senstation of speed, and everything moves rather smoothly.
The 3D background environments are solid, and while there's some clipping and pop-up, it's still not that bad. The car that we saw in the game was modeled nicely and featured what appears to be the hot thing among game developers -- the GT2000-esque, excessive shiny finish on the car. Like lens flare a few years ago, this seems to be all the rage in today's newer software. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing.
In the area of gameplay, 007 Racing seems to provide an enjoyable gaming experience. With the game's fast pace, cool weaponry, and multitude of righteous vehicles it really has the key ingrediants of what should make for a game that's worthy of the James Bond license. The control is very precise and from what we've played, the missions seem to be a lot of fun.
In addition to the typical missions where players are required to simply kill lots and lots of enemies, they'll also get a chance to do some more tactical objectives like use a remote controlled car (just like the one in the movie) to collect and then plant some mines in an enemy base. All of this is done from the perspective of a security camera and is quite innovative in designs. If all of the missions in the game are as well thought out as this one, then this could be one killer product.
It's still a bit too early to make any more assertive judgements, but it's safe to say that things are looking good for fans of the secret agent and his cars. 007 Racing is moving along nicely and we'll be sure to keep you updated on the status of this exciting product from EA Games.
--Dave Zdyrko
Preview Information
Can Electronic Arts evade the kart genre with its brand new Bond license? Apparently so. We're glad to tell you that EA did the sensible thing by giving gamers the chance to race in their favorite Bond cars and take out the potential rulers of the world via vehicular speed, classic Bond gadgets, and secret weapons only the British Secret Service could conceive. No less than any young boy's fantasy.
Needless to say, 007 Racer has some wonderfully scrumptious possibilities. If you know anything about James Bond movies then you're aware of his fancy for fast, powerful, armored, space-age cars. Cars that have gadgets up the wazoo. Cars that can shoot bullets, missiles, and flames, cars that can be driven by remote control and that can be piloted underwater. Yeah -- the game has some phenomenal possibilities.
Luckily we saw and played the game in its early form at E3. Electronic Arts showed off its newest racing game for PlayStation, based on the Bond license, and to our surprise, it's extremely fun. Only in pre-alpha stage right now, 007 Racing enables players to take the steering wheel of several classic Bond cars and to shoot, smash and destroy objects, enemies and whatnot in objective-based missions throughout familiar movie-like environments.
Using various cars from 19 different Bond films, Eutechnyx is building the cars with several weapons and gadgets that have been seen in the movies, and a few new ones that haven't. The rather large arsenal, supplied by MI6's lovely "Q Branch," features machineguns, surface-to-air missiles, spike and mine dispensers, rocket launchers, an oil slick generator, tire shredders and bulletproof windows. What's particularly interesting about the cars is that they're constructed using a four-point physics system, which put quite simply, means that players are in for quite a bit of "ground departure" (i.e. air, baby, air); but it also means that the cars take damage visually and performance-wise, too. Lastly, just like any international spy, you'll do a good bit of traveling to exotic locales such as Amsterdam, South America, Monte Carlo and New York. (OK, New York isn't exactly exotic in and of itself...)
Bond Racing was originally described as a Bond version of Twisted Metal, but it's more like a Goldeneye on wheels. The demo enables us to race in an Aston Martin, but also puts players behind the wheels of a Lotus, maybe a few BMWs, and possibly some other classic Bond cars. 007 Racing is made up of 15 levels, with three five-mission hubs. The game isn't so much a racing game as a racing-strategy game, with objective-based missions and a harem of baddies who present new and creative ways to crush your mission and you into enemy pie. The missions themselves feature a wide range of objectives, such as pursuit, evasion, protection, surveillance and termination inspired by dozens of unforgettable moments from the 19-plus Bond films.
Who will you face? You'll receive help from Q, and be pitted against classic enemies such as Oddjob and Jaws, among others.
In the demo we played at E3, the roads were filled with obstacles you need to avoid, such as explosive barrels, fences, and other miscellaneous items, as well as enemies, such as a giant tank and enemy cars. Looking rather early, in such areas as moving textures, clipping, and a crashing demo, the game still shot a surge of energy through my spine. There is also a two-player mode that EA has revealed very little of to this point, and which we are sure to provide more info on at a later date.
The game really puts you in the "spy thriller" mood. We're looking forward to playing it again as soon as possible. And for the record, the game is actually more fun than it looks at this early point.
--Douglass C. Perry
