By Ned Jordan

Bond. James Bond. An agent known for arming himself with assault rifles and grenades and mowing down hundreds of mercenaries, troops, and henchman at a time in massive firefights. Wait a minute, that's not Bond. And yet that's what playing Bond is like in Quantum of Solace. Maybe it's because the game is built on the Call of Duty engine and just can't help thrusting you into firefights. Or perhaps it's to keep you tied up in extended shooting matches so you don't notice how short the game really is. Or it could even be that the game's designers just don't get James Bond. Whatever the reason, Quantum of Solace is a game in which you play as Bond, but you don't feel like you're playing as Bond.

Quantum of Solace is based on the movie of the same name, but if you haven't seen the film then you'll have a hard time following the game's story. The game includes some sequences that weren't in the film, replaces some movie scenes with cell phone dialog or skips them altogether, and makes its own changes to some parts of the film. If you have seen the movie you'll be able to keep track of where you are in the story, but otherwise good luck keeping up. Basically an international conspiracy of the rich and powerful are working to corner the market on the world's most scarce resource (it's not what you think), and Bond gets in their way. My advice to you is to just follow the objectives for each level and don't worry about the story.

The game manages to throw a little variety your way here and there, but for the most part the game consists of you moving from Point A to Point B through a level while killing dozens of generic enemies. Some levels give you the option of proceeding stealthily, sneaking around and taking down enemies from behind or knocking them off with a shot from your silenced pistol. However, the game is pretty unforgiving of slip-ups and one false move will lead to instant detection and the need to fight your way through the rest of the level.

When the shooting starts, you'll need to make diligent use of the game's cover system if you want to have any hope of surviving. Tap X as you reach an obstacle and you'll croutch behind it or flatten yourself against it. You can aim and fire from behind the obstacle or just fire blindly when things get too hot. If you take a few hits while firing, dropping back into full cover and resting for a few moments will restore your health. If you choose a poor cover location you may run the risk of being flanked, but for the most part you'll be able to methodically make your way through the levels by moving from one cover spot to the next.

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