GAME CLEAR No. 25 -- James Bond 007: Nightfire

James Bond 007: Nightfire (2002, Multiplatform)

Developer: Eurocom
Publisher: EA Games
Clear Date: 5/9/2021
Clear Platform: PS2

A couple weeks ago I saw a copy of Nightfire at the nearby Half Price Books for $6, and at that price, I couldn’t pass it up. The game’s immediate predecessor Agent Under Fire was one of my first GameCube games as a kid, and I enjoyed it a great deal. I never did get Nightfire, though, so I thought it would be a fun avenue for nostalgia without being too much of a retread.

Overall I was right! Nightfire is a solid FPS, even if many of its mechanics are stuck in time. Aiming doesn’t feel great, and the button mapping is considerably different from today’s norms, but it doesn’t take too long to get used to. The game features a good variety of weapons, and the stealth sequences are acceptable if far from Metal Gear quality.

This is also Brosnan-era bond, so Q’s gadgets abound as well. While this does give the game a stronger Bond feel aesthetically, overall the gadgets are pretty rudimentary. Usually they are used in extremely obvious spots and involve merely brandishing the gadget and pressing a button. It would’ve been nice if, say, hacking keypad locks with the Q Decryptor involved a little minigame rather than simply watching an animation. Nevertheless, their simplicity doesn’t really detract from the game outside of being a missed opportunity.

On the plus side, Q also provides 007 with his traditional means of conveyance, an Aston Martin fully equipped with the latest spy tech. The sequences involving the car are surprisingly numerous, and the car feels pretty good! There’s even a level during which Bond uses it as a submarine, and even that part feels great to control. A very pleasant surprise.

Nightfire has also got a pretty decent, original Bond story to back up the action. The writing isn’t incredible by any means, but it’s believable spy fare to give 007 plenty of reason to visit numerous worldwide locations just like the films and books. Bond drops numerous one-liners and has his usual success with the ladies. The villain has ludicrous resources, a secret base, and access to a superweapon he intends to use to take over the world. Typical stuff. It works.

It’s been a long time since James Bond was in a decent video game, but with IO Interactive having teased a revival of Bond in the video game space, I think the series is in good hands. If you can’t wait for that and also see Nightfire for $6 somewhere, I’d say it’s worth your time. It can be beaten in a sitting or two, is full of the typical Bond tropes, and the gameplay is passable enough to not get in the way. Having now beaten it myself, I think I’m gonna rewatch the Brosnan Bonds sometime soon.