NightFire - My first Impressions

**Despair** · 21 Nov 2002, 12:46 PM

Heheh

Yep, Its a Bond week for me. While everyone else is indulging in the Prime goodness, I'm on Spy mission to save the world

I picked up Cube version Tuesday. I went with Cube version, since I saw the trailer for it on Cube Free dvd, and it looked very nice. Sure, Xbox version might have 5.1 sound support, but even Cube version should sound nice.

Unfortunately with lots of work being dumped on me this week, and me finishing RE0, and MKDA taking the resty of our time, I could only spend a little time with NightFire last night.

The game looks great. Very nice models and environments. It also has a great opening, right out of JB feature films, with girls and cool music. Very nicely done.

The game starts with Prologue sequence, again as in every JB film. You are in helicopter, armed with sniper rifle, and your task is to protect a pretty girl in the sport's car, being chased by baddies. Its pretty much computer controlled sequence, and all you need to do is shoot at the right time. But it add very cool cinematic feel to the game. After you finish up with cars, James makes a dramatic entrance, saves the lady, and you jump into JB's Austin Martin, and the chase continues.

And as in every Bond film, you end your evening watching the fireworks with a beautiful companion, and then the real fireworks begin

After that the game takes you to the main menu, where you can create new profiles, engage in story mode and multiplayer, and get access to other goodies.

This time around your adversary is Rafael Drake, rich industrialist with plans fot world domination(usual JB villian profile, dont you think

). First mission takes you to Austria, where the stolen weapons deal is about to happen. Sneak into the castle and get it back.

The game controls very nicely, and very simular to AUF. Plus it gives you option for different styles of controls, which is nice.

The Castle level is very cool looking. It surrounded by snowy hills, dark forest on the sides, snow falling silently, and lighting is very nicely done. Enemy models are also very detailed, and AI seems to be pretty good so far. As usual you have option of either run forward guns blazing

or be more sneaky and use your skills and various gadgets in your inventory to your advantage. You get a sniper rifle from the guard right at the beginning, so you can use that to take down 2 guards at the gate, and get inside with less noise

Havent tried the multiplayer yet, but from what I read about it(in reviews), it supposed to be very good, on the level of legendary GE.

Granted I havent gone far in the game, but I liking it allready, and I;m sure I will be having great time with it

Will post more impressions after playing tonight.

**Ex Ranza** · 21 Nov 2002, 01:05 PM

Thanks for the impressions, I've been thinking about getting this game. Sounds like it's something you're going to like. Enjoy.

**Doug Branches** · 21 Nov 2002, 01:21 PM

great impressions, but were all those smilies really needed? damn

**Error** · 21 Nov 2002, 01:32 PM

I just rented the ps2 version last night, and i gotta agree with Despair, the intro is RIGHT out of a Bond flick, I was hugely impressed. So far the rest of the game is not to bad.

**Despair** · 21 Nov 2002, 01:39 PM

Sorry about the smileys dude

Just a habbit !

**Doug Branches** · 21 Nov 2002, 01:43 PM

its ok!

**jyoung** · 21 Nov 2002, 03:27 PM

Despair and smileys just don't go together. Kind of like Lemonade and Brownies (No, not the Sugar Ray CD).

**Prince Planet** · 25 Nov 2002, 02:57 PM

Wow, I'm a bit surpised at the lack of attention this game has received (not just on these boards, by the way). I grabbed the Xbox rev, and after some solid playtime, I'm about 2/3rds of the way through. The game is certainly not revolutionary, but it is polished product and a LOT of fun. A few highlights:

1. Solid 60fps, which makes it pleasure to play. (I'm no programming expert, but I suspect that the frame rate stays high due to an apparent lack of real-time lighting, shadowing, and similar effects.) The FPS levels have an extremely "crisp" look, which really appeals to me. One exception: the driving level doesn't look nearly as good. No big deal.

2. Big environments in a variety of cool locales. Castles, skyscrapers, nuclear power plants, a Japanese compound, etc.

3. A ton of cool weapons and gadgets, all nicely animated. Way more than those found in Goldeneye and AUF, and each one proves to be useful. Special mention to the Decryptor (to access keypad-locked doors), the grappling hook, the Sentinel (manually guided missile launcher -- oh yeah!), and the Phoenix (remote operated gatlin-gun-in-a-suitcase).

4. Decent challenge (you're not playing on easy, are you?). Bear in mind that the game is rather linear (although there ARE some multiple paths through the missions). The result is that there are a few tough parts, but nothing that will keep you stuck for too long.

5. Multiplayer. Only played it for an hour or two with some friends, but it was pretty damn fun. There are AI bots, which are subject to tons of modification. For that matter, the whole muliplayer experience can be heavily modified. Plus, tons of "skins" from classic bond movies can be unlocked.

After you all have wiped off the drool from playing Prime, Splinter Cell, Fusion, Rygar and whatever else, you may want to give this one a try. The main game on Normal will probably take about 12-15 hours to get through, but there there's plenty of replay value (I am definitely am going back though the game to get the highest medal ratings on each level, and then go back to beat the game on Hard difficulty). Fun stuff.