Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3517 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Electronic Arts
• Released on: 2005-11-18
• Platform: PlayStation2
• Number of items: 1

Amazon.co.uk Preview
Finally the James Bond games have done what the films should’ve done years ago: they’ve gone back to the ‘60s. From Russia with Love doesn’t seem to have all that much to do with the film of the same name (it seems an odd choice anyway since it was the least gadget heavy of all the movies and even vaguely realistic in parts) but it is highly evocative of Connery era Bond in general.

Even ignoring the ‘60s angle, the fact that the game is obviously trying to distance itself from the risible GoldenEye: Rogue Agent is another obvious boon. It’s a third person adventure much more in keeping with Everything or Nothing, with a similar mix of on foot and vehicle combat, with particular emphasis seeming to be given to the jetpack from Thunderball.

Although Bond looks and sounds (thanks to newly recorded dialogue by the man himself) like Sean Connery the game also has a role-playing element where you can customise your character according to your preferred style of play. There’s also an online and split screen multiplayer mode for you to compare these settings with friends.

Alas there doesn’t yet seem to be any sign of a mini-game allowing you to ferret out bad guys according to their incorrect choice of wine at the dinner table, but in all other respects this is shaping up to be the ultimate retro Bond game. --Harrison Dent

This preview is based on an incomplete version of the game; features or problems mentioned above may not appear in the finished game.

Manufacturer's Description
James Bond 007: From Russia With Love will be the first game to put players in the universe of the classic James Bond film. Set in the original 60's Bond era, the game features movie-based missions as well as original, action-intensive sequences, a broad and deep variety of gameplay, fully-integrated vehicles, social multiplayer experiences, gorgeous women, and classic, upgradeable weapons and gadgetry with modern mechanics.

Players will create and manipulate Bond in a living world based on the timeless fiction of the classic James Bond movie. Invest in your character and customize the ultimate Bond for a whole new level of gameplay options.

Sean Connery, the original Bond, reprises his role as the dapper Mi6 agent in this innovative, retro-styled and highly anticipated console title from the infamous Bond franchise.

Customer Reviews

Great!
After buying other terrible Bond games, I thought I would give this a shot and i'm very glad I did as this is a fantastic game. Lots of fun!!

Buy it.

Bond is Best
I think that it was a great idea bringing an older Bond into the modern world of gaming.The graphics are great,the weapons are phenominal,the story line is gripping. There is no better Bond to date. The car controls can be hard to understand at first and there are the usual unrealistic events but this game is a must have for any Bond fan.

They should definitely design some more classic Bond games.

Really bad
From Russia with love is one of the worst games I've played. OK, I gave up after like the fifth level, but that was because I got so bored. All the fun and challenge is taken out of the shooting by the lock on system (hold down the L1 button and the computer aims for you). Sometimes you have to use cover and jump out and shoot your enemies from behind it, but often you cant find a decent spot to do this and anyway its already been done in Everything or Nothing and it was a pretty boring trick really, I mean all you have to do is lock on and shoot when their not shooting at you - how hard is that really? You cant even dodge the bullets like in Tomb Raider (cos when your locked on you can only move very slowly) - that would have made it at least a bit more exciting. Basically the shooting sucks and theres lots of it.

Apart from the shooting bits, you have boss like fights where you have to shoot down a helicopter or jump in a jet pack and shoot things and these bits are quite fun, but in order to get to them of course you have to wade through hours of boring "hold down the L1 button" shooting.

Apart from that I did this awkward driving mission where you have to fire rockets at other cars, exactly like in Everything or Nothing only your car is quite slow (so it doesnt have that great fast paced intense feel where everything is whizzing past you and blowing up and stuff) and in the end it turns into a huge rocket shoot out in a car park with you against a bunch of other cars and that bit is just totally awkward and looks and feels really, really silly.

Another totally annoying aspect of the game (and one that really puts the lid on its coffin in my opinion) is the upgrade system. You dont just earn experience like any other game, no, you have to find something hidden throughout the levels called research points. This entails a stupid, boring constant search where you have to search every nook and cranny, every desk, every bookcase, every drawer (you can open them up and look inside) until you find them, and theyre well hidden so it takes ages and it really creates a drag on an already boring gameplay experience. Aside from the boring shooting this is one of the reasons I quit, cos I cant be bothered to search every bit of ground I come across for a stupid little pack of research points, when I could play a different, better game, and earn experience for my items instead.

The official ps2 magazine gave this 8/10, and they say its the best Bond game on the ps2, I really cant believe thats actually their opinion, its boring, dull, silly, badly made and the frame rate is so choppy its a wonder my TV wasnt cut into tiny little bits while playing it.

Verdict? If you really want to play a bond game you might as well play Everything or Nothing again, its alot better.