James Bond returns to movie theaters this fall in Quantum of Solace, and this time he'll be back in video game format as well. Treyarch has been developing a Quantum of Solace game in conjunction with the new flick, enjoying carte blanche from the producers to photograph and use everything from the movie in the game, including blonde Bond Daniel Craig. You can count on his stoic visage making an appearance, not to mention his recognizable voice. Find out what we learned from this first peek at the game, freshly declassified.

Interested to see what Treyarch is doing with the 007 license? GamesRadar has obtained the first image of Quantum of Solace, built on the Call of Duty 4 engine and due out this fall alongside the film. What can we glean from this screenshot? Well, there's Daniel Craig, and he will probably use a pistol while standing by an indoor body of water at some point. We eagerly await the next screenshot to find out what, exactly, Daniel Craig would shoot at.

The upcoming 007 game just got an ammo clip of good news.* Quantum of Solace, currently in development at Treyarch, is running on the Call of Duty 4 game engine and due out this Fall alongside the movie. "We look forward to launching Bond: Quantum of Solace in Q3 concurrent with movie. This game uses the Call of Duty 4 engine and technology to bring Bond games to a new level," said Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith in a conference call yesterday (36:20 mark).

Why does this excite us? Simply put: COD4 is one of the best multiplayer experiences currently available on consoles, and it gives us hope that this version will be able recapture the magic we felt when we first tried split-screen Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64. It also gives us an idea as to what platforms we can expect to see the game on -- likely Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and perhaps PC. Quantum of Solace, the film, is releasing October 31 in the UK, November 7 in North America.

* Note: Fear not, the writer of this joke has indeed been eliminated.

Activision's recent conference call didn't consist entirely of gloating about those record holiday-quarter sales, as the publisher also took the opportunity to outline some of its plans for 2008. It seems we're in for quite the party, albeit one where you'll actually remember everybody's name. Guitar Hero? James Bond? Tony Hawk? Spider-Man? Yeah, we've met.

According to a Variety report, the aforementioned party will see multiple performances by The Instrument Protagonists, due to promote two Guitar Hero "add-ons" in Spring and a full sequel in Fall. While party animals debate the game tie-ins to animated films Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar 2, suave gentleman will attempt to decrypt James Bond's film adaptation, Quantum of Solace. A roughly equal amount of solace will be found by the comic fans huddled around the punch bowl, as new Spider-Man and Marvel Ultimate Alliance games are expected to knock on the door at some point during the festivities.

Finally, don't expect Tony Hawk to be turned away (he's on the guest list), especially since he's bringing his friend ... uh ... Call of Duty? We honestly don't know where we're going with this analogy.

[Via The Cut Scene]

So, we (like many of the film fans out there) heard yesterday that James Bond's 22nd adventure would not, as we had secretly hoped, be called James Bond 22. No, producers decided to go once more to Ian Fleming's back catalog and dredge up the name Quantum of Solace, lifted from a short story featuring the world's most prolific spy. We didn't think much more about it.

But then today, we started wondering: Could Quantum of Solace also be the name of Bond's next video game adventure too? It makes a lot of sense, though we're not laying any money on it. What we are willing to say is that it would be the best title for a Bond game ever, except for Goldeneye, Everything Or Nothing, The World Is Not Enough, Nightfire, Agent Under Fire, Tomorrow Never Dies and From Russia With Love. Oh ... and what ever that racing game was called. Except for those, it's the best.

We've got good news and bad news for fans of Rare's groundbreaking first-person shooter, Goldeneye. The good news? Those rumors you've heard about a port of the game for the Xbox Live Arcade are true! The bad news? The release of the title has been delayed indefinitely, due to a licensing disagreement between Microsoft and Nintendo. Sorry to get your hopes up -- we probably should have led with that last part.

To further rub salt in your wounds, 1UP has some sweet details about the game-that-wasn't, which was only two short months from completion. Apparently, the game was a faithful recreation of the N64 classic, including all the maps and weapons from the original, with the addition of multiplayer support over Xbox Live.

Instead of giving up on what would have been one of the greatest XBLA titles to date, we highly encourage everyone to exercise their civil trolling rights in an attempt to convince Nintendo and Microsoft that there's more than enough of our money to go around. Already, thousands of rabid wannabe 00 Agents have signed petitions to bring the game back to the development table -- have you?

Resting their cred on "very reliable sources" and evidence that they claim to have seen, Xbox Evolved is reporting that Nintendo 64 classic Goldeneye will be coming to the Xbox Live Arcade shortly before Activision (the current 007 IP holder) releases their new James Bond title. The news comes (according to the site) after an agreement between Microsoft, Rareware, MGM Studios and Activision. XE says the game will feature new graphics and online multiplayer, and that other Rare games may be in the pipeline like Banjo Kazooie and Perfect Dark.

OK, sounds great, but is it true? We have no evidence one way or the other, but we think it would at least make sense for all the parties. Microsoft gets more solid XBLA titles, Rare (which is owned by Microsoft) reminds people of the company's glory days and MGM gets more publicity for James Bond. As for Activision, well, we already know they're not above pimping out a license for cash. We'll keep you updated.

[UPDATE: This looks like it was happening, but has been been put on hold.]

After snatching the James Bond license out of EA's metallic hands in 2006, Activision has quietly been endeavoring to revitalize the franchise which had recently grown about as tiresome as the films it was based on. Heck, when you get to the point where an invisible car escapes from an ice palace being melted by a space laser, the point of no return is but a speck in the rear-view mirror. Will Activision find the gaming equivalent of Casino Royale?

Speaking at a BMO Capital Markets conference (as covered by GamesIndustry.biz), Activision CEO Bobby Kotick pointed to the N64's GoldenEye as the title that made Ian Fleming's suave spy into "one of the great videogame franchises of all time." He revealed that Activision is currently working on two Bond projects, and that his plan for success involves the obvious: "I think the key to re-energising the Bond franchise is going to be ultimately the highest possible game quality." Make a good game to reinvigorate a franchise full of crap ones -- got it.

It was revealed in July last year that Treyarch, developer of Spider-Man 3 and Call of Duty 3, was to create a new 007 game for Activision. If Treyarch can administer a Casino Royale reboot of the games, we imagine it'll make them a bit like Daniel Craig. We'll make fun of them at first, but the final product will silence us.

Don't feel bad, it happens to everyone. You're blowing up annelids with a stick of dynamite or remote-controlled sheep, and you suddenly realize that you're just going through the motions. The visceral thrill is gone, it's just the same old ninja ropes attaching to the same old snow banks. Fear not, wormy warrior, a cure for your deja vu is coming tomorrow with three new landscapes for Worms on Xbox Live.

The first, the "Space" landscape seen above, is a freebie, but you'll have to drop 150 points ($1.87) for each of the other two: "Hell" and "Jungle." If you need to recover from all the spending of points, there's one more bit of free content: Twenty-two new packs of worm voices have been added. And yes, they include "Russian" and "DoubleOhSeven" meaning you can finally pit James Bond against Teddy KGB in the Worms arena ... the way God intended.

[Via Pro-G]

Microsoft and Rare have released updated versions of Goldeneye's Facility and Temple (now "Ruin") multiplayer maps for use with Perfect Dark Zero. The pair is free to download, but only available to Xbox Live Gold members (hey, it pays to pay). Throw in a polished-up Complex, and we just might consider re-investing in this game.

Those already picturing the mesmerizing possibilities of an action/adventure set in the world of financial loans will have to face disappointment yet again, as Ultimate Spider-Man developer Treyarch has been tapped by Activision to create a game starring the other and recently less valuable Bond. James Bond. Likely based on the upcoming film franchise reboot, Casino Royale, the game is targeting next-generation platforms and the general consensus that Bond games aren't worth a (Money) penny.

Having rescued the Bond license from the metallic hands that programmed Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, Activision will no doubt attempt to do right by Fleming fans if they wish to reap the rewards from their investment. Giving Treyarch the job seems like a good decision, certainly superior to that of placing a permanently disgruntled, blond man into the suave spy's shoes. Indeed, it seems preferable to place the gamer in those rocket-propelled shoes instead. Who wouldn't want to be a man of mystery (like, which STD does he have?) traipsing across the world, bedding foreign beauties and then killing said foreign beauties when they inevitably betray you? Also -- casino minigames!

As of yesterday, our favorite secret-agent with a license to kill will be taking orders from somewhere else. Yup, M EA's out of the picture and number two publisher, Activision, will be handling the James Bond franchise from now on. "Who does number two work for?"

EA has been chasing the success of Rare's 1997 N64 classic, Goldeneye; having secured the rights to the Bond franchise until 2009, EA has made five Bond titles, none of which achieved Goldeneye's level of success. When Sony bought MGM in 2004, things apparently went south (shades of the messy Never Say Never Again situation). EA has since decided to give up the franchise to "refocus on all-new games" allowing Activision to obtain the exclusive license to the franchise until 2014.

Will Activision reinvigorate the Bond franchise while EA creates attractive, original titles? Never say never.

[Thanks to everyone that sent this one in]

(Update: cleared up some confusing language. It's much better now.)