Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Craig, Dench on board for Quantum of Solace gamehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/21/craig-dench-on-board-for-quantum-of-solace-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/21/craig-dench-on-board-for-quantum-of-solace-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/21/craig-dench-on-board-for-quantum-of-solace-game/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


We're happy to report that when James Bond returns to video games this fall with Quantum of Solace he'll be voiced by our new favorite 007, Daniel Craig. But we're a little worried about how we're going to focus on the game when our undies continue to spontaneously drop to the ground, coaxed off by Bond's baritone brogue! The game will also feature Judi Dench as M and new additions Mathieu Amalric and Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko.

... Listen, did we type that part about our undies dropping out loud? No? OK, thank goodness.

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]]>007activisionjames-bondquantum-of-solacetreyarchJustin McElroy2008-08-21T09:50:00+00:00Bond fans have different perspectives on different perspectiveshttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/bond-fans-have-different-perspectives-on-different-perspectives/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/bond-fans-have-different-perspectives-on-different-perspectives/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/12/bond-fans-have-different-perspectives-on-different-perspectives/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Poor James Bond. The guy's been passed around so many times by so many companies that no one seems to know what to do with him any more. Activision was so open to ideas that they actually surveyed fans on what perspective they'd like to see in the next double-o adventure.

According to MTV, the community was divided, with 60 percent wanting a first-person view and 40 voting third-person. We know how Activision responded (including both perspectives in Quantum of Solace), but we're curious how you will: Is your perfect Bond game through the agent's eyes ... or the back of his head?

Gallery: Quantum of Solace: The Game

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]]>007activisionjames-bondquantum-of-solaceJustin McElroy2008-08-12T11:30:00+00:00Joystiq eyes (only) on: James Bond in Quantum of Solace: The Gamehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/02/joystiq-eyes-only-on-james-bond-in-quantum-of-solace-the-gam/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/02/joystiq-eyes-only-on-james-bond-in-quantum-of-solace-the-gam/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/02/joystiq-eyes-only-on-james-bond-in-quantum-of-solace-the-gam/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


James Bond, always too busy to stop and smell the flowers.

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.

Gallery: Quantum of Solace: The Game


It has been three years since a James Bond game hit store shelves: EA's From Russia With Love, which was based on a Sean Connery Bond film from 1963. Now that Activision has wrested sole control of the James Bond license from EA, it's finally releasing a game based on the new Bond, beginning with Casino Royale and its upcoming sequel.

Quantum of Solace, the film, is set one hour after Casino Royale ends, making it the first true direct sequel in James Bond history. Quantum of Solace: The Game, however, spans both films, and you'll play through scenarios and levels from Casino Royale, like the Venice collapsing house and the chase through the construction site, as well as scenes from the new film.

The game runs on top of the Call of Duty 4 engine which Treyarch is also using for Call of Duty: World at War. The developer is calling it a "first-person action game" although, throughout the game, you'll transition from first person to third person, depending on the situation and the actions you're going through. Need to stealthily sneak past some guards? You'll be in a third person. Want to go in like a crazy hard-charger? First person for you. If you're looking for something comparable, it's pretty similar to the system used in Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas.


We watched Jeremy Luyties, the design director for the game, take a spin through the Venice collapsing house level, and it was pretty impressive. The sound alone made us feel like we were right there with exploding air bags, goons taking shots at us, and the rumbling sounds of a house made out of stone about to crumble to bits all around us. It has contextual music as well, which plays a sped up version of the Bond theme when he's in trouble, or when something notable is about to happen.

Treyarch has spent a lot of time making Quantum of Solace run on top of the CoD4 engine, adding a cover combat system, updating the A.I., and keeping what it calls a "Persistent Bond" (the look and feel of James Bond) running through the game. The second level we were shown had Bond trailing Le Chiffre (that bastard!) during a break from the poker game in Casino Royale, with the warlord Obanno's men crawling through the hotel. You can stealthily make your way through, or come in guns blazing. We were shown both options and, in this case, stealth looked like the way to go.

Treyarch has added a picture-in-picture function, which pops up at various times, normally while in stealth; for instance, in this level, Bond was perched on a ledge outside a window in the hotel, and the PiP feature let us see from inside the room, seeing Bond in both screens. It's a neat twist that answers the "can they see me from in there?" question while also making things a bit more cinematic.



Bond continues trailing Obanno's men into the hotel spa, where a massive gunfight ensues. Naturally, there's plenty of steam, water, pieces of destructible scenery, and a steady stream of gun-toting goons. If you have a pulse, that probably sounds like great news, but this brings us to one of the always-present problems we have when developers twiddle with movie-based games: continuity. Bond gets into this massive gun battle in the hotel spa, yet security never pops in to see what's going on, and the poker game later continues as normal? Call us crazy, but we think that a pileup of dead bodies and fireworks might warrant some sort of police intervention. Maybe we're just nitpicking [Not at all! Bond movies are known for their unwavering realism! - Ed].

Throughout the game, Bond uses his cell phone as the interface to hack locks, check out 3D maps, save/load the game and get mission updates. It generally serves as the only real gadget in the game. Like the new Bond in the movies, an emphasis is placed on the man himself, not all those funky thingamabobs. This time, it's all about the guns special Bond "takedown" moves that pop up during melee combat, God of War-style.

The developers have had several visits to the Quantum of Solace set, and the art directors and wardrobe coordinators have sent them hundreds of high-res photos of everything used on the movie, perfect for scanning and duplication. They also showed an early development kit version of the game to Daniel Craig, who loved it and asked to keep it so he could show it to his friends (we show our fingernail collection to our friends). He's also a huge Guitar Hero fan, and plays it during downtime in his trailer. Licensed to Rock. No word on whether or not he likes other games that aren't published by Activision.



The game is still in very early stages, but it looks pretty impressive (thanks CoD4 engine!), and the digital likeness of Daniel Craig is uncanny, right down to his blue-eyed icy stare. Ray Park (Darth Maul in Star Wars, Toad from X-Men, Snake Eyes in the upcoming G.I. Joe movie) did a lot of motion capture work on the game, at times playing Bond, and at other times playing someone trying to kill Bond. Judi Dench is also providing her voice to her virtual version.

Considering that there won't be several different James Bond games to choose from, and that it's been several years since we've even gotten one at all, we hope that Treyarch can deliver on its promises. But we just can't be sure; not only did we not get to actually play Quantum of Solace, but we didn't see what Treyarch is calling an "unparalleled Bond multiplayer experience." We hope to know (and play!) more at E3 this month.

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]]>007ActivisionDaniel-CraigJames-BondQuantum-Of-SolacespyTreyarchKevin Kelly2008-07-02T14:23:00+00:00See the first image from Quantum of Solacehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/see-the-first-image-from-quantum-of-solace/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/see-the-first-image-from-quantum-of-solace/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/19/see-the-first-image-from-quantum-of-solace/#commentsFiled under: , ,

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.

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]]>007james-bondquantum-of-solaceRoss Miller2008-06-19T17:00:00+00:00New Bond game Quantum of Solace runs on COD4 engine, launching with moviehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/new-bond-game-quantum-of-solace-runs-on-cod4-engine-launching-w/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/new-bond-game-quantum-of-solace-runs-on-cod4-engine-launching-w/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/09/new-bond-game-quantum-of-solace-runs-on-cod4-engine-launching-w/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

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.

Check out Activision's Family Album to learn more about the company's internal studios.

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]]>007activisionbondcall-of-duty-4cod4james-bondquantum-of-solacetreyarchRoss Miller2008-05-09T15:30:00+00:00Activision's 2008 promises more Guitar Hero, James Bond, Spider-Manhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/08/activisions-2008-promises-more-guitar-hero-james-bond-spider/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/08/activisions-2008-promises-more-guitar-hero-james-bond-spider/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/08/activisions-2008-promises-more-guitar-hero-james-bond-spider/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


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]

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]]>007ActivisionGuitar-HeroGuitar-Hero-IVGuitarHeroJames-BondKung-Fu-PandaMadagascar-2Marvel-Ultimate-AllianceMarvel-Ultimate-Alliance-2Quantum-of-SolaceSpider-ManTony-HawkTonyHawkLudwig Kietzmann2008-02-08T06:30:00+00:00Possible title of James Bond's next game announcedhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/25/possible-title-of-james-bonds-next-game-announced/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/25/possible-title-of-james-bonds-next-game-announced/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/25/possible-title-of-james-bonds-next-game-announced/#commentsFiled under: ,


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.

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]]>007bondjames-bondquantum-of-solaceJustin McElroy2008-01-25T10:20:00+00:00XBLA Goldeneye confirmed, also canceledhttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/13/xbla-goldeneye-confirmed-also-canceled/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/13/xbla-goldeneye-confirmed-also-canceled/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/13/xbla-goldeneye-confirmed-also-canceled/#commentsFiled under: ,


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?

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]]>007arcadegoldeneyemicrosoftnintendorareXBLAxboxlivearcadeGriffin McElroy2008-01-13T16:00:00+00:00Rumorang: Goldeneye coming to Xbox Live Arcadehttp://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/09/rumorang-goldeneye-coming-xbox-live-arcade/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/09/rumorang-goldeneye-coming-xbox-live-arcade/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/09/rumorang-goldeneye-coming-xbox-live-arcade/#commentsFiled under: , ,


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.]

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]]>007goldeneyejames-bondjamesbondmicrosoftnintendorarerarewarexblaJustin McElroy2008-01-09T11:00:00+00:00Activision doubles up 007 projectshttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/08/activision-doubles-up-007-projects/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/08/activision-doubles-up-007-projects/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/08/activision-doubles-up-007-projects/#commentsFiled under:

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.

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]]>007ActivisionBondCasino-RoyaleJames-BondTreyarchLudwig Kietzmann2007-11-08T16:37:00+00:00New Worms content on Xbox Live tomorrowhttp://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/29/new-worms-content-on-xbox-live-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/29/new-worms-content-on-xbox-live-tomorrow/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/29/new-worms-content-on-xbox-live-tomorrow/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


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]

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]]>007wormsxboxliveJustin McElroy2007-05-29T13:45:00+00:00Goldeneye throwback maps for download, Xbox Goldies onlyhttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/01/goldeneye-throwback-maps-for-download-xbox-goldies-only/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/01/goldeneye-throwback-maps-for-download-xbox-goldies-only/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/01/goldeneye-throwback-maps-for-download-xbox-goldies-only/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Goldeneye (N64)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.

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]]>007downloadGoldGoldeneyemapmultiplayerN64PDZPerfect Dark ZeroPerfectDarkZeroRareXbox LiveXboxLiveJames Ransom-Wiley2006-11-01T16:15:00+00:00Treyarch developing Bond gamehttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/17/treyarch-developing-bond-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/17/treyarch-developing-bond-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/07/17/treyarch-developing-bond-game/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

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!

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]]>007ActivisionBlond BondBlondBondCasino RoyaleCasinoRoyaleFPSGoldeneyeIan FlemingIanFlemingJames BondJamesBondSpider-ManTreyarchLudwig Kietzmann2006-07-17T17:00:00+00:00Bond takes order from Activision, EA's outhttp://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/04/bond-takes-order-from-activision-eas-out/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/04/bond-takes-order-from-activision-eas-out/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/04/bond-takes-order-from-activision-eas-out/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

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.)

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]]>007ActivisionBondElectronic ArtsElectronicArtsJames BondJamesBondMGMChristopher Grant2006-05-04T11:30:00+00:00