| Playstation Review |  by Shawn Sparks |
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| Category | First-person shooter | ||
| Players | 1 | ||
| Difficulty | Medium | ||
| Review Date | 11/00 | ||
| Publisher | Electronic Arts | ||
Well, here's your chance to live the fantasy without sore cheeks or a stack of subpoenas. The World Is Not Enough is the latest spy thriller translated from Ian Fleming to Electronic Arts. Running on a solid FPS engine, TWINE looks and plays well, putting you in the shoes of 007 himself (be careful when you tap-dance, you might hit the detonator.)
From high-stakes gambling to downhill skiing with sub-machine guns, the role of Mr. Bond proves to be a thrill a minute. Linking stages are cut scenes from the movie, so in effect you get all of the action of Bond without all the boring plot points. There's even a scene where Bond "gets some," and the following stage opens with 007 straightening his tie and leaving the bedroom. True to form all the way.
The engine used for TWINE is the same as Medal of Honor, which is a solid 3D FPS engine. TWINE boasts clean textures and clear character detail including faces mapped on enemies and holes left in walls from missed shots. The only thing lacking is gross frontal nudity (which they actually come close to.) I'm glad to see such strong development continuing for the Playstation, despite its obvious power limitations.
TWINE is closer to a 3D action game than a classic FPS. All the gadgets and gizmos coupled with extremely varied level missions make for an exciting game. I was constantly anticipating the next stage, wondering what was coming next. More games should have this much variation and less redundancy.
The gizmos are classic Bond fare. You start the game with a stun-gun/cell phone and a ULF distorter in the form of a fountain pen, which allows you to carry weapons through metal detectors. From there, Q-Labs supplies you with the latest in high-tech gadgetry and you can acquire firepower from downed guards.
The control is similar to MoH as well, with full analog support. My biggest gripe is having to fumble for a gadget or weapon. They should be in separate categories, like in Metal Gear Solid. Scrolling through spy tools to find a gun has gotten me shot more often than not. It sucks to be a sitting duck fumbling through items like a lady with a big purse looking for a quarter while the terrorists are already armed.
Stealth
games need smart guards to give you a reason to sneak around. Luckily for James
(but unluckily for you), these complexes are full of idiots. The guards seem
to forget all about you if you reach a door while they are chasing you and call
off the search. Security seems heavy in most buildings, but if you can fool
the doorman none of the other guards think it strange that you are roaming around
without authorization on some floors, while on others they hit the alarm faster
than a nervous bank teller. If you do get into a firefight, the guards seem
to be fearless because they will stand in the middle of a hallway, in plain
view, waiting to be shot.
Don't get me wrong, some of the missions depend on stealth and if you're seen, it's mission over. But for the most part you can sneak right past the guards and cameras using your "stealth crawl", even if you're right next to them. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Bond wouldn't be Bond without that classic swing, and TWINE delivers. The music score is as fitting to the game as it is the films, exciting during action and dramatic while stealthing around. However, the voice acting leaves a little to be desired, Bond should sound suave, not soft. The breathy voice leaves a picture of a heavy set guy running out of breath, not a debonair spy calmly interrogating an important ambassador.
TWINE for the PSX is a single-player only affair. Some may look at this as a bummer, but I doubt split screen would look very good on the PSX. Of course, the N64 version features multi-player for up to four, something to consider if you're teetering between the two.
Overall, TWINE is a solid game. It's got action, adventure and excitement, though the lack of AI is a letdown. I just wish I could learn that "stealth crawl" that allows Bond to cruise down empty halls unnoticed by security cameras and guards. However, the varied missions and plethora of gadgets will keep you entertained while the music and videos keep the game exciting. The World is Not Enough is definitely worth checking out, but be careful with the case - it just may be bugged.
| Revolution Report Card |
| B |
|
+ Great graphics |