MI6 reports on the status of "From Russia
With Love", with some exclusive new screenshots
from the forthcoming game...
FRWL July Report
30th July 2005
The Bond team at EA Redwood Shores are as busy as ever, with E3
behind them, they are now working furiously at the alpha build of
"From Russia With Love" to complete and polish the levels,
AI, graphics and multiplayer in time for Halloween.
"From Russia With Love" has improved
considerably from what was seen at E3 this year -
the vehicular sections are now playable and the game is
looking more polished in general to give what is shaping
up to be EA’s best Bond game yet.
The game has set out to retell the movie’s story
accurately but as EA have described it, this “director's
cut” incorporates two new levels to expand the story
and gameplay. EA's recent “Hot Summer Night”
event had a game demo on display, consisting of single-player
and multi-player levels
The first mission, based on the opening sequence of the movie, the
hedge maze presents a typical stealth mission where Bond must avoid
patrolling enemies.
Above: A helicopter crashes the party
on the banks of the River Thames and 007 is thrust into
action at the Houses of Parliament (MI6 Exclusive)
Fortunately, much like “Everything
or Nothing”, you can opt for a more action based approach
and go hand-to-hand in combat.The Hedge Maze is an early
mission in the game; the first mission however is one of
the new original ideas.
EA have introduced a new twist - you will want to
aim and shoot out the radio on the goons chest before delving
into combat otherwise they will call over heavy support.
Special melee attacks have also been introduced and can
be executed by following the on-screen button prompts. In
addition to the standard roll, duck and crouch features
you can now climb over certain walls and hedges in true
Bond style.
From Russia With Love has adopted some RPG-like features, with weapons
which can be upgraded using a points system that are gained by performing
Bond-esque tasks in the single player.
Another new addition will allow special
challenges to be unlocked through the point system, perhaps
requiring you to play a mission under a certain time.
Bond can now change his clothing in missions - a
feature promised in “Everything or Nothing”
but did not appear.
14 levels have been confirmed and they are noticeably bigger
than those in Everything or Nothing - checkpoints
will save your progress as you work your way through a mission.
Above: The first mission continues
into the skies as 007 battles it out with jetpack-equipped
goons (MI6 Exclusive)
A host of new gadgets are available - a Q-copter (similar
to the Q-spider in “Everything or Nothing”), a jetpack
and the traditional laser watch which can be employed to solve
problems. The repel feature from “Everything or Nothing”
will return but has been tweaked for more realistic movement.
Development of "From Russia
With Love" will take place at EA Redwood studios (USA)
and will ship in October/November 2005 on Microsoft
Xbox, Sony PlayStation
2 and Nintendo
GameCube. Versions for Nintendo DS and Sony PSP are
yet to be officially confirmed.
Stay tuned to MI6 for the latest unrivalled coverage
of "From Russia With
Love" (VG) starring Sean Connery as James Bond
007.
