Nightfire-Well worth the money, and then some.
Goldeneye. If you've ever played it, then you know all the warm, fuzzy feelings that the name brings. Ever since that N64 game, people have expected great video games from 007. For the most part, they have been disappointed. The World Is Not Enough. Tomorrow Never Dies. 007 Racing. Agent Under Fire. Under the guidance of EA, 007 never really managed to even reach the bar set by Rare all those years before. With Nightfire, EA still does not reach that bar.
But Nightfire is the closest they have ever been.
If you are even remotely familiar with James Bond, Nightfire will feel right at home. World takeover plot? Yes. Sharp-dressed-spy-who-does-no-spying? Check. Shapely women? Yessir. Martinis? Sure.
The story mode covers all of these, most at the same time. It starts out well enough, with Bond having to 'sneak into' a party in a castle. From there on, it's mostly a strict shoot-em-up, with a few bland driving levels, some on-rails shooting, blah. It's all pretty solid, if not forgettable. Standouts include a 'sniping level' that is actually really fun because it involves stealth, as well as a level that involves escaping from a hostile-infested building, which is really fun because of its total disregard for stealth. Go figure.
Anyways, the single player can be fun, but admit it. All you really want is the...
MULTIPLAYER. And, if you didn't want the multiplayer, you need to sort out your priories, because the multiplayer is (for me, at least) the best FPSing the Gamecube can offer. (And yes, Nightfire is on Xbox and PS2, but I have not tried it on either.) Although the map selection is a bit on the slim side, there are some serious classics here. There are also a plentiful amount of modes to try out on the maps. Capture the Flag. Deathmatch. Assassination. Destruction. King of the Hill. Goldeneye Strike. Fun stuff.
Four players are able to play, as well as up to six bots. (Note: one map; Ravine, does not allow bots. Just four players. Incredible map though.) The bot AI is...Adequate. There are points when the bots will get stuck in a wall, or score amazing 400 yard headshots, but for the most part, they are pretty fun opponents.
Slowdown is nonexistent in single player, but on a large map with six bots and four players, it can rear its ugly head. This is in no way a deal breaker, though. Most games run smoothly, with no hitch at all.
The only real beef I have with the multiplayer is that while there are some incredible weapons (Sentinel, AIMS-20, and others) they are all set in special 'Weapon Groups'. You know, 'Automatics', 'Pistols', 'Explosives', etc. So, I cannot have a game where, say, I have sniper rifles, trip bombs, rocket launchers, and shotguns because they are all in different weapon groups. The only way to get this is by selecting a 'random' weapon group, and getting very, very lucky. But, this is a very small qualm with an otherwise fantastic multiplayer.
So, in the end, is Nightfire worth the ten odd bucks (or less) you can get it for? In my opinion, if you enjoy FPS multiplayer, and own a console, you simply have no excuse not to own Nightfire. I can honestly say that my friends and I have put over twenty-four hours into that game, and we still play it to this day. If you still have doubts with parting with a few dollars towards this game, ask yourself this: Do you enjoy first-person-shooting? Do you have friends? If you answered yes to both of these, you owe it to yourself to purchase 'Nightfire'.Read full review
