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Here we are dead in the middle of one of the largest holiday lineups the industry has ever seen. Ninety odd titles are being released this week alone.With numerous AAA titles waiting to fill your stockings this year, it's time to separate the mundane from the exceptional. There are simply too many great games releasing soon to warrant purchasing such a mediocre experience and Quantum of Solace is just that, mediocre. Let's find out why Activision should have played this card two months ago,back when there wasn't so much competition for the warmth of your consoles and hearts.
Goldeneye. There, I mentioned it. That's the only time you'll read it in this review. Why? Because this is a different game, different engine, different console and a whole new decade. However, since Treyarch built this game with the same engine used in Call of Duty 4,you will see some comparisons to that franchise. The first noticeable relation is the control scheme. It's very similar to CoD4 but with a few tweaks, but not necessarily for the better. I would have preferred the warm and intuitively precise controls that have become synonymous with CoD4. However, we're left with a scenario where even the most notable features ends up working less efficiently than it should. Although the new cover system works effectively in this environment,Bond snaps in place almost too well at times. I say too well because once you're pinned to a structure, pulling away is cumbersome and feels a tad clumsy.
Once you dig into Quantum's story line you'll find yourself facing a flashback to the plot of Casino Royale, one that actually helps tie the pieces of the narrative together. However,like most creative twists and turns you'll fail to see the connection or clarity until more of the overall story unfolds. I haven't had the chance to see the major motion picture yet, but I've been told it follows a similar path in tone and action. For the record the likeness of Daniel Craig is pretty spot-on. It also helps that both Craig and Judy Dench did all the voice-over work for QoS, and their abilities lend themselves quite well to the smaller screen. I would go as far as to say that the voice acting found here is one of the best I've experienced. But one should expect this from actors of their caliber.
Let's talk more about expectations. Infinity Ward created a breathtaking environment with CoD4. The locales,vegetation,shading and overall textures in CoD4 were far beyond any other FPS to-date. So going into QoS I had the expectation to see similar environments. Once again,my findings were purely mediocre. It wasn't bad,or terribly done. Nor did it have underwhelming texture overlays or frequent drops in frame rate. It was just adequately executed, which seems to be the constant theme that keeps reappearing throughout the entire experience.
Don't get me wrong,QoS had its moments of excitement and challenges. The AI was pretty solid throughout. The enemies were far from cannon fodder as they used teamwork and flanked accordingly every chance they had. Once an enemy is confronted in hand to hand combat, a triggered take-down effect takes place. This is executed via a button sequence event that is akin to High Moon's The Bourne Conspiracy. You don't have the same feeling of control that Bourne had, but end result is basically the same. I would have preferred the melee attack found in CoD4, but at least the button sequence was fitting. You will also find similar triggered events during boss fights,akin to several scenarios from Star Wars The Force Unleashed.
I only dug into a few rounds of multiplayer but it was fairly straight forward, albeit fun. You'll discover some similarities to CoD4 within the multiplayer, only the points earned here will allow you to purchase gadgets and additional weapons. Online game modes include 'Bond Versus' which pits one Bond against several opponents. 007's goal is to disarm a bomb or destroy all threats. 'Bond Evasion' mode is protect-the-president style gameplay similar to the golden days of Half Life multiplayer. Golden Gun is a throwback setting that places a golden gun in the center of the map. Everyone scrambles to get the aforementioned BFG that warrants a one shot one kill skill-set. 
At the end of the day QoS is a slightly longer than 10 hour experience. The multiplayer will provide fun with friends,but with so many titles on the horizon promising revolutionary co-op and thrilling multiplayer, I would hold off on taking the plunge here. Hit up gamefly or borrow it from a friend. Save your cold hard ones for a few of the holiday treats that are currently littered around us.
