As evidenced in previous James Bond video games, it’s a pure rush of adrenaline to step into the shoes of the debonair agent. From GoldenEye to From Russia With Love, the Bond games have usually been faithful recreations of the films or entirely new adventures to embark on. With Quantum of Solace, the newest addition to the Bond game library, the total immersion of being Bond is alive and well. With much owed to the Call of Duty 4 engine, this is a fast-paced, fun FPS with elements of third-person shooters.
Picking up exactly where the previous Bond flick left off, Quantum of Solace follows the events laid out in the film. In an almost entirely first-person perspective, you’re controlling Bond (with a fantastic likeness of Daniel Craig) through your typical gunfights, explosive escapes, and situations that you just can’t help but walk away feeling like, well, a badass.

For all intents and purposes, the game plays identically to Call of Duty 4, save for the fact that there have been some button changes and the addition of a third-person cover system. While entrenched in some heavy gunfire, Bond can now run up against suitable locations and use them as cover. This is as simple as pressing the left stick forward and pressing A, or simply running forward. Bond will take cover in a Gears of War-style scene, and is protected from enemy fire. Aiming will make Bond susceptible to attack, but he can also blind-fire to take out any stray enemies.
While this is much less accurate than aiming, with sudden onslaughts of enemies who are as deadly with their aim as you can be, you’ll be relying on it often. However, when running to cover, you will find that some locations will simply not allow you to duck down beside them. They may look like appropriate cover spots, but the game will not let you seek refuge. It’s unclear whether certain spots are just not allowed to be used or if it was a flaw with the cover system, as approaching them at different angles seemed to flow seamlessly into a cover position. However, this irritating process brought on a lot of unnecessary deaths and severely hinders Bond’s performance in more fast-paced battles that require more precision and less spraying. You can’t afford to peek out of cover during a fight with three or more snipers.