From Russia With Love

Electronic Arts have retained the Bond license for some time now releasing around half a dozen games on almost every platform although this is the first outing on the PSP. Based on last Christmas's console game, From Russia With Love is also inspired by the 1963 classic movie of the same name. It also features the likeness and voice of Sean Connery who many still consider to be the best James Bond and which has to be a step in the right direction. Back to the game though and I'm sure I don't need to tell anyone who's been playing console games for even a short time that the majority of movie tie-ins are generally terrible although the fact that the developers have decided to bring to life a movie over 40 years old certainly deserve some attention. Why, you ask? Well it's because my father insists that 'everything was better then'. 'Even console games’ I queried? 'If they made them, they would have been'. I had absolutely no argument for that so I just had to review the game.

The main game in From Russia With Love takes place over eight varied missions (split into sub-levels). While the game design is fairly solid it's also incredibly linear and the next mission only becomes available once the previous is completed. The first of these is an on-foot affair that takes place during a House of Commons party. This is simply a case of targeting (and disposing of) terrorists whilst attempting to rescue the Prime Minister’s daughter. Obviously you don't, as the game would be over, but this intro level gets you used to the weapon mechanics and character movement. Better still it finishes off with a jetpack shooting section around Big Ben, which will delight Bond fans. Other missions involve you defusing bombs or protecting friendly characters from harm with some quick firing from a sniper gun perched on a rooftop.

In addition to the main game there are a number of mini-games although most of these only become available after success the main game. They are all based on cut-down elements from the main game such as destroying a helicopter in the quickest possible time or rescuing a given number of hostages. Clearly this adds to the game’s overall replay value, as does the multiplayer, which includes the ever-present death match mode. These are incredibly easy to set up and great fun mostly due to the inventive maps, some of which are exclusive to the PSP. There are even a few matches available that use the jetpacks and if there’s no one around to play with then you can always call on the AI bots.

Visually the game is occasionally very impressive. The intro includes all the things that have made the first five minutes of any Bond movie so famous. The same can be said of the overall presentation and a generous amount of FMV (lifted from the console versions) gives the genuine feeling you are playing a movie inspired game. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the actual in-game visuals and while these can be very good they never really amount to much more than that and are certainly nothing like what we now know the PSP is capable of. The animation is the same and while it's never going to win any awards it does the required job. The highlight has to be the concept art gallery, located in the 'extras' menu, which demonstrates just how much goes into your average console game.

Obviously with Sean Connery lending his voice talents you'd expect them to nail the audio and fortunately, they have. The results are crystal clear and the dialogue is seamlessly interwoven with the sound effects and original score with one element never dominating the other. In short this is how all-game audio should be and it's nice to see at least one developer giving the time over to this most essential of gaming elements.

Two very different types of control system are on offer here although we'd urge you to select the former if you want to achieve anything in the game. This controls your character with the analogue stick whilst the other buttons take care of weapons, reloading, crouching and other movements. The other way is the reverse but this makes the whole thing feel considerably less responsive. Overall though the it is a testament to the developers and unlike the majority of console to handheld conversions you don't feel like you are losing out on too much due to a compromised control system. Upgrades are also available to all your weapons by collecting stars although you'll have to do some sharp shooting to acquire these.

While many handheld versions of console games suffer from gaming elements either watered down or extracted completely, From Russia From Love arrives on the PSP almost completely intact with added bonus missions and multiplayer to boot. It's a thoroughly enjoyable action romp too and in some ways it’s superior to its console cousins mostly due to the extras. Where it does come unstuck though is with the final polish and presentation - you do get the feeling that the games latter stages were a little rushed. Nor is there any sign of the famous Bond cars and while the average action fan will no doubt overlook this, fans of the series will be harder to please.

By Andrew Blanchard

Review Round-Up

IGN: 7.1
"From Russia with Love successfully translates the console experience into portable form. What little changes developers made to the formula make it a better product, and the PSP exclusive bonuses are a huge plus."

GameSpot: 6.3
"From Russia With Love is no less simplistic a shooter on the PSP than it was on consoles, and new problems conspire to make this version markedly worse."

GameSpy: 6.0
"A pretty good port is a far cry from a strong original game, but fans looking for a quick fix of shooting action should find that this game meets the standard."

GamePro: 6.0
"There's no shortage of action in this latest James Bond game, but the unmanageable controls will have you shaken more than stirred."

Aggregate Rating: 6.5