The Greatest Bond Game Ever?
[Retro Review] Looking back at 007 Nightfire for the GameCube, PS2 and Xbox.
There is a James Bond shooter so beloved that an entire generation of gamers sings its praises to this day. This is a shooter known for its fast and frenetic split-screen multiplayer, this is a shooter known for its tough-as-nails 00 Agent difficulty and campaign unlocks; this shooter was best played on Nintendo’s family-friendly console of all places.
I’m talking about 007 Nightfire, not Goldeneye 007, didn’t you read the top of the page?
I can sing Goldeneye’s praises all day long (believe me, I already have) but for those born at the turn of the Millennium like myself, we didn’t experience the revolution that was Goldeneye 007 as it happened, instead, we reaped the benefits; the shooters I saw growing up were 007 Agent Under Fire, Halo, Nightfire, TimeSplitters 2 and Medal Of Honour: Frontline: all titles with the DNA of Rare’s classic shooter thoroughly incorporated.
The only Bond shooter I owned as a kid was the very disappointing Goldeneye: Rogue Agent (though I find it to be over-hated) I only played Nightfire and Agent Under Fire around the houses of friends and relatives so recently I decided to change that: to finally see what Nightfire has to offer for myself.
Universal Exports
007 Nightfire was developed by Eurocom, who also made The World Is Not Enough for the Nintendo 64 and it released just 2 days before Pierce Brosnan’s final Bond film, Die Another Day hit cinemas in the USA, so it was in the best interests of the minds behind Bond to distribute this game as widely as possible. Nightfire features the Aston Martin Vanquish which is Bond’s car from the film and the disc even contains a trailer for Bond’s then upcoming outing; this game was, to some degree, a smaller part of the seismic advertising and brand event that was Die Another Day and the 40th anniversary of Bond in 2002.
Nightfire came to virtually every piece of gaming hardware you could get your hands on in the early 2000’s: the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, PC and even the Game Boy Advance. I’m going to be paying lip-service to the much different PC and GBA versions of this game below but just to be clear, the Nightfire I’m reviewing is the one released for the big 3 consoles.
Something I adore about this generation of consoles (other than the inherent fondness I feel for my childhood generation of gaming) is how seemingly identical multi-platform titles are riddled with little quirks and hallmarks of the hardware they’re running on; I was one of only 2 GameCube owners in my class at school and it was always funny to see titles I thought of as GameCube games running on the PS2.
Let’s get back on topic and cut to the chase: the GameCube version of 007 Nightfire is usually considered the best. On the GameCube, Nightfire targets a smooth 60FPS rather than the 30FPS found on PS2 and Xbox and the multiplayer mode supports a greater number of bots. Textures, lighting and sound quality don’t quite reach the heights that can be found on Xbox but it’s a small price to pay, in my opinion.
Most players experienced Nightfire on the PlayStation 2 which is a shame because if it wasn’t for the PC, this would be the worst version of the game. The framerate doesn’t reach the same heights as on the GameCube and the PlayStation 2, being the weakest machine of its generation, doesn’t stand toe-to-toe graphically with its competitors either; some people out there really hate the GameCube controller for some reason, so if you’re one of those then this could be a version for you.
The Xbox version of Nightfire does look better than on GameCube but the Xbox also only runs at 30FPS so pick your poison. Regardless? The 3 console versions of 007 Nightfire are all very playable, if you didn’t play it on GameCube then you haven’t missed out on much.
Another way to play Nightfire is on the GBA. I don’t own this version of the game but from what I can gather and the gameplay footage I’ve watched it looks and plays similar to 90’s FPS games like DOOM, certainly looks the part as well. This is a fascinating version as it is quite clearly based on an early rendition of the consoles’ game; Nightfire was originally supposed to star Andrew Bicknell’s Bond from Agent Under Fire before the likeness for Pierce Brosnan was secured, that old model of Bond is in the cutscenes here still as is the health and armour gauge from that game. I’ll definitely be seeking a copy of this out for the future.
The less said about 007 Nightfire on PC the better. That version was developed by Gearbox software, it has missing levels, worse gunplay, lots of bugs and outside of a small but dedicated multiplayer community, nobody bothers with it today.
Do It With Intensity
007 Nightfire opens, as all good Bond films should, with a pre-credits gun barrel and action sequence.
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Bond is providing close air support with a sniper rifle to an allied French operative: Dominique as she’s chased through the streets of Paris on New Year’s Eve. The two agents’ target is a truck full of stolen ordnance. Like 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, this pre-title sequence serves more as a thematic opener than a narrative one, the idea of stolen military hardware falling into the wrong hands and Bond’s partnership with Dominique being central plot points in the rest of the campaign.
This brief, blissful mission is such a superb fulfilment of the game’s promised power fantasy: it’s so fast, so stylish, so violent… so Bond. Nightfire is the first James Bond video game that successfully replicates the tone and feel of the films.
Inevitably Bond manages to get on top of things and as 007 and Dominique ‘congratulate’ each other on a job well done, the screen fades and we get the first ever video game Bond theme: Nearly Civilized by Esthero. I’m told Esthero is relatively popular in her native Canada but truthfully? I’d never heard of her work before playing Nightfire.
Nightfire’s intro basically spoils the (albeit highly predictable) plot of the game from the get-go which is a bit of a shame but the song is dark and stylish and it’s great how Kiko and Alura: the two main Bond girls, are worked into the sequence too; I’m not sure who the fiery-haired woman is supposed to be, Dominique? Or just more fire to fit with the rest of it?
I’ll get more into the graphics soon but I was thoroughly impressed with Brosnan’s likeness in this game and it seems the developers were too, choosing to slap him not only only the main menu but at the end of this scene; it wasn’t uncommon for real life people’s faces to get botched in video games back then. Perhaps I’m projecting my own feelings onto it but Brosnan’s slight grin and eye contact always struck me as a little “Hello again, old friend.” This was the first time since the PS1 and Nintendo 64 players had the chance to control the genuine, incumbent James Bond himself.
In general, for both better and for worse, Nightfire is much more interested in being a good James Bond experience than an innovative, ground-breaking shooter. Its weapons and gadgets, even the flashier ones, are almost entirely sourced from the films, its plot is something of a mash-up between The World Is Not Enough, Thunderball and Moonraker as well; this is a video game for both Bond fans and N64 Goldeneye fans first and foremost. I love that.
In the era of the lowest common denominator, it’s refreshing to come back to a time when many games were made not only for gamers but tailoring to gamers of a specific breed.
Just A Bit Closer
I’ve said in the past that the Dreamcast, Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube: the sixth console generation, is an era that straddles retro gaming and modern gaming. The early PlayStation 2 and especially the Dreamcast library mostly feel like late-90’s video games with a makeover but some titles were way ahead of their time both graphically and mechanically and wouldn’t have looked out of place on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3; 007 Nightfire is one of these overachievers. It may play like a Nintendo 64 game in the gunplay department but it looks and sounds even better than games like Halo 2 and TimeSplitters.
The environments and art direction are drop dead gorgeous, every level has its own audio and visual identity that makes them stand out.
Mission 1: The Exchange sees Bond HALO jump into the grounds of a castle in the Austrian Alps in order to infiltrate an exclusive party where a black market arms deal is rumoured to be underway… which is about as Bond as it gets as far as mission setups go. Spotlights cut through the falling snow, the battleship grey castle walls contrast with the white ground and warm orange lights guide the player towards interiors where supplies, opportunities for sabotage and eventually: the main entrance can be found.
The atmosphere is sublime, helped further by Nightfire’s wonderful soundtrack; this is the only Bond FPS that ever approaches the greatness of Goldeneye on the N64’s music. This OST has lashings of film motifs, plenty of catchy driving, sneaking and combat themes, each and every one of them a treat for the ears.
The music changes dynamically the further you make it inside the castle walls but this sneaking theme from the very beginning is the best.
Most of 007 Nightfire takes place in Japan and the setting is used to its full potential with traditional, modern and the cyberpunk images of Japan each getting a mission with that aesthetic.
The mission Double Cross, set in a traditional Japanese compound, is replete with the glow of lanterns, koi ponds and rooms decorated with Shinto iconography and Feudal Japanese memorabilia. The oriental instruments and moody tones of the soundtrack add a cruel edge to the stealth in this mission; you’re not avoiding detection or sparing the lives of ignorant underlings, Bond is here to quietly dispatch hostage takers with violent speed and efficiency.
It’s not many video game soundtracks that manage to convey character as well as tone but Nightfire’s manages it. There are moments of Bond’s bravado, espionage skill and violence accented by the score across every mission.
In the next mission: Night Shift, Bond is tasked with infiltrating the Japanese skyscraper HQ of a villainous multinational corporation in a level that I’m sure had to be, at least in part, a tribute to Perfect Dark: Rare’s spiritual follow up to Goldeneye released 2 years prior. The sea of lights outside, laser grids and steel-glass interiors give the level a cyberpunk feel. Many players consider this level to be the peak of the game.
Inevitably, in true Bondian fashion, 007 is discovered and this prompts a sequence where you have to go full John Wick against the incoming, heavily armed security team. The catharsis of finally getting to let rip in a proper gunfight, the feel of my old, dormant, 00 Agent Goldeneye skills returning and the rocking combat music made this a high point of Nightfire for me.
Don’t worry, there are missions in broad daylight too, ones that don’t revolve around stealth or infiltration, like Chain Reaction, where Bond has to evade enemy sniper teams and gather evidence in a Japanese nuclear reactor partway through being decommissioned.
This mission provides a more grounded take on Japan compared to the previous traditional and cyberpunk levels. Cargo-carrying bots, rusted catwalks and disused storage areas play host to a game of cat and mouse where you squint through the sun’s glare and peer along rooftops for the tell-tale silhouettes of enemy marksmen. Chain Reaction is one of Nightfire’s toughest missions but like all well-balanced difficulty, it does come with a high dose of cathartic comeuppance at the end of the level.
Using a prototype laser turret, the player fights off an ambush inside a giant warehouse as the music crescendos and makes you feel a million pounds while you mow down a horde of goons (that’s Great British Pounds, not weight.)
I don’t want to go on and on, spoiling every last piece of music and level in Nightfire so my point is this: the game looks and sounds like something on the big screen and best of all? It makes you feel something: powerful, dangerous, tense and often, Nightfire’s presentation puts a big, fat grin on your face. You can’t complain about that.
No Glib Remark
At its core, 007 Nightfire is a Nintendo 64 shooter; that classic aiming system, carrying a huge arsenal of firearms PC shooter-style, the open-ended level-design with optional rooms: it’s all there. Setting that design template aside, Nightfire also serves an an indirect sequel to 007 Agent Under Fire, a shooter that is also good but mostly remembered today as being a slightly worse Nightfire… and for having the off-brand, Andrew Bicknell Bond I use for my profile picture. As such, Nightfire is a selection of older ideas polished to a mirror sheen.
From Goldeneye, Eurocom’s own first Bond game: The World Is Not Enough and from Rare’s other N64 shooter masterpiece: Perfect Dark, Nightfire takes the objective-based missions, gunplay and stealth… unfortunately, it’s here where Nightfire doesn’t quite manage to live up to its predecessors. The gunplay is a marked improvement over Agent Under Fire but it isn’t as good as the shooting to be found in Rare’s 2 N64 classics. In Perfect Dark and Goldeneye, prominent hit effects, a suite of enemy injury animations and pained grunts all tell the player where, when and how badly the enemy has been hit (as well as providing some excellent comedic relief) but in Nightfire much of this has been left out, worse, there are hit detection issues that frustrated me on quite a few occasions.
Let’s not completely throw mud over 007 Nightfire though, the weapons roster is second only to Perfect Dark in utility and fun factor; this game’s legally distinct SPAS-12 shotgun: the Frinesi feels beautiful to use. Vehicle missions are a glorious power fantasy too, if you can’t enjoy bombing it around an ice lake, launching rockets from an Aston Martin then your taste in video games might be the real issue here.
From Agent Under Fire, 007 Nightfire takes its driving missions, turret sections, scoring system and the Bond Moves: hidden objectives in missions that reward the player for thinking like Bond with a score boost and the appropriate musical sting. These elements combined make 007 Nightfire a supremely addictive experience. I finished this game about an hour before Resident Evil Requiem unlocked in the UK and even now, just over a week later, I’m coming back to Nightfire every day to speed run levels, find more Bond Moves and gather the hidden 007 tokens in the quest for a full Platinum Medal save file: an achievement that essentially requires every level to be speed ran with minimal damage, close to 100% shot accuracy and all tokens collected.
Level design and interactivity is by far this game’s greatest strength and at times? Nightfire feels as much like a Bond immersive sim as it does a standard first person shooter. The first mission in the Austrian castle I mentioned earlier: The Exchange, is considered by many Bond video game fans to be the single best level ever made for the video game franchise. There are 3 separate ways into the castle and 4 different routes to access those entryways; the mission starts with some stealth and ends with pulse-pounding action and a boss fight against an attack helicopter. It is perfect.
Critics of Nightfire tend to complain that it peaks in the first mission with The Exchange and never reaches that high again but I disagree, in my opinion, The Exchange is a perfect showcase of everything Nightfire has to offer while later missions explore individual mechanics better: Night Shift is the beast stealth mission and Countdown provides the best firefights in the game for example.
From what I can gather online, the three most popular levels seem to be The Exchange, Night Shift and Phoenix Fire… I’m not an exception to this rule, my favourite mission is probably the latter: Phoenix Fire. Where Night Shift is a stealthy ascent up a Japanese skyscraper, Phoenix Fire is the mirror: a panicked descent while you’re hunted by an attack chopper and spec ops. Fundamentally, I play these games for that classic. Rare-style FPS gameplay and Phoenix Fire delivers lashings of it, letting you play with most of the game’s weapons and really get stuck in to some heavy action.
![[TAS] 007 Nightfire: Top Agent Sniping - Skyrail](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hWVo!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F177c9681-f9f6-48f8-9827-d873f3d33737_1280x720.jpeg "[TAS] 007 Nightfire: Top Agent Sniping - Skyrail")
Rare’s Goldeneye and Perfect Dark were famous for their multiplayer modes; as a teenager, I played the Perfect Dark Xbox Live Arcade version’s multiplayer with bots and friends almost every evening and my childhood was consumed by TimeSplitters 2 and Future Perfect bot matches, so I was excited to give this one a try and evaluate it. To cut a long story short, Nightfire’s multiplayer mode is better than Perfect Dark on N64’s… but inferior to the Perfect Dark XBLA version and every other multiplayer offering of this type, unfortunately. Nightfire’s weapon and character roster just isn’t as broad and as interesting as the ones found in TimeSplitters and the maps aren’t particularly memorable either, only Skyrail.
What kills this multiplayer even more is that almost every game mode and character is locked behind campaign medals so you have to earn the right to enjoy what is an integral part of the game. I don’t mind unlocking maps and characters to some extent but Nightfire gives you almost nothing for free. What a shame. Fun but not among the greats of the era, this is no TimeSplitters 2 split-screen.
If you’re the sort of gamer who doesn’t replay games often or doesn’t feel comfortable laying down cash for a short experience (though this is an exceedingly cheap game, at least here in the UK) then Nightfire might be one to emulate or to pass on. The plot is Bondian enough and serviceable enough to deliver a few moments of genuine emotion and the multiplayer is a fun distraction but Nightfire’s magic happens on repeated runs: the magic is in finding those Bond Moves you didn’t know about, grinding for Platinum Medals and in replaying your favourite levels with different routes to the objective. Nightfire is a short game with a smaller, more curated selection of higher quality levels compared to Goldeneye on the N64.
A Pithy Comeback
This whole review has been building up to the big question, a question I’m sure everyone who’s ever played this game has asked themselves, a question that every Bond game must face: is Nightfire as good as Goldeneye? Is it better? Let’s be clear, history has already answered this question: Goldeneye’s legacy is cherished by everyone who enjoys FPS games, by Bond fans who love the film (arguably the best in the entire on-screen franchise) and even by popular culture. Nightfire has certainly not cast the same, long shadow.
Jimmy Fallon and Pierce Brosnan playing Goldeneye 007 on prime time US TV
Goldeneye has the better gunplay for sure… but by virtually every other metric, Nightfire is the better video game and perhaps more importantly: the better James Bond experience; if you find any congregation of Bond fans online, they will tell you, entirely straight-faced that Nightfire and Everything Or Nothing are mandatory Brosnan-era experiences.
Nightfire could be called my generation’s Goldeneye. Being around games like this, Agent Under Fire and Goldeneye: Rogue Agent as a kid cemented James Bond and Brosnan’s version of the character in my head as the height of cool and as a seal of quality on video game boxes, just like Goldeneye for those before me.
Nightfire is better, if it wasn’t for TimeSplitters and Halo then Eurocom with their license to… make Bond games, would have been the kings of the early 2000’s console FPS scene.
Diamonds Are Forever
Licensed video games have a long and sordid history, a taboo that follows them even to this day.
It was the 40th anniversary of Bond and Die Another Day was just around the corner, frankly, no matter what type of Bond product Eurocom would have put out it was going to sell well. Eurocom didn’t just splutter out shovelware though, they took Agent Under Fire, seasoned it with a bit of that old Rare magic and just a dash of their previous ingenuity with the Bond license to cook up one of the greatest shooters of this generation. Nightfire is superb and the only Bond game to ever surpass Goldeneye.
Nightfire isn’t flawless: certain missions (ahem, Deep Descent…) have unfair checkpoints, the game is rather short, there are some gunplay issues and the multiplayer mode is disembowelled, its entrails scattered about for you to earn via high scores but many of these complaints are a symptom of Nightfire being an old PS2/Xbox/GameCube title. I’m not one to value artistic merit and evolution over creating an enjoyable experience, so while Nightfire is a perfect dish of old ingredients, it still gets my vote for as the greatest Bond game ever made.
TL;DR: 007 Nightfire’s multiplayer is cruelly drawn and quartered, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, minor gunplay issues are present… and yet it is better than Goldeneye. Every inch of this game is sculpted with passion for 007, every mission is a layered, enjoyable operation and the Platinum Medals are an addictive prize to strive for.
Thank you very much for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed today’s post, as always I’ll be happy to chat in the comments below and please like and subscribe to the Journal for more.
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I’ve never really played any 007 games (except for that third-person one on PSX… which left me with slightly traumatic memories 😅), but if you keep writing articles like this I might end up binge-playing the whole series one after the other! ❤️
Lots and lots of late nights playing multiplayer against bots in split screen with my brother on this one...... Great piece!