A great example of one of the action set pieces was in the two-story casino ballroom, where Bond finds himself surrounded by armed men. The lavish room had all the accoutrements of a five-star hotel. Delicate stemware was arranged on gleaming white tablecloths. Enormous crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, interspersed with colorful banners. Tables, chairs, and service carts filled the space. As the gun battle raged, the chandeliers shattered, raining glass down from the sky until they themselves toppled onto the tables below. Stemware shattered; chairs and tables were kicked aside. Banners fluttered to the ground. As first-person action goes, Treyarch is really aiming for big-league spectacle.

But what might appease Bond fans the most are the little touches that make this undeniably a 007 game. Artists used 3D scans of Daniel Craig himself to render James Bond, so the character in-game looks dead-on, right down to the piercing pale blue eyes. Your character's silhouette in the corner of the screen, showing whether you're standing or prone and how hurt you are, is modeled after the animated opening credits sequence of Casino Royale. When you take damage, a spiral gun barrel begins to enclose the screen, recreating the iconic image that opens nearly every Bond movie.


All told, the developers are Treyarch seem to "get" the James Bond franchise, and that makes us want to get our hands on this game. Quantum of Solace will be available this fall for all the next-gen consoles (our demo showcased the Xbox 360 version), as well as for Windows PC and Nintendo DS.