From Russia with Love

014633151077F.jpgFrom Russia With Love
From Russia With Love is a third-person shooter video game from Electronic Arts, and EA Redwood studios. The game features Sean Connery as James Bond, the first time since 1983's Never Say Never Again that he stepped into the role. It was also the first time he has done voice acting for a video game. The game uses his likeness from the 1963 movie, although his voice is from 2005.

Additionally, the game features many of the 1960's era Bond gadgets, including the jet-pack from Thunderball, the Aston-Martin DB5 from Goldfinger and many elements from different films (giant underground lairs, the hedgemaze, 1960's London). The game features the likenesses of Bernard Lee (M), Desmond Llewelyn (Q), Lois Maxwell (Moneypenny), Robert Shaw (Grant), Lotte Lenya (Klebb) and Daniela Bianchi (Tanya).

Plot
The game starts off with Octopus (formerly SPECTRE) trying to kidnap Elizabeth Stark (voice/likeness: Natasha Bedingfield), and the player taking over James Bond (voice/likeness: Sean Connery) to rescue her. Bond follows the kidnappers to the roof, and steals a jetpack. Around Big Ben the fight rages, first against Octopus agents and later versus a helicopter, Bond brings it down and rescues the Prime Minister's daughter. The game then shifts to the Hedgemaze (former pre-titles sequence) and goes around the maze to the mansion at the end. Bond is being shadowed by Red Grant (Voice/likeness: Brian McCole/Robert Shaw), and as soon as Bond reaches the end of the Maze he is killed by Grant. You find out that this isn't the real James Bond, it was just a guy wearing a mask. Rosa Klebb comes up and talks to Grant about how they are trying to take revenge for the killing of Dr. No (the first Bond film released in 1962), and that they are trying to steal a Lektor decoding machine from the Russians. The scene shifts to London, where Bond enters the office and heads into M's office. Bond receives a briefing from M (voice/likeness: Peter Renaday/Bernard Lee) about Tanya Romanova (voice/likeness: Kari Whalgren/Daniela Bianchi). Bond is then told to head down to "Q" branch and get his new gadgets.

The scene then shifts to "Q" branch, where Q (voice/likeness: Phil Proctor/Desmond Llewelyn) tells Bond not to touch anything. As Bond walks around Q Lab, he sees new gadgets he can use in the game. After that, Bond enters the training area, where Bond gets control help. After defusing a "bomb," Q gives Bond his final gadget, a plane ticket to head to Turkey.

In Istanbul, Bond meets up with one of Kerim Bey's (voice/likeness: JB Blanc/Pedro Armendáriz) sons, and Kerim drives up in the Aston-Martin DB5. Bond then takes over and drives out of the airport towards the city. As they are heading to the main part of the city, Grant destroys the Russian car following Bond and Kerim. Bond and Kerim are attacked by Russian soliders on their way to Station T, and end up destroying a garage followed by a tank. Upon arrival at Station T, the building is under attack. Bond enters to rescue hostages and defuse bombs. Upon defusing the final bomb, a helicopter arrives and attacks Bond. He destroys it, and Kerim remarks about how the Russians have breached the truce very suddenly. Kerim remarks that they need to disguise themselves, and they head off to a safehouse to pick up some disguises.

After getting a disguise, Bond and Kerim destroy a car heading to the Russian checkpoint. They then proceed to the checkpoint, and steal in and grab a boat. Then, Bond and Kerim head to the tunnels under the city. They head to an underground carvern where they hear from the Russians about a plot to kill Kerim. Bond needs to get the plans, held in the communications room. After obtaining the plans, Bond commandeers a jet pack and escapes from the tunnels.

Kerim and Bond then head to a Gypsy camp to get away from the Russians for a night, but Krilencu (likeness: Fred Haggerty) follows them around. Bond and Kerim battle around the camp, rescuing Gypsies and defeating Russians. Bond picks up a sniper rifle and beats back some soldiers. After leaving the camp, Kerim goes to Krilencu's hideout, to defeat him. Bond covers Kerim's route into the hideout, and Kerim appears captured by Krilencu. Bond shoots Krilencu and returns to the hotel. There, he finally meets up with Tanya. She tells him about the Lektor, and where to meet her in the consulate. Bond arrives at the consulate the next day, and finds Tanya. They have to head down into the vault to retrieve the Lektor. After grabbing the Lektor, Bond and Tanya escape from the consulate.

After they escape, they head out to the train station to catch the Orient Express. Once on the train, Red Grant finally makes his presence known. Octopus soldiers try to take down Bond, but he defeats them and escapes into the nearest terminal. After Bond protects Tanya and opens an escape route, Red Grant and his henchwoman Eva (voice/likeness: Maria Menunos) are attempting to escape with the Lektor. Bond destroys some turrets on the top of the train, and fights and defeats Red Grant. Bond tracks Eva to a nearby factory, where he flies in on a jetpack and destroys the factory while retrieving the Lektor and narrowly escaping from a collapsing tunnel.

Bond then takes Tanya and escapes across the border. After battling some Russian troops, they commandeer a boat and head out into the water. After escaping to Venice, Rosa Klebb shows up at their hotel and attempts to kill Bond. Tanya kills Klebb, and Bond receives new orders that a nuclear missile is going to be launched from a secret Octopus Base. Bond is sent in to destroy the missile. Bond battles through the base and disarms the missile, plants a bomb on the fuel intake valve and fights Red Grant, this time killing him.

The ending shows Bond and Tanya relaxing in a hotel in London.