Summary
Everyone’s favorite super spy,James Bond, has had just as much of a presence in video games as he has in movies. There are thirty-seven video games featuring Ian Fleming’s iconic character, and the upcoming007 First Lightin 2026 will mark the thirty-eighth. As technology has evolved, developers have strived to deliver gaming experiences that feel like a James Bond movie or book.
From classic titles on older consoles to modern hits, these games feature engaging stories that embody the essence of the legendary spy. Some are reimaginings of popular movies, while others tell original tales that utilize the famous franchise as a backdrop for both outrageous and realistic narratives, ideal for those anticipating the release of007 First Light.
During Daniel Craig’s peak popularity as James Bond, his face was omnipresent in the franchise, including video games like007 Legends. On the one hand, playing through iconic movies from the Sean Connery era to Timothy Dalton as Daniel Craig is a nice way to give fans a way to celebrate fifty years of the franchise in one game, featuring remakes ofGoldfinger,On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,Moonraker, andDie Another Day.
The familiar storylines in007 Legendsprovide some novelty, but the game mostly feels like an overdone shooting gallery, lacking key spy thriller elements. It resemblesa less impressiveCall of Dutycampaign. Despite its flaws, it holds significance as the last James Bond game before007 First Light.
Often forgotten due to being an exclusive titleon the Nintendo Game Boy,James Bond 007is essentially a clone ofThe Legend of Zelda, from the top-down perspective to having two items at once. At first, it’s an odd choice, but it not only delivers on action-packed gameplay but also on telling an original story featuring classic villains like Oddjob and Jaws.
In the handheld title, James Bond goes across the globe to China, London, Kurdistan, Morocco, the Sahara Desert, and Tibet. It’s far from a complicated storyline inJames Bond 007, with the famous agent going from location to location, defeating villains to unravel a plot to destroy and conquer the world, which feels like an homage to classic Bond movies.
Due to its immense popularity, Activision made the bold decision to completely remake the influential first-person shooterGoldenEye 007: Reloaded, which inspired theirCall of Dutygames. This remake features then-modern visuals and technology, and utilizes Daniel Craig’s likeness and voice, similar to the approach taken in007 Legendslater on.
In many ways,GoldenEye 007: Reloadedcaptures the feeling of the original game and movie, but updated to the modern era. However, it also falls short due to playing almost identically to aCall of Dutygame, which makes the more dramatic story beats feel more hollow as a result. However, it’s still a worthy follow-up to the original game that any Bond fan will enjoy.
It’s the same concept asGoldenEye: Reloaded, taking a beloved James Bond adventure and remaking it, butJames Bond 007:FromRussia With Lovestays true to the original, even to the point of bringing back the first James Bond actor. This is Sean Connery’s final performance as James Bond, and that’s half the joy of the game, especially when combined with the third-person gameplay.
There is less emphasis on shooting, with segments that allow players to be immersed in the James Bond storyline. Like the movie it’s remaking, it follows James Bond as he fights the criminal organization SPECTRE in Istanbul to save a defecting agent and retrieve a Soviet decryption device. To fit a video game format, some sections are modified, but it is regarded as a loyal adaptation of the film.
AfterTomorrow Never Diestried to change things by going to a third-person action game,The World Is Not Enoughwent back to the first-person shooter style ofGoldenEye 007. The result is a game that is often considered on par with its predecessor, with plenty of shooting,usage of fancy gadgets, and traversing environments for players to experience.
The World Is Not Enoughmostly follows the same plot as the movie it’s based on, with James Bond balancing the protection of Elektra King and the oil pipeline owned by her family, which leads him down a rabbit hole of conspiracies. Much like the movie, the story itself is divisive among the fanbase, but it still delivers on the thrills that come from Bond adventures.
When it comes to James Bond video games, most people will think ofGoldenEye 007. Even if somebody has never played it, they have at least heard of it and its legacy in gaming history.It changed first-person shooters foreverthanks to its gunplay, which used realistic swaying and swiveling to make the animations more dynamic. It would go on to influence many shooters seen even today.
Storywise,GoldenEye 007stays loyal to the film it’s based on, with a rogue Russian force using a weapon known asGoldenEyeto create chaos that could potentially plunge the world into war. It has many of the same twists and turns, especially regarding the main villain, so movie fans can enjoy it while newcomers can enjoy an action-packed adventure, even if they aren’t spy fans.
James Bond 007: Agent Under Firemarked a significant point in the timeline of the James Bond games, as it was the first time that thebig-budget games told their own storyrather than being based on a movie. This allowed the developers at Electronic Arts to go as fantastical as they wanted, featuring a plot involving an evil organization making clones of world leaders, allowing them to infiltrate and conquer the world.
Clones and the perils of genetic tampering were a big topic in the late 90s and early 2000s, which made the game feel relevant, despite being over-the-top, akin to the Pierce Brosnan movies. The story ofAgent Under Firetakes the player across the globe, from Romania to a submarine in the South China Sea, which leads to some of the most diverse levels seen in a Bond game.
Since the Daniel Craig era of James Bond embraced a more grounded take on the universe,James Bond 007: Blood Stonedid the same. It took away outlandish villain plots and high-tech gadgets to create a grittier gameplay style that took heavy inspirationfrom popular spy espionage gamesat the time.
James Bond goes after an organization of terrorists that attack the G20, which gets the MI6 agent tangled up in a web of bioterrorism, creating a storyline that feels scarily realistic. With Daniel Craig reprising the role and Judi Dench as M,Blood Stoneproperly matches the style of the movies to make it feel like it could be a canon adventure between movies.
Electronic Arts culminated their first-person shooter saga of James Bond games withJames Bond 007: Nightfire. It has the setup of a classic James Bond story, with the agent going up against an industrialist who turns out to be a megalomaniacaland over-the-top villainhellbent on taking over the world. It even feels like a love letter to the movies with elements fromGoldenEye,You Only Live Twice, andMoonraker.
James Bond 007: Nightfireboasts an ambitious storyline and incorporates gameplay elements from previous first-person shooters likeAgent Under FireandGoldenEye. This blend results in a smooth and satisfying adventure, featuring stealth, action, and a compelling narrative. As a result,Nightfirereceived positive reviews from both gamers and critics.
Long before it was the main villain’s plot inNo Time To Die, nanotechnology was first implemented inJames Bond 007: Everything Or Nothing. It is often praised by the fanbase as being the closest representation of a fifth James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan. Additionally, it features Willem Dafoe as the main villain, which enhances the cinematic quality of the game.
This was the first time the James Bond games embraced aSplinter Cell-like third-person shooter,mixing stealth and cover-based action, which would carry on toFrom Russia With LoveandBlood Stone. The gameplay, combined with an ambitious storyline, results inEverything Or Nothingbeing a fan-favorite title that was refreshing after a long line of first-person shooters.
