The first James Bond video game hit the shops in 1983 which rocked our childhood for the Atari 2600, 5200, Commodore 64 and ColecoVision, the sideways-scrolling gameplay consisted of steering Bond’s amphibious vehicle through four levels. Then after a decade and half, Seeing as how Electronic Arts‘ James Bond based first-person shooter The World is Not Enough is shiped for Nintendo 64 and now GoldenEye 007 is due to be released for PS3 and Xbox in November 2011. Bond seems to have taken more than a few cues from Activision stablemate Call of Duty. This lack of subtlety captures GoldenEye spirit perfectly. It’s all about epic gunfights, explosions, mindless violence and, topically, a revenge plot against bankers.
To refresh your golden gaming memories we have showcaed a brief history of James Bong Games from Retro to Modern age
GoldenEye 007 (2011)
Already available on the Wii since last year, GoldenEye 007 is due to be released for PS3 and Xbox in November. Eurocom’s title a remake of the N64 classic in the loosest sense.
GoldenEye 007 seems to be giving gamers a lot of options when it comes to control settings. Along with support for the Classic Controller, it will also support some other Wii control schemes. You can use the nunchuk and Wii Remote, like other FPS games on the Wii, or even use the Wii Zapper if you prefer. This is a good move by Eurocom, the developer of the game. Having multiple control options will allow gamers to find the control scheme that works for them instead of being forced to use potentially uncomfortable motion controls.
Blood Stone (2010)
Gameplay was switched back to third-person in Blood Stone, which strangely features West Country soul singer Joss Stone as Bond’s sidekick. The game sees Bond travel around the world on various missions, including preventing a suicide bombing of the G20 at Greece’s Acropolis.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Activision’s first effort saw Bond’s return to the first-person shooter genre, with Daniel Craig’s likeness. Powered by the Call of Duty 4 game engine, Quantum of Solace follows the events of the film by the same name, as well as featuring playable flash backs to Casino Royale. The game scored an average review score of only 62 per cent but was praised for featuring the core cast from both films.
From Russia with Love (2005)
The last Bond game made by EA before they lost the licence to Activision, From Russia with Love follows the story of the book and film, seeing gamers play as Sean Connery’s Bond, with voice acting from the man himself. The game was released to fairly positive reviews with its success based on the game’s advanced graphics and gameplay difficulty.
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (2004)
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent was not a remake of GoldenEye but a different beast entirely. Players were cast as an ex-MI6 agent motivated by vengeance after losing on a mission to take down Dr. No.
Recruited by Goldfinger and given the eponymous golden eye, your mission is to once again take on Dr. No. The game features many characters from the films and books, including Scaramanga, who adopts a Q-like role by upgrading your artificial eye.
Nightfire (2002)
Nightfire was received much more positively many previous games with some reviews calling it the best game in the series since GoldenEye. With an interesting plot and realistic portrayal of Pierce Brosnan’s Bond, the game did have issues with ‘bots’ having difficulties navigating multiplayer levels. While not overtly based on a specific book or film, Nightfire had similarities with the plot of Moonraker.
Agent Under Fire (2001)
James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire was available for the GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox, promising to be the first in a new generation of Bond games. Whilst the game was praised by some as offering ‘astounding’ character models, many felt it too easy and pale in the shadow of GoldenEye, a game that was already four years old.
Racing (2000)
Featuring the voice of the John Cleese, 007 Racing pitted James Bond in his classic Aston Martin against helicopters and tanks, armed with rocket launchers and machine guns. The game which received mediocre reviews on its release and was plagued by bad graphics and unrealistic physics.
The World Is Not Enough (2000)
For a game released in the Nintendo 64 era, this game boasted suprisingly good graphics and went back to the successful GoldenEye gameplay formula. Also bringing back multiplayer action to Bond games, The World is Not Enough allowed you to create scenarios with multiple AI ‘bots’ as well as your friends.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1999)
Developed by Black Ops, Tomorrow Never Dies tried and failed to live up to the standard set by GoldenEye. The first mission ended with a scene taken straight out of The Spy Who Loved Me, however, as Bond skied off a cliff before deploying a union jack parachute. Unlike GoldenEye, the action in Tomorrow Never Dies was viewed from third person perspective and offered no multiplayer mode.
James Bond 007 (1997)
In this top-down shooter for the Game Boy, James Bond travels the world in an attempt to find out the secret behind General Golgov’s plans, eventually defeating Oddjob and Jaws. Although sharing it’s title with the first Bond game, it has little in common with others in the series, and was closer in gameplay to a Zelda game then anything else.
GoldenEye 007 (1997)
Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as 007 spawned not only one of the most beloved games of all time, but one of the most influential shooters ever made. Boasting varied action that included elements of stealth, GoldenEye included extensive multiplayer modes.
GoldenEye was the game that brought first-person shooters to consoles and made James Bond a respectable name in the world of video games.
The Duel (1993)
In 1993 Domark released The Duel, a side-scroller, in which Bond battled his way through enemy bases to rescue female hostages. The game was the first in the Bond catalogue not to be based on an existing film or book, and although it was released four years after his last appearance as 007, the game features Timothy Dalton’s likeness.
James Bond Jr (1991)
This game opened with the hammy line “the world’s greatest scientists have disappeared and now it’s up to you as James Bond Jr to rescue them! Intelligence reports indicates that your old enemy SCUM Lord has imprisoned them on his island fortress in the Caribbean.”
SCUM in this case refers to Saboteurs and Criminals United in Mayhem and was an offshoot of SPECTRE. Oddly, James Bond’s young nephew was entrusted with a helicopter capable of bombing tanks, but had to rely on his fists when taking on baddies one on one.
The Spy Who Loved Me
Featuring a brilliantly synthy version of the James Bond theme tune, The Spy Who Loved Me was a top-down shooter game, in which you guide the famous aquatic Lotus Espirit through varied obstacles, taking out anyone in your path.
Licence to Kill (1989)
A suprisingly varied top down shooter, Licence to Kill takes you through 6 scenes from the film by helicopter, on foot, driving a truck and most memorably on water-skis. Trying to avenge the death of Felix’s Leiter’s bride, this incredibly fast-paced game follows Bond’s mission to hunt down the killer and drug baron Sanchez.
Live and Let Die (1988)
Originally not intended to be a Bond game at all, the game was rebranded when Domark realised the resemblance to the film’s high speed boat chase. Live and Let Die was all about dodging obstacles and shooting up enemy boats. Featuring levels in the Sahara, New Orleans and the North Pole, the gameplay was somewhat repetetive but fun.
The Living Daylights (1987)
Released for the Commodore 64, Amiga, Amstrad CPC and the BBC Micro, The Living Daylights was a straightforward platform shooter. The game followed a rather tanned looking Bond traversing rooftops and fighting Soviet foes in Afghanistan, whilst avoiding incredibly slow attacks from his adversaries.
A View to a Kill (1985)
The first Bond game named after a specific film, A View to a Kill was created by Domark and featured 3 sections. The first had James Bond attempting to pick up Mayday who had just parachuted from the Eiffel Tower, by carefully positioning his car for her to land on.
James Bond 007 (1983)
The first James Bond video game hit the shops in 1983 for the Atari 2600, 5200, Commodore 64 and ColecoVision, the sideways-scrolling gameplay consisted of steering Bond’s amphibious vehicle through four levels. The aim of the game was to shoot airbourne and grounded enemies whilsed dodging their attacks and avoiding obstacles.
