Bond’s name, James Bond. Given that he’s one of the most iconic characters of all time, it’s only natural that legendary agent 007 would go on to appear in a plethora of video game adaptations, which range in quality from the mostly forgettable to some of the fancier titles of their generation.
High-stakes espionage intrigue abounds as you play through the various adventures of the famous agent, with some titles doing an excellent job of capturing the essence of his character and proving to be incredible tales in their own right. This demo showcases the greatest of them all, from amazing movie tie-ins to unforgettable original stories.
10 James Bond 007
If you saw this James Bond game on store shelves when it was released, your immediate thoughts might have been, “Oh, is it going to be a cheap simple shooter or a cheap simple platformer?” This kind of thinking would come naturally, as movie tie-in games have a reputation for being unambitious. While this Gameboy exclusive may not be the best movie tie-in ever, being an RPG inspired by Legend of Zelda, it’s surprisingly complex for the platform it’s on.
Sure, the graphics and gameplay are outdated, no doubt. This doesn’t entirely detract from the intriguing plot created by the game, and for those with a reasonable imagination, it can be quite an immersive experience. Walk around as Bond, make his decisions, and keep track of every little detail to catch the villain. Although it is held back by the limitations of the platform and the time in which it was released, it remains one of the best Bond games ever released.
9 Tomorrow never dies
In the grand pantheon of James Bond video game adaptations, a large majority of titles are played in first-person, their identity entirely due to the historic success of Goldeneye on the N64. One title that dared deviate from that formula, for better or for worse, was a direct sequel to Goldeneye.
Released in 1999 for the PSX, Tomorrow Never Dies puts you in a third-person view. You play in many different moments of the movie, from high-intensity action sequences to more subtle spy moments. The title shows its age very clearly, though, and doesn’t quite hold up when compared to its famous predecessor.
8 agent under fire
Agent Under Fire is a somewhat unique entry in the series, as it doesn’t feature any main cast from the end of the film, and instead goes all the way to the original territory, with a new Bond to boot. It’s a high-stakes bio-weapon and world-destroying plot – just another day in the life of James Bond.
The game is a bit let down by a somewhat imprecise control scheme for aiming control, and the repetitive driving sections can be quite annoying with their physics system. The game is definitely worth revisiting for its original story and relatively fun shooting sections, but it does hold itself back a bit in areas.
7 How much consolation
The James Bond franchise is often identified by its fans in different eras, represented by the actor who played the title role. The Daniel Craig era, which began in 2006 with the release of Casino Royale, is primarily known for rooting the series in a more realistic landscape, eschewing the somewhat absurd nature of previous films. Craig’s presence in video games follows this trend, showing the character in his most grounded adventures yet.
Interestingly, the Quantum Of Solace video game adaptation focuses primarily on the events of the 2006 Casino Royale film, rather than its namesake, with only a few book moments from the previous film ending its main plot. The result of this is a fantastic tale that tells what is easily one of the best films in the franchise, all while showcasing some of the best first-person photography in the series. While it may not be as iconic as a certain previous title in the franchise, or as cool as some of the original stories told, Quantum Of Solace marks Daniel Craig’s first great video game and a great Bond game in a year.
6 golden eye
That is, that is! It is considered one of the best N64 games of all time and one of the best first person shooters ever. It’s addictive, attentive to detail regarding the movie, and most of all…age.
In some ways, it’s aged like a fine wine, with incredible level design and a multiplayer mode that transcends generations. In other ways though, he honestly didn’t age well, with his control scheme being particularly flawed in hindsight. The game is undeniably iconic, and has practically become an entity in its own right, having been retconned or recounted dozens of times. This is for good reason, because the core experience is great — it’s just one that’s been outgrown a bit by time and technical advances.
5 The world is not enough
The World Is Not Enough benefited from being released so late in the life of the Nintendo 64, and this title pushes the hardware to its absolute limits. It does a great job being a true follow-up to Goldeneye, and improving on many of the technical aspects of that title.
It also featured a similarly great multiplayer mode, one that was somewhat overlooked upon release due to its setting later in the consoles life, as many other influential shooters were released around this time. The single player multiplayer game features a level design that is quite addictive, many customization options that were not available in the previous title, and an incredible character roster. If you’re looking for a more classic first-person Bond with a somewhat polished experience, you definitely shouldn’t miss this gem.
4 Bloodstone
Daniel Craig has had an interesting role as James Bond in the world of video games. His first game was a sequel that was based around the first movie in his series, his second game was a remake of the Pierce Brosnan movie – and yes, of course it was Goldeneye! Released the same day as the title’s reload, Blood Stone was underrated in its time, but stands today as one of the best original tales ever told in the franchise.
The title is set between the events of 2008’s Quantum of Solace and 2012’s Skyfall and features the voices of Craig himself as the main character, along with Judi Dench as the M.V. movie in the franchise, and the game features some impressive and gritty third-person gameplay. If you’re a fan of Daniel Craig’s performance as the character, this is sure to provide hours of entertainment, and it’s definitely worth re-evaluating as one of the best Bond games.
3 From Russia with love
From Russia With Love is a particularly fascinating entry into the world of James Bond video games, where it isn’t every day that you see a relatively slow burn movie from the ’60s adapting a high-octane spy adventure. This entry is made even more interesting by the fact that it was the final appearance of Sir Sean Connery, the film’s creator of this titular character.
It might be a bit jarring to hear the older Sean Connery come off his younger likeness, but he’s still as charming and interesting in the part as ever. The developers of this title, EA Redwood Shores (later known as Visceral, creators of Dead Space), developed many of the titles featured elsewhere on this list, so it’s safe to say they were the developers of Bond at the time. Their experience clearly shines here. Everything is t-slick, looks and works great even on older hardware.
2 night fire
Nightfire was the first game to fully capture all the little elements of the Bond movie. You’ve got the prequel title sequence to grab the crowd’s attention, the great song performed by Esthero, the gun barrel sequence – it’s all simply here. It’s a completely original tale too, featuring Pierce Brosnan’s likeness, but not his voice, with the character instead voiced by Maxwell Caulfield.
This title also features the best and most polished first-person shooter available in a Bond game, as the developers learn and use lessons from the past decade’s worth of 007 shooters. The multiplayer mode is an absolute blast to this day, featuring many playable characters from the movie franchise, such as Jaws and Goldfinger. If you’re looking for a truly excellent James Bond FPS that will stand the test of time and remains a great experience even years later, look no further than Nightfire.
1 All or nothing
Pierce Brosnan saw a lot of love and limelight in the video game industry during the early 2000s, likely due to the massive success of Goldeneye, as well as the success of his film series in the franchise. He has more original interactive tales than any other James Bond actor, and some of those original tales have seen the incredible amount of dedication and work the developers put into it.
By far the most impressive title released during this era of exploration has to be all or nothing, telling a fully original story in its own timeline. Huge A-list actors feature in this title, with Pierce Bronson making his last appearance as the character, and Willem Dafoe filling the villainous shoes of your main antagonist throughout the game, truly capturing the greatness of a true Bond movie. The title also has some of the roughest gameplay you can find in the series, with amazing third-person action sequences and a control system well polished for the period of its release. All of these elements come together to make without a doubt the best James Bond game ever made, and one that should definitely be on every fan’s radar.
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