It's been two long decades since Nintendo and RARE brought us that iconic video game based on the
1995 007 film, which is a first for the fifth James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan. To celebrate that kind of occasion, why not take a thrust through time to remember some of the Bond video games that make us feel like we're living in a Bond movie.
GoldenEye (N64/1997) - The classic Nintendo 64 game that forever set the "golden" standard of first-person shooter games, GoldenEye pits players as 007 James Bond in series of missions inspired from the 1995 Bond movie of the same title but apart from the solo missions, this game will be remembered for its multiplayer system where two to four players go all out in different rules to make it more fun to play. Who remembers playing with your mates a game of capture the flag or blow them away in one hit?
Tomorrow Never Dies (PSX/1999) - Like GoldenEye, this game is based on the 1997 Bond movie of the same name, except that this is a third-person shooter game made for the Sony PlayStation console. From a Russian military base, Hamburg, Saigon, all the way to the climactic Stealth Boat mission, Bond will use a wide array of weapons and gadgets at his disposal to complete missions. Oh, and did I mention there was a level where you can drive his BMW 750i while shooting your way against a convoy of terrorists?
007 Racing (PSX/2000) - Living the Bond lifestyle just got a whole lot of crazier as our dream of driving some of the best Bond cars in the films comes to life in 007 Racing. From the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger to the iconic Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me, each Bond car is crafted specifically for different kinds of missions to execute and you can play head-to-head against a mate a la Twisted Metal.
The World Is Not Enough (PSX/N64/2000) - Launched in late 2000, the official game of the movie brings back first person gameplay while reliving moments from the 1999 Bond movie, but there are differences between the PSX version and the N64. In the PSX version, it only plays at one player but it packs cutscenes from the movie as well as a Blackjack minigame on it. In the N64, meanwhile, has more missions than what the PSX version had as well as multiplayer. We'd pick the N64 anytime due to its multiplayer mode.
007 Agent Under Fire (PS2/XBOX/Gamecube/2001) - Harkening to the days of Goldeneye, Agent Under First is a first Bond game to be utilized in this generation of consoles that harkened the dawn of the 21st century. In this all-original, first-person shooter game, Bond must to stop a cloning conspiracy from unleashing havoc in the world. Spanning from Hong Kong, Europe, all the way to the Pacific Ocean, Agent Under Fire gives player a chance to live out their innermost Bond fantasies with a wide array of weapons, gadgets, even vehicles. There's also a mutliplayer mode with unlockable characters as well.
007 Nightfire (PS2/XBOX/Gamecube/PC/GBA/2002) - 007 Nightfire brings our innermost Bond fantasies to the limit as Bond takes on a ruthless conglomerate plotting world domination. By land, air, sea, even outer space(!), from Paris, Austria, Japan, the Pacific Ocean, all the way through the space station, this is classic Bond moment at its best.
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (PS2/XBOX/Gamecube/2004) - Non-canonical as it seems but this game can still considered as a Bond game, even though you're pitting a role of a rogue agent recruited by none other than Auric Goldfinger, one of the Bond villains you can expect from this video game. Armed with a cleverly high-tech eye, you can detect or shunt different enemies while you can unleash devastating attacks by carrying two different firearms at the same time. Pays to be a next-generation Bond villain.
007: Everything or Nothing (PS2/XBOX/Gamecube/GBA/2004) - Everything or Nothing features all of the fruits and cocktails from Bond films into one unique, third-person shooter game that delivers the ultimate Bond experience to everywhere. Featuring an all-star cast of characters, including Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, missions spanning from Egypt, Louisiana, Latin America, and Russia, wide array of weapons and gadgets, and heavily-armed vehicles such as a Porsche Cayenne, a Triumph Daytona, and an Aston Martin Vanquish, this is Bond game unlike every other.
From Russia With Love (PS2/XBOX/Gamecube/2005) - Relieving Sean Connery's second Bond movie from the 1960's, From Russia With Love is a third-person shooter game that is as old-school as the film it was based on while featuring a dynamic game mechanics to make it more lively for the players as well as its multiplayer gameplay for added fun. Fact is that this is the last Bond game ever made under the EA games banner.
Quantum of Solace (PS3/XBOX 360/PS2/Wii/DS/PC/2008) - Following Daniel Craig's advent as the sixth Bond actor, the game company behind Call of Duty are now responsible for Bond games starring Craig himself and this is their first. Quantum of Solace combines first-person shooter and third-person cover (reminiscent of Perfect Dark Zero), giving players different ways to play while executing missions inspired from Craig's first two Bond films; Casino Royale and this. There's even an online multiplayer gameplay with different rules and maps where you can show the world how much of an agent you really are,
007: GoldenEye (Wii/2010) - The legendary Goldeneye game returns in Wii with Daniel Craig pitting the role of Bond, James Bond. Developed by the blokes from Eurocom, this 2010 GoldenEye game brings players back to the days of original, only modernized with new elements and explosive gameplay spanning from the dam, the chemical weapons facility, the frigate, the satellite base, all the way to the climactic battle at the antenna cradle. In addition to the online multiplayer battle, the remake brings back classic split-screen multiplayer to make it more enjoyable for the new generation of FPS. A year after the Wii version was launched, there's GoldenEye Reloaded, made for the PS3 and XBOX 360, featuring remastered graphics and new mission modifiers, giving players to create their own missions and share it to the world.
007: Blood Stone (PS3/XBOX 360/2010) - Blood Stone is an all-original Bond game featuring storyline crafted by the top film writers to deliver a cinematic feel to the gameplay. In this game, Bond is on a mission to stop a biological attack but this mission is more than what he can expect. Spanning from Greece, Turkey, Monaco, Siberia, Thailand, to Burma (Myanmar), this is one heck of a globe-trotting mission to uncover the truth. Featuring signature Bond moments, unique third-person gameplay, and pulse-pounding driving missions, Blood Stone brings the Bond cinematic experience to the gamers.
007 Legends (PS3/XBOX 360/PC/Wii U/2012) - Part of celebrating 50 years of James Bond comes 007 Legends, a first-person shooter game featuring the best missions in the world of Bond ranging from Goldfinger, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, License To Kill, Die Another Day, and more famously, Moonraker. Using the same first-person action as Goldeneye, 007 Legends delivers a unique gameplay that involves gaining experience from routing enemies and using them to unlock new abilities and weapons useful for tougher missions. It also comes with multiplayer (online and split-screen) as well as mission modifiers like you expect from Goldeneye Reloaded
James Bond: World of Espionage (App Store/Google Play/2015) - As the official app game of the Bond films, players can build their own MI6 by recruiting new agents, craft new weapons, gadgets, and vehicles, and send them through different missions, in their goal to create the ultimate spy agency to show the world who's got the best spies in their arsenal
HONORABLE MENTION: 007: License To Kill (PC/1989)
