In 007 First Light, The Best Part Of Being Bond Is The Boring Stuff

Think of every time you dissected a crime scene in an Arkham game, conducted science experiments in Spider-Man 2, or discovered artifacts and opened secret doors in The Great Circle. These quiet and slower moments remind you that being these characters is more than just running around and punching bad guys (though there is plenty of that, too). These games are inclusive of every part of being that character.

Similarly, First Light had so many moments that made me feel like I was living in James Bond’s world. Possibly the most gleeful moments I had playing the game were whenever I got to walk around Q Lab. I got to take in the space on my own time, interacting with technicians and watching physical comedy bits where they’d get tossed around by their own technical creations. And as fun as combat and stealth was in the game, I felt more stimulated by schmoozing NPCs through dialogue choices, trying to squeeze out information for myself and truly get into Bond’s headspace.

These are the types of moments that we see on film and TV screens but haven’t necessarily seen translated to games, where player input and choice are above all. Through 007 First Light and its aforementioned contemporaries, players can finally take in the details of these fictional worlds and experience them as iconic places with some complexity and nuance.

We’re now far removed from the licensed tie-in games that pervaded the 2000s, with many of them being rushed, relatively low-quality fare meant to coincide with the release date of a movie. I sometimes think of Activision’s adaptation of Quantum of Solace as a prime example of these types of tie-ins. While it shares many of the cast members and story beats of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, it’s hard for the game to beat the allegations that it’s more than a Call of Duty clone (especially with Treyarch as the lead developer): a soulless shoot-’em-up unbefitting of the James Bond name.

Too often, the tie-in games of the era were sloppy retellings of the events seen in a movie, repurposed into formulaic gameplay sequences that fail to stand out in any way, which often does a disservice to the original source material–and James Bond alone has a few of those.

On the other end of the licensed-game spectrum, you’ll see games that give iconic characters like James Bond and Indiana Jones their own original adventures, and there are plenty throughout history that have been successful. For instance, I’m fascinated by 2004’s Everything or Nothing–it not only brought back franchise actors Pierce Brosnan, Judi Dench, and John Cleese, but it also included Hollywood talent like Willem Dafoe and Heidi Klum to give the game some legitimacy as a proper James Bond installment. 

I never experienced Everything or Nothing firsthand, but as impressive as that cast list is, I find the premise of “it’s a Bond movie, but just a video game” unappealing. I think we often don’t consider how movies are a shared experience: a spectacle to witness on a giant screen with a large crowd. Whereas, video games, for the most part, are enjoyed at home, in solitude or with a few others on a couch.

007 First Light knows what it is: a video game, first and foremost, about James Bond–not a game that kind of, sort of feels like a movie.

Though I sing the praises of 007 First Light and how it married James Bond tropes with modern game design and storytelling, the premise of the game being an origin story for Bond did leave a little to be desired. It was endearing to see a young James Bond learn how to knot a bowtie for the first time, but after playing games centered on characters like Indy, Spider-Man, and Batman in their professional prime, I yearn for a sequel that does the same for Bond. 

IO Interactive has the foundation down with stealth and gunplay–let’s get a sequel with a story about a Bond who’s more adept at spying, better at keeping emotions in check, and with a more refined taste in alcoholic drinks, suits, and cars. As long as we can fully experience the world of Bond through his eyes, we’ll be golden.