James Bond Fans Will Enjoy 007 First LightÂ
It’s been many, many years since we’ve had a new James Bond game to enjoy. Over the years (decades!), James Bond games have been hit-or-miss. 007 First Light has been universally considered a very good game. Metacritic gives it a “Generally Favourable” 87/100 based on 64 critic reviews. That’s no easy feat.
James Bond fans, like most fandoms, can be a critical bunch. The James Bond franchise has spanned well over 50 years of content, from novels to comics to games to movies. Over this time, different James Bond entries have often made adjustments to established cannon. And with good reason.
The James Bond movies were rarely more than inspired by the original Ian Fleming novels. And once all the novels were turned into movies, new stories were made to create new movies. The actors in both the leading and supporting roles have changed over the decades too.
Why am I mentioning all this? Because 007 First Light has made a conscious decision to be it’s own story, featuring a new James Bond, recast supporting characters, and a refreshed take on James Bond’s origin story, which now takes place in modern times. For some fickle fans, this might be cause for concern. As a huge James Bond fan, I’m here to put those concerns to rest. Despite the fresh take on James Bond, there is still many things that 007 First Light does that will make even the most die-hard James Bond fan feel at home.
A New Bond
Irish actor Patrick Gibson is the new James Bond in 007 First Light. The 31-year-old has had a handful of acting credits to his name including starring as Dexter Morgan in the Dexter: Original Sin prequel series. An Irish James Bond? Well, it’s not the first time. Pierce Brosnan, who starred in 4 Bond movies, is also Irish. He also happens to be my favourite Bond, but let’s not dive into that debate right now.
Patrick Gibson does a brilliant job as James Bond. He nails the delivery of the James Bond dialog with all the cleverness and wit we’ve all come to expect from the character. His puns, a James Bond staple, roll off his tongue. He has an edge to him when it serves him, but also turns up the charm whenever the situation calls for it.
I’ll take my praise for Patrick Gibson a step further. If the powers-that-be opted to cast him as the new Bond in an upcoming movie, I’d be 100% on-board.
The Supporting Cast
Along for the ride in 007 First Light are many of the familiar faces from previous James Bond entries. MI6 is lead by M, brilliantly portrayed by Priyanga Burford, who – interestingly enough – played a role in the James Bond movie “No Time to Die”. Q (Alastair Mackenzie), along with his Q-lab, are introduced early, providing the agents with all manner of clever gadgets. Miss Moneypenny (Kiera Lester), in a slightly different role than fans are accustomed to, provides James Bond with the intel needed for missions. These familiar supporting characters ensure that Bond has the intel and tools to do his job. A new character created for 007 First Light, John Greenway (Lennie James), brings a brilliant dynamic to the story, by giving Bond both a teacher and tough critic, rolled into one.
The Cars and Gadgets
As previously mentioned, Q and Q-lab make an appearance in 007 First Light, and that means gadgets. Q-lab is filled with all wonder of gadgets, most of which don’t make an appearance outside of the lab, but some are callbacks to gadgets seen in previous James Bond media.
Cars are also such an impactful part of the James Bond franchise, as he’s always been behind the wheel of stylish and fast vehicles. Aston Martin’s that once appeared in previous Bond outings make a cameo appearance in 007 First Light, along with some slick new rides. The car chase scenes in 007 First Light are fast and intense, and made even better in these sweet, sweet rides. Forza Horizon 6, eat your heart out.
Beautiful Women
James Bond has always been known to be a bit of a womanizer. He’s quick with the charm, especially when it comes to wooing beautiful women. And over the decades, the plethora of iconic Bond Girls is vast. From Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) to Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) to one of my personal favourites, Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike).
In 007 First Light, Bond is no different, and we see early on that even in a video game, he’s still got it. Whether it’s a short little interlude with a secretary or a chance encounter with a freelance spy Isola, Bond is still on the prowl. Even the games title sequence includes the silhouetted shapes of women moving about – a trend that goes as far back as the early James Bond movies.
The Music
James Bond music is among the most iconic in the world. The James Bond Theme, originally composed by Monty Norman, always pops up when James Bond is having a classic Bond moment. In 007 First Light, it again makes an appearance, but being that this is an origin story, the way it’s used is quite ingenious. It doesn’t just flare up from the get-go. James Bond needs to grow into it, so throughout the game, it’ll pop up more and more – signifying a growth in the character.
The game features the title theme, First Light, performed by Lana Del Rey, and co-composed by James Bond veteran composer David Arnold. At first, I scoffed at the thought of Lana Del Rey taking on the theme. I was wrong to scoff. Honestly, First Light will go down in history as one of the better James Bond theme songs ever done – not just in a video game, but in any medium. It really is that good. The title theme montage is also a visual treat too.
A Threat of the Times
There’s one more obligation that all good James Bond stories, whatever the medium, must have – and that is a meaningful threat and a worthy foe. In 007 First Light, they cleverly don’t reveal the threat or foe right away. They let the player develop James Bond as an agent first, and slowly bits and pieces of a threat are revealed. This is a common approach to storytelling in previous James Bond adventures. So what is the threat? Or the villain? Well, just like Bond, you’ll have to discover that yourself. But from one fan to another, the threat and villain definitely meet the necessary criteria.
Worthy of Double-0 Status
007 First Light is an ambitious and fresh take on James Bond. Players experience James Bond from a unique perspective, as a young man recruited into MI6 and earning his double-0 number. 007 First Light includes all the iconic hallmarks of James Bond, including a charming lead, supporting characters, beautiful women, gadgets, and a worthy foe. Over the years, James Bond games have been a bit hit or miss, but I can confidently say, as a Bond fan, that 007 First Light hits the mark and is a worthwhile adventure for all Bond fans.
***007 First Light was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this feature.***