With last week's release of GoldenEye 007 on Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X, I've been thinking a lot about James Bond's many video game escapades. From the early 8- and 16-bit days to the myriad of first-person shooters inspired by the success of GoldenEye, 007 can do it all. Hell, he even had his own racing game. To help celebrate this brand-new release, I wanted to see what Electronic Gaming Monthly's review crew said about all of these different incarnations back when they first came out.
In case you're curious, EGM reviewed a total of 13 James Bond games between 1989 and 2009. This includes pretty much every installment released by both Nintendo and Electronic Arts, as well as a couple by Activision. Unfortunately, they did not review James Bond: The Duel on Genesis or more modern games like Blood Stone and 007 Legends. Also, before you ask, we're not including James Bond Jr., because that's definitely not canon. What we're going to do today is countdown the best and worst James Bond games using Electronic Gaming Monthly's own words and scores. There's no editorializing here, we're going to focus on what the critics said back when these games first came out. Join me for this Aston Martin-driving, martini-swilling episode of EGM Ranks James Bond.
007 Racing (PS1)
#13
"Despite the name, 007 Racing really isn't a racing game at all. It's more like Driver meets Bond meets ... well, crap. It's not that the idea behind 007 Racing is bad, but the execution is horrible. The level objectives are lame, the difficulty curve is insane, the control is incredibly basic and somewhat sluggish, and the entire game has a very unfinished feeling. Oh, and it doesn't look very good, either. The worst part is I heavily enjoy both Bond and car games, yet I walked away from my 007 Racing experience almost pissed off." (2.8 out of 10)
James Bond 007 (Game Boy)
#12
"I absolutely, positively cannot recommend this game to anyone. I can list about 50 more Game Boy titles I'd rather play than this simplistic, moronic, sorry excuse for a game. The “action” is repetitive, the dialogue is ridiculous, the clues are overly simplistic, and the secrets are obscure. Damn, the cart isn't even big enough to act as a doorstop or a coaster. What a waste of silicon." (2.9 out of 10)
James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire (PS2)
#11
"Hot Bond babes in tight clothes are the only thing going for 007. Escort that booty out, and you're left with a flat arcade-y shooter, starring a down-right perverted James. Agent Under Fire's grossly contrived Bond plot cobweb-strings together one insipid, uninspired mission after the other. And considering you haven't got much more than 12 uneventful levels (with little to nil replay value), what else keeps Bond: Agent Under Fire afloat? Not multiplay, that's for sure. When multiplay feels like it got slapped on at the last minute by taking bits and pieces from the single-player missions, it shows and blows. Looks like Bond's in a lose-lose situation, and this time, he's screwed." (4.8 out of 10)
James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire (Xbox)
#10
"Agent Under Fire does a good job of mimicking recent Bond films, for better and for worse. It's simple and often predictable, but with a few standout moments. The game holds your hand through all of the first-person shooting levels, which are already small and uninspired in appearance and design. Other stages break out of the mold, but (unlike James) the game can't keep it up for long. Bond and first-person shooter fans should treat it like 007 does his women: Find it, play with it for a night or two, and leave it." (5.2 out of 10)
007: Tomorrow Never Dies (PS1)
#9
"Tomorrow Never Dies has all the components of a really cool third-person shooter, but somehow it just never comes together. The game starts off nicely, with a mixture of stealth and action missions, but by the second half, the seams begin to show. One gripe I had was with how the game handles targeting. It'll lock onto something, but as soon as you take off running, it's hard to keep a bead. Also, sniping in first-person is awfully slow and clunky." (5.4 out of 10)
007: The World is Not Enough (PS1)
#8
"Oh, I wasn't expecting this. Sure, it's a terrific improvement over the last Bond effort on PlayStation, but it's still hardly GoldenEye for the Sony box. The graphics engine is allegedly more advanced than anything else on the system blah, blah blah, and it is extremely impressive throughout. So impressive that in places you can't help thing that maybe Black Ops was a little ambitious with what they hoped the system could do. Some of the scripted events are great, but there's a sense of struggle as the CD drives, whirrs and chugs. Also, what's the deal with the lack of multiplayer modes? Surely that's a Bond game precedent?" (6.2 out of 10)
From Russia With Love (PS2)
#7
"Man, it's pretty rocking to hear Sean Connery pretend to be 42 years younger than he really is. If this is your first foray into playing Bond in the third-person, then yeah, this is a decent game filled with lots of shooting, Connery-isms, and car chases. But if you've played Everything or Nothing, this will feel more like a lukewarm follow-up. Compared to Everything or Nothing, Love's levels are shorter and more linear, and focus mostly on straight-forward run and gun action. Also, the vehicle sequences are kinda boring and padded out a bit. Love is a decent Bond game with the best Bond, but it pales in comparison to the previous, much superior Bond game that featured a not-the-best Bond." (6.2 out of 10)
007: Quantum of Solace (360/PS3)
#6
"James Bond's latest pixelated escapade leapfrogs through the events of 2006's big-screen Casino Royale and its recently released sequel, Quantum of Solace. Depending on your mood, you can play as either a suave badass who sneaks past guards and security cameras or a suave badass who sprays hot lead into everything. I finished Solace in one sitting. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as the game's paced like a Universal Studios theme park ride. GoldenEye's heyday is long gone, and Solace leans far too much on nostalgia to be anything close to the next shooter milestone." (C+ out of A+)
GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (PS2/Xbox)
#5
"With so many of the same enemies packing its long levels, not to mention a lackluster story and so-so graphics, this new GoldenEye could have easily ended up as forgettable as George Lazenby. But with single player, at least,Rogue Agent delivers. Of course, the most memorable aspect of the N64's GoldenEye was its robust multiplayer game, which is ironically the low point of Rogue Agent. An eight-player limit, bad maps mostly repurposed from the campaign mode, and an inexcusable lack of options ensures that this new game will not be looked back upon except as a disappointment." (7.5 out of 10)
James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (Xbox/PS2)
#4
"To say that Everything or Nothing feels like a new Bond flick is an understatement – imagine the last three Bond flicks fused into some sort of massive martini-swilling super-Bond flick, and you're close. It's been a while since I played a game with such engaging, pure and thrilling action, and on top of the excellent single-player game, there's a pretty cool co-op mode to nicely round out the package. Minor downers include an occasionally wonky camera, some annoying trial and error sections, and the Q-spider gadget. I won't say it's the best Bond game ever made, but I will say it's the best Bond game I've played in the last five years." (8.3 out of 10)
007: NightFire (Xbox)
#3
"Bond is a lot like Batman: A great license that only seems to get a good game once in a very great while. Well, it looks like 007's time is now. The first-person shooter sections of NightFire are really open-ended for this style of game, letting you decide how to infiltrate each new area, when to get into a firefight, and when to avoid detection altogether. And since Bond's always globe-trotting, the levels vary greatly, with loads of gadgets at your disposal to keep the gameplay fresh. On top of all that, the driving levels interspersed throughout are really fast and fun, like a shootin' version of Hot Pursuit 2." (8.5 out of 10)
007: The World is Not Enough
#2
"It has taken a long time to get a true GoldenEye sequel, and even though this game isn't made by the same developer, it's definitely a worthy successor. The one-player mode is superb and the atmosphere is nearly perfect. The music, real-time cinematic cut-scenes and loads of spoken dialogue really make you feel like you're in a Bond movie. The levels offer more diversity than GoldenEye, and still integrate well with the movie it follows. Diversions such as skiing and stealth missions keep things fresh, and the selection of Q-gadgets and weapons is amazing. Between that and the robust multiplayer modes, this game is More than Enough." (9.2 out of 10)
GoldenEye 007 (N64)
#1
"Not only is GoldenEye 10 times better than the movie, it's also 10 times more realistic. No other first-person shooter demands this much stealth and strategy. Instead of storming enemies like a space marine, you must sneak up on them or pick ‘em off through your sniper rifle's telescopic lens. Developer Rare has packed everything that's cool about 007 into the game. You get gadgets and guns. But this silicon Bond is more of a badass than the movie version ever was. You can fire two Uzis (John Woo style), cut loose like Dirty Harry with a 357 Magnum and even drive a tank over squads of troops. Even better are the insanely fun multiplayer modes, which allow for team play, the ability to play as a villain from the films and too many other options to list here. Despite a little choppiness, it's more fun than four-player Mario Kart 64. This is absolutely the best first-person game ever." (9.4 out of 10)
