Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Summer Game Fest
  • New games for 2025
  • Upcoming Switch 2 games
  • Switch 2 stock

Recommended reading

007: Last Light
Action Games 007: First Light brings Casino Royale energy to the Hitman devs' James Bond game
James Bond in 007 First Light
Third Person Shooters Hitman dev says 007 First Light isn't "just shooting and shooting and shooting," and spy gadgets will allow for "varied and spread out" approaches to missions in the James Bond game
A screenshot of James Bond in 007 First Light's reveal trailer.
Games 007 First Light: Everything we know so far about IO Interactive's new Bond game
007 First Light key art showing James Bond concealed in shadow
Action Games 007 First Light is officially the name for Hitman studio's James Bond game, and it looks to be an origin story
007: Last Light
Games 007 First Light leads say James Bond is no Agent 47: "If Hitman is a single-minded killer and basically the bad guy of the game, Bond is the hero"
James Bond in an all-black get-up talking to a lady who's just off-screen while at a fancy event in 007: First Light
Action Games 007: First Light devs chose a James Bond origin story to help be "more relatable" to a "younger audience maybe than the Bond franchise is used to"
GoldenEye 007
Stealth Games Switch 2 will return to the golden days of the N64 with Nintendo’s first new James Bond game in over a decade
  1. Games
  2. Action
  3. 007 Legends

Shaken & Stirred: The history of James Bond games

Features
By Jeff Dunn published 14 October 2012

We go through 007's highs and lows

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The names Bond

The names Bond

James Bond. You may have heard of him. Originally created in 1953 by British novelist Ian Fleming, Agent 007 has been an entertainment icon ever since, appearing in over 40 novels and short stories, 22 feature films, a handful of television shows, radio broadcasts, comic books, and of course, lots and lots of video games.

With the latest Bond flick, Skyfall, and the latest Bond game, 007 Legends, just around the corner, 007 fever has promptly struck millions of fans worldwide. So, keeping that in mind, its time to take a look back at the virtual adventures of everyones favorite martini-drinking fictional agent, chronicling the good, the bad, and the Bond.

Page 1 of 21
Page 1 of 21
James Bond 007 (1983)

James Bond 007 (1983)

Mr. Bonds gaming debut was a fairly unspectacular side-scroller for the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Commodore 64, and ColecoVision. Rather than letting players control the agent himself, it put them behind the wheel of Bonds Batmobile-like car, which could leap over obstacles, dodge enemy attacks, and shoot lasers to take down foes. Four missions were included, each of them loosely based on a Bond film: Diamonds Are Forever, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, and The Spy Who Loved Me.

Page 2 of 21
Page 2 of 21
A View to a Kill (1985) and A View to a Kill (1985)

A View to a Kill (1985) and A View to a Kill (1985)

Thats right: There were two separate games based on the 14th entry (and last to star Roger Moore) in the Bond film series. The first was a buggy action game split into three sections, all of them centered on the events of the film, which saw our hero saving California from the villainous Max Zorin. It was the first Bond effort from UK publisher Domark, which would go on to make six Bond games in total. It even featured the iconic movie intro sequence, in which Bond turns and shoots at the camera.

The second A View to a Kill, too, closely followed the movies happenings, only without the fancy cutscenes or graphics. It was a text-based adventure game from Mindscape; pretty much the exact opposite from Domarks title. A follow-up, James Bond 007: Goldfinger, arrived a year later, in 1986.

Page 3 of 21
Page 3 of 21
The Living Daylights (1987)

The Living Daylights (1987)

Domarks next movie tie-in came a couple of months after Timothy Daltons Bond debut, and pitted him against the likes of the KGB, nefarious arms dealers, andkiller milkmen. The side-scrolling third-person shooter sported eight levels and less bugs than A View to a Kill, but was still hampered by awkward controls and weak looks. One highlight, however, was its soundtrack, composed by the prolific video game composer David Whittaker.

Page 4 of 21
Page 4 of 21
Live and Let Die (1988)

Live and Let Die (1988)

Domark had a stranglehold on the Bond license throughout the mid-to-late 80s, but that didnt stop them from switching things up from the usual action game formula with this 1988 release. Unlike its side-scrolling predecessors, Live and Let Die was a speedboat racing game. Weird, right?

In actuality, Live and Let Die was a re-branding of a game called Aquablast, which was in development at the time but found itself overhauled to (very) loosely fit the Bond name. While it was certainly different, it wasnt all that good, featuring repetitive, shallow missions and almost no resemblance to the actual license.

Page 5 of 21
Page 5 of 21
007: License to Kill (1989)

007: License to Kill (1989)

Heres where things started to pick up a bit. Domarks fourth time proved to be the charm, as License to Kill stressed level diversity and tighter controls above all else. You could control Bond on foot, in helicopters, underwater, driving tanker trucks, and even on water-skis, all in the pursuit of the evil drug smuggler Sanchez. It looked, sounded, and played well, and, at the time, set the standard for all future Bond games to come

Page 6 of 21
Page 6 of 21
The Spy Who Loved Me (1990)

The Spy Who Loved Me (1990)

Domark brought Bond back behind the wheel with this top-down shooter and racing hybrid. Like Live and Let Die before it, The Spy Who Loved Me largely ignored the plot of its film namesake, and suffered from mediocre controls and some seriously frustrating spikes in difficulty. Its graphics, sound, and overall presentation were fine, but the rest of The Spy Who Loved Me was ultimately a disappointment after License to Kills successes a year prior.

Page 7 of 21
Page 7 of 21
James Bond: The Stealth Affair (1991)

James Bond: The Stealth Affair (1991)

This point-and-click adventure game from French developer Delphine was alright as an experience, but it was more memorable for not actually being a James Bond game in the first place. While The Stealth Affair was re-branded as a Bond title in the United States, European and other markets knew it as Operation Stealth.

There, it featured CIA agent John Glames, a man tasked with locating high-tech stealth planes in Latin America. U.S. markets, meanwhile, received largely the same game, only with John Glames now referred to as James Bond. The recoating led to some odd inconsistencies in the Bond lore, so if youve ever wanted to see 007 take orders from the CIA, instead of the usual MI6, heres your chance.

Page 8 of 21
Page 8 of 21
James Bond Jr. (1992)

James Bond Jr. (1992)

THQs first and only contribution to the Bond game legacy took its inspiration from the early 90s spin-off cartoon of the same name, and, well, it wasnt quite an adventure worthy of the bigger Bonds name. Two wildly different versions were released for the NES and the SNES, respectively. While the former was a puzzle-platformer, the latter was more of an action title with shoot-em-up elements.

Unfortunately, neither were any good. Both games adhere to the same lackluster and derivative gameplay, and while they each stay faithful to the animated license, theyre not worth getting nostalgic over.

Page 9 of 21
Page 9 of 21
James Bond 007: The Duel (1993)

James Bond 007: The Duel (1993)

This Sega exclusive was memorable for a few reasons. For one, it was one of the most influential early Bond titles to not be based on a pre-existing story or film, as Domark decided to compose its own tale--albeit one that saw Bond face off against a variety of past villains--while the agents films were in the midst of a six-year hiatus. It also was the last appearance of Timothy Dalton as Bond, as 1989s License to Kill marked his last film in the franchise. Finally, it was also longtime Bond dev Domarks last title using the license.

Gameplay-wise, The Duel was generally solid, if a tad unexciting. It was yet another third-person action-platformer that looked and controlled well enough (especially on the Genesis version, rather than the Master Systems), but was just too repetitive and straightforward to be considered one of 007s greatest hits.

Page 10 of 21
Page 10 of 21
 GoldenEye 007 (1997)

GoldenEye 007 (1997)

What can be said about Rares FPS masterwork that hasnt already been said before? After four years away from the video game scene, Bond came back in a big way, bringing to the Nintendo 64 what may be the most important console shooter ever created. The first title to feature Pierce Brosnan as 007, GoldenEye had a great single-player mode that emphasized stealth alongside combat, varied mission objectives, a wide array of weapons (including one of the first zoomable sniper rifles), and a great overall presentation.

While the solo experience was superb on its own, its Goldeneyes split-screen multiplayer mode that is arguably the most beloved in the genre. Players spent countless nights killing up to three of their friends time and time again, across five different types of deathmatch modes. It set the stage for spiritual successors such as Perfect Dark, arguably laid the foundations for multiplayer juggernauts like Halo and Call of Duty today, and proved that console first-person shooters could thrive alongside their PC brethren.

Page 11 of 21
Page 11 of 21
 James Bond 007 (1998)

James Bond 007 (1998)

Developer Saffire attempted to capitalize on the revived Bond fever by releasing this Game Boy action-RPG, the agents first ever on a handheld. Rather than following up on Goldeneyes shooter success, though, James Bond 007 played more like an old-school Legend of Zelda, only not quite as engaging. It was a fairly standard RPG, all things considered, only suffering from repetitiveness and the limitations of the aging Game Boy hardware for which it was designed.

Page 12 of 21
Page 12 of 21
Tomorrow Never Dies (1999)

Tomorrow Never Dies (1999)

Bonds return to home consoles came the following year with this PlayStation exclusive. Electronic Arts had captured the licensing rights to James Bond by this point, and the first-person shooting of GoldenEye was soon changed into third-person shooting here. The result was an awkward-controlling piece of standard shooting fare that, while faithful to the Bond name, couldnt quite attain the same magic of its predecessor. Dropping multiplayer from the game certainly didnt help either.

Page 13 of 21
Page 13 of 21
The World Is Not Enough (2000)

The World Is Not Enough (2000)

After the so-so Tomorrow Never Dies, EA decided to return to GoldenEyes first-person roots with this effort for the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and Game Boy Color. While the handheld version was by and large terrible, the console editions made a solid enough return to what revived fan interest in Bond in the first place, with good looks and improved controls. PlayStation owners were still denied multiplayer, but N64 players could be take out their buds all over again. It was still great fun, provided that nobody was using Oddjob, of course.

Page 14 of 21
Page 14 of 21
007 Racing (2000)

007 Racing (2000)

That same year, Bond was back behind the wheel for this PS1-exclusive action driver, which was inspired by the likes of Twisted Metal and Spy Hunter. It controlled sloppily, featured choppy environments, and, most importantly, made you feel like some psycho in an Aston Martin rather than Bond himself. I suppose you could argue thats all 007 is in the first place, but that doesnt make this one any more enjoyable.

Page 15 of 21
Page 15 of 21
007: Agent Under Fire (2001)

007: Agent Under Fire (2001)

Bond entered the sixth generation of consoles with Agent Under Fire for the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. It sported an original plotline, introduced driving and rail shooting elements to its traditional FPS gameplay, brought back multiplayer, and naturally wowed players with its looks, since it was one of the earlier next-gen games at the time. Overall, it was a solid debut for Bond on the new set of systems.

Page 16 of 21
Page 16 of 21
007: Nightfire (2002), 007: Everything or Nothing (2004), and GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (2004)

007: Nightfire (2002), 007: Everything or Nothing (2004), and GoldenEye: Rogue Agent (2004)

By this point, EA was releasing Bond games on just about an annual basis, with fans appropriately eating them up in large amounts each time. Some were good, some were bad, but none were really doing anything too different--thus, we lump them together here. Nightfire and Everything or Nothing were both tight, enjoyable shooters that featured increasingly impressive presentations and production values. Rogue Agent, on the other hand, looked fine, but stumbled in its attempts to re-create the successes of GoldenEye all those years ago.

Page 17 of 21
Page 17 of 21
From Russia With Love (2005)

From Russia With Love (2005)

EA decided to turn back the clock with 2005s From Russia With Love, which featured the likeness and voice of legendary actor Sean Connery in a plot based on the 1963 film of the same name. The third-person shooter stayed relatively faithful to its retro source material, but kept things fresh with stunning looks for its time, a load of new gadgets to toy with (jetpacks, anyone?), and the always-solid split-screen multiplayer. It was a little too easy, and its linearity didnt differ much from Everything or Nothing from the year prior, but it was still cool to see the old-school days of Bond receive some love.

Page 18 of 21
Page 18 of 21
Quantum of Solace (2008)

Quantum of Solace (2008)

After failing to get a tie-in game based on 2006s reboot of the Bond film franchise, Casino Royale, onto store shelves, Electronic Arts relinquished their rights to the Bond license, leaving the franchise dormant for the next couple of years. That would soon change after another publishing giant, Activision, got their hands on the famed super spy and put him on current-gen consoles for the first time with Quantum of Solace.

Covering the plots from both the Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace films, this shooter from Black Ops developer Treyarch wasnt quite the glorious return Bond fans had been hoping for. Weak combat, brain dead AI, and design that was simply too derivative of other popular shooters at the time hindered Quantum of Solace from the start, leaving the game more George Lazenby than Daniel Craig. James Bond 007: Blood Stone would follow two years later, and, like Quantum of Solace, it was okay, but not anything special.

Page 19 of 21
Page 19 of 21
GoldenEye 007 (2010) and GoldenEye 007: Reloaded (2011)

GoldenEye 007 (2010) and GoldenEye 007: Reloaded (2011)

We fittingly end our trip down MI6 memory lane where it began for so many players today: GoldenEye. Announced in tandem with Blood Stone, GoldenEye 007 re-imagined the classic FPS for Wii and Nintendo DS. Pierce Brosnan was replaced by Daniel Craig, the plot was marginally altered, online multiplayer was added, and Bond now used a smartphone to scan objects. It was definitely modern, but still managed to nail that old-school GoldenEye feel for those who never got the chance to experience the magic of the mid-90s. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners would get in on the action a year later, with the HD remastered GoldenEye 007: Reloaded.

Page 20 of 21
Page 20 of 21
Shaken, not stirred

Shaken, not stirred

Well there you have it. As is the case with Bonds films, the games of 007 are highlighted by a few wondrous highs and a few less-than-stellar lows. With 007 Legends dropping next week, the franchise shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

So now its your turn to speak up. Whats your favorite Bond game? Can anything compete with the the original GoldenEye? And what would you like to see out of future Bond titles? Let us know in the comments below.

And if you're looking for more looks back to the history of games, check out the history of Pokemon and a history of AO games.

Page 21 of 21
Page 21 of 21
CATEGORIES
Android iPad iPhone PC Gaming Wii-u Nintendo PlayStation Xbox Platforms Mobile Gaming
Jeff Dunn
See more PC Gaming Features
Read more
007: Last Light
007: First Light brings Casino Royale energy to the Hitman devs' James Bond game
James Bond in 007 First Light
Hitman dev says 007 First Light isn't "just shooting and shooting and shooting," and spy gadgets will allow for "varied and spread out" approaches to missions in the James Bond game
A screenshot of James Bond in 007 First Light's reveal trailer.
007 First Light: Everything we know so far about IO Interactive's new Bond game
007 First Light key art showing James Bond concealed in shadow
007 First Light is officially the name for Hitman studio's James Bond game, and it looks to be an origin story
007: Last Light
007 First Light leads say James Bond is no Agent 47: "If Hitman is a single-minded killer and basically the bad guy of the game, Bond is the hero"
James Bond in an all-black get-up talking to a lady who's just off-screen while at a fancy event in 007: First Light
007: First Light devs chose a James Bond origin story to help be "more relatable" to a "younger audience maybe than the Bond franchise is used to"
Latest in Action
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag artwork showing Kenway with a group of pirates
Assassin's Creed: Black Flag remake takes a step closer to reality as lead voice actor tells fans "you may have to beat it again"
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Link wanted for counterfeit as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Switch 2 edition adds a new item duplication glitch for infinite rare materials
Death Stranding 2 Sam touching Lou and Fragile
Full Death Stranding 2 cast and cameos list
A living puppet sits on Fragile's shoulder in a Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot
Death Stranding 2 players discover that they're being penalized for efficiency, as bulk-delivering items rewards you less than handing them in one at a time
Death Stranding 2
Do you need to play Death Stranding 1 before Death Stranding 2: On the Beach?
GTA Online Safeguard deliveries
How to complete GTA Online Safeguard deliveries
Latest in Features
Sam balances across a ladder high up in the mountains in Death Stranding 2
Death Stranding 2 is my favorite online game this year, even though you never directly see any other players
Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
The Squid Game season 3 finale is a crushing but ultimately hopeful conclusion – and I wouldn't have it any other way
Resident Evil Requiem
I don't care what Capcom says, Leon not being in Resident Evil Requiem makes no sense
One-Punch Man season 3: Saitama punching while in mid-air during the anime One-Punch Man.
Anime Expo 2025: dates, announcements, and why One-Punch Man fans should be excited
The Shrouds
It may feature corpses, missing limbs, and AI, but with The Shrouds, legendary director David Cronenberg has made the ultimate meditation on grief: "To me, there is no afterlife"
Henry Cavill at the premiere of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Henry Cavill’s Warhammer 40K series should ditch Space Marines for one of the series’ most important characters, and I know exactly how it would work
  1. Sam fires at the ghost mech squid boss in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    1
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  2. 2
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  3. 3
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  4. 4
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  5. 5
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  1. M3GAN doll in M3GAN 2.0
    1
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  2. 2
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  3. 3
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  4. 4
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  5. 5
    Karate Kid: Legends review: "Better than Karate Kid (2010), nothing on Karate Kid (1984)"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...