James Bond has been a mainstay of cinema for over 60 years, but author Ian Fleming's suave spy has also been in his element when it comes to video games. A charismatic hero foiling world domination plots concocted by diabolical villains made for a perfect video game recipe, and once you factored in Bond's talent for witty one-liners and his unmatched skill in getting rid of colorful henchmen, Britain's finest export found his place in the interactive entertainment scene--to varying degrees of success. Not every Bond video game has been good, but that's the case with almost all licensed video game franchises. The spy has gone on a number of successful missions in the world of games, though.
Bond has been kicking around since 1982 on a variety of platforms, and to celebrate four decades of shaken martinis, we're taking a trip back in time to see how Her Majesty's secret agent has evolved over the years. We imagine you've played at least a few James Bond games, but you've also probably never heard of some of these titles.
Shaken But Not Stirred (1982)
Shaken But Not StirredThe first outing of MI6's top operative stuck closely to its literary origins, as this text-based adventure saw Bond tangle with Dr. Death. Words were exchanged, Dr. Death's henchman was the steel-fisted Paws, and a nuclear warhead was disarmed in this dialogue-heavy debut.
James Bond 007 (1983)
James Bond 007A year later, the next Bond game was more visual in design and featured missions pulled from Diamonds Are Forever, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, and The Spy Who Loved Me for this Atari 2600 game.
A View to a Kill (1985)
A View to a KillMoving to the twilight of Roger Moore's Bond era, 1985 saw two games released to tie into A View to a Kill. The first game was another text-based adventure game, while the more appealing title on offer was an action-packed jaunt across the world. And it was released on cassette, if you grabbed the ZX Spectrum version. What a time to be alive.
Goldfinger (1986)
GoldfingerBack to the text-based adventures of Bond, Goldfinger was heavy on prose and dry British humor when it arrived in 1986. Fun fact: This game featured input in the plot and design departments by Raymond Benson, who would later go on to pen a number of Bond novels.
The Living Daylights (1987)
The Living DaylightsRun-and-gun action based on the first Timothy Dalton Bond film, The Living Daylights had a neat parallax effect in its design, high-pitched shootouts, and a garage full of gadgets to choose from between stages.
James Bond: Live and Let Die (1988)
James Bond: Live and Let DieLive and Let Die's video game adaptation was a solid highlight reel of the film's terrific boat chase scene, which infamously destroyed 17 of the 23 vessels used in that action-packed sequence. Plus, it had a catchy intro tune on the Commodore 64 that even Sheriff JW Pepper would approve of.
007: License to Kill (1989)
007: License to KillShifting to a birds eye view, this Bond game saw 007 chasing down drug baron Franz Sanchez across various levels and in a number of different vehicles.
James Bond 007 Action Pack (1990)
James Bond 007: Action PackAn ambitious compilation of three James Bond video games developed and published by Amstrad, this package came with the ZX Spectrum home PC and a Magnum Light Phaser gun. Q actor Desmond Llewelyn reprised his role as well, giving you a mission briefing while urging you to pay close attention.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1990)
The Spy Who Loved MeAnother nod to the past, The Spy Who Loved Me was a solid action game at the time but shoddy ports and by-the-books gameplay made for a forgettable experience.
007 James Bond: The Stealth Affair (1990)
007: James Bond: The Stealth AffairWith point-and-click adventure games taking off, the format was perfect for Bond to work some espionage magic inside of. Great art design, plenty of action, and an original plot made for a thrilling Bond game. Another Bond fact: The main character was originally a generic Bond-style character named John Glames and only had the 007 license added for its US release.
James Bond Jr. (1991)
James Bond Jr.Like any successful movie product of the 1980s and 90s, it wasn't long before James Bond got an animated series that most of us would like to forget about. The same goes for this tie-in game starring the nephew of Bond, which played like an action-platformer game if it was designed by a committee.
James Bond: The Duel (1993)
James Bond: The DuelNothing too out of the ordinary in this action game, Bond was once again foiling the schemes of yet another mad scientist aiming to dominate the globe, tangling with clones of infamous villains from his past, and saving hostages along the way.