For the first time in 14 years, cinema’s most long-lived superspy has returned to the world of video games, and it has been a resounding success. Unlike previous depictions of James Bond in gaming (from GoldenEye 64, the game that set the gold standard for single-player first-person shooters, to 007 Legends, the antiquated, well-worn endpoint of Bond adaptation), 007 First Light truly sets itself apart by introducing a radically new version of the character, not one tethered to the cinematic likeness or narrative identity of any of the on-screen depictions. Not only does the game birth its own canon by delivering an original story centered on the character’s first adventure as a 00 recruit, but that story also revolves around IO Interactive’s own unique version of Bond’s supporting ensemble, much like the way every cinematic reboot has done.
Of course, the central piece of IOI’s original 007 canon is the titular MI6 operative himself – Dexter: Original Sin alumni Patrick Gibson provides the likeness for the developers’ 26-year-old Bond, and his youth affords a certain singularity to him amongst other actors to pick up the mantle. The game starts out even before Bond becomes an MI6 agent, and the fact that players inhabit his shoes from the moment he pops up on the radar of British intelligence to the moment he officially receives his 00 clearance means that not only is he a historic depiction of the character, but he’s also one that players have a direct role in shaping. Despite the fact that he’s not directly modeled after any of the previous actors, there are still certain qualities found in Gibson’s Bond that strongly call back to the superspy’s previous selves, making the First Light Bond both a new creation and also a mashup of every Bond that came before.
