Written 70 years ago, Casino Royale marks the first entry in the vast James Bond library. Nine years after the first book's release, Dr. No made its way to theaters, marking the cinematic debut of the debonair spy. Flash forward 60 years, and the character of James Bond has starred in 40 novels, 25 movies, and 24 games, which is quite the impressive feat. When it comes to British spies, nobody does it better.
Unfortunately, despite persisting for over 60 years, not all James Bond properties are given the same amount of polish, and this is especially the case when it comes to Bond's video game outings. While there have been a few truly special Bond games that have really managed to capture the essence of the character, the majority of Bond's video game offerings are mediocre at best and terrible at worst.
S-Tier
- GoldenEye 007 (1997): Starting this tier list with a bang, GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 is still widely considered to not only be the best James Bond game, but also one of the best N64 games ever made. Pioneering much of the first-person shooter mechanics for console games of the time, GoldenEye 007 pushed the boundaries for a licensed game, with Rare going above and beyond to deliver on the promise of making the player truly feel like the titular action hero for the first time in James Bond video game history. Pair these innovative controls with a thrilling cinematic campaign and a multiplayer mode that's still being played over 20 years later, and it's easy to see why GoldenEye 007 is so beloved.
- 007 Nightfire (2002): After GoldenEye 007, James Bond games kind of forgot how to be good. For a while, EA's subsequent offerings paled in comparison to the surprise 1997 hit, but then along came 007 Nightfire. Making use of the 6th generation's new technology, Nightfire puts players in the shoes of an excellently-rendered Pierce Brosnan Bond as he shoots and drives his way through an explosive campaign filled to the brim with classic Bond iconography and tropes. Some diverse gameplay opportunities and excellent audio design, along with a multiplayer mode that evoked the same charm as GoldenEye, help make Nightfire one of the best Bond games.
- Everything or Nothing (2004): Though it shifts the series into third-person territory, Everything or Nothing learns from its predecessors, and provides one of the best James Bond stories out there in any medium. With an electric performance from Willem Dafoe as a maniacal villain, some exhilarating vehicle and shooting set pieces, and an incredibly high level of production value, Everything or Nothing more than deserves a top spot alongside Nightfire and GoldenEye.
A-Tier
- James Bond 007 (1998): A bit of a rogue one, James Bond 007 is an original Game Boy title that came out extremely late into the Game Boy's life cycle. Using the limitations of the handheld console to its advantage, James Bond 007 takes heavy inspiration from The Legend of Zelda series, giving players a top-down adventure game in which Bond has to use his iconic charm and wit to solve puzzles and progress as opposed to just gunning down waves of henchmen. James Bond 007 is one of the most unique Bond titles out there.
- Agent Under Fire (2001): The first Bond game on the 6th generation, Agent Under Fire is an absolutely fine game. Players take control of an original Bond and play through an original story. The FPS mechanics are decent, albeit a little repetitive and simplistic for the time, but the addition of gadgets keeps the game exciting.
- 007 From Russia With Love (2005): The last Bond game published by EA, From Russia With Love brings back Sean Connery to reprise his role and expands upon the movie's plot and settings in a few instances. Though the gameplay and level design isn't quite as polished as Everything or Nothing, From Russia With Love is still worth playing.
- Quantum of Solace (2008): Fusing both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace together, this game is essentially a Call of Duty clone from the same developers, but it's a solid clone. Mixing first-person and third-person action, Quantum of Solace is decent shooter with some exciting set pieces, but the lack of gameplay variety and the game's short length is noticeable.
B-Tier
- The World is Not Enough (2000): With Rare leaving to pursue greener pastures, EA was left to create its own successor to GoldenEye. The World is Not Enough doesn't nearly carry as much charm or innovation as its predecessor, but it's shooting mechanics and graphics are pretty solid, at least on the N64 version.
- Blood Stone (2010): One of the last attempts to make a Bond game, Blood Stone is an original Daniel Craig-led adventure that builds on Quantum of Solace's gameplay, but doesn't quite nail the execution due to some pretty washed-out environments and a slow pace.
- GoldenEye 007 (2010): A remake of the original, 2010's GoldenEye 007 is a pretty good Wii shooter, but doesn't hold a candle to the original in terms of creativity and innovation. That being said, the split-screen multiplayer does evoke a lot of the original's charm.
C-Tier
- James Bond 007 (1983): The first James Bond game ever made, this Atari 2600 title had some pretty impressive graphics for the time, but the shallow side-scrolling gameplay became dull very quickly.
- James Bond: Live and Let Die (1988): Originally made as unrelated speedboat title called Aquablast, Live and Let Die was rebranded in order to sell more copies. Thankfully though, the vibrant visuals and responsive controls make it a fun, short game to revisit.
- 007: License to Kill (1989): License to Kill is a short, but very varied game, offering four levels of completely different gameplay, ranging from a vertical-scrolling helicopter stage to a side-scrolling shooter mission.
- James Bond 007: The Stealth Affair (1990): Another Bond game that started life as an unrelated title, The Stealth Affair is a point-and-click adventure game in which Bond is recast as a CIA agent. Though the license doesn't quite match up to the game's story, it's a solid adventure game.
- GoldenEye Rogue Agent (2004): A game that puts the player in the shoes of a mercenary working for Goldfinger who has a literal robotic golden eye, GoldenEye Rogue Agent is a shameless cash-grab that has weak and repetitive FPS gameplay, with abilities that never prove themselves to be worthwhile.
D-Tier
- A View to a Kill (1985): The first of two 1985 View to a Kill games, this ZX Spectrum/C64 title has some incredibly awkward and unresponsive controls, but does offer three distinct types of gameplay, ranging from a point-and-click mission to a primitive driving stage.
- James Bond 007: A View to a Kill (1985): The second View to a Kill game, this DOS title is a simple text adventure, written by Raymond Benson, who took over writing Bond novels after Ian Fleming's death. This game suffers from some unclear objectives.
- James Bond 007: Goldfinger (1986): A follow up to A View to a Kill, Goldfinger is another text adventure, once again written by Raymond Benson. Though its objectives are clearer, the game's often obscure scenarios can lead to frustration.
- James Bond: The Living Daylights (1987): The second game by Domark, behind the varied but flawed ZX Spectrum A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights is solely a side-scrolling shooter. Thought the presentation is solid, the game's controls are stiff and awkward.
- James Bond: The Spy Who Loved Me (1990): Essentially just a clone of Spy Hunter, The Spy Who Loved Me is a vertical-scrolling vehicle game that has poorer controls and presentation than the game it's trying to imitate.
- James Bond 007: The Duel (1993): James Bond 007: The Duel is a repetitive, unoriginal side-scrolling action platformer that has little connection to the source material aside from a tuxedoed 16-bit sprite.
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1999): The first EA-published James Bond game, Tomorrow Never Dies was the next console Bond title after GoldenEye 007, and it paled in comparison in just about every way. Broken tank controls, unimaginative gameplay, and terrible graphics lands this game at the bottom of this tier list.
- 007 Racing (2000): A word not often associated with James Bond, 007 Racing actually has very little "racing" in it at all. Instead, players just drive through checkpoints and fire missiles at enemies, all the while struggling with some truly awful controls, graphics, and sound design.
- 007 Legends (2012): The most recent James Bond game, 007 Legends took some of the most iconic set pieces from the entire film franchise and boiled them down into a handful of extremely short, horrendously-controlled, buggy stages. The lack of voice acting leads to each stage feeling eerily empty, and the generic FPS mechanics are pitiful for a 2012 title.