James Bond games were all the rage back in the day. Although there were lots of games about Ian Fleming's master spy produced from the 1980s to the 2000s, fans probably remember GoldenEye 007 on the N64 the most. It showed the potential of what James Bond games could be, and ended up being hugely influential to shooters in general. More recent examples include a slew of games focused on Piece Brosnan and Daniel Craig's depictions of Bond, but the fad suddenly died out in 2012. That was the year that Eurocom and Activision released 007 Legends, a compilation of adventures celebrating every actor who ever played Bond on the silver screen.

It didn't go well. 007 Legends had a big idea, but failed to impress critics. On the contrary: the game received so much criticism that developer Eurocom laid off more than 100 employees and Activision decided to remove the game from digital stores across several platforms. 007 Legends is arguably the reason why there hasn't been a James Bond game in so long. Now, it looks like IO Interactive is planning a new Bond game. The project is being called Project 007 in development, a fittingly mysterious title for the time being. While Project 007 is something to look forward to, the return of Bond in video games means it's worth taking a moment to look back on 007 Legends.

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The concept behind 007 Legends was great. Considering how many actors have played the spy — implying James Bond's true identity is always changing — there's fertile ground for storytelling when the narratives are tied together under one roof. Unfortunately, critics thought that 007 Legends failed to bring the stories together successfully. The six iterations of Bond were really just placed alongside each other in a sort-of anthology of playable missions, rather than creating something new out of these old adventures. The game wasn't well received for its gameplay mechanics either.

Some critics called the gameplay loop mindless, mostly a matter of pushing buttons when prompted and getting into repetitive gunfights. Many players thought that the game reeked far too much of Call of Duty. If Eurocom intentionally tried to imitate Call of Duty's gameplay, it clearly didn't work for the James Bond's reputation of stealth and subtlety. Stealth was another aspect of the game criticized heavily. It's hard to imagine a James Bond game without strong stealth elements, but Eurocom failed to deliver. Between disappointing storytelling, boring action sequences, and weak stealth gameplay, 007 Legends didn't live up to expectations.

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007 Legends' one saving grace was the praise for its split-screen multiplayer, in an era where many shooters didn't show local multiplayer play much love. Unfortunately, GoldenEye 007 had just been remade for the Wii a couple years prior, and featured a pretty similar multiplayer offering. Since its one selling point was largely inconsequential, 007 Legends ended the era of James Bond games on a disappointing note. However, James Bond fans now have IO Interactive's aforementioned project to look forward to. Project 007 seems like an attempt to stir interest in Bond's adventures for a new generation of fans.

There's still a market for stealth-based adventures out there. For instance, Ghost of Tsushima was a huge hit last year. It strongly encouraged players to use stealth to pick off Mongol warriors one by one, living up to the game's spectral title. It wouldn't be surprising if Project 007 leans heavily into the stealthy spirit of Ghost of Tsushima and IO Interactive's own Hitman. However, IO Interactive should look to the James Bond franchise's past when developing the game as well.

007 Legends reminds onlookers of the importance of striking a strong balance of stealth, action, and story in James Bond media. If Project 007 takes note of that, it can pick up the ball where 007 Legends dropped it.

Project 007 is currently in development.

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