007 First Light

One of the best espionage action games I've played this year. IO Interactive proved they were the right studio for the Bond franchise Their experience with the Hitman series translates perfectly into 007, with stealth and sandbox gameplay that lets you tackle missions however you want. The game has everything I expect from a James Bond story, Hollywood-esque action, globe-trotting missions, political conspiracies, plot twists, a bit of romance, and all the high-tech gadgets you'd hope to see. My biggest complaint is the AI. It can be pretty dumb at times and occasionally ruins the immersion (but i only played at normal difficulty). There are also a few puzzle sections that drag on longer than they should. That said, these issues never outweighed the fun for me. 007 First Light is a confident first outing for IO's take on James Bond. It's polished, packed with memorable story, and captures the feeling of being 007 better than I expected. If you've been waiting for a proper Bond game, this one is well worth your time.

Review by [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34633003-Gaming-Masterpieces/lists/] Gaming Masterpieces [/url] - The greatest games of all time on Steam. Is this game a masterpiece? Yes, probably. In 007 First Light, you get to experience the story of how James Bond became the famous secret agent with a license to kill. Going from a member of a flight crew to an elite intelligence operative is no ordinary career path. You need exceptional skills—do you have what it takes? With 007 First Light, we finally learn how James Bond became the world's most famous super-spy. Think of it as James Bond: Origins. IO Interactive, the Danish studio behind the highly successful Hitman series, has taken on a new hero with financial support from Amazon MGM Studios. Their latest game no longer stars the bald Agent 47, but Bond, James Bond. This is not the Bond most moviegoers know, however. This version is younger. At just 26 years old, Bond is still serving with the Royal Navy as part of a helicopter crew. At dawn, two transport helicopters carrying SAS commandos approach an Icelandic island to conduct a secret rescue operation. Bond is not told who or what is being rescued—that information is classified. Unfortunately, most of the SAS soldiers never even reach the island. Surface-to-air missiles shoot both helicopters out of the sky. It's a perfectly prepared ambush. Bond is thrown into the freezing ocean but survives—for now. Shivering, he crawls ashore. A strong wind is blowing, rain is pouring down, and the morning is already off to a terrible start. Things quickly get worse. Armed soldiers patrol the coastline, searching for survivors and executing them on sight. Bond must avoid detection, learning how to sprint, crouch, hide in tall grass, and climb over rocks. MI6 contacts him via radio and informs him that, with the SAS commandos incapacitated, he will have to complete the mission himself—whether he likes it or not. At this point, Bond is not yet an MI6 employee, so he feels perfectly comfortable ignoring orders. Later, this attitude doesn't change much. James Bond has always had issues with authority. Why abandon helpless civilians if there is a chance to save them? After successfully completing his first (and entirely unplanned) mission in Iceland, Bond is recruited by MI6. Or rather, he is recruited by M, who presents the job in a surprisingly honest manner: short life expectancy, no social life, and terrible pay. Miss Moneypenny handles the administrative side of his training and immediately sends him to Malta, where he meets several other candidates for the newly established 00 Program, along with their instructor, Greenway. Later, Bond visits MI6's newest quantum computer in London and tours Q's newly opened laboratory, where all the agency's gadgets are developed and tested. Following a first mission in London, the real action begins before training is even complete. The team is deployed to Bratislava to observe a major event. Naturally, things do not go according to plan, and the story quickly gathers momentum. Bond is an agile protagonist. He can sprint, jump, shimmy along ledges, silently eliminate enemies from behind, or knock them out in close combat. Melee encounters offer a surprising amount of depth. You can dodge, block, counterattack, grapple opponents, and generally approach fights in a manner similar to a boxing simulation. Empty firearms can be thrown at enemies. Shooting weapons out of opponents' hands disarms them, while shooting at their feet causes them to fall. Many action scenes are resolved through Quick Time Events (QTEs). Driving is straightforward: steer, accelerate, drift around corners using the handbrake, and occasionally remember that brakes exist. Despite all the action, violence is not always the best solution. Many situations can be resolved more peacefully. Eavesdrop on conversations, pickpocket key items, use social engineering, or distract enemies to slip past unnoticed. Most missions take place in large environments filled with interactive opportunities. Crowded locations such as nightclubs, marketplaces, hotels, and major public events feel alive and densely populated. Throughout the adventure, Bond travels across Europe, Asia, Africa, and even the Arctic, collecting gadgets, resources, and mission items. The campaign is significantly shorter than the combined Hitman trilogy, however, taking roughly one-third of the time to complete on a first playthrough. Completed missions can be replayed at any time in TacSim Mode, including optional bonus challenges. Naturally, MI6 equips Bond with cutting-edge technology disguised as everyday objects. These gadgets, along with various firearms, are gradually unlocked over the course of the game. Before each mission, players must choose their equipment loadout. Bringing everything at once is not an option. The relationship between James Bond and Agent 47 is impossible to ignore. 007 First Light clearly builds upon the foundations of the Hitman engine. The visuals, controls, and emphasis on stealth all feel familiar. Bond operates differently Than Agent 47, though. He avoids killing innocent people, and unlike Agent 47, he is charming, witty, and highly social. He frequently manipulates his opponents through conversation and can talk his way out of dangerous situations. He doesn't disguise himself as a gardener to access restricted areas. Instead, he walks confidently into them and convinces people to help him. Unlike Agent 47, he cannot hide unconscious bodies, steal disguises, or poison drinks. As a result, there are fewer systemic possibilities than in Hitman. Stealth remains important, but when necessary, Bond can unleash considerable force. Whether through firearms, gadgets, or environmental hazards, some missions encourage direct confrontation. If you're careless and get spotted frequently, combat becomes unavoidable. Like Hitman, staying unseen is usually best—but Bond is perfectly capable of winning a fight when stealth fails. After all, he has a license to kill. Dialogue is fully voiced, sound effects are varied and convincing, and checkpoints are generous. If you die, you simply restart from the latest autosave without penalty. Ray tracing is currently absent but is planned as a post-launch update. The campaign can be played offline, although IO Interactive recommends being online to access all features. This represents a significant improvement over the last Hitman title, which required a constant internet connection for single-player progression. I also tested the game on a Lenovo Legion Go S. After lowering settings and using AMD Frame Generation, it became playable, though not particularly smooth. I would not recommend it as the ideal handheld experience. [u][b] Conclusion:[/b][/u] Beautiful women, fast sports cars, cutting-edge gadgets, and treacherous villains—007 First Light contains everything you'd expect from a great James Bond film. The theme song, performed by Lana Del Rey, would feel perfectly at home in a blockbuster movie. Conversations with M, Moneypenny, and various villains are entertaining, while the cinematics are lavishly produced. 007 First Light delivers a solid stealth-action adventure with a compelling mix of espionage, action, story twists, and creative problem-solving. You'll sneak, improvise, survive action sequences, and make use of every tool at your disposal. It's exactly the kind of spy thriller fans would hope for from a James Bond game.

I wasn’t really expecting anything, since I’m not exactly a Bond fan. I generally like IO’s games, but I was really worried that this one might turn out to be clunky and a bit wooden. That said, the game was a pleasant surprise. I finished it on Steam in 17 hours. Surprisingly, the game turned out to be an excellent and dynamic adventure that kept me entertained for several evenings-something I haven’t had in a long time-and I’m damn glad there are more games like this coming out. It features some solid shootouts, choreographed sequences, cutscenes, and even elements of social stealth. They’ve obviously borrowed a lot from the latest Hitman games. Naturally, everything’s been streamlined and simplified, but I’d say that’s for the best. The combat, surprisingly, is excellent. It’s very tactile-the hits feel satisfying-and there are standard strikes as well as grapples, parries, running strikes, environmental attacks, and more. At first, I didn’t like the shooting, but then I got into it and it started to feel quite enjoyable. The graphics aren’t exactly top-notch, but they’re nice. The locations are quite complex and cool. The main characters are well-designed and animated, but the NPCs in the locations are pretty wooden. On the downside The AI is dumb. I have to admit, it was really obvious in some places. I could literally run right in front of someone’s face in a restricted area, and they wouldn’t do a thing to me. The plot leaves a very mixed impression. On the one hand, everything here is pretty much by the book-it’s a pure spy action flick, just like Bond has always been. It’s spectacular, beautiful, and doesn’t drag on. On the other hand, there are plenty of downright dumb and strange plot decisions here as well. The game’s structure is pretty uneven. I mean, I went through the tutorial and the training mission, checked the walkthrough to see where I was, and it turned out I was already a third of the way through the game. Also, the further we progress through the missions, the more slapdash the exploration part becomes. It’s as if they threw it in at the beginning as a cool gimmick, but then started regretting it themselves. Conclusion Despite the flaws-which every game has-this is an excellent linear adventure that will keep you entertained for a few evenings. Plus, it’s very affordable by today’s standards. I’d give it an 8 out of 10. + Enjoyable and dynamic combat + Good variety of locations + Fun gameplay situations +There are fun and enjoyable story moments +The locations are beautifully and pleasantly designed -Clumsy AI -The game’s structure and the quality of certain elements aren’t entirely consistent -The story includes some strange and illogical plot twists