Before widespread video games existed to capture the imagination, Ian Fleming published twelve novels and two short story collections featuring the British Secret Service agent James Bond. Between 1953 and 1966, the public waited eagerly for the next installment featuring the charming and elusive spy. Today, James Bond continues to captivate the world through film, books, and video games that present the opportunity for players to step into 007's shoes and try their own hand at going undercover with MI6.
Parker Brothers released the first James Bond video came in 1983 for Atari 2600. Entitled "James Bond 007," this side-scrolling platformer features four missions, each based off a Bond film. Players must control James Bond's car, jump over obstacles and dodge attacks to gain points. While this simple game served as a stepping stone for many future installments featuring secret agent James Bond, the Bond video games did not become popular until Rare released "GoldenEye 007" in 1997.
In 2005, Electronic Arts released its final Bond game, entitled "007: From Russia with Love." Based on the Bond film of the same name, this third-person shooter was the first in the series to use Sean Connery's likeness and voice for the Bond character. Because of a dispute over legal rights, developers changed the name of the corporation Bond must battle from SPECTRE to OCTOPUS; however, their intentions remain the same. Gamers play as Bond and must thwart members of OCTOPUS in their plot to receive retribution for the death of Dr. Julius No.
"From Russia with Love" received mixed reviews from critics. Douglass C. Perry of IGN wrote that the game is "easily the second best Bond game EA has made," while Alex Navarro of GameSpot believed that the game was not on par with its predecessor, "Everything or Nothing," in terms of story and gameplay.
The James Bond novels and movies stimulate imaginations everywhere, and 007 continues to amuse audiences through the medium of gaming.