Video game:Sony PlayStation James Bond 007: Tomorrow Never Dies

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.

EA Games acquired the rights to the James Bond franchise in 1999, and the company released "Tomorrow Never Dies" for the PlayStation soon after. Developers used Pierce Brosnan, the fifth actor to portray Bond in the films, as the likeness for the character in the game. Gamers play primarily as James Bond in this third-person shooter game; however, unlike other Bond games, they have the option of controlling other characters as well. Based off the Bond film of the same name, players attempt to stop Elliot Carver from using a stolen nuclear missile to destroy Beijing.

"Tomorrow Never Dies" received mixed reviews, mainly due to a hearty dislike of the switch from a first-person to a third-person shooter format, as well as the lack of a multiplayer mode. . Doug Perry of IGN wrote, "It may be Bond, it may have gadgets, skiing and a Beamer, but it's no GoldenEye,''' and Joe Fielder of GameSpot wrote, "Tomorrow Never Dies' isn't a particularly bad game, but it's definitely one you might want to consider renting instead of buying." Nevertheless, Bond continued to draw audiences, and EA Games released the next installment, entitled "The World is Not Enough," in 2000.

The James Bond novels and movies stimulate imaginations everywhere, and 007 continues to amuse audiences through the medium of gaming.