007: First Light

[ThaOGDreamWeaver]

 

Now that James Bond on-screen is... paused, Amazon MGM's first full release is a video game.

(And given how many of us fondly remember GoldenEye - hell, even NightFire wasn't bad - that's a lot to live up to.)

 

Dev crew are IO Interactive of Hitman fame - which bodes well if they let James get creative about completing missions. And the storyline gives us a young, inexperienced Bond, but in a modern setting. (I get the feeling we'll play through some of Bond's formative experiences, similar to the Young Lara levels in Tomb Raider.)

 

It's hard to judge from a trailer, but all the right ingredients seem to be there - world travel, guns, girls, explosions, toys, and of course, product placement (a Moore-era Omega with some handy extra complications, and an old-school Aston).

 

The humour and delivery feels like a young Brosnan with a side order of Tom Holland. All the familiar MI6 support cast like M, Moneypenny and Q are there, though coming over a little anodyne in this short watch. The only potential villain mentioned is 009, though he could also be a rival/even-more-rogue agent involved in an op.

 

The only new addition is long-suffering mentor John Greenaway, aka journeyman Brit actor Lennie James (Walking Dead, Snatch, Save Me, and Darkwing in Invincible). Should be a good foil for an impetuous boy. And I'll be ANNOYED if they fridge or face/heel him, which are both cheap shots. 

 

What do we think, agents?

 

Edited Thursday at 04:01 PM by ThaOGDreamWeaver

[Techwright]

Oh, man!  I came to the forums thinking I had the scoop on this.   Hats off to you for beating me to the punch. 😎   I see your find reflects the Playstation.  I spotted it over on Steam.

 

I like the trailer.  Obviously, this is another reboot and origin story, and I'm fine with that.   I like the more global look to the government types.  I've never set foot in merry old England, sadly, but to this outsider, this choice feels like a strong reflection of the effects of the Commonwealth.   

 

It sounds like the chief villain is another rogue 00, which might be why nascent Bond is recruited: someone who a rogue 00 has not trained with, and therefore is less likely to anticipate.  I actually like this.  I've said elsewhere before that I'd love the spotlight to be shown more on the other eight 00's.  For those who remain heroes, it gives us a chance to worry: will they survive the mission?  We don't get that with Bond.  We know he'll survive.  The only questions are who around him will not, and how that will affect him.  For those who turn villain, it highlights that the 00 program is a razor's edge:  the government needs the most dangerous predators on its payroll, but the challenge is to keep them on a tight leash lest they give in to their darker impulses and become the new Big Bad threatening the nation or the world.

 

I'm puzzled by the facial scar.  Does Bond really need that?  While we live in the era of rapid facial identification regardless of physical markings, I do think carrying a huge scar on the right cheek would be a dead giveaway to the bad guys as to who you are.  No facial-recognition A.I. needed.  Unless at the end when he's given his 00 license, it comes with a free plastic surgery facelift?

 

GVFR 637J is the UK license plate on that gold car.  Is that a reference to something or just a random alpha-numeric?

 

Wondering who the girl is that Bond is following around.  Could this be Moneypenny, and the start of their platonic flirting?