007 First Light

Overly Dramatic Review in One Sentence

The best origin story game of a known fictional character that is hurt by its cookie cutter boss fights.

The Actual Review

Game time:

PC: 14.3 Hours

Gameplay

So this was made by the creators of the Hitman games and that isn't a bad thing in this regard. That means you have solid controls, gun fights and an interactive world. In fact, the movement of James around the first level in Iceland is very well done. The controls are exactly what you would expect them to be so you don't ever feel like you need the tutorial, but it is done without punching you in the face.

Once you get your gadgets and weapons, that is when this really opens up. The weapon fights are my favorite. You can't take 1000 rounds and be ok, nor does the enemy. You have one shot headshots, unless they are wearing a helmet and then when you knock it off, it is back to one shot headshots. Each weapon has its own punch and feel, so switch weapons is both cool and sad.

The hand-to-hand combat could use some work. It is functional, it works, but it feels very much like the counter-kill days of Assassin's Creed II. You block-block-block, counter, throw. Repeat. If they rush you, then it is just doge counter throw repeat. Yes, you can throw them into different things or over things, but it is still pretty basic.

The worst gameplay mechanic from a movement standpoint has got to be the driving. For a couple of reasons, they introduce it like you'll be making a thing of it, but it only really happens once. Then you have the issue of the car having no weight. A lot like Watch Dogs where you just feel like the car will take flight because it is made of papier-mâché.

Graphics and Sound

I have no issues with the sound or the graphics on this game. The smoke was dense, the interactive environment making the work change and the game looking great while it happens was huge. You also have just a visually vibrant world that makes you feel a part of what is going on.

The sounds of the guns are weighty. The gadgets have sounds that feel accurate to what you would expect for them. The voice dialogue and sync to the faces feels and sounds right. Like I said, I have no complaints.

Story and Characters

The story is outstanding. I am a big fan of Bond and Moneypenny. There relationship feels right to what you get out of Skyfall and the other Daniel Craig Bond films. You also have a good set of villains. I am a big fan of the mask that the bad guy wears, and I want it for Bond in the Tac-Sim.

I do have some issues with the boss fights though. It will be hard for me to talk about this without spoilers, so some minor spoilers ahead. So the crux of the story is that there is an AI helping MI6 to do its intelligence work. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, the game does a great job of explaining the difficulties of using AI for this purpose really well. At one point, we learn that the core can be shot and destroyed. Then later, the core of the AI is on the back of the boss that we are chasing, but the game won't let us shoot it, which would have ended the story much earlier. It is all of these chase scenes that feel so forcefully scripted that I don't even care about them or feel stressed. There is no problem being behind as the person you are chasing will slow down or taunt you. You can't attack them at all, so why give me the ability to shoot. It was so frustrating and made all of them feel pointless.

The overall story is incredible. I genuinely feel that I am learning how this version of Bond joined the MI6. The dialogue writing is pronominal. They do an outstanding job of making these characters feel alive and not ultra-powerful, or out of their depth.

My Rating

I fell in love with this game during the first missing and powered through it. Part of that power through was to beat it before the release of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, but it was also because it was a lot of fun. This being a fresh IP, something new, made it feel like there were a million possibilities that could happen in the game and the series. The sandbox features could use some expansion because other than different paths to walk around, you can only do the mission in one way. Either way, this is easily going to be one of the best games I'll play all year. "GET THIS GAME!"

Parental Rating

Oof. I am not sure how to rate this. You are fighting bad guys and killing them. The blood isn't there in the gameplay, but it is there in the cutscenes. There is some implied sex, much like the Bond movies themselves. I think if I were to play this at home when I was younger, it would have been one of those games that if my Dad was around, it would be ok. If my Mom was around, she would be upset.

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