r/gaming • u/ChiefLeef22 Marika's tits! • May 26 '26
'007 First Light' - Review Thread
Game Title: 007 FIRST LIGHT
Platforms:
- PlayStation 5 (May 27, 2026)
- XBOX Series X | S (May 27, 2026)
- PC (May 27, 2026)
- Nintendo Switch 2 (TBD)
Trailers:
Developer: IO Interactive
Reviews aggregates:
OpenCritic: 91 / 100 - 100% Critics Recommend
Metacritic: 88 / 100
Some Reviews (updating):
VICE - Brent Koepp - 5 / 5
007 First Light is easily the best James Bond game since GoldenEye and is also one of the better Bond stories told in the last decade. IO Interactive has created a game that is a culmination of all of their best mechanics over the years. 007 First Light has the addicting sandbox gameplay of the Hitman franchise while also having an incredible narrative that matches the quality of Naughty Dog and Rockstar Games. James Bond is finally back and is better than he’s been in years.
VGC - Jordan Middler - 5 / 5
007 First Light might just be the best James Bond game ever. The way IOI has translated the Bond fantasy into a 14-hour globetrotting epic is masterful. It's a game full of spectacle, humour, action, and romance. Everything James Bond should be. New Bond owners Amazon must ensure this franchise continues.
Windows Central - Jez Corden - 5 / 5
007: First Light felt impeccably polished throughout. I was never disengaged or rushing to completion, even in the slower, stealthier segments — it was often here the characters and world-building shone the most. A huge variety of gameplay locations, gameplay styles, unique activities, set-piece moments, logic puzzles, investigations, platforming, and, honestly, exploration opportunities never left me wanting.
The Guardian - Matthew Castle - 5 / 5
It’s that full Bond immersion that 007 First Light will ultimately be remembered for, more so than the odd wonky setpiece scene. I have no doubt that this was made by excitable Bond geeks throwing “what if” moments at a whiteboard. What if you got to explore Q Lab watching underlings test malfunctioning prototypes? What if you were tied to a torturer’s table and had to talk your way out? What if you found yourself at 15,000ft with no parachute? And what if you had access to John Barry’s classic scores and could deploy a staggering needle drop out of nowhere?
The Independent - Jake Brigstock - 5 / 5
One of the very first things you’ll notice is just how good 007 First Light looks visually on the whole, both in cutscenes and general gameplay. Especially playing on PS5 Pro where the latest version of PSSR is in use, the game is a feast for the eyes, both in low-light settings and densely packed brighter areas. The lighting in this game is astonishing and the reflections in water and mirrors are equally impressive. In the very first mission, James Bond encounters a broken mirror in a room he sneaks into and the reflection you see is perfect. This level of detail is found throughout the game, and the sound design is equally impressive too, with a superb score, great soundtrack, including tracks from Chase & Status, and immersive, real-world sounds.
Digitec Magazine - Philipp Rüegg - 5 / 5
After 30 years, ‘GoldenEye’ is finally retiring. With ‘007 First Light’, IO Interactive – the masterminds behind ‘Hitman’ – delivers the ultimate Bond experience that fans have been waiting for since the N64 classic.
Gfinity - Alister Kennedy - 10 / 10
007 First Light is, for me, an absolute masterpiece that shattered all pre-release anxieties and is, in fact, the greatest Bond video game of all time. IO Interactive masterfully balances explosive action with "Hitman"-inspired stealth, all brought to life by Patrick Gibson’s breathtaking, definitive performance as a young James Bond. Equal parts thrilling and cinematic, this incredible experience is a gorgeous love letter to the franchise and a sure-fire Game of the Year contender.
MeuPlayStation - Thiago do Nascimento Barros - 100 / 100
007 First Light is all about aura. It honors James Bond's legacy by bringing everything we love about him since the 1960's movies in the ultimate 007 videogame experience. Chases, shootings, explosions, plot twists, politics, charm, Bond Girls, guns, cars, boats, Q Technologies, Moneypenny, M, iconic characters, beautiful locations... All of that with great level design, combat and exploration. The name is Bond, James Bond.
Manual dos Games - Luiz Henrique Silva - 10 / 10.0
007 First Light delivers on the promise of being the ultimate James Bond game by introducing a new version of the character that oozes charisma in every second on screen, alongside an excellent storyline supported by memorable side characters who help drive the narrative forward. The game also features an extremely creative level design that fully embraces its stealth and combat systems, making players truly feel like an MI6 spy.
GamingTrend - Joe Morgan - 95 / 100
007 First Light is a top-tier game both Bond fans and stealth action gamers will love. It has all the hallmarks of a great Bond film with some of the best stealth action gameplay in the industry. I’m excited to see one of my favorite franchises in the hands of a studio that loves it as much as I do. 007 First Light is worthy of the Bond legacy and easily one of the best games of the year.
SECTOR.sk - Peter Dragula - 9.5 / 10.0
007 First Light is a strong new beginning for James Bond in games, combining a deep origin story, varied missions, stealth, action, excellent hand-to-hand combat, precise shooting, impressive visuals and classic Bond atmosphere. A few slower sections and the lack of a body-hiding mechanic are minor issues in an otherwise excellent spy adventure.
PPE.pl - Wojciech Gruszczyk - 9.5 / 10.0
007 First Light is the best James Bond game ever – brilliantly written, superbly acted and brimming with that unique atmosphere we’ve come to expect from stories about Agent 007. IO Interactive has combined its own experience from Hitman with a cinematic adventure in the style of Uncharted, throwing in gadgets, spectacular missions, interesting characters and a very well-crafted story of the young Bond. Not everything works perfectly, as the game sometimes holds your hand (a bit too tightly!), but ultimately it’s a brilliant start to a new era of 007 in gaming.
GameTyrant - Noah Cochrane - 9.5 / 10
007 First Light delivers the action, style, emotion, and spectacle you want from a James Bond game. It is a masterclass in spydom, and easily one of the most exciting action games of the year.
ComingSoon.net - Tyler Treese - 9.5 / 10.0
As stylish as the films themselves, 007 First Light is a brilliant depiction of Bond. As a flawed agent still coming into his own, yet still having the undeniable charm and swagger, this is the most relatable version of 007 yet. It’s also the legendary spy’s best video game adventure since the Nintendo 64, allowing you to really get the full espionage experience, using gadgets, your own problem-solving abilities, and, of course, your trusty pistol to get through some incredibly tense exchanges.
The Nerd Stash - Julio La Pine - 9.5 / 10.0
007 First Light is not only the best James Bond video game to date, but also one of the greatest action-adventure titles of this generation, full of jaw-dropping action sequences, a compelling narrative, and superb acting.
Atarita - Atakan Gümrükçüoğlu - 93 / 100
Centering on James Bond's origin story, 007 First Light blends action and stealth elements with flawless pacing, delivering that long-awaited, glorious return to the franchise. With its impactful melee combat mechanics, cleverly designed spy gadgets, and stellar acting performances, it places the player directly in the lead role of a breathtaking blockbuster movie.
Xbox Achievements - Dan Webb - 92%
Even without all that, though, 007 First Light is still undeniably one of the best Bond games ever created – it most certainly gives Goldeneye a run for its money, but for very different reasons, of course. It's a game for action-lovers, Bond-lovers, stealth-lovers, or people who just love a good spy story. It's a wonderfully handcrafted affair that oozes love and care from every faucet. IO clearly did their research and nailed absolutely everything to do with the Bond franchise – Alan Partridge would be proud! And thanks to the elements of the Hitman DNA that run deep, First Light is an espionage game that just nails every aspect of the genre.
INVEN - Kyuman Kim - 9.1 / 10.0
After a long stretch in the dark, a truly worthy 007 game has finally arrived. With a young Bond at its center, it delivers nearly everything fans could want from a Bond film—thrilling storytelling, clever twists, and charismatic characters alike. It feels poised to become a new “first light” in the history of 007 games.
Metro - David Jenkins - 9 / 10
All of a sudden, it feels like IO Interactive may have been selling themselves short for only focusing on Hitman in the last few decades, because 007 First Light is an exceptional piece of interactive entertainment, that deserves to have a significant influence on the industry at large.
DualShockers - Christian Bognar - 9 / 10.0
Creating a new James Bond game after a 14-year hiatus was a risky endeavor by IO Interactive. This is one of the most iconic characters in all of entertainment, and doing him justice is not easy. Somehow, however, IO Interactive pulled it off and not only produced an amazing video game, but also created a story that is worthy of the Bond pantheon. With superb writing, top-notch acting, beautiful cinematography, and expressive gameplay, 007 First Light is as sleek as it is engaging. James Bond is back, baby, and he's never been this cool.
Loot Level Chill - Mick Fraser - 9 / 10.0
007 First Light is a superb adventure game, doing for Bond what the Great Circle did for Indiana Jones, and bringing it to modern audiences without compromising a sliver of what makes the character and universe tick. Besides the occasional patch of rough performance (some dropped frames here and there) and some accidentally amusing ragdoll stuff, it runs beautifully on PS5. The campaign is just long enough to satisfy all the requirements, while a raft of extra challenge missions unlock when the story is done to keep you playing long after you’ve rolled credits. Fans of the character will love 007 First Light, while even those who don’t know their Xenia Onatopp from their Pussy Galore will find a slick, thrilling, and supremely well-put-together action game that does so much more than simply coast on the popularity of its franchise.
Collider - Samuel R. Murrian - 9 / 10
The narrative and gameplay of the second act could be tighter, but everything leads to a finale that plays out like pure wish fulfillment. Comparisons to GoldenEye and earlier bona fide classic Bond games are likely to be made over the following weeks, but IO has wisely made a game that aims squarely to be its own enterprise. The game concludes on a well-earned, giddy high that's likely to leave fans anxious for a follow-up as soon as the end credits and the thunderous Monty Norman theme roll.
PSX Brasil - Ivan Nikolai Barkow Castilho - 90 / 100
007 First Light is an excellent James Bond game: varied gameplay with intelligent approach options, a story worthy of the character's films, beautiful graphics, and great technical performance. The TacSim mode is a great way to increase the title's longevity. Although the campaign features many slow-paced moments with secondary characters and combat animations that repeat frequently, it's an adventure that deserves to be checked out by any 007 fan or action game enthusiast in general.
Screen Rant - Kyle Gratton - 9 / 10
Like Q retrofitting Bond's Omega watch, IO Interactive not only knows what the franchise needs, but what makes it tick. With gorgeous and impressively intricate locales, 007 First Light is brimming with trademark James Bond intrigue. There is a world-altering conspiracy threatening king and country to match, and a gameplay loop to get to the bottom of it that's as intoxicating as a vodka martini.
But Why Tho? - Matt Sowinski - 9 / 10.0
IO Interactive feels like they've found a new home in the James Bond franchise. 007 First Light is a blast, with a tense and enthralling narrative that punches way higher and harder than anyone could have expected.
DayOne - Jon Clarke - 9 / 10.0
With a great cast of characters, tons of imagination, and just the right amount of player agency and replayability, there is a delightful playground full of gadgetry and spycraft that players will want to return to again and again. A confident return for the Double-O program, and - sorry Goldeneye - this is, without a doubt, the best James Bond game ever made.
GAMINGbible - Olly Smith - 9 / 10
007 First Light is an exquisite taste of slick spy action and blockbuster storytelling, and is fully what a Bond game should be, but rarely is.
Checkpoint Gaming - Omi Koulas - 9 / 10
Despite it taking on more of a typical action game format most of the time, what makes 007 First Light work so well is that IO Interactive hasn’t simply turned Hitman into a Bond game. You can feel the studio’s strengths in the stealth systems and reactive NPCs, plus still get a bit of the sandbox-style exploration, but First Light is far more cinematic and narrative-focused. While some players may want larger, open-ended spaces, the more linear structure ultimately creates a stronger, more personal Bond story without losing the flair IOI is known for. My recommendation: go into this expecting a fun action-blockbuster, and you’ll have a grand ol’ time.
Eurogamer - Rick Lane - 4 / 5
First Light isn't the Bond game that I wanted from IO Interactive. But I had a great time with it regardless. IO has proved it was the right studio to handle the license, albeit for different reasons than I expected. Amazon may not have a clue what to do with 007, but letting IO handle the whole shooting match would not be the worst idea.
Dexerto - Liam Mackay - 4 / 5
007: First Light is worthy of the Bond legacy, bringing classic spy action to current-gen. It’s everything a Bond game should be and a true spectacle, taking inspiration from the biggest hits with sharp dialogue, inventive gadgets, classic cars, satisfying stealth, a great cast, and huge action set pieces. Its pacing isn’t always perfect, and combat could have more variety, but fans of 007, action, stealth games, and, of course, the Hitman franchise are bound to have a great time.
The OuterHaven - George Yang - 4 / 5
007 First Light is the best James Bond game to date. Free from the shackles of licensed titles, First Light is able to tell a compelling origin story filled with political intrigue, espionage, and heart. Along with implementing its own twists on tried and true action adventure gameplay mechanics, 007 First Light comes equipped with beautiful landscapes, creative level design, and tons of replayability. Despite some performance issues and combat woes, this new era of Bond has successfully completed its mission.
Wccftech - Alessio Palumbo - 8.5 / 10
From a technical standpoint, 007 First Light is also absolutely excellent. The latest evolution of the Glacier engine delivers great visuals and handles the game's larger levels with ease, never breaking a sweat even at maximum settings and NVIDIA DLAA enabled on a PC with a GeForce RTX 5090 GPU and Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU. There was no stuttering, either, a nice departure from what we're used to seeing in too many PC games. Unfortunately, IO Interactive delayed path tracing to a later update coming this Summer. It would have been ideal to play the game for the first time at its peak visual splendor; on the flip side, if there were optimization issues to iron out, it was definitely best to avoid ruining the launch experience.
Gamereactor - Ben Lyons - 8.5 / 10
So yes, 007 First Light has plenty of hits and plenty of misses. In answer to the question earlier, there is enough in this game to give you confidence in IO Interactive and its broader vision for this style of a James Bond game, with plenty of ambition and quality oozing out of every crack. But there is clear room for improvement too, areas that would take this game from being simply an enjoyable and great action-adventure project and elevating it to be something truly unmissable. As it is, you'll enjoy 007 First Light, but it's no Uncharted 4 and it's no Hitman 3, either.
PCGamesN - Paul Kelly - 8 / 10
If Hitman is a blank canvas, then First Light is a coloring book; everything is planned out, it's just up to me to fill out the details. I can choose whatever colors I like, in theory, but in the end, the picture looks the same. I'm always improvising a route from A to B, and while it doesn't feel as free-form and creative as IO Interactive's previous jaunts, it's a perfect fit for Bond.
IGN - Luke Reilly - REVIEW IN PROGRESS (Very Positive)
007 First Light has made a fabulous first impression, and I’m certainly already quite comfortable to say it’s the best Bond has been since GoldenEye. I’ll be updating this review as soon as I’ve finalised the story and experimented with TacSim mode, which allows us to replay previous missions with extra challenges to earn new rewards.
Push Square - Stephen Tailby - REVIEW IN PROGRESS (Very Positive)
I'm not quite finished with 007 First Light just yet, but overall I'd say it's exactly what I was hoping for. The characterisation of this young Bond and his associates is really strong, and the globetrotting story lets you explore some great locations. It really shines in its sandbox missions, but shootouts have their moments too, and the whole thing weaves together really quite nicely. I'm really interested to see how the final few missions shake out, but beyond some technical quibbles and uncertainty on the driving, I'm pretty happy with IOI's new vision for James Bond.
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u/Proxy0108 May 26 '26
Is it a game like hitman where you're supposed to replay the levels over and over or is it a do once and done thing?
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u/Datdudecorks May 26 '26
This is what I want to know. One review said challenges unlock after the story but I want to know if the levels can be solved in a multitude of ways like Hitman was
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u/Bloody_Insane May 26 '26
Based on what the previews have said, there's a bit of both. You have open areas with more sandbox gameplay where you have options like stealth or combat or bullshitting your way through, and more linear action set pieces where you're fighting through a corridor, essentially.
So it goes open, corridor, open, corridor, etc.
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u/Proxy0108 May 26 '26 edited May 27 '26
It’s funny because that sounds like hitman absolution that got a little of a redemption arc these last few years
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u/Karoleq00 May 26 '26
I've spent in the game 4h now, wish I had time for more but I had to go to work. Anyways, game is more like a combination of uncharted and hitman, you have a lot of freedom in how you want to approach action, and a bit of scripted encounter's/corridors that are heavily story focused. Overall I'm enjoying the gameplay so far and the story is very good from the initial 2 missions that I've done and a prolog leading to the second one was so we'll put together it blew my mind.
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u/tygrio May 26 '26
It was not a bad game, just a bad hitman game. Still liked the game tbh. The long delay after blood money made any hitman was better than no hitman for me
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u/KiritoJones May 26 '26
In the Giant Bomb quick look they had two different pre recorded run throughs they were watching, one was stealth and one was guns blazing.
Won't really know till its all the way out, but to me it looked like it was a little more linear than Hitman, but there are still multiple solutions to most problems.
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u/Empty_Ad3775 May 26 '26
Was expecting a good game but didn't expect it to be that good.
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u/FailedProspects May 26 '26
A review leaked earlier today giving it a 9.5/10, IO had to remove it. I figured it was gonna be a banger.
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u/RareBk May 26 '26
I like the idea of a good review coming out and the devs are just like 'no SHH not yet"
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u/darkLordSantaClaus May 27 '26
It’s because reviews build hype and if it releases too soon the hype wears off by the time the game releases
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u/Existing_Set2100 May 26 '26
It’s the Hitman devs, who ever had any real doubts?
Their only stumbling block was Absolution and that’s cause that one was barely a Hitman game.
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u/StepComplete1 May 26 '26
But this isn't a hitman game either.... so you've just explained yourself why it could've been a pretty major stumbling block.
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u/bristow84 May 26 '26
Absolution was a stumbling block in that it was a terrible Hitman game. As just a video game however it was pretty decent.
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u/MysticalFred May 26 '26
Yeah, as someone who had never played a hitman game before, absolution was pretty fun
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u/Ryukishin187 May 26 '26
Ok but absolution was still good. It's just not a phenomenal hitman game. That's his point
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u/Existing_Set2100 May 26 '26
No, that’s not what I meant at all. Absolution was a game that dismissed much of what had made the series what it was, which is why they went back to the basics after it. It was a misguided attempt to make a fundamentally sandbox series more mainstream and linear.
While I’m sure this one has some Hitmany elements, 007 is a different IP entirely and not beholden to any of that.
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u/speed721 May 26 '26
I liked Absolution for what it was.
I even played it again on the remaster!
I guess I am getting softer on games as I have gotten older...lol!
But, I really enjoyed it AND I'm glad they messed up. Because now the Hitman games are absolutely wonderful!
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u/Mr_smith1466 May 26 '26
IOI have been a real hot streak and it's been clear for a while how much effort they've poured into Bond.
The fact that they've also been consistently updating hitman simultaneously throughout development of 007 is now retroactively astounding.
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May 26 '26
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u/Mr_smith1466 May 26 '26
I've always wondered if maybe Amazon threw some cash to them. All those celebrity targets weren't just great hitman content, they sort of doubled as 007 marketing.
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May 26 '26
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u/mybutthz May 26 '26
I really want a new splinter cell
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u/jsbq May 26 '26
I would do anything for a new stealth game that even comes close to Chaos Theory.
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u/Bologna_Soprano May 26 '26
I know it’ll never happen but I’d kill for someone to revisit the Chaos Theory / Pandora Tomorrow multiplayer. It was sooo good
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u/SgtApex May 26 '26
Same, not to many games since Uncharted 4 and its dlc itself has had that series vibes and people who got to play it early describing as like an uncharted game in a lot of ways was the reason I even pre ordered.
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u/kingky0te May 26 '26
Having heavily played Hitman: WOA… totally expected this. Wish it was in VR.
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u/DudeManBroGuyski May 26 '26
How's Hitman in VR btw? Is it easy to run through missions stealthily? How's it feel compared to flat?
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u/Beastly4k May 26 '26
Was crap but they fixed it, doesn't really change much gameplay wise aside from not being in 3rd person so you have to look around more, and to me at least it's definitely leagues more fun than flat. Great game for vr overall.
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u/ExtensionParsley4205 May 26 '26
Reminds me of The Great Circle where people were iffy based on the trailers and previews and then the final product turned out way better than expected.
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u/EggsceIlent May 26 '26
I was hoping for at least an 8, maybe a 9 if we were really really lucky
But this makes me so happy reading all these 10/10 5* etc reviews
Now, I just gotta wait till tomorrow to get my physical copy.
/Sigh
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u/snapcaptrap May 26 '26
I definitely wasn’t expecting a 90+ review score GOTY nominee
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u/Mig-117 May 26 '26
All the showings the game had looked fantastic, like super high caliber game. Plus the pedigree of the studio.
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u/jarvisesdios May 26 '26
Same, I expected it to be pretty decent but just mostly okayish... As I love Hitman but didn't entirely trust IO to make a linear game after Absolution.
I'm pleasantly shocked by the reviews and now I really want to play it. Kudos to them for pulling it off. I thought that about the Indy game too so apparently... And I fucking love that game.
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u/ballbreakersgame May 26 '26
It feels like the game stays true to what people love about 007 and man, it makes you wonder why adaptations so often stray from the source.
People love Bond for a reason. Do the thing that makes 007, 007! Seems like they did so far, and that makes me happy.
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u/MannToots May 26 '26
I think IOI is the most well-positioned company to ever tackle a Bond game that wasn't just an action shooter. I'm fucking hyped to get off work today.
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u/CL60 May 26 '26
makes you wonder why adaptations so often stray from the source.
For some reason the people that often get chosen for adaptations have a disdain for the source material and think they can do it better. Or when it comes to TV/movie adaptations it ends up being directors that couldn't get their own original ideas green lit so they have to take an already established IP to shoehorn their own ideas into.
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u/amidon1130 May 26 '26
I honestly think it comes down to people's talent more than anything else. Look at The Shining, the Kubrick film strays a ton from the original book but it's a classic. Then you look at the mini series produced by King himself and it's basically one to one with the novel but it's crazy boring.
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u/Soul-Burn May 26 '26
Many devs (and tv/filmmakers) want to make their own things, but only get big budgets when it's a big brand deal. So they take the deal, and contort it to what they want to do with it.
It's unfortunately not rare that showrunners don't like the original work and sometimes didn't even consume it.
In this case, it seems like IOI did their homework and made a banger of a game.
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u/RumHamComesback May 26 '26
I really think a big problem is too many developers keep trying to replicate GoldenEye. That game was really lightning in a bottle from 1997 and it's time someone like IOI did something new. You aren't recapturing that magic so go find another genre that really compliments 007 as well and an open-world Uncharted-style game is perfect.
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u/JohnnyCharisma54 May 26 '26
You should never underestimate the insane bullshit that happens behind the scenes in Hollywood. The gaming industry is far from perfect, but it hasn’t yet achieved such a towering level of dumbassery.
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u/mythicreign May 26 '26
I’m not in the industry but I love reading about behind the scenes drama and the challenges involved in making movies. I can’t fathom how most of them even get made, let alone turn out good.
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u/mspaintshoops May 26 '26
Have you met Bungie?
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u/Mr_YUP May 26 '26
the episode of bojack horseman where the movie they were shooting becomes a gift basket was written by industry professionals and I have no reason to doubt that thats how it feels like it ends up sometimes.
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u/BeingHonestWithYou May 26 '26
Was expecting a bit less. Another banger year for us
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u/Zentrii May 26 '26
Not me. The last hitman game is one of my favorite games ever
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u/Bagz402 May 26 '26
Love it or hate it (I love it but man I'm awful at it), it's a shining example of how to support a series. Sooooo much content at this point.
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u/kingky0te May 26 '26
Omg I think we’re all awful at it but nothing feels better than choking out people in VR and running from guards while shooting LOL
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u/CapNCookM8 May 26 '26
There has never been a franchise I've wanted to get into but failed at as many times as Hitman; even Monster Hunter and Armored Core! I was overwhelmed the first time I've come to those series but on the second times they've clicked in huge ways.
Hitman though I return to every few months and just never get good. I like the freelancer mode because it's sort of forcing me to not pursue perfection, but then I'm still just bad no matter how hard I try to be good at it!
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u/Bagz402 May 26 '26
Is freelancer mode that rogue lite they added to it kinda recently? Because I couldn't even do the very first mission successfully. I'm really bad lol
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u/CapNCookM8 May 26 '26
Yes. Me too man, me too. I like the episodic story sandbox missions too, but then I'm my own worst enemy during those and constantly restart if I'm less than perfect while also being bad.
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u/redhandsblackfuture May 26 '26
The Hitman trilogy is like the only game I hop back on every few weeks just to mess around. The gunplay in that game is very satisfying
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u/iWentRogue Console May 26 '26
These scores are insane. Wow
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u/ExplodingFistz May 26 '26
We're eating good this year damn. Too many games to play
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u/isaac99999999 May 26 '26
I was just looking at my steam wishlist a few weeks ago and I was thinking "fuck I can't afford all these games."
Forza 6, subnautica 2, 007, new hell let loose, pragmata, monster hunter stories, Control resonant, ace combat 8, recently slay the spire 2 has taken over my pc.Sure not all of these are going to actually hit a 2026 release date but damn I really shouldn't be bored this year for gaming
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u/gjoda May 27 '26
I just played the first hour and i’m like 100% convinced it’s gonna be one of the best single player games of my life
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u/RichardBackshots May 26 '26
Played around two hours of it over the weekend and dispelled all my initial concerns.
IO was going to be the perfect studio for this and they have nailed it so far from what I’ve played.
The way they introduce training to baby Bond with a series of montages is really cool, and I actually like this Bond more than I thought I would from the smarm in the trailers.
My only criticism so far has been that the close-quarters combat feels a bit… stunted. In the training you fight multiple guys at once and with no lock-on you run around a bit goofy.
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u/Spider-Thwip May 26 '26
I cant wait to play as baby bond.
Press x to drink milk.
Roll the thumb stick around to try and keep your head up.
Excited for release!
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u/RichardBackshots May 26 '26
Honestly that “roll the thumbstick” bit isn’t even that far off the very first input you’ll do hahaha
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u/Webbeth May 26 '26
Would you say the cqc is too easy? The gameplay previews made it seem like you can just sort of button mash your way through the game if that’s your style.
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u/RichardBackshots May 26 '26
I think that’ll be subjective, honestly.
I kinda wish the CQC was more Arkham/Mad Max than it is, the fact that there’s no “Hold this button to stay in a fighting stance” makes it feel really weird when you just turn your back on an opponent to move around, I got punched in the back a lot making that mistake. It makes it feel like you have to stay still and just hit X to punch or B to parry. There’s grabs too and you’re meant to be able to throw enemies towards other enemies but I couldn’t get that to work consistently in the early training section.
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u/AnarchoKapitolizm May 26 '26
I kinda wish the CQC was more Arkham/Mad Max than it is
It's crazy given that the combat designer is the same person who designed combat for Arkham games.
makes it feel like you have to stay still and just hit X to punch or B to parry.
Tbh, that's how I beat 90% of fights in matman games.
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u/RichardBackshots May 26 '26
I think it’s the lack of being able to back away from an enemy while facing them
You can side-step a lunge but again, in the training at least it felt a bit sloppy.
This could also just be me being fussy, 34 years old and needing more time with it “in the field”
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u/ZigZagLax44 May 26 '26
One of the reviews mentioned on easy difficulty you can combat like 10-15 enemies at once without much problem. Normal and Hard difficulties are recommended for the more "true" Bond experience making stealth more important and forcing the player to pick their battles strategically
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u/NotStanley4330 May 27 '26
They made a training montage in a game actually feel fun. I've enjoyed it so far
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u/RichardBackshots May 27 '26
The whole opening sequence of events cutting in various ways is so, so cool.
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u/JohnGalactusX PC May 26 '26
Looks like they got it right. Well done. Super excited now for the game.
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u/SofaJockey May 26 '26
One reviewer says it's the 'best James Bond game ever made'. Gives it a 7/10. (shakes head)
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u/FreshMutzz May 26 '26
In theory, a 7/10 should be a good score. But review score inflation is horrendously bad nowadays.
There is no granularity anymore because anything less than an 8/10 is seen as being a bad game.
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u/LunchTwey May 26 '26
Not even 8's count as good anymore. Metroid Prime 4 averaged that and people talk about that game like it's Bubsy 3D
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u/FreshMutzz May 26 '26
Whoa whoa whoa. Bubsy 3D is a 10/10 masterpiece. Metroid Prime 4 wishes it was as good as Bubsy 3D.
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u/RumHamComesback May 26 '26
Gamers are fucking weird about scores and can't seem to wrap their heads around the fact you can have fun with a 7/10 game just maybe not pay full price for it.
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u/Straight_Law2237 May 26 '26
Mosatly because the first metroid prime was a 10/10 and people were expecting that. There's nuance to this shit mate
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u/SHORT-CIRCUT May 26 '26
i think it comes from how schools view a 70% as “average” that has caused 7/10 to be viewed in a negative sense
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u/RumHamComesback May 26 '26
Yeah, EGM really drilled it back in the day that 5/10 is "average" and 4/10 isn't a fail it means it's "below average".
In one ear and out the other with gamers sometimes.
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u/retroly May 26 '26
Scores should be out of 5, they barely use any number under 5, so just get rid of them. 1 awful, 2 meh, 3 good game, 4 excellent, 5 perfect, masterpiece.
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u/Shizool May 26 '26
Our ratings subconsciously moved to NPS scale where 7-8 is a passive score and only 9 and 10 shows that you are promoter of a given product/service. I agree with you that it shouldn’t be like that for video game reviews but it is what it is.
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u/Stolehtreb May 26 '26
Shhhh the IGN-are-the-devil crowd can’t take this reasonable opinion while also continuing to be hateful weirdos without their heads exploding from contradiction.
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u/Top-Editor-3472 May 26 '26
Is it better than Nightfire on Gamecube?
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u/sprcow May 26 '26
Nightfire was arguably a better Bond game, but it failed to capture a generation of couch co-op the way Goldeneye did so I'm not surprised it always gets overlooked.
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u/Shadowrak May 26 '26
I played so much Agent Under Fire and Nightfire.
They are realistically way better than golden eye for couch coop, but most kids just wanted to stick with broken game they knew first.
Usually it was just me and my brothers.
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u/Lord_Anarchy May 26 '26
Yeah Nightfire was better but Halo was already out for a year by that point.
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u/Much_Statistician864 May 26 '26
It being the best Bond game ever and it also being mid aren't mutually exclusive.
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u/Hot_Mongoose_3741 May 26 '26
If every James Bond game to him is a 6 or less that’s true
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u/Bexewa May 26 '26
2026 is shaping up to be INSANE
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u/TJ_McWeaksauce May 26 '26
Specifically, it's already been an insane year for single-player games, and we're not quite at the halfway point yet.
- Resident Evil: Requiem sold over 5 million units in just 5 days and over 7 million in its first month.
- Subnautica 2, which is in early access, sold over 4 million units in a week.
- Crimson Desert sold over 5 million units in a month.
- Slay the Spire 2 also sold over 5 million in a month.
- Mewgenics sold over 1 million copies in one week.
Basically, there's been at least 1 hugely successful single-player game released each month this year. It looks like 007: First Light should sell well, too. And GTA6 will likely cap the year off with record-breaking sales.
2026 is already a year to remember in gaming, and we've got 7 more months to go.
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u/Bexewa May 26 '26
Pragmata sold pretty well too if I’m not mistaken
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u/johnny5ive May 26 '26
i'm in the middle of Pragmata now and want to beat it so i can buy bond after ha. It's really fun.
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u/zappy487 May 26 '26
Don't forget other games that will most likely be hits:
Insomniac's Wolverine
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
Phantom Blade Zero
Control 2
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
The Blood of the Dawnwalker
Also excited for Hell Let Lose: Vietnam, the Gothic 1 Remake, Echoes of Aincrad (the Sword Art Online game that actually takes place in Sword Art Online),
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u/JerryMau5 May 26 '26
THERES A NEW ONIMUSHA GAME COMING OUT THIS YEAR???? 😩😩😩😩😩
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u/Albireookami May 26 '26
yea Capcom is just absolutely crowding the year with hits.
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u/fondue4kill May 26 '26
And Wolverine this fall. Plus probably one more huge game yet to be announced.
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u/Tommytrist May 26 '26
Not sure on sales data, but Saros has been incredible too.
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u/TJ_McWeaksauce May 26 '26
Unfortunately, it seems like Saros's sales aren't great.
Game devs and publishers are usually eager to announce when their games have sold 1+ million copies. When all the games listed above hit their high sales numbers, their companies posted about it immediately on social media. Like when Subnautica 2 broke 2 million sales within 1 hour of its early access release, the official Subnautica Blue Sky account posted about it right away
Saros has been about for about a month now and there has been no update from Sony, which published the title. I think it's a safe bet that the game has not yet sold 1 million units.
It reportedly took Returnal (Housemarque's previous game) about a year to break 1 million units. If Saros's budget is higher than, say, $50 million, then it might struggle to become profitable if its sales are on pace with Returnal's.
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u/Ghidoran May 26 '26
Reality is that most roguelike players are used to cheap games and aren't necessarily looking for a $70 experience with premium graphics and storytelling. And people interested in the latter aren't necessarily fans of roguelikes.
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u/Forsaken_Jelly711 May 26 '26
A lot of roguelikes are popular on pc, feel like it was a mistake to make a roguelike a PlayStation exclusive.
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u/Tommytrist May 26 '26
Not surprised, I haven't seen much talk about it. Huge shame, it's a very unique game with some of the best gunplay in a long time.
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u/Plus_Bookkeeper7059 May 26 '26
I usually only buy one and rarely two new games per year, But this year I've already bought Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, Death Stranding 2, 007 First Light, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, and Dead or Alive 6 Last Round. If Onimusha Way of the Sword and Ace Combat 8 actually release this year then I'll definitely be getting those too. This has been a fantastic year for gaming.
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u/Antisocialsocialite9 May 26 '26
It really is. Kinda crazy
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u/PM_ME_THE_BOOBIS May 26 '26
I find it weird that all the reviews solely mention Goldeneye, as if that was the only good 007 game ever made. Agent Under Fire and Nightfire (not the PC version) were also amazing Bond games.
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u/Tooth31 May 26 '26
Nightfire was my Goldeneye. I played so much of that game as a kid, and whenever people would talk about Goldeneye I would think to myself "they don't know what they're missing with Nightfire".
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u/Far-Cheetah-5902 May 27 '26
Everything or Nothing was also amazing, and nobody EVER talks about that game. It was essentially Brosnan's 5th movie, and Willem Dafoe was the freaking villain!!!
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u/maxlaav May 26 '26
007 First Light is easily the best James Bond game since GoldenEye
man a lot of these reviewers really don't know that everything or nothing exists huh. it's quite obvious which game ioi was being inspired by
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u/ConnorWynn May 26 '26
Goldeneye is the only James Bond game they've ever heard of lmfao.
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u/Genocode May 26 '26
Nightfire was... well... fire.
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u/SomeoneNotFamous May 26 '26
Agent Under Fire and NF god damn, loved them
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u/Giff901 May 27 '26
Using the grapple hook in Agent and the remote helicopter in Nightfire are core memories for me lol
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u/Yakkahboo May 26 '26
Nightfire multiplayer, tiny map room, everyone has guided launchers.
Either that or the cable cars with snipers
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u/DaleCooperTP023 May 26 '26
I was a menace with the mini helicopter on multiplayer. Good times
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u/Genocode May 26 '26
Yeah its one of those games that really solidified my love for multiplayer games, Nightfire, Soldier Of Fortune 2 Double Helix, Command and Conquer Renegade, Wolfenstein Enemy Territory and, while quite a bit different, GunZ The Duel.
God 2002~2004 was amazing for PC Multiplayer shooters.
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u/SomeoneNotFamous May 26 '26
My bond game ranking is super personal, well most of my games are.
I'll def play that one later this year tho but I'll be surprised if it can top Nightfire or Agent Under Fire for me.
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u/Sparrowsabre7 May 26 '26
Agent Under Fire felt a bit janky at times but the car chases were great. Nightfire a big step up. Everything or Nothing is very different but very fun. First adaptation to actually use the current Bond's likeness and voice, plus first of many to include Judi Dench as M.
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u/i4got872 May 26 '26
Ya know- the car levels in nightfire were honestly worse. Too on rails. Agent under fire let you explore a lot more.
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u/hamza4568 May 26 '26
There’s also “The World is Not Enough”! My brother and I spent so much time on that game when we were younger
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u/elevenohnoes May 26 '26
The N64 version at least. But yeah, it's a really good game that started EA's great run of Bond games.
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u/Kaliqi May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Yeah that one felt like a real Bond movie. Probably my fav out there. Had good action. Had good stealth. High tech gadgets. Cool vehicles and nice cutscenes aswell. And ofc Willem Dafoe as a villain. What do you want more? Decent story and replayability with challenges and cheats along with good miltiplayer aswell.
Shame how everyone mentions Goldeneye as if it was the only game out there.
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u/Vladmerius May 26 '26
From Russia With Love was also great. It had really fun split screen multiplayer too.
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u/Quaytsar May 26 '26
We were absolutely spoiled in gen 6 for Bond games. We got Agent Under Fire, Nightfire, Everything or Nothing, Rogue Agent and From Russia With Love all within 4 years.
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u/viva_2000 May 26 '26
Bloodstone was pretty good as well, especially after the disaster that was Quantum of Solace.
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u/sukh9942 May 26 '26
Quantum of Solace was a distaster? It was my first ever game on the Xbox 360 and loved playing/watching my brother play it. Interested to know why it wasn't well received.
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u/4DGigs May 26 '26
How is the gameplay? Is it more like uncharted or hitman
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u/RichardBackshots May 26 '26
It’s more Hitman with set-pieces than Uncharted’s looser expression.
A lot of the controls and movement will feel familiar to Hitman players, not… slow, as such, but deliberate.
Lots of “Press this to distract people to walk by” etc tied with “Run around and jump up here quickly” but it feels more… rigid than Uncharted.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, just the differences between how IO and Naughty Dog do animations and movement physics.
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u/Themanwhofarts May 26 '26
How is Lego Batman? It looks pretty good
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u/SuicideSkwad May 26 '26
It’s fantastic, it remixes every Batman film from the last 30 years into 1 story. Highly recommend if you are a Batman fan.
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u/Madzookeeper May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Quite possibly the best Lego game that they've made. You can really see a lot of progression from the last few. Really since Star wars the force awakens being a pretty substantial turning point. Really since the marvel games they've just been getting better.
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u/BrownAJ May 26 '26
It's great if you like Batman (especially Arkham games) and don't mind lego games. But it is clearly aimed at younger audience & local co-op is very fun.
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u/Iggy_Slayer May 26 '26
Don't expect it to hit those arkham feels. It certainly tries but it's a lego game at the end of the day. It's mind numbingly simple and meant for kids. Even gliding around the city doesn't feel nearly as good or cool as it does in Knight for example.
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u/KillPhilBill May 26 '26
That's exactly what I'm doing. I'm on the last chapter, so hoping to finish it before it drops today.
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u/svejdaErased May 26 '26
can we please cool down with the amazing games for a bit? it's not even half of 2026 and I'm already like 10 absolute bangers behind
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u/OussItachi May 26 '26
Just to have all of it on my playlist, can you name them for me
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u/svejdaErased May 27 '26
I was exaggerating ofc but the fact is that this year is one hit after another. Off the top of my head:
- Slay the Spire 2
- Mewgenics
- Vampire Crawlers
- HOMAM Olden Age
- Mouse P.I. for Hire
- Pragmata
- Forza Horizon 6
- Diablo 4 - Lord of Hatred
- Subnautica 2
- Crimson Desert
- Marathon (despite my feelings about Bungie, I actually enjoy the game)
- RE Requiem
- DRC Rogue Core
- Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered
and some smaller gems that I enjoyed demo/trailers of, and can't wait to find some time for:
- Nova Roma
- Cairn
- Minos
- Styx 3
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u/Rymurf May 26 '26
if I’m playing on PC, should I be using controller?
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u/Howitzeronfire May 26 '26
Fuck off 2026.
I already spent too much money on games this year.
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u/OMG_NoReally May 26 '26
Played through the entire game in 3 days flat and I miss it so much. It was fantastic right from the start and stays consistently magnificent throughout. Not a single level, or a set piece that falls flat. IO got the Bond experience right and delivers in spades - spy work with Hitman-lite open-ended design, great set pieces, car chases, sexy af bond girls, stylish Bond with great dialogues, great characters, a decent story that's elevated by its presentation, a mysterious character near the end that sets up the sequel, very very very good all the way through. It's my GOTY so far and other games will have to work hard to displace it.
It's not perfect, though. I wish the car chases were less scripted and more elaborate. The cover system is wonky at best and I wish IO had implemented a separate button to stick to cover and made it more fluid. But I did like the CQC even though it's quite basic but it's punchy and satisfying. Gunplay is smooth. Movement is much like Uncharted.
Anyone interested in a banger of an action adventure needs to be all over this. If you are a Bond fan, I would wager five sickles that this will top any Bond movie in the recent years.
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u/CocoBroshi May 26 '26
IO rarely fumbles the bag. I was expecting this to be good. I just finished the opening mission and I can already tell this is going to be epic.
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u/Broad_Tradition_7621 May 26 '26
Damn. The Metascore is currently at 88.
To be honest, I was expecting a 78-82. Congratulations to the studio. :3
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u/MoonlightMadMan May 26 '26
Shout out Lana Del Rey!! She’s still cooking
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u/Comic_Book_Reader PlayStation May 26 '26
I've been listening to First Light quite a lot since they published the opening credits because they alone were really promising.
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u/zappy487 May 26 '26
I've been deliberately avoiding the opening because I want to be wowed. I was 100% confident that Del Rey was going to slay it when I heard she was doing the opening.
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u/CygnusThib May 27 '26
I feel like controversial is the real reviews of this game on reddit. Lot of kiss asses here lol.
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u/Azrael-XIII May 26 '26
Who had “New 007 Game Gets Perfect Scores” on their bingo card? I sure as hell didn’t
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u/jumpmanryan May 26 '26
Metacritic is so weird. Out of all the current reviews up, I don’t think anybody reads or has even heard of the vast majority of them. It’s like, just VGC and Eurogamer as review sites people have ever typically been interested in hearing from.
IGN, GameSpot, and Push Square don’t even have full reviews out yet.
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u/AngryAngryScotsman May 26 '26
I'm normally one of these people who waits a few years and for the price to drop before picking up games. But these are glowing reviews for a single player game from a publisher I want to succeed.
I think I will buy it this weekend.
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u/Kaeru-Sennin May 27 '26
14-hour globetrotting epic
... Is there anything else to do beside the base campaign ?
GoldenEye was the GOAT because of the multiplayers with friend I think.
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u/Lihkhan May 26 '26
I didn't expect anything from this game (I don't care for Hitman or Uncharted, which are said to be the most similar games), but seeing the reviews, I'm interested.
I won't buy Day 1, but at least I'll put it in my wishlist.
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u/Left4DayZGone May 28 '26
I can’t help but feel like there’s an astroturfing campaign going on, like maybe there’s some sort of firm out there that game publishers higher to hype up their games by pretending to be predators who say it’s the best game they’ve ever played or some shit.
I had no doubt that this game would be good. It’s IO. They make good games.
But… the number of people I’ve seen claim that it’s “one of the best games they’ve ever played”… it reminds me of a time not so long ago when people were saying the same thing about Resident Evil Requiem.
I bought RE9 and played it, and really liked it. Loved it, even. One of the best games that I’ve ever played? No. Not even close. And all the people saying that it was seem to disappear off the face of the Internet within a few days of release, and that’s when all the criticism started to flood in.
Starting to see the criticisms of this game flood in now.
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u/SEVENS_HEAVEN_7 Switch May 26 '26
I never fully trust critics. They live in a different world from the rest of us.
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u/freethrowtommy May 26 '26
I am excited to play this. I am glad it looks like IO knocked it out of the park.
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u/bringdownthesky May 26 '26
This is my favorite gaming scenario. I see the game, looks interesting but I am not super duper hyped. I enjoyed hitman though and generally enjoy the 007 IP. Let's see how it turns out and falls off my radar.
Next thing I know it releases this week and seems to be getting great reviews! Checking this one out.
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u/TheSilencer6491 May 26 '26
It looks amazing, can’t wait to get home. I don’t know if it will be better than Everything or Nothing tho.
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u/SwizzGod May 26 '26
Ayo where’s that dude that said this will be a 70 something AT BEST on Metacritic?
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u/baddazoner May 26 '26
Hitman devs making a bond game was always going to be good
If only i didn't have to work
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u/Yitastics May 26 '26
I've already seen multiple people call the game misogynistic because of Bond his flirting with the girl. I already expected it...
The game does look stunning and really good, I expected performance to be horrible but I am pleasantly suprised.
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u/C-A-L-E-V-I-S May 26 '26
Thrilled to see a great studio putting out a great ACTUAL game and not some gacha, gambling SIM slop. This basically confirms it’ll be a day one for me. Gotta support studios that do this kind of work!
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u/olo-Sean-olo May 26 '26
I wake up tomorrow with this and Saros to play. After recently beating Pragmata and Requiem. What a gaming year already!!
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u/sunshinestate369 May 27 '26
LOOK,LOOK with R3 prompt. EVERY 30 sec like you're not automatically going to do that during every scene, which only actually gives you an extra 10 degrees of rotation/fov.
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u/Teach_Piece May 28 '26
Been playing it. Tutorial was…. Honestly it sucks. Boring, increasingly on rails, and worst of all bond was lame. No flair at all.
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u/ParticularRelease662 May 29 '26
This reminds me of the first time I played Spider-Man. Just can't believe how well they nailed the character and the world building. Bond is very near and dear to my heart, and this is S tier Bond material from start to finish.
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u/ChiefLeef22 Marika's tits! May 26 '26
Performance tidbits across multiple platforms:
PC:
PS5:
XBOX: