Adam West famously said “In the late ’60s, there were the three B’s… The Beatles, Batman, and Bond” and in 50 years, Bond has shaped the entire landscape of how people perceive both Britain and espionage. Over his 50 years run, James Bond has done some incredible feats and went toe-to-toe with some memorable baddies. But apart from some previous attempts, the audience never got to experience these thrills first hand, after the success of Goldeneye Reloaded, Eurocom picked a film from the previous bonds and given it that same spin, in 007 Legends.

After taking a sniper shot and plunging into the lake, James Bond deliriously reminisces about past missions that took place in the early days of his career, As Daniel Craig’s Bond you’ll foil Operation Grand Slam (Goldeneye), Rescue a mob boss’s daughter (O.H.M.S.S.), Seek revenge on a notorious drug baron (Licence To Kill), Stop a laser satellite (Die Another Day), and infiltrate a nefarious space station (Moonraker), all while fighting life and death.

Eurocom has taken a great deal of effort in updating the classic stories for more contemporary times. This is true for their previous work 007 Goldeneye, where the villain’s rasion detre was about the recent banking collapse, and all the references to the cold war have been ret-conned away. In some of the earlier Bond Movies, it can be quite goofy seeing the preserved locals from the older entries recreated in a contemporary setting, like Blofeld’s Swiss lair and the shockingly 70s space jumpsuits of Moonraker. But in others, their styles have been updated.

007 Legends also plays like an upgraded version of Goldeneye, with the same familiar controls and objectives structure. The new melee combat is engaging, and the perks and upgrade system offer a bountiful selection allowing a customisable approach to any mission. Some of the newer elements include the aforementioned melee-mini game where you must coordinate your punches to exposed weak points on your opponent’s body. The adaptations are shorter than the films (often plopping you in at the juiciest parts). But the game encourages re-playability by scattering collectable intelligence documents, that provide detailed background on the beloved characters. If that’s not enough, there are also trial designed to test you skill, and bonus objectives and trophies on harder difficulties.

007 Legends offers a victory lap for the film series, a chance for audiences new and old to be able to experience some of the most iconic elements of the Bond Legacy, the commitment to recreating characters and scenes and give them a Daniel Craig spin. It’s a stealth action extravaganza, that is fun to die-hard fans, and newcomers to the Double O agent’s exploits and ultimately leaves the formula shaken, not stirred.

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