8Bit/Digi

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the James Bond-franchise, Activsion attempts to recreate five classic films with an over-arching narrative in 007 Legends.

One classic movie from each Bond era has been selected to be redesigned into a mission that reflects the Daniel Craig rendition of the series. Unfortunately the term “classic” was used in the loosest definition possible.

The story begins with Bond getting shot and left for dead during a botched mission. As his life hangs in the balance, he begins to remember his past assignments and so begins this insulting tribute.

Gamers will have to battle their way through missions that are based on:
* Moonraker
* On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
* License to Kill
* Die Another Day
* Goldfinger

Yes, that list was for real!

In an attempt to retell 50 years of a franchise in one video game, 3/5 of 007 Legends will be based on the worst Bond films.

Moonraker has always been universally panned because of its poor story and laughable attempt to mimic the success of Star Wars. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was panned due to the horrible performance of actor George Lazenby. Finally who could forget Die Another Day with its overuse of CGI and poor plot that ended with the film series having to be rebooted.

Despite having 3/5 of the game based on the worst films in the franchises, the Goldfinger and License to Kill missions offer some redemption, right? Wrong!

While most the story suffers from a poor source material the gameplay aspect is an equally worst disaster. This is due to (no surprise) its poor attempt to mimic the gameplay elements of Call of Duty. Nobody was expecting another 007 GoldenEye but it wouldn’t hurt to try and not emulate Call of Duty’s-gameplay.

However the game dose have one redeeming quality which is the return of the original cast from each film. 007 Legends reunites an all star cast that include Robert Davi, Richard Kiel, Toby Stephens, and Michael Lonsdale. Also returning are Halle Berry, Carey Lowell, and Lois Chiles who are well known for their status as Bond girls.

Despite its happy little reunion, 007 Legends is less of a tribute to the iconic franchise and more of an insult. There are many ways to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the James Bond-franchise and this is definitely not one of them.

Its now guaranteed that Ian Fleming is rolling over in his grave for the first time since Die Another Day.

Final Score: 3/10

Disclaimer: I borrowed this game from a friend who also regretted buying it.

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