When it comes to video games, James Bond has certainly had his ups (GoldenEye) and downs (World of Espionage). Apart from the one masterpiece in GoldenEye (released in 1997), most of the Bond-video-game canon is awash with mediocrity.
Following the critical panning of 007 Legends (2012), Activision removed all its Bond titles in January 2014. The company then announced it would be dropping all future development of the Bond game series.
EON then passed the license on to casual-gaming company Glu, known for its forays into the Kardashian game franchise (in partnership with Disney). This ill-advised partnership was also a commercial and critical failure.
But here's why a decent developer needs to reignite the Bond video-game series…
The power of the Bond brand
Apart from its brilliant gameplay, story and soundtrack, what was it that allowed Goldeneye (1997) to capture the imaginations of so many PlayStation users? It's the James Bond brand.
Pretty everyone knows who the character is; they know about his iconic cars, his women, his looks - these are things that make people look forward to Bond film sequels, while they moan about the shallows cash-ins of so many other film franchises.
While Doom was a very important title in video game history, GoldenEye used the power of the Bond brand to propel of the popularity of FPS games into the stratosphere.
World of Espionage was terrible
Just when 007 fans thought it could not get any worse after 007 Legends, Glu inflicted James Bond World of Espionage on the world in July 2015.
This awful, text-driven RPG follows a loose (read vague and boring) narrative and is crammed full of filler - like the worst action films, this game is just car chase, punch-up, save the girl and save the earth from the villain.
And it all plays out like an ugly PowerPoint presentation put together by a jaded university lecturer.
This game was Bond at his most predictable and mediocre.
Sean Connery deserves better
The first actor to play 007 on the silver screen, Connery is the only true Bond for many - and remains the icon of the franchise. While GoldenEye was great, it starred Pierce Brosnan - arguably one of the worst Bonds.
While the From Russia with Love game wasn't bad, we'd like to see a definitive Bond game starring the definitive Bond.
The best Bond game came out in 1997 (and not on PlayStation)
GoldenEye is the father of the modern Bond series - and it spawned a host of lesser imitators in FPS genre. It's not just the best Bond game, but one of the greatest and most important video games of all time.
Its developers, Rare, really broke the mould when they created this game - everything about it was revolutionary - from its graphics, to gameplay, to its plot. The thing is that the first version of this game wasn't released on the PlayStation - but on the Nintendo 64.
It wasn't until 2010 that PlayStation 3 users got to experience a reimagined version of the 1997 game (with Daniel Craig's likeness) as GoldenEye 007: Reloaded. This version really did the original game justice.
But that was nearly a decade ago. After the abject failure of 007 Legends and World of Espionage, we need a better game to do proper justice to the legacy of the original masterpiece.