007 First Light Replaces Metal Gear Solid As This Generation's Best Spy Game

When the news that Hitman developer IO Interactive was working on a James Bond game broke, you could feel the excitement build. Hitman: World of Assassination is a game that has continued to age like a bottle of fine wine over the years, and it's been too long since we've seen a proper James Bond game.

All that to say, we weren't surprised one bit with the positive reviews surrounding 007 First Light. Don't just take it from me; here's what our own Christian Bognar said in his review:

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.

High praise indeed that we finally have a Bond game that plays as well as GoldenEye 007 (it handles like a dream on Xbox, seriously!)

How does it compare to similar titles, though? Well, if the reviews are any indication, we may have a new premier stealth franchise on our hands.

As beloved as Hitman is today, it took some time for people to be won over.

Over the years, IO Interactive perfected the Hitman trilogy, leading to the current state of World of Assassination today. It isn't surprising to see that First Light's reviews are faring better than Hitman's, especially since IO has clearly leaned into what's worked from their time on the Hitman trilogy.

What may be surprising, however, is that First Light is the preferred spy game over the most recent Metal Gear Solid entry. It's even more surprising considering that the most recent Metal Gear Solid entry is the modern remake of one of the most beloved games of all time.

According to OpenCritic, 007 First Light's current Top Critic Average is at 88, 3 points higher than Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater's 85. At DualShockers, we preferred First Light, giving it a 9 out of 10, over Snake Eater, which we gave an 8.5/10. Now, that's not to say that 007 First Light is a better game than something like The Phantom Pain, but you have to consider that we now live in a world where Hideo Kojima is not actively working on the Metal Gear Solid franchise.

IO Interactive Brought James Bond Games Back From the Dead

As good of a job as Konami did with the Snake Eater remake, they were working with pretty good bones. IO Interactive, who also had a good foundation to build from with Hitman, was developing a license that had been stuck in video game limbo for over a decade, which arguably makes their accomplishment that much more impressive.

When you look through the modern history of James Bond games, it's not exactly a pretty picture. 2012's 007 Legends plays less like a Bond game and more like a bad Call of Duty spin-off. To make matters worse, the GoldenEye 007 "reimagining" from two years prior played just like a, you guessed it, Call of Duty spin-off.

To say that the Bond franchise was floundering in the world of video games was an understatement. 2005's From Russia with Love, which was hyped beyond belief by EA at the time, came and went with a collective shrug. I completely forgot that there was even a Quantum of Solace game, which is honestly on par for a game based on that film.

For years, James Bond video games were chasing the highs of the past. It wasn't just GoldenEye 007 that impressed; The World Is Not Enough, Agent Under Fire, and Everything or Nothing were all solid games. But they were from a different era, all released before the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. To see IO Interactive not only pull off a good Bond game in the modern era, but surpass one of the all-time great stealth franchises, is a truly impressive feat.