Bruce Feirstein has written three James Bond movies and worked on five games over the years. The screenwriter has been collaborating with Activision and developer Eurocom lately on 007 Legends. The new shooter celebrates the 50th Anniversary of James Bond by sending players on updated missions based on six Bond movies, including Moonraker, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and the upcoming Skyfall.
“Bond came onto the scene in 1962 with the first movie, Dr. No, and in November Skyfall will be coming out,” said Feirstein. “What Activision decided to do is create one game with Bond’s most iconic moments and somehow link them all together with an overarching story. Players will get to play through Bond’s most interesting missions.”
Launching on October 16, 2012, 007 Legends equips players with state-of-the-art spy gadgets, an arsenal of weapons and sleek vehicles as they jet off to exotic locations and utilize Bond’s quick wits, class and style to take down notorious villains and their brutal henchmen while performing impressive stunts. Gamers will be taking on villains like Ernst Stavro Blofeld and Sir Hugo Drax.
“It’s funny the way Bond villains over all of these years have stayed the same in a way and have been timely,” said Feirstein. “That’s been part of the success of the series and it’s what we’re trying to do in the game. There is something ultimately about Bond that is very deep and archetypal, meaning that there’s something inside of us that we recognize in Bond. We connect with the story of what ultimately is Bond as a lone warrior who is sent out to avenge a vanquished nation.” Going with a first-person shooter perspective, which Activision used for its GoldenEye remake (also written by Feirstein), allows the player to become Bond. It also circumvents the fact that different actors played Bond in these six films.
The structure of the Bond films, for the most part, has made the task of updating them for today’s gamers an easier task. “Part of the advantage of Bond, which I can say as an American, is that you’ll never see the Oval Office in a James Bond movie,” said Feirstein. “And with the exception of Thunderball, the Prime Minister is never seen. This makes it easier for fans from around the world to connect with the character. You can travel to the craziest place in the world like Cambodia, which I’ve done, and you’ll find someone who can relate to James Bond — the lone warrior out to avenge the nation.”
The last couple of Activision games had a big multiplayer focus. Although details on 007 Legends multiplayer haven’t been revealed yet, Feirstein believes this aspect of gaming is important for the virtual Bond franchise. “That moment when the father and son play together as a team together is the equivalent for someone like me with my father taking me to see the New York Yankees,” said Feirstein. “It’s a much larger experience than just the game.
If you’re a father and your kid has left and gone to college, you can reconnect over your Xbox while also going back and reliving some of the great experiences from the Bond movies that you grew up with.” 007 Legends will ship for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 26.
