We’re five years removed from the latest James Bond film with no clear indicator as to when the next one will be, nor who will be donning the tux. Saying that though, some people are vouching for Patrick Gibson off the back of his performance in the latest Bond game 007: First Light.
If you’re a film buff and you think we’re waiting an age for film number twenty-six, spare a thought for the video game fans who spent a good decade believing that Bond games were an extinct breed. From the highs of GoldenEye to the lows of 007 Legends, those of us who got our start taking control of a 3D Bond felt that each passing year confirmed that the latter game had finished the franchise for good.
And then First Light comes along and cue Gene Wilder:
Now I could regale you with the life and times of the Bond video game series for it is an interesting journey. However, this is a music blog so rules decree that I must talk about their soundtracks. For this edition I’m going to pick out the games in the series I played after GoldenEye (already talked about that here: [LINK]), and pick out a maximum of five tracks per game.
007 Tomorrow Never Dies
We begin with the immediate sequel to GoldenEye, and one that seemed to be absolutely determined to be the opposite of its predecessor. System hopped from Nintendo to Playstation, levels halved from twenty to ten, first person perspective to third person, zero voice acting to manhandling the interns into a recording booth, and from a pioneering game to a forgotten clunkfest.
Yeah this game has aged like milk in the sun, no one liked it on release in 1999, even less people like it now. Perhaps its biggest strength is its score from Tommy Tallarico (and Sonic Mayhem, uncredited), although it does take a few sharp turns along the way…
“Outpost”
Heard this one more than I’d care to admit, mainly because I could never pass the first level until I had the bright idea to ask for a new controller with a working R1 button. Bit slow on the uptake, I was.
It carries on the feeling of loneliness and isolation that ran through the GoldenEye soundtrack, although the guitar nicely reflects some of the swagger that Pierce Brosnan was bringing to the role at the time. Might explain why it makes a reappearance in the final level aboard the stealth boat (along with a bunch of other tracks actually…).
“Pressing Engagement”
I’ll cover some more stealth-based music from the series the further into this entry we go, but this track superbly captures the feeling of being a spy weaving through the shadows and picking your moments and shots wisely. Just a shame you can barely sneak around for toffee in this game.
“Media Tower”
As above, but so damn groovy.
I also can’t help but notice that at 53 seconds we have some sounds Tallarico would recycle in his Spider-Man 2000 soundtrack (see that game’s “Warehouse 65”).
“Convoy”
ROAD RAGE!
Seriously, hardcore thrash guitars in a 007 score? If Bond had completely gone off his nut and was blowing up any poor bastard innocent or guilty, sure. But this is just a tad too extreme. Badass though.
It does land better when you face a goon with a grenade launcher and an absurd amount of health. “Convoy” lets you know that if you don’t duck and weave, you are in for it.
“PPK”
The ski sequences are precisely no one’s favourite part of this game, but at least the music that accompanies them is decent. Better still in the final part of the game when you’re up against the clock but there’s one last batch of goons standing between you and freedom.
007 Nightfire
After years of trying EA finally got it right. There’s a sentence you don’t often say.
But after the clunkiness of Tomorrow Never Dies, the eyesore of 007 Racing, the many many ports of The World Is Not Enough, and the so-close-but-not-quite-there Agent Under Fire, we finally got the worthy sequel GoldenEye deserved in 007 Nightfire.
And you know what? It’s my favourite Bond game. I have so many fond memories of it, playing through the campaign, trying to better myself each time to score some unlockables, and losing myself for ages in the multiplayer fighting bots. Bonus points for being the first to use Pierce Brosnan’s likeness, enhancing the feeling that you are playing James Bond instead of a half-decent cosplayer.
And the soundtrack? Put it this way, my limit of five tunes is going to be a massive hindrance here.
“Outside the Castle”
The Exchange is one of the best levels in the entire series. When you start, you have three possible ways of infiltrating the castle – Head on, in the back of a passing wine truck, or around the outer perimeter. Choose either of the latter two and you have the pleasure of hearing another one of those tracks that screams ‘I’m the best damn spy in the world, I can’t be seen’. All throughout, from the strings to the piano, you are reminded that you’re on the edge, perhaps literally, and could blow it at any moment. But how could you? You’re James Bond!
“Enemies Vanquished”
The soundtrack of a great 007 game must include little nods to the films of the past, and go beyond constant rehashes of the Bond theme. That’s exactly what “Enemies Vanquished” does, with Steve Duckworth and Jeff Tymoschuk having clearly done their homework. In this arrangement you can keep an ear out for references to the themes of Live And Let Die and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and it’s seamless.
“Ambushed”
Japanese technotronic action ninja boss battle theme!
Christ that thing is terrifying though.
“A Sinking Feeling”
In a first for the series, we have an underwater vehicle level. A lot of people call it their least favourite. Me? Second least, Island Infiltration plods on too much for my liking. It’s an atmospheric one, in the big blue and on your way into the lion’s den as you navigate tunnels and mines. It’s another one of those cautious, one-wrong-step-and-you’re-dead tunes.
“Showdown in Space”
Yes you read that title right. James Bond, back in space. Unfortunately, the final level doesn’t make full use of this concept as it leaves you trapped on a solar panel dodging laser fire for five minutes (But unlike Moonraker, you can actually call this non-canon if you wish!). Luckily, the game’s last helping of level music makes you forget that fact. Truly all-or-nothing.
Ah I want to go on, but even if I could I wouldn’t be able to do Nightfire’s music justice. Here’s the full thing:
007 Everything Or Nothing
A lot of people might cite this as their favourite game in the series, and with good reason. I mean, it has Willem Dafoe as the main villain for crying out loud, plus Pierce Brosnan actually lends his voice to the character. If you’re not a fan of Die Another Day, you can absolutely consider this his real swansong.
The soundtrack’s another corker, continuing the trendy electronic and synth tunes that we’ve seen in the previous games. And once again I’m spoilt for choice when it comes to picking the five.
“Everything Or Nothing” (Jazz Version)
As time wore on and the series continued, we started getting original songs made specially for these games. Nightfire’s was called “Nearly Civilised” which is decent but never earned more than a complimentary nod from me. “Everything Or Nothing”’s title track is sung by Mya and is suitably 2000s, electronic R&B and all.
And then there’s the jazzy version her character (also called Mya, imaginatively) sings when you infiltrate a swanky New Orleans club. Sultry, smoky, intimate. Love it. If jazz isn’t your cup of tea though, there’s always the techno remix you can hear in the post-game bonus levels.
“To Arms”
A pumping action theme to begin the game, and when you have your last proper boss fight. Works both ways.
“Jaws”
Yup, Jaws returns in this game, his fling with Dolly seemingly a distant memory. And while he still struggles to get things right when Bond’s around, he’s less of a prat and much more brutal about it. And much like his aquatic nameksake, he has a theme befitting of a stalking, hulking menace looking to rip you to shreds with his teeth.
“Battle in the Big Easy”
If you heard this before playing the game I’d wager you’d probably think this track came from the final level in the game. I know it’s an overused word but it’s epic. It starts grand and just keeps building on itself, particularly two minutes in when the Bond theme kicks in.
And yet this is only the halfway stage. There’s still a great deal of globehopping and baddy shooting to go. Still though, with explosions, Speed homages, Aston Martins wreaking havoc, and Mya emerging from a sunroof dual wielding submachine guns, you do kind of need a track like “Battle in the Big Easy” to sound as pulse-poundingly grandiose as it does.
“Rooftop Bike Chase”
The Bond theme was overused during this time period, let’s be honest, particularly in the video games. Indeed that’s why I’m not talking about Agent Under Fire in this entry because you’re lucky to go five seconds without it playing. To me this is proof positive that you can bust out Bond moves and feel like the biggest badass on the planet without needing those do-do-do-dooooo’s to accentuate the point. Riding a motorcycle across rooftops in a tux. Yup, this is truly the finale Brosnan’s Bond deserved.
007: From Russia With Love
But after Brosnan’s rather unceremonious exit (read: sacking) from the role, the franchise found itself in a sort of limbo. The cash needed to keep coming in and the role was interchangeable in the video games anyway, so another one would be inevitable.
So who did they draft in? Sean f*cking Connery.
Yup, the man who swore off the role three times over came back for one last hurrah when the boffins at EA decided to do an adaptation of one of the films. From Russia With Love being Connery’s favourite was a definite sweetener. Thus, we went back to the 60s with a soundtrack inspired heavily by the work of John Barry. No synthy gizmos here, this time it’s pure orchestra and moodiness. A welcome change of pace.
“Istanbul”
We don’t get a lot of these calm before the storm kinds of tracks but for the first minute or so of Istanbul Pt1, you can just have a cruise around the Turkish streets in an Aston Martin DB5. It’s one of the better tributes to Barry, down to the smatterings of bongo drums to immerse you in the location, and the cold strings to tell you you’re under the watchful eye of the Soviets.
“Catacombs”
Best action music in the game, it’s so hard-hitting.
“Jetpack Escape”
Jetpacks are in this game. You can shoot rockets from them. Could you do that in 1963? Who gives a toss.
With the opening plucks of string when the jetpack emerges from the floor, you can just picture Connery’s Bond standing there dumbfounded at first. Then, the twinkle in his eye gets brighter as he realises that he’s about to escape and have a lot of fun doing so.
“Chop Shop”
By the time of the Factory level, it’s safe to say that Bond is a little bit pissed off with how things have gone lately. Thus, he rocks up to the enemy compound in the form of a one-man wrecking ball in a jetpack, happily flaunting that licence to kill.
“Tunnel”
Time to run!
Side note, you can hear this in an episode of Top Gear where Clarkson gets a case of crane envy.
Goldeneye Rogue Agent
I have just one word to sum up this soundtrack and the game itself:
Shite.
A-Side Glance 