007 First Light: Hits and Misses

Yes, the new Bond game, 007: First Light, is a good game, but unlike most reviewers, I can't wholeheartedly endorse it. It does a lot right, but it also has some real flaws.

The Good

Looks

It's gorgeous. I'm playing on PS5 Pro, and it looks and animates well. Very smooth, with nothing to indicate it has framerate or other issues. Maybe a bit of pop-in every once in a while. Otherwise, it looks great.

Fun

The missions so far are a lot of fun. An interesting mix of stealth, combat, dialogue, and hacking.

The Bad

So Much Hand-to-Hand Combat

I should have realized when people started comparting 007: First Light to Batman: Arkham Asylum there'd be too much fist fighting! I'm not a fan of smashing buttons, especially when you have to memorize lots of different combos to take down foes. If anything prevents me from finishing this game, it will be the endless hand-to-hand combat.

Stiff Walking Animations

Combat animations are good overall, but the game suffers from the same thing we see in most games, where NPCs turn at sharp, 90-degree angles, get stuck on one another occasionally, and other silly things. It's not terrible, but I just wonder if/when someone will figure out how to animate 100% of a game smoothly.

The Ugly

Gun Restrictions

There are a few stupid things, like even though I'm carrying a gun, I can't equip it unless I'm engaged in combat and the game tells me I can. It seems like a silly thing to prevent the player from holding a gun, especially when the guy you're playing is a secret agent.

Gadgets

Having to constantly charge gadgets seems like a crazy mechanic to me. And it makes no sense. The environment is littered with electric drills, bottles of cleaning fluids, and other stuff just so I can charge my gadgets. I'd rather they had timers on them because that would make more sense.

Conclusions

I think 007: First Light is a good game, and I hope I can finish it, but it's not as perfect as reviewers make it out to be.