007 First Light is being called journo game and getting huge backlash after gamers shared gameplay clips completing driving sections by simply holding one button while the game does almost everything. The criticism got even bigger because IO Interactive talked for years about how important the driving mechanics were for the Bond experience. So people expected something deeper, especially from the studio behind Hitman, which is known for giving players freedom.

007: First Light Reviews are up 10 — VGC Said it feels like the Bond game fans have been waiting for years. 10 — Gfinity Praised the story, action, and overall Bond feeling. 10 — The Guardian Loved the style, atmosphere, and writing. 10 — ComicBook Said it really feels like playing through a Bond movie. 9.5 — GamingTrend Praised the missions, gadgets, and replay value. 9 — Metro Liked the adventure feel and classic Bond vibe. 9 — DayOne Praised the stealth and pacing. 9 — Collider Called it one of the best action games this year. 9 — GameSpew Loved the mission variety and spy gameplay. 9 — Shacknews Said the mix of stealth and action works really well. 9 — ScreenRant Praised the soundtrack, visuals, and Bond atmosphere. 9 — PSX Brasil Liked the freedom during missions. 9 — GAMINGbible Called it stylish and fun from start to finish. 9 — DualShockers Praised the story, gadgets, and Bond performance. 8.5 — Checkpoint Gaming Liked the stealth gameplay but wanted more freedom. 8.5 — Press Start Praised the action and graphics but said combat gets repetitive sometimes. 8 — CGMagazine Liked the story and stealth gameplay overall. 8 — TechRadar Gaming Praised how cinematic the game feels. 8 — Eurogamer Loved the atmosphere but wanted deeper stealth systems. 8 — GameReactor Praised the locations and pacing. 8 — IGN France Said it captures the Bond feeling really well. 7 — GamesRadar+ Liked the story and presentation but thought gameplay could be deeper. MC: 88 OC: 90

007 First Light Faces Backlash After Denuvo Added Days Before Launch The Steam page confirmed the addition of Denuvo Anti-Tamper DRM shortly before release. Many players were surprised by the late confirmation, as they thought the game might launch without Denuvo. Denuvo remains one of the most hated antipiracy tools among PC gamers due to concerns about performance impact, preservation, and long-term accessibility.

007 First Light Wants to Be the Best Bond Game Ever Narrative Director Martin Emborg said, “Just that everyone agrees that this is the best Bond game ever.” When a colleague suggested it could be the best game ever, he added, “I’ll take that. That’s kind of the minimum that we can expect.” They want to beat the famous GoldenEye game from 1997. The game is a new story about a young James Bond. It shows his early days before he becomes a full 00 spy.

IO Interactive confirmed that 007 First Light will not have preload on Steam or Xbox. Only PlayStation players will be able to download the game before launch. This is probably to avoid leaks and piracy before release. PC preloads can sometimes be datamined or cracked early if files are exposed, so removing preload on Steam lowers that risk. Xbox was likely included because its system is closer to PC than PlayStation's. The situation is ironic because early leaks still came from PS5 copies that got out before launch. They also added Denuvo DRM to Steam some days ago, so they are clearly worried about piracy. Some people with slow internet will have to wait to play it due to this. IO Interactive has not officially said the decision was due to piracy concerns.