Top 5 Iconic James Bond References in Classic Rare Games

by Lerako on Oct 25th, 2021

In recognition of the month that gave us “No Time To Die”, “Dr. No” and Global James Bond Day, we’ve shaken and stirred our Top 5 List Machine from its slumber to bring you the best of Bond. This time, we’re looking through Rare’s classic titles of yesteryear for any traces, allusions and Easter Eggs that pay tribute to MI6’s suave agent and the films where he was quite particular with how his Martini’s were to be prepared. Whether you’re a fan of Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, Brosnan, or Craig, there’s sure to be an entry that captures the memorable spys actions on the silver screen.
These are the Top 5 Iconic James Bond References in Classic Rare Games.

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#5. AMBER IS CAPTURED IN A VIEW TO A KILL – GRABBED BY THE GHOULIES (XBOX)

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Collecting the far-flung Bonus Books during the initial escape of the Hall in Grabbed by the Ghoulies will allow you to unlock a series of Bonus Challenges to complete afterwards. If you can manage to track down 80 of these Books, you’ll gain access to ‘Dirty Laundry!’ – a challenge which features Cooper’s girlfriend, Amber, waging an assault against a trope of Ninja Imps with a Soda Pop Gun inside the Laundry Room. Before you jump into the fray however, you’ll notice that the preview image for ‘Dirty Laundry’ has Amber seen through the drum of a Washing Machine, with her Soda Pop Gun at the ready. This scene is a cheeky recreation of the classic Gun Barrel Sequence that has managed to precede every single Bond film released under Eon Productions.

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#4. OUTFITTED WITH A QUANTUM OF DRESS SENSE – VIVA PIÑATA: TROUBLE IN PARADISE (XBOX 360)

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Offering up even more ways to accessorize than its predecessor, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise stocked Petula’s Paper Pets with quite a few snappy articles to have your residents looking their best. If you could reach the lofty heights of gardening level 6, Petula would offer the ‘Secret Agent Bowtie’ for 300 Chocolate Coins, an article of clothing that became an iconic staple for Bond when he donned a tuxedo during missions. Another reference can be found in the Bowtie’s description, which reads, “This elegant accessory stops your Piñata’s from getting shaken and not stirred when in a tight situation.” While the Secret Agent would undoubtedly find himself in many a tight situation, his preference in preparing a Vodka Martini has never varied: shaken, not stirred.

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#3. THE BEAR AND BIRD FLY ANOTHER WAY – BANJO-KAZOOIE: NUTS & BOLTS (XBOX 360)

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Building a better Bear car in Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts requires some cunning and creativity – though this front is helped somewhat by decking out your vehicle with innovative weapons and gadgets that would fit in the arsenal of any enterprising spy. In fact, the functionality of the ‘Ejector Seat’ vehicle part found in the Seaside area of Showdown Town seems to be lifted from a similar device provided by Q in the film Goldfinger. As Mumbo-Jumbo describes, “Make vehicle like secret agent car. Press button and bear fly from seat!” True to his word, equipping the gadget in your vehicle will allow you to make a somersaulting getaway should the need arise, though it might have been more effective to place it under the passenger seat, as a unwitting henchmen experienced…

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#2. NO MISTER BOND, I EXPECT YOU TO DANCE – VIVA PIÑATA: TROUBLE IN PARADISE (XBOX 360)

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Hardly finished referencing Bond after allowing our Piñatas to dress up as him, Viva Piñata: Trouble In Paradise returns to deliver a second Easter Egg intended for our ears only. First, you’ll have to venture into the frozen region of the Piñarctic to track down a pair of daring Lemmonings, then once you’ve made them both residents, satisfy their romance requirements to spur them into performing their Romance Dance for each other. If you listen closely, you’ll hear that Rare have used a big band orchestra to create a finely tuned parody of spy tropes and covert stings that sound quite Bond-like. Things reach a crescendo during the final three notes however, as the bombastic refrain of the Monty Norman theme can be heard in an explosive finale!

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#1. EASTER EGGS FROM RAREWARE WITH LOVE – GOLDENEYE 007 (NINTENDO 64)

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While you’d be correct in assuming that GoldenEye 007 would rightly contain a few nods to the film of the same name, the title incidentally reads like a love letter to the Bond films before Brosnan had taken on the License to Kill. Each of the Control Styles in the options menu is named after a former Bond Girl, with titles like the default ‘Honey’, ‘Domino’ and ‘Plenty’ referring to the women of “Dr. No”, “Thunderball” and “Diamonds Are Forever” respectively. Similarly, the extra missions of Aztec and Egyptian feature narratives and villains from “Moonraker”, and “Live and Let Die”, with extra modes for multiplayer in “The Man with the Golden Gun”, “You Only Live Twice” and “The Living Daylights”. And yes, even the impossible-to-kill Oddjob hails from “Goldfinger”, you cheater.

Categories: Top 5 Lists