007 First Light channels Bully's schoolboy mischief

The best part of 007 First Light is the tutorial montage, a small slice of rambunctious mayhem Bond enjoys before being thrown into a national conspiracy against MI6. As I break grapples, throw punches and get away with more than one dirty trick during the close-combat tutorial, the tone feels familiar — the last time I played a protagonist this cheeky and sneaky was back in the PS2 days, and the spirit of Bully seems to live on here.

James and his friends Cressida Bright and Lennox Monroe decide to do tomorrow's capture-the-flag training mission today. The exercise itself exists to test earlier lessons in stealth and combat, but the aftermath is what delights: the trio holds up their trophy while Agent Greenway reads the mission brief, unable to fault their ruse.

As Cressida puts it, the first rule of spycraft is to expect the unexpected, and the gang swagger off to enjoy a free day. MI6's bootcamp often feels like a boarding school teeming with would-be secret agents.

007, first light, james bond, bully, tutorial montage, mi6, close combat, stealth, capture flag, spycraft