007 Racing (2000). Play online

Summary

007 Racing lets you sit in James Bond’s iconic rides, from the Aston Martin DB5 to the Lotus Esprit and the sleek BMW Z8. The cars are packed with gadgets—mines, rockets, lasers and smokescreens—that feel straight out of Q‑Branch, whose dry‑witted voice was provided by John Cleese. Tim Bentinck supplies Bond’s growl, even though you won’t hear Pierce Brosnan himself.

The game swings between solo missions where you collect objects, evade enemies, or simply survive a crash, and frantic multiplayer rounds where you can blow the other driver up or play “Pass the Bomb,” literally tapping the explosive to a rival’s car before it detonates. Eutechnyx built it on a reworked Le Mans 24 Hours engine, a fact I find impressive for a James Bond title.

Critics were split—Game Informer called the graphics ugly but praised the voice work, while IGN said it’s decent if you keep expectations low. At its core, the title offers a nostalgic, gadget‑laden spin on arcade racing.

Storyline

In 007 Racing, James Bond must stop a European diplomat‑businessman who is using his car factories to smuggle NATO weapons to terrorists. The game opens with Bond rescuing Cherise Litte in an Aston Martin DB5 and escorting her across the border.

M informs Bond that a freighter intercepted in the Labrador Sea was carrying laser‑guided missiles, GPS tech and a Q‑equipped BMW 750iL bound for Halifax. In New York a villain plants a bomb on Bond’s car, forcing him to jettison it into the Hudson River.

Bond intercepts the smuggler’s transporter with his Aston Martin, then heads to Mexico in a BMW Z3 to question driver Whisper and track Zukovsky. He learns that Cherise’s father, Dr. Hammond Litte, staged the rescue as a distraction.

Bond escapes, recovers a stolen BMW and destroys Jaws’ boat. Data from limousines reveals Litte’s virus plot. The final mission on the Baltic Sea in a Lotus Esprit sees Bond infiltrate an underwater base and destroy the virus‑carrying aircraft.