Unfortunately, at least for me, this year's Summer Games Fest fell a bit flat. As GTA clone after Life is Strange knockoff after samey-looking anime game was announced, I found myself spiraling into despair over the state of the industry — until, as usual, I was saved by the arrival of Danish heartthrob Mads Mikkelsen.
While most American audiences will know Mikkelsen for playing a younger, more suave version of iconic cannibal Hannibal Lecter, his international breakout role was across from Daniel Craig as slippery underworld banker Le Chiffre in 2006's Casino Royale. Given that Hitman studio IO Interactive (also Danish, which must have made negotiations easier) is in the process of developing a James Bond game, a bit of cross-promotion only makes sense, and it is this serendipitous synergy that has seen Mikkelsen step back into the role.
Agent 47's newest target is Le Chiffre himself in a new mission obviously heavily inspired by Casino Royale. It's free for a limited time with the option to unlock it permanently for a small fee, and features all the drink-poisoning, villain monologuing, and poker showdowns you'd expect from a rematch with this classic Bond villain. Mess up badly enough, and 47 can even find himself in the same compromising position Bond is subject to in the film — but mercifully, Le Chiffre spares you the rope this go around. (If you know, you know. Ouch.)
