Gamers of a certain age may remember the original GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64. Appearing out of nowhere it became a huge hit thanks to its comprehensive story mode and laugh-a-minute split screen multiplayer (die, Oddjob, die!). This is why we approached GoldenEye 007 for the Wii with apprehension when it was released exactly a year ago, as surely nothing could replicate the original. Well, it actually turned out to be one of the Wii’s best games, and now a sexy HD version has come to PS3 and Xbox 360.
[boxout] The first thing to point out is that Eurocom developed GoldenEye 007: Reloaded isn’t really a remake of the N64 game at all, yet doesn’t follow the movie 100% either. Sure, there are enough moments included to give our nostalgic hearts strings a tug, but the world has moved on, and so has Bond.The game starts in the familiar (to fans) Arkhangelsk dam, and this is where you notice the first change; Brosnan is out in favour of current Bond, Daniel Craig. The atmosphere is tense as 007 and 006 stealth their way up to a pair of guards, and subdue them using new takedown moves. Before this level is over you’ll have been flung from a speeding truck; used your phone to photograph an EMP hardened helicopter; punched, chopped and sniped your way down to the dam before leaping off it without a parachute whilst that oh-so-familiar GoldenEye theme tune blasts your ears. It’s loud, fast, brash, and typically Bond.
[drop2] In keeping with Daniel Craig’s take on Bond, things feel much more energetic than many of the big-named FPS games on the shelves at the moment. Whilst it’s not quite at the level of Brink, Bond can still sprint about and vault over ledges in an almost Parkour fashion, and melee combat is swift and brutal with kicks, knees and punches replacing the bog standard ‘hit the enemy with your rifle butt’. Your gadgets are pared back too, instead relying on your smart phone to hack doors, download files and control gun turrets.On the whole gunplay feels solid, and sounds great. For those who enjoy a bit of stealth there are a number of levels that allow you to crack out the silencer, enter the vents and go about things that way. There’s something deliciously primeval about sneaking up behind a guard before either taking him down or putting a couple of silenced rounds in his back (the men in white coats are on their way, Dan – Ed). A cover system has also been added, allowing you to pop up and shoot off a few rounds before ducking back to safety. Be warned though, some of the cover, such as tables, degrade rather rapidly under heavy fire.
The story mode is an enjoyable affair, relying on mid-mission radio chatter to progress things, rather than cutscenes. It has its surprises too; for example when the nightclub level starts blaring out ‘I Remember’ by Deadmau5/Kaskade, which adds a nice touch of realism to things, as well as being a kick-ass song. The downside is that the story doesn’t last very long at all, and can be clocked on Agent difficulty in less than five hours. To try and add replay value tougher difficulty levels unlock, but whether you’ll want to try these out is another matter entirely.
New to Reloaded is the MI6 Ops, which are a number of levels that provide different objectives to complete, such as ‘eliminate all hostiles’. Parameters can be tampered with, so you can adjust your health, add in the Golden Gun, start with an RPG etc. These levels are timed, with the player being awarded stars on how well they have done.
Once the single player campaign is done and dusted you’ll want to head directly to the extensive 16 player online multiplayer mode. There are so many modes to choose from, such as  Golden Gun, You Only Live Twice, License to Kill, Conflict and Black Box, with some not unlocking until you level up. The player really is spoilt for choice. You can also use XP earned to unlock all sorts of extras. The Xbox 360 version seems to be lag free, although there are rumblings that the same can’t be said for the PS3, although we haven’t been able to confirm this.
One of the negatives for the Wii version was the lack of a chat feature, but this has been included in Reloaded. The downside is you can now hear all the expletives aimed in your direction. Time to reach for the ‘mute’ feature.
[drop] Of course, we can’t forget the offline splitscreen multiplayer. Whilst we didn’t get to try it out with this review copy, we did with the Wii version back in 2010 and it was an absolute blast. Good memories will come flooding back, although these days you can’t “accidentally” unplug your opponent’s controller. Cursed technological advancements!Despite shouting about its HD makeover, there’s no denying Reloaded’s Wii roots. Whilst the Bond character model looks fantastic, the same can’t be said for a number of the environments which seem a bit flat. The now famous tank level also suffers a bit, as there seems to be no splashback damage from the main canon allowing enemies to dodge you by simply ducking behind a two foot high wall, which can apparently shield them completely from the blast of a tank shell. On the plus side, the framerate issues from the Wii version have now been eliminated.
What hasn’t been eliminated is the line of sight issue, where an enemy spots you despite the half-foot thick concrete wall you’re hiding behind. It doesn’t happen all the time, but when it does it can be very frustrating.
Pros
- Engaging story.
- Manages to capture the Bond atmosphere.
- Solid gunplay.
- Nice melee combat.
- A wealth of multiplayer options.
Cons
- Story mode is really short.
- Can look a bit flat.
- Some line of sight issues.
One must feel sorry for GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, sandwiched between Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3. However, it feels so refreshing to step out of army boots and into a tux, with GoldenEye providing a nice change from the norm. Despite not being the best FPS on the market, the game can easily stand tall and comes highly recommended for those suffering from an overdose of modern battlefields.
MayContainEvil
Sounds good, I might pick this up post-Christmas when it’s dropped in price a bit. I used to love the PS1 bond games so hopefully this is a fitting legacy.
Pity about the graphics, why wouldn’t you make it on the main consoles first and then port it to the Wii? Surely it’s much easier to make it a bit shitter rather than having to try and compensate for the Wii’s inherent inadequacies.
Forrest_01
If i am right in saying so, this is actually a remake (i am actually not sure whether it is a remake ot if they just polished it up a bit) of an old N64 classic, so it makes perfect sense that they remade for the wii & then decided to roll it out to other consoles.
3shirts
Did you read the first paragraph at all?
Youles
Damn, I was almost hoping for a bad score – what with there being so many games. As non AAA titles, and both with Move, I’m torn between this and House of the Dead Overkill.
nofi
Worth mentioning that increasing the difficulty adds extra objectives to the levels, just as it did on the N64. Some levels are almost completely new on the tougher difficulties.
bacon_nuts
Did not know that at all, sounds fantastic.
Crazy_Del
Think I’ll get it around Christmas then I have too many games at the moment and really need to finish James Bond 007: Blood Stone
(Very close to Platinum) Anyone still have Blood Stone?
OriginalJonty (Aran Suddi)
Will probably pick this up at some point in January of February, once price drops and I have got through my list of games to play.
freezebug2
This game has really crept under the radar with the massive selection af AAA titles released recently. I’d be surprised to see many people on my friends list with the title showing under their XMB avatar for a while yet. Pretty bad timing for it’s release, otherwise I think it would do well. I’ll get it, but just not right now ;)
Forrest_01
Yeah, i was just thinking the same thing about the timing tbh – I know plenty of gamers that would simply love to have another blast at goldeneye (harking back to the N64 days of course), but just aren’t likely to pick it up now, due to the expense of either BF3, MW3 or both.
I am actually in that camp now that i think about it. I’ll probably pick it up somewhere down the line, but i fear that the release date will ensure that it isn’t a commercial success. Pity.
freezebug2
I also think that the price of the game will fluctuate big time, so timing will be pretty important for it’s purchase. Once people do get around to buying it when there’s a BF3 or UC3 lull and it’s cheap, the price will inflate rapidly ;)
SpikeyMikey23
Loved the N64 version, Great review Dan, I look forward to picking this up after Christmas when it drops in price. Got too much going on at the moment
SpikeyMikey23
Oh, and back in my day, whoever picked coltrane or boris got set upon….. ;)
moshi
Pah, who needs MW3
shields_t
I’m surprised it wasn’t released as a PSN game to be honest. Tempted for nostalgia’s sake but the dreaded backlog might get in the way (yet again).
Zephyre
Just what I was thinking. If they’d made it a PSN game and kep the price sub £20 they might have found a niche. But going full price with the 2 biggest shooters releasing at the same time?
jediryan123
i’m glad it got a good score, i’ll be getting this during the gaming slump next year. Who would release a game within 30 days of Arkham City, Uncharted 3, Battlefield 3, Mordern Warfare 3, Saints Row 3, AC Revelations and skyrim????????
Foxhound_Solid
Good point.