[Game Review] – Goldeneye 007 Reloaded

             James Bond is an iconic action character who wears a black tux, carries a silenced pistol, and juggles a woman or martini in his free hand as he saves the world. This hero and symbol of male libido has had numerous books, films, and games over the past several decades. The films may not be the most believable but they make the perfect playground for an exciting video game adaptation.

            The release of the film Goldeneye saw Pierce Brosnan as the infamous MI-6 agent with an updated look and feel to the franchise that delivered a new post Cold War vision of the spy game in film. One of the themes of this film shows how someone in Bond’s position deals with the loss of friends, betrayal, and his relationships with the people he works with. There is also an interesting revision here with Judi Dench as the new M, a female boss for the Cold War relic Bond to take orders from that affects James in a way that he doesn’t care to admit. The visuals, great acting, and fresh take on the franchise make for a memorable Bond film.

            As any avid gamer knows, video game versions of popular movies tend to let down the consumer and generate poor reviews. A chance was taken though on a joint venture with Rare and Nintendo to cash in on the films success on the N64 console. The number of hours spent on this game, even just from this writer, was too many to count. The game was fantastic and aptly blended the movie with plenty of play and activity (ie: people to shoot, maps to explore) to keep me busy. The game has some very memorable level design and an impressive selection of weapons and gadgets for that period of gaming. The multi-player was the cream and cherry on the top though, a four player couch co-op slaughter-fest with multiple character skins and play options to keep things interesting.

            The original Goldeneye game was a huge hit for Nintendo. Since then the company has tried to cash in on that success with numerous duds that either followed or remade the classic endeavor. That’s why when Goldeneye 007 Reloaded was announced I hesitated to pick it up; fearing, in the stereotypical gamer fashion, that nothing could ever compare to the Goldeneye of yore.

            Developed by Eurocom and published by Activision this new Goldeneye boasted an updated retelling of the original adventure with a multiplayer side that would compare to the N64 giant. The trailers looked promising and early reports boasted a new exciting experience in the same feel of the original. Most consumers, like myself were not sold on the new game yet though, feeling the burn from the old remakes. Like many others though I soon found myself looking for something to play with some friends and after reading a number of positive reviews and giving in to the call of nostalgia, I picked up my copy for X-Box 360.

            The character you play is redesigned to look like Daniel Craig, the new James Bond. Disappointingly, the character of Alec Trevelyan doesn’t look like Sean Bean. The plot has been updated to fit present day but still keep the Russian Ultranationalists and Janus group as their key antagonists. Some of the gadgets have been replaced by more modern practical devices and the weapons are updated along with all of the other revisions. The graphics are well done and the lighting effects are very vibrant. The interface isn’t bad, the few glitches actually helped remind me of the old version and how precise you had to be with the controls at times.

            There is no lack of nostalgia here. The level design is just similar enough to get you excited about going through that area. All players of the original Goldeneye game remembers dropping down into the facility bathroom and capping the guy in the stall next to you. There are several lines of dialog from the original game as well as situations that pay a sizable homage to their source material. At the risk of being accused of blasphemy one might venture to say that the ending of this version is better than the N64 version. The soundtrack is a good mixture of remixed techno with the classic 007 theme and original Goldeneye score.

            The controls for the game are stable and the auto-aim feature helps with players who might want a little assistance. The game is not hard at all if you know how to take cover. Your biggest fear is running out of bullets. Running through the game pretty quickly might be seen as a flaw in the game but I found it to have a lot of replay value, pick a stage and cause havoc. Some games have annoying mechanics or cinematic quick time events that people hate replaying but there was not much of that to bog this game down. There is a certain pleasure to learning how to beat a stage perfectly on one of the harder difficulties with only the silenced pistol.

            The multi-player function actually left a little to be desired, which was slightly heartbreaking Players can still get online with strangers or have friends over, if you have that many, for couch co-op. There seems to be a lack of creativity with the new stages though and playing over X-Box live just doesn’t give the same quality experience that couch co-op offered. The modes and options that you’re given are fine but there’s something missing. To me, Goldeneye will always be a couch co-op experience. I enjoyed having a couple of friends over and shooting each other repeatedly with many an insult and gloating remarks exchanged; without these friends though I don’t see myself selecting the multiplayer option very often.

            There are only a few extras to unlock in the game along with some items to look for in the actual game play that seem to be just for achievements. Replaying the levels will probably get tiring after a while but the game has been out for a while now and can be found at a reduced price which makes the purchase well worth it. This game, so far, is the closest any group has come to an actual decent recreation of the original Goldeneye game. Now with the new OO7 Legends game on the rise the franchise is showing that it still has power and James Bond, at least as the games are concerned, won’t be going anywhere.