GoldenEye 007 review

by Luke Jones.

In 1997 a game based on a two year old movie was released for a struggling console, and managed to revolutionise a genre. Thirteen years on and GoldenEye 007 still stands as one of the finest shooters ever, with a near perfect single player campaign and multiplayer that still holds up today. Now Activision have released an updated version for the Nintendo Wii: can it ever hope to live up to expectations?

This new game already comes with baggage attached, not least because of the last game to feature the GoldenEye monicker. 2004’s GoldenEye: Rogue Agent was a poor attempt by EA to cash in while they held the Bond licence, and shared little in quality or substance with either film or game. Thankfully the Bond licence was taken over by mega-publisher Activision, and the first game to come out of this new partnership, 2008‘s Quantum of Solace, was a sign that maybe the franchise was heading back on track.

GoldenEye 007 is a first person shooter that sees players assuming the role of James Bond through the events of the eponymous movie. Perhaps the most drastic alteration for GoldenEye version 2.0 is the replacement of Pierce Brosnan with Daniel Craig, and the tonal shift that this brings about. The main story points of the film still exist but many elements, such as 006’s reason for turning traitor and the meeting with Zukovsky, have been chopped and changed to make them fresh for modern players. They are also modeled on new actors, and while there are no real problems they are no patch on the likes of Sean Bean and Robbie Coltrane.

Still, look past the cosmetic changes and you will be rewarded with one of the most feature packed and thrilling experiences on the Wii. Although awkward initially, the Wii-mote and Nunchuk control scheme soon proves itself to be a more engrossing way to play shooters than using a conventional controller, even if a little accuracy is sacrificed. Plus there is the option to use either a Wii classic controller or GameCube controller if the motion controls prove to be a little too fiddly.

The single player is lengthy and challenging, and while there are homages for fans of the original game to appreciate, it is a mostly new experience. Take, for instance, the opening Dam level. Players still move around a corner and take out a guard or two before getting their hands on the famous sniper rifle. However from there the level takes on a new more adrenalin packed approach, as Bond becomes involved in a high-speed truck chase before fighting his way on foot to the end of the level. It helps that the combat is so much fun, with a good variety of weapons that are all satisfying to use.

Like the original there is often an alternative, stealthier route to take through levels, with a combination of silent melee takedowns and silenced weaponry. Though this style of play is never forced upon the player, it is definitely the easier approach in many scenarios, and it can be gloriously satisfying when a whole area has been cleared of enemies without the need of a single bullet. Bond also has access to a single gadget, a smartphone that seemingly does everything but brush teeth.

Each level is still as re-playable as their inspirations too, with multiple challenge levels upping the difficulty and adding extra objectives to be completed. There is even a 007 Classic mode that uses the same finite health and body armor bars from the original game.

While the single player will take a good twenty hours to complete, the multi-player will keep players coming back from months after. While none of the original maps have made their way into the update, split screen deathmatches are still present and correct with up to four players battling it out on one screen. While unlikely to topple Call of Duty and Halo: Reach from their positions as kings of online multiplayer, GoldenEye 007 has a fully featured multiplayer suite that can be tweaked to the player’s individual taste.

Despite being for the non-HD Wii, Goldeneye 007 is a great looking game, though one that the frame rate does suffer on during busy firefights. Sound design throughout is superb, with current Bond composer David Arnold providing a new score in keeping with his recent efforts. Even Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger manages to pull off singing the title theme, though again it struggles to compare with the original vocal from Tina Turner.

GoldenEye 007 for the Wii is that rarest of things, a re-make that manages to honour the original while carving it’s own identity. In a genre as crowded as the first person shooter, it is amazing that GoldenEye 007 stands out not just as a great Bond game, but as a great game, period.

Goldeneye 007 is available now for the Nintendo Wii