It's the game with the Midas Touch.
I recently watched the 1995 “Goldeneye” movie this game is more or less based on, and it still holds up! The game’s history is a bit more complicated than that though. The first Goldeneye game was developed by Rare as a movie tie-in, but what secured its place in gaming history was the split-screen multiplayer suite. It helped define what multiplayer on consoles is all about, the sort of social, pick-up-and-play fun that you perhaps see more rarely on the PC platform. Ever since the Wii came out people have been screaming for a re-release of Goldeneye on the Wii’s “Virtual Console” store. But it never came to pass; too much red tape is likely the cause, especially since Rare is now owned by Microsoft.
Eager to scratch your Goldeneye itch, the guys at Eurocom, Dead Space Extraction developers, have more or less remade the game, still basing it on the original story but this time with Daniel Craig in the role of 007.
The campaign follows the same basic series of events as the original film and game, and it supremely well-crafted. I never felt lost in the levels, the shooting felt really responsive (playing with the remote + nunchuk setup), even the vehicular section in the middle of the game is super entertaining. Occasionally though, I’d be swarmed by enemies and those situations usually ended in my death – possibly my own fault but I found myself unable to get out of certain tight spots. And James Bond ALWAYS gets out of tight spots, so that was somewhat annoying. A mark-and-execute move like Sam Fisher’s in the most recent Splinter Cell would have been welcome. I understand the 360/PS3 Bond game “Blood Stone” has it, so why not this one?
Multiplayer attempts to recapture what made people love the original N64 game. Miraculously it almost accomplishes this. The solution was to combine elements of the classic game with new multiplayer features seen in the Call of Duty series. Levelling, perks, accessories, loadouts, it’s all there. And so are game modes like Golden Gun, fun as ever. Not to mention game modifiers like “tiny mode” which needs no explanation.
Everyone knows the Wii is a console with some pretty basic innards, so it’s impressive that Goldeneye manages to look and sound as good as it does. The level of visual detail is high, and depth of field effects, smoke, and clever lighting all help immensely to that end. David Arnold and Kevin Kiner provide some exciting, fully orchestral action tracks to set the game apart; and for that reason alone it is never unclear that you are playing a 007 game.
I enjoyed my time with Goldeneye a lot. It’s a no-brainer if you’re a Wii-only gamer or a Bond-fan. But I’d recommend it to anyone who’s looking to play a good shooter. I probably haven’t had this much fun with an FPS since Modern Warfare 2 last year. Needs more Sean Bean though. And Izabella Scorupco.
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