Goldeneye 007 Reloaded Review

If you are a Gamer of a certain age then I don't need to say much about the original Goldeneye game for the N64.  If you're a little on the younger side then you should know that it was the first console based FPS to rival it's PC counterparts in it's day and regularly voted as one of the best First Person Shooters of all time.  What would follow would be a huge amount of legal to-and-fro action leaving the game rights and legal status of the first game still unsure of today.

This legal state of confusion and developer Rare jumping ship from Nintendo to Microsoft, has meant that no direct sequel or re-release has ever or probably will ever happen.  After a failed attempt by EA Games to cash in on the name with Goldeneye: Rogue Agent (which lead to mediocre reviews), it  was Activision & Eurocom who took up the reigns of giving the classic N64 game a modern day re-imagining.  Goldeneye 007, released for the Wii last year proved a critically acclaimed success and it was only a matter of time before it was re-tweaked and released on consoles.  So now we have Goldeneye 007: Reloaded but does it have enough to become a classic like it's predecessor?

The basic layout of the previous game are all here but the story has been edited and changed slightly from that of the film.  Pierce Brosnan has now been replaced by current Bond Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench continues her role as M (as the only returning member of the original cast).  Other characters within the film have been changed; 006 is no longer Sean Bean & Valentin Zukovsky no longer looks like Robbie Coltrane instead he is slim, toned and covered in tattoos, to name a few changes.

There are however some key moments and lines from previous game/film that have been kept in: for example the first mission remains the infiltration of the Dam and the drop from the Ventilation shaft into the toilet cubicle remains the same.  You'll come to find that when you encounter these moments a little feeling of happiness and nostalgia enter your mind and you'll forgive the fact that certain changes have occurred.  The one change I personally can't overlook is replacing the totally brilliant Tina Turner version of Goldeneye with the ear-shriekingly annoying warblings of Nicole Scherzinger, but that's just me.

The game has more of an emphasis on all out fire-fights but if you would prefer to sneak around the locations, learning how the enemy patrols move around then that option is often available to you.  The single player also includes some vehicle based action sequences where your shooting skills whilst in a moving vehicle are put to the test and there is your smartphone which fills the gap of mandatory gadget, which you use to take photos of  a helicopter in the first mission to collect intel on it.  Some of the levels within the game are re-workings of the old classics while some are completely new but the balance and style of the gameplay make it feel similar and as if you have been here before.

The graphics within the game look good but are not as good as some other games in the market.  Despite being a new engine built specifically for this game it can't help feeling a direct port of the Wii version but with just a little more shine added to it.  It's never going to be the best looking FPS out there but it does the job required of it in giving the game a nice shiny, new high definition experience.

A new addition to this version is the MI6 Mode, which is basically a copy of Spec Ops mode from Call of Duty.  This mode consist of 40 different missions focusing over 4 styles of gameplay (Extraction, Assault, Stealth, and Wave Defence) which add a certain level of longevity to the game.  The unusual aspect is that this new game mode is only single player which will more than likely result in it being forgotten about after a few swear-induced failed attempts.

The online multiplayer now supports up to 16 players and has new maps and weapons from that of the Wii version but all in all it is very much the same.  The multiplayer is where the game feels the most similar to the original, with a wide range of modes and customisations, many taken from the original game (paintball mode anyone?) and the ability to play as many Bond villians.  The online suits the needs but I can't see it steeling too many people away from games such as Call of Duty: MW3 or Battlefield 3 but it's the split-screen with a group of friends where most of the fun will be had.

This re-imagining isn't going to be great for everyone and if you're looking for a game as classic as the original then you'll be disappointed.  If you are looking for a exact carbon copy update of the original then you'll be disappointed.  If you are instead looking for a good, fun, homage to the original then this is what you are after and if you liked the original then by all means I recommend that you pick this up and relive some of your youth.