Goldeneye 007 review

The original GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64 still ranks as one of the greatest licensed games we have ever played. It was the game that showed how to treat a film license with respect, and was also the first to prove that console first-person shooters could hold their own when compared to their PC brethren.

However, the fickle nature of the James Bond license coupled with the defection of original developers Rare to Microsoft has meant the game has never received a true successor (unless you count GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, an embarrassingly bad cash-in which had nothing whatsoever to do with the original). A re-release of the game, via Xbox Live Arcade or the Virtual Console, also seems unlikely. So along comes this re-imagining of the beloved classic, and the question, of course, is whether it can live up to the legacy of the original.

The basics of the plot are largely the same, but the film’s original writer has been brought on board to adjust things slightly to fit the story into the modern age. This also means that Daniel Craig (providing his own voice) now takes over from Pierce Brosnan as Bond, with Dame Judi Dench (also providing her own voice) being the only returning actress from the film as M. Sadly the rest of the voice-over cast are very poor stand-ins, not a patch on Sean Bean and co.

This new version was developed by Eurocom, whose last game with the Bond license was the criminally-ignored N64 version of The World Is Not Enough. After a completely unnecessary tutorial the opening of the first level really excites the nostalgia glands, with the iconic creeping around the corner, picking off the guards and grabbing the sniper rifle. Afterwards, however, things are radically different, including a truck chase, more banter with 006 beforehand and a different means of descending the dam.

This is the feeling the game gives all the way through; a lot of iconic references to some of the most fondly-remembered aspects of the original injected within re-designed segments and even a few entirely new levels. What has impressed us the most is that Eurocom have been very careful in deciding what to keep and what can be safely altered from the original.

They also remembered just how influential the original was in how stealth elements were incorporated into an FPS, as well as the open-ended mission objectives. While the game has more of an action slant how you go about fulfilling your objectives is largely up to you, as a lot of opportunities are offered for a more stealthy approach such as observing patrol routes, shooting out security cameras and hacking gun turrets. One unfortunate holdover from the original is that the guards do sometimes retain the ability to detect you on an almost supernatural level, but for the most part the gameplay balance remains as superb as it ever was, with the changes being well-judged and retaining the classic GoldenEye feel. The game even has a “Classic” mode, which takes away the regenerating health and makes the game play more like an old-school shooter.

Alas we do have issues with the controls. The Wiimote and Nunchuk combination, which was always promising for first-person shooters, doesn’t work as well as you’d think, as the sensitivity becomes an issue on the default setting and it never feels precise enough. The game does offer the choice of using the Wii Zapper, the Classic Controller or a Gamecube controller, and there is a commendable amount of customisation available to all controller setups, but on the whole none of it seems to truly satisfy as much as the N64 controller did.

The graphics are solid for the Wii, if unspectacular. Every scenario gives off just the right feel; grimy military bases, neon-lit nightclubs, treacherous snowscapes and dense jungles all provide a nicely varied-looking adventure. Sadly the new music is very forgettable. There are also issues with the frame-rate, which is another flaw brought over from the original that we could have done without.

One thing that remains thankfully unchanged from the original is the multiplayer mode. Most seem to forget just how far ahead of its time the original was in this department, and indeed the variety of customisable options and game modes still puts many modern shooters to shame. Gather your friends around for a four-player split-screen session and all manner of nostalgic memories come flooding back, as all game modes remain as superbly-balanced as they were before, and accusations of peering at each other’s screens begin to fly. Split-screen multiplayer is becoming a lost art, and we’re thankful that some developers still remember the value of proximity.

That said, the online options that have been added are certainly not to be snubbed. They are incredibly ambitious for the Wii, with eight-player matches possible and even a Call of Duty-style system of experience and perks, which enable you to unlock bonus items and modes. However, the lag typically associated with online play makes the slowdown more prevalent, and without WiiSpeak support the game loses the rowdy atmosphere of split-screen multiplayer.

Those expecting either a straight port of the original or a complete revelation will be very disappointed, but we came away from this game feeling very impressed. It’s more of a loving homage to the original, updating the aesthetics and stages while retaining everything that made the original so great. Our only serious complaint was with the controls, and even then the customisation means they are not game-breaking. In spite of a few other bugbears this game shows that the GoldenEye formula has aged like fine wine, making this one of the better game remakes we have played in a long time.