GoldenEye 007: Reloaded Review

If you’ve played the Nintendo 64, you’ve played GoldenEye. If you’ve played GoldenEye, you’ve played multiplayer. If you’ve played GoldenEye’s multiplayer (or even its strangely diverse single player) then you understand why this is an important game. The reboot of GoldenEye 007 was fairly well received, but glossed over, due to its Wii exclusivity. It’s now been ported to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, but the big question remains.

Does the remake of this sixty-four bit masterpiece have enough staying power to occupy a shelf loaded with modern day FPS classics? Or is this one nostalgic trip that should stay a memory? Let’s take a look in the HOTs and NOTs of GoldenEye 007: Reloaded.

HOT

Lots of Improvements from the Wii Version
Compared to the Wii version of GoldenEye 007, Reloaded has great improvements that you can expect if you decide to pick the game up. First of all, Reloaded is an entirely new game and far different from the Nintendo 64 version that was released over a decade ago. James Bond is now portrayed by Daniel Craig, the current James Bond we all know, and with his voice talents, he has revived the classic GoldenEye we all love.

When it comes to the storyline, Reloaded hasn’t changed much from the original. However there are some slight changes and modifications that fans can expect from the original GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64. You play as James Bond and your job is to stop the Russian forces in their terrorist plot. You’ll be going through different countries and environments, where you will see how much the graphics have improved. Talking about the visuals, between the Wii and the console versions, Reloaded has received HD treatment for up to 1080p. The scaling from the Wii version worked but you can still see that its sub-par compared to the current first person shooter games that are now available.

James Bond’s Intense Action is Still Intact
Stealth is one of the key elements in playing GoldenEye 007 Reloaded. Back in the GoldenEye days on the Nintendo 64, we loved how the stealth was done in the game. In Reloaded, expect to have that same experience all the way through the game. Executing a stealth attack isn’t as smooth as how other stealth action games out there, like Deus Ex: HR, performs it. For a reboot and a remake of the classic GoldenEye game, it works but is not as great as this generation’s games.

Playing GoldenEye 007 Reloaded has a lot to offer. In almost every mission, you can expect to do different things. While playing Reloaded, one of the things I’ve noticed is that it offers a lot of variety of objectives that doesn’t seem to get old. The action that Reloaded offers is exciting and this is what James Bond fans love.

PS3 Owners: PlayStation Move Compatible w/ Sharpshooter
If you have a PlayStation Move Controller and a Sharpshooter, you can then enjoy playing the game using them, as Reloaded is compatible with those accessories. I played the game using the PlayStation Sharpshooter but as a personal preference, I still enjoy playing it on a regular controller. For those who enjoy using the Sharpshooter, you will be pleased that the controls are pretty well organized and easy to grasp.

Multiplayer
Nowadays, the most crucial aspect of every first person shooter game lies in its multiplayer portion. After the lengthy 9-10 hours of single player action, you can jump online and play the game with up to 16 people. There are over 10 multiplayer modes that you can play and I’m sure that this is where most of your time will be spent. Just like other multiplayer first person shooters, you will have an opportunity to level up and customize up to ten different load-outs. The maps are all based from the single player and they’re all designed pretty well.

If online isn’t your forte, there’s an offline match where you can team up with up to three friends in split screen mode. The big difference between the online and offline is that players don’t earn experience points, but the game modes and load-outs are still intact. As a fan of first person shooter games, I enjoy the online portion of Reloaded more than the single player.

MI6 Ops Mission
One of the added features in Reloaded that wasn’t on the Wii version is the MI6 Ops. Think of this as a challenge room where you’ll have objectives that vary from elimination, defense, stealth, or assault. The 11 Missions in the game have their own unique objective and depending on how fast you can meet that objective, you can earn up to four stars. The new feature in Reloaded adds a lot of replayability, as the missions are fun and it’s hard to stop until you get those four stars.

NOT

Not on a Par When it Comes to Visuals, as There are Glitches
The visuals in Reloaded have made a huge improvement from the Wii version due to its 720p to 1080p output, but it’s still not up to par with other games out today. Expect some random glitches appearing on your screen. There are times that an object on the screen will be missing, and sometimes you will see some rough edges on the graphics. The visuals are great but the disappearing textures that come along the way can get tedious.

Forgettable Characters and Storyline
Compared to other James Bond games, the story of Reloaded is a forgettable one. Despite having a new and stripped storyline, the game falls short on how they made the story so generic that people will care less about it. In the end, you’ll realize that you enjoyed the action the game has to offer rather than the story itself. Expect linear objectives and straightforward missions that may lead to some annoyances.

VERDICT

GoldenEye 007 lives up to what GoldenEye has been known for: intense action that you can enjoy as you play through the game. Despite a few mishaps in the forgettable storyline, Reloaded has a lot to offer to first person shooter fans. The multiplayer is fun and the campaign will be more than enough for you to experience the James Bond action, and you can finally find out why GoldenEye is a classic game that veteran gamers have loved since its release. Good job Eurocom!

[Editor’s Note: GoldenEye 007 was reviewed on the PlayStation 3 platform using both the DUALSHOCK 3 and PlayStation Move controller with the Sharpshooter accessory. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]