GoldenEye 007: Reloaded Review (X360)

GoldenEye is one of the most beloved games of all time. It pretty much started the FPS craze that exists in the industry even today. I know some people would say Halo did, but we were playing console multiplayer FPS on N64 back in '97, well before Halo. So when Activision announced it was re-making / re-imagining the classic game in 2010, we were initially sad - because it was on the Wii - and then happy a year later when it was announced for Xbox 360 and PS3. This isn't the same old GoldenEye, though. This is a modern twist on the old classic that makes some pretty big changes. They are mostly for the better, though, and GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, is worth a look for old fans as well as newcomers.Game Details Publisher: Activision Developer: Eurocom ESRB Rating: “T" for Teen Genre: First-Person-Shooter Pros: Nice presentation; MI6 Ops; Classic 007 difficulty; neat modernization of old story Cons: Story changes are pretty jarring; Quick-Time-Events

It has to be said first off that this is not a remake of the classic GoldenEye 007 game or the 1995 movie. This is a re-imagining of the story to bring it into the modern day. Pierce Brosnan is gone and is replaced with current Bond Daniel Craig and is meant to take place in the same Bond universe as Craig's "Casino Royale" and "Quantum of Solace". The tone and presentation and overall feel of the story is much more modern to fit with the new leading man and storyline and it works really well.

The core story of an MI6 defector and an EMP-blasting Russian satellite is still present, but the way we get there is greatly different from the old game and movie. The story here takes some radically different paths - some of which are pretty jarring if you are a long time fan of the movie (they kill Zukovsky off, what the heck man!) - but when you stop worrying about what is different and start trying to appreciate the new version of the story, it is pretty darn entertaining overall.

However loosely it follows the same story we know and love, when you go to the same levels as before and see how different, yet familiar, they are, it is very cool. And I quite like the new cover of the "GoldenEye" theme song performed by Nicole Sherzinger. It compares pretty favorably to the Tina Turner version.

The gameplay, for better or worse, plays basically like Call of Duty. On lower difficulties there is the CoD-style "snap" targeting where you automatically target nearby enemies and can just run through enemy confrontations with no problems. It also uses the now standard recharging health system as well. The gameplay is very sharp, though, and the shooting is pretty fun and satisfying because of how fast paced it is. You don't really think too much, just shoot, which is fun.

Of course, there are some tricks up GoldenEye: Reloaded sleeves as well, though. First, in a throwback to the classic Rare shooter, higher difficulty levels actually give you more objectives that you have to complete. On the easiest difficulty you pretty much just run straight through a level. On higher difficulties, though, you'll travel to completely new areas of the maps you didn't even know existed in order to complete objectives. It is very cool. Another great throwback is the 007 Classic difficulty mode where there is no recharging health and you instead need to find body armor hidden in the levels, just like the N64 classic.

In addition to running and gunning through levels, you can also stealthily sneak through levels and silently take out guards if you want. You hack security devices and computers with Bond's smartphone. And there are some sniping and vehicle sections and boss fights and more to keep you busy. The single-player takes 10-12 hours to complete and is pretty enjoyable all the way through. Our only real complaint is that the game has a habit of throwing quick-time-events at you in somewhat obnoxious ways to be more cinematic, or something. We're fine just watching, thanks, and don't need to press buttons to make cool stuff happen all the time.

Multiplayer

One of the main selling points of the original GoldenEye game was multiplayer, and GoldenEye: Reloaded also comes with a full suite of multiplayer options. Up to 16 players can play online on bigger more modern versions of many of the old favorite maps along with plenty of new stuff. It uses the progression and perks system found in most modern shooters, which makes it fun and worth playing while you level up and get increasingly better guns and gadgets to play with. In a nice touch, you can even play as classic Bond villains like Jaws, Oddjob, Goldfinger, and many more.

Offline, you can play four-player splitscreen, just like the good old days. Instead of a perk system, however, the game lets you select from a long list of modifiers that change everything from how grenades bounce, making only headshots count (or not count at all), players exploding if they touch each other, players die if they stand still too long, and more. Offline multi is pretty fun and unique, and it is nice that it stands on its own with special options instead of just being a boring version of online pay.

MI6 Ops

There are no bots for the multiplayer, which is disappointing, but GE Reloaded makes up for it with the MI6 Ops mode. Similar to Spec Ops mode in the Modern Warfare games, MI6 Ops gives you a series of single-player objectives set on the multiplayer maps against bots. Really, this is just bot-style multiplayer, but instead of straight deathmatch it sort of plays like a combination of horde mode and other multiplayer game types. There are 40 missions in all, and in a great touch, there is a set of modifiers for MI6 Ops such as infinite ammo, paintball, golden gun, RPG (you start with a rocket launcher instead of a pistol) and more. Each modifier changes your scoring multiplier, which obviously will affect your ranking on the leaderboards for each mission, but if you don't care about leaderboards and just want to goof off against bots, you can.

View the original article here