From the Vault — originally published November 21, 2010. Some links, videos or prices may be out of date.
Goldeneye is back with this re-imagining of the 1995 Nintendo 64 Goldeneye game. The original game featured the Peirce Brosnan Bond while this uses the current more brutal bond played by Daniel Craig. The game is a first person shooter though includes brutal melee attacks to liken it to the hand to hand combat in the current films.
When I first booted the game I was taken back by how bad the menus were. The design of the menus and loading screens are atrocious. Maybe its the look that they were going for but it looks dated and something out of the 1970’s. The story in the game deals primarily with modern technologies so I didn’t buy that it was a time period fit. I found the game itself pretty good and actually much better than I expected.
The single player begins with some in-game tutorials that teach you the basics of shooting and stealth. Its really nice that they have this in there because you can use every controller available with the Wii to control Goldeneye 007. Classic Controller, Wiimote and Nunchuck, and Gamecube controllers all work with the game. Not only that but there are tons of button configuration options to select from which is always a great thing. So at the beginning you start out in a firing range and you can take as long as you need to find the proper controller configuration. I went with the Classic Controller configuration using the two analog sticks to move and with bumpers set so that the “L” bumper is iron-sights zoom and the “R” bumper is shoot. This was one of the first times I played a Wii first person shooter and it felt akin to other consoles with dual analog controls. Controls in this game will not be an issue.
The graphics are serviceable. They get the job done and not much more than that. It does come across like a Playstation 2 game graphically though luckily the game is fun to play so it was not a big deal. They did a great job making the game feel like a Bond adventure. As you navigate through and infiltrate the locations in the single player game you totally feel like your playing a Bond movie. The game seems rips from Metal Gear Solid at times with the suppressor stealth and alerts in the gameplay. The stock weapon that you have at all times in the game is a pistol with a silencer. You can take out guards with it or with melee attacks without triggering an alarm just like in Metal Gear Solid games. If a shot is heard or if you are spotted and a guard calls out or shoots a round an alarm will trigger and guards will rush you. Very much like Metal Gear Solid at times but it works and is fun. The good thing though is that when the guards do rush you have the weapons to take them out.
There are lots of guns in the game and they all feel and sound different. Some have scopes and sights and others do not. The gun play is fun and although the enemy AI is not the best they will try to flank and rush you which is nice. For the most part though I found the game very easy on the normal modes. I realized that just like the movies in the game you are a killing machine taking out tons of enemies. That unstoppable feeling adds to the fun factor and translates into setting the Bond tone. The music also is spot on and when combined with the stealth and combat infiltration is a winning combination. The game has really nice melee moves as well. In terms of Melee attacks think Killzone 3. I would have liked to see more gadgets in the game but the new Bond is not as big on them as previous Bonds so thats no fault to the game developers.
So for the most part the action in the single player is indeed fun. Fans of the James Bond franchise will find fun in Goldeneye 007 as it is a well put together and well paced campaign. You could do a lot worse. It never felt like a chore playing through it to write this review.
The multiplayer is one of best I have seen on the Wii for a first person shooter. There are split screen options for local play. All of the control configuration options are still available. There is working matchmaking and a variety of maps to play through. Unless the Wii is the only available console I don’t see anyone playing Goldeneye multiplayer on a consistent basis. yes, the required elements are there but with high definition shooters out there like Halo, Battlefield Bad Company, and Call of Duty out there I don’t think anyone would pick Goldeneye on the Wii over those unless you do not own an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3. So yes you can have some fun in the Goldeneye 007 multiplayer modes but its not for serious shooter fans. If you ahve another console you will move on.
Goldeneye 007 is a damn good game that took me by surprise. It delivers a fun and engaging single player campaign and also a competent multiplayer component if you are so inclined. For Bond fans its surely worth a shot. Rental for sure or buy it on sale.
