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Wii

North America

GoldenEye 007

by Zachary Miller - November 2, 2010, 1:32 pm EDT
Total comments: 33

8.5

James Bond heeds the Call of Duty in this impressive, action-packed shooter.

I really didn't have any idea what to expect going into this game. I knew it was a remake of a beloved N64 shooter that doesn't really hold up today. I knew that Daniel Craig was replacing Pierce Brosnan, that the game was being hyped for its strong focus on multiplayer, and that almost nothing was known of the single-player campaign. That last part had me a little worried, honestly. During my time with the game for this review, I was able to rock the local multiplayer and the solo campaign. Impressions of the online multiplayer, which, judging from the match settings, looks surprisingly robust, will have to wait until I get to experience it with a gaggle of people. As of this writing, the game has not actually been released, after all.

It wouldn't be entirely fair to call GoldenEye a remake. It's more like the writers took the overall GoldenEye storyline and completely rewrote it to take place in the Daniel Craig Bond universe. This is a GoldenEye for the modern era, with modern gadgets and weaponry, and a James Bond who forgoes witty one-liners for fisticuffs and assassinations. It's not just Craig's face in the game, either—the man has extensive voicework, as does Dame Judy Dench. The campaign takes the big benchmark sequences from the original game, but connects those dots in very different ways than you remember. Whenever you do find a scene that tickles your nostalgia bone, it feels more like homage than anything else.

The gameplay is straight out of the recent Call of Duty games, right down to having an on-screen icon to remind you whether you're crouching or standing. Most of the time, it's Bond vs. The World, but there are occasions where he's got some backup. There are also times where he's driving a tank, which is still a blast. The vast majority of gameplay involves you, as Bond, shooting fools and collecting intelligence for MI6 with your Smartphone. The phone can also be used to hack certain pieces of electronic equipment.

The game adds a nice stealth aspect, too: Bond can assume a crouched walk, sneak up behind dudes, and quietly break their necks so that nobody raises an alarm, which would produce more guards.

There is a plethora of control options. You can use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro, or GameCube Controller. All of these have unique default button layouts that can be customized to an extent. Of course, each one has its own pros and cons. The Wii Remote, for example, isn't as responsive when it comes to aiming. For me, the best option is the Classic Controller Pro, but there's something for everybody. You can even flip between the Remote itself and both Classic Controllers during the game without any hiccup.

Local multiplayer is pretty fun, but not because of the maps, which are quite small. Even with two people playing, the maps felt claustrophobic. The few open-air maps still felt very limited in dimension. What saves the local multiplayer is the fact that it is just plain fun in the first place, but also you can customize matches to your heart's content with unique game types and modifiers. There is no shortage of multiplayer content here; it's comparable to Smash Bros. Brawl in its sprawling scope.

GoldenEye looks great, and not just for a Wii game. It really does look good, with atmospheric outdoor areas, moody interiors, and great-looking character models. Enemy AI is pretty amazing. They find cover, run to safer places, call for backup, and eagerly use the butt of their guns whenever possible.

The sound design is similarly excellent. In addition to the voice acting, Eurocom and Activision were able to get David Arnold, who has scored every Bond movie since Tomorrow Never Dies, to provide an epic soundtrack. The game's script is penned by Bruce Feirstein, who wrote the original GoldenEye film. Finally, the theme song is a cover of the original film's sung by Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. These guys spared no expense.

With high production values, an impressive solo campaign, and fun multiplayer matches, this GoldenEye certainly evokes the feel of the original while offering a modern take on the beloved game. Frankly, I haven't seen a more impressive Wii shooter. Old and new fans alike will find much to love, and I encourage everyone here to give it a shot.

Summary

Pros
  • Fun local multiplayer with lots of customization
  • Great solo campaign
  • Impressive production values
  • Lots of control options
Cons
  • Multiplayer maps are pretty small
  • Some controller-specific oddities

Talkback

GmbAlbeeNovember 02, 2010

I'm going out and getting this ASAP.  I'll post my friend code on here if you guys on the NWR forums wanna hit up the multiplayer.  I want to try the Black Box mode! :cool;

EnnerNovember 02, 2010

I assume the small map size is because they were built with the mindset that 4 people should be constantly fragging each other. From the Giant Bomb multiplayer quick look, it looked like the maps were big enough for 4 people to run around in and still afford some small amount of camping or hiding.

Killer_Man_JaroTom Malina, Associate Editor (Europe)November 02, 2010

Indeed. Small multiplayer maps/arenas don't sound like a problem for four player matches, but in an online game with the maximum 8 players, I imagine that the cramped spaces might be a bit awkward. I hope there are no moments where you respawn directly in front of another player and get taken down before you can even move.

StratosNovember 02, 2010

What about how the multiplayer performs online? Does it work? Is it slow? What features are there online?

What previous FPS did you play on Wii? Have you played Reflex?

GmbAlbeeNovember 02, 2010

Everytime I turn my game on it freezes.  I need to send my Wii in I think..

Manthony ChopkinsNovember 02, 2010

Quote from: GmbAlbee

Everytime I turn my game on it freezes.  I need to send my Wii in I think..

Is the game stuck at the part where it asks you create a save file? If so, try removing any controllers or wavebird receivers you have plugged into your Wii.

Quote from: Stratos

What about how the multiplayer performs online? Does it work? Is it slow? What features are there online?

Read the review, bro. Since Zach didn't get to experience the online with the masses, we're going to offer extensive multiplayer impressions later this week.

Retro DeckadesNovember 02, 2010

I just spent an hour and a half with it online, and there was only the occasional framerate hiccup. And it was damn fun too.

I'll be rockin' the online tonight. Can't wait. I'm making a Goldeneye Friend Code thread if there isn't one already.

@KillerManJaro: There were several times in TWO-PLAYER local multiplayer where one person would spawn within sight of the other.

I also had a similar problem when I played it at events. During the media hour at New York Comic Con, I rattled through a few maps with my friend and we had a lot of fun, but we'd spawn in front of each other constantly.

I really want to check this game out, but alas, I can't afford it right now.

StratosNovember 02, 2010

Sorry, I completely missed that part. Though I heard the street date was broken so we should be hearing about the multiplayer shortly from others.

The second question was in response to his statement he hadn't seen a more impressive shooter on Wii. I was curious what his prior Wii shooter experience had been.

EnnerNovember 03, 2010

There are some occasional weird quirks with aiming and firing, though. For some bizarre reason you can’t aim up or down at anything more than a shallow angle – if an enemy is above or below you, you literally cannot shoot them without maneuvering to a different location. The aim down sights mode (ADS) also behaves erratically if you turn off the “snap to” function (where it auto-aims toward enemies when you hit Z) – which we did, because we didn’t want auto-aim taking away our satisfaction of pulling off skillful shots. Unfortunately, we learned why the ADS snap-to function is on by default – the game can radically alter the angle at which you’re looking every time you hit the Z button. Point at a guy’s head, hit the Z button, and you may be looking at the crate next to him. Don’t move the reticle at all, release Z, then hit it again, and you might be pointing at the wall.

Just use the Classic Controller Pro. Also, I played about 2 hours of online tonight...it effing rocks!

Does the online show which controller people are using like Mario Kart does? It'd be nice to be able to prove the superiority of Wii controls in the online arena.

The online mode in Goldeneye only specifies whether you are using the Wii Wheel or not.

Retro DeckadesNovember 03, 2010

Quote from: Jonnyboy117

The online mode in Goldeneye only specifies whether you are using the Wii Wheel or not.

Hahaha. The Man with the Golden Wheel.

Mop it upNovember 03, 2010

Are any of the levels (single or multi) anything like the ones in the Nintendo 64 game? I've always known this game is not a remake, but I'm curious if they tried to get away with using some of the same floor plans. The review doesn't mention anything being similar so I'm inclined to think it's nothing like it.

Quote from: Halbred

Just use the Classic Controller Pro.

The whole point of shooters on the Wii is the superior controls, so if this is your recommendation then the Wii Remote control must be terrible.

broodwarsNovember 03, 2010

Quote from: Mop

Are any of the levels (single or multi) anything like the ones in the Nintendo 64 game? I've always known this game is not a remake, but I'm curious if they tried to get away with using some of the same floor plans. The review doesn't mention anything being similar so I'm inclined to think it's nothing like it.

Well, if Giant Bomb's Quick Look of Goldeneye multiplayer is any indication, Activision did rip-off was heavily inspired by several Goldeneye 64 maps, as there looked to be a pretty decent replica of the Facility and the Library.

Flames_of_chaosLukasz Balicki, Staff AlumnusNovember 03, 2010

If anyone played Call of Duty MW Reflex, the pointer controls are practically the same in Goldeneye. In other words, the pointer controls are great.

EnnerNovember 03, 2010

Quote from: Halbred

Just use the Classic Controller Pro. Also, I played about 2 hours of online tonight...it effing rocks!

Aww, but this will probably be my first Wii FPS and I want to see how far the Wii Remote and Nunchuck will go. If I want to play an FPS with a pad, I can use the Xbox 360 controller plugged in to my PC to suffer through that.

Oh well, I'll see how it goes once I get the game. Reviews and impression have been mixed when it comes to dual-analog vs. pointer in Goldeneye 007. I take their views with a grain of salt since I have the impression over the years that a lot of the people in the video game press aren't very good at video games. Oddly enough, I think that's so because they have to play many different video games for their work.

Quote from: Flames_of_chaos

If anyone played Call of Duty MW Reflex, the pointer controls are practically the same in Goldeneye. In other words, the pointer controls are great.

Nice. That's encouraging. I vaguely recall a comment made some where that Treyarch built a (marginally?) better control system than High Voltage Software.

GoldenPhoenixNovember 03, 2010

Maybe this has been answered, but can you play 2 player split screen against people online?

From my time with the multiplayer, I thought places like the Facility weren't close to the originals at all. Sure, they're inspired by, but it's a different, kinda crappy map. Though that is definitely my nostalgic expectation getting annoyed.

Retro DeckadesNovember 03, 2010

Quote from: Flames_of_chaos

If anyone played Call of Duty MW Reflex, the pointer controls are practically the same in Goldeneye. In other words, the pointer controls are great.

I was wondering if this was the case. I own COD:MW RE, but I've only played it briefly (I don't think I've gone any further than the training stage). At least I will have that to play through when I finish with Goldeneye.

Quote from: NWR_Neal

From my time with the multiplayer, I thought places like the Facility weren't close to the originals at all. Sure, they're inspired by, but it's a different, kinda crappy map. Though that is definitely my nostalgic expectation getting annoyed.

I really like the Outpost map (Severnaya). But then again, I love sniping, and the guard towers in that stage are fantastic.

Mode RedNovember 04, 2010

Has anyone else noticed that when using the Classic Controller Pro that Look Left/Right is unchangeably reversed from the current standard where pushing left turns left, pushing right turns right. So you play Call of Duty then play this, you will be turning the wrong way over and over and over.


As far as I know, with all the control options the game has, there is no fixing this, period.  Is there?

StratosNovember 04, 2010

Quote from: Mode

Has anyone else noticed that when using the Classic Controller Pro that Look Left/Right is unchangeably reversed from the current standard where pushing left turns left, pushing right turns right. So you play Call of Duty then play this, you will be turning the wrong way over and over and over.


As far as I know, with all the control options the game has, there is no fixing this, period.  Is there?

Looks like everyone will just have to use the pointer controls! ;)

Retro DeckadesNovember 04, 2010

Quote from: Halbred

I'll be rockin' the online tonight. Can't wait. I'm making a Goldeneye Friend Code thread if there isn't one already.

Any news on this thread yet? I'd like to play with other NWR patrons!

HyawattaNovember 04, 2010

GoldenEye LAN Party

We are trying to set up a “LAN” party for GoldenEye 007. We will get together on multiple TV’s in the same house, and join up in the same online game. We know that GoldenEye supports up to 8 players online and up to 4 players locally. We do not know if it supports all combinations of this.
Do we need 8 Wii’s and 8 TV’s in order to get our 8 players online?
Or can we have 4 Wii’s and 4 TV’s with 2 players on each system to get our 8 players online?
Or can we have 3 Wii’s and 3 TV’s with 2 players each on 2 systems and 3 players on 1 system to get our 8 players online?
Or can we have 2 Wii’s and 2 TV’s with 4 players on each system to get our 8 players online?
We must have this information in order to prepare the number of Wii’s, TV’s, and rooms to set up to play for the party.
Thank you.

P.S.
Can you find out if Conduit 2 has similar multiplayer options as well (just expanded up to 12 players instead of 8 )? Thank you.

Kytim89November 04, 2010

I just played this game at a friend's house and I hope this game sells a ton of games.

Mop it upNovember 04, 2010

Quote from: Hyawatta

Do we need 8 Wii’s and 8 TV’s in order to get our 8 players online?

Yes.

KDR_11kNovember 05, 2010

AFAIK the gameplay is different between splitscreen and online anyway.

apdudeNovember 05, 2010

I am god awful at FPS games.  Usually I'm the one shooting the floor or ceiling.  Do the pointer controls work like you point at the object you want to shoot and shoot or are the crosshairs fixed in the center of the screen and you move the screen around by moving the pointer? 

I'm tempted because I had fun playing online with NWR members for Monster Hunter, but I'd like to be at least competitive instead of just dieing all the time.

KDR_11kNovember 06, 2010

Of course you shoot by pointing at what you shoot. You can adjust when your character will start turning (how close your pointer has to be to the screen edge), I prefer basically no deadzone.

broodwarsNovember 06, 2010

Quote from: Mode

Has anyone else noticed that when using the Classic Controller Pro that Look Left/Right is unchangeably reversed from the current standard where pushing left turns left, pushing right turns right. So you play Call of Duty then play this, you will be turning the wrong way over and over and over.

*shrugs*

I played through the entire game with the Classic Controller Pro, and I observed no control issues with it.  Maybe it's been a while since I played Modern Warfare 2, but I didn't notice any control difference from what I'm used to.

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GoldenEye 007 Box Art

Genre Shooter
Developer Eurocom

Worldwide Releases

na: GoldenEye 007
Release Nov 02, 2010
PublisherActivision
RatingTeen
jpn: GoldenEye 007
Release Jun 30, 2011
PublisherNintendo
Rating15+
eu: GoldenEye 007
Release Nov 05, 2010
PublisherActivision
Rating16+

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