GoldenEye 007 (2010 video game)

GoldenEye 007

Developer(s) Eurocom
n-Space (DS)
Publisher(s) Activision
Distributor(s) MGM Interactive
Writer(s) Bruce Feirstein[1]
Composer(s) David Arnold[2]
Kevin Kiner[3]
Series James Bond
Platform(s) Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date(s) Original
NA November 2, 2010
AUS November 3, 2010
EU November 5, 2010
Reloaded
  • NA November 1, 2011
  • EU November 4, 2011
  • AUS November 25, 2011
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution Optical disc, game card

GoldenEye 007 is a 2010 first-person shooter video game developed by Eurocom and published by Activision for the Wii video game console,[1] with a handheld version for Nintendo DS developed by n-Space.[4] It is a modern reimagining of the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, and a remake of the 1997 Nintendo 64 video game GoldenEye 007. The game was officially announced by Nintendo at their E3 2010 conference presentation.[5] The game was released on November 2, 2010 in tandem with another James Bond game, Blood Stone. It took on the elements of a modern shooter while retaining a classic name. A remastering of the Wii game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in 2011, re-titled as GoldenEye 007: Reloaded.

Synopsis

Setting

Although Pierce Brosnan starred as Bond in GoldenEye and was featured in the 1997 game, subsequent Bond actor Daniel Craig's likeness and voice are featured in the 2010 game and the plot has been modified to fit his interpretation with the current style of James Bond films. Judi Dench, who has portrayed M since GoldenEye, reprises her role for the game, though in voice only (along with Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner). With the exception of M, all other main characters from the film have had their appearances altered, though they still retain their original names.[1]

Unlike the original video game and movie, the whole story takes place after the Cold War due to the Soviet Union's replacement by Russia, so the story does not jump nine years ahead after the opening sequence. Rather than the KGB, potential Russian Spies find that it is now MK who are recruiting.

Plot

The story is set some time after Quantum of Solace as James Bond (007) and Alec Trevelyan (006) are on a mission infiltrating a chemical weapons facility in Arkhangelsk, Russia, which is believed to be the source of weapons used by a terrorist cell to target British embassies around the world. The mission goes awry when Trevelyan is apparently shot by General Ourumov (apparently using a hacked, silenced Kunara). Bond escapes by detonating explosives he had placed throughout the facility before fleeing Arkhangelsk via aeroplane.

Later, a phone call intercepted from Ourumov (using Skype) connects him to Russian gangster Valentin Zukovsky as Ourumov attempts to acquire a helicopter that has been modified to survive an electromagnetic pulse. Zukovsky directs him to an arms fair in Dubai but is unable to stop Onatopp and Ourumov from stealing the helicopter. He is however able to plant his smartphone on board, and MI6 is able to track the helicopter to a remote base in Siberia. Bond is unable to stop the theft of a GoldenEye weapons satellite which is detonated by Ourumov. Bond is able to rescue Natalya Simonova before being arrested by the Russian army.

Believing Bond and Natalya to be responsible for the GoldenEye blast, Russian Defense Minister Dmitri Mishkin interrogates the two in St. Petersburg, but is killed by Ourumov who abducts Natalya. Bond pursues him to a train and confronts him over his plan for the GoldenEye satellite. Onatopp betrays Ourumov and kills him. Bond is able to help Natalya off the train and goes to a meeting at Statue Park learning that Trevelyan survived his execution at the hands of Ourumov and is now Janus, the mastermind behind the GoldenEye theft and leaves with Natalya, who is instrumental to his plan. Bond is able to infiltrate a Solar facility in Africa and tricks Alec into destroying his supercomputers stopping his plan to use the satellite to destroy the bank of London erasing evidence of finances he stole. After fighting Trevelyan, Bond is able to overload the facility control room and shoots Trevelyan sending him to his death over the tower. Natalya and Bond escape the base by helicopter, with the couple kissing in a private booth within Johnny D's Bath House (featured earlier in the gameplay), in the mission's aftermath.

Cast

Character 1995 movie 2010 video game
James Bond Pierce Brosnan Daniel Craig
Alec Trevelyan Sean Bean Elliot Cowan
Natalya Simonova Izabella Scorupco Kirsty Mitchell
Xenia Onatopp Famke Janssen Kate Magowan
M
Judi Dench (voice only)
Bill Tanner Michael Kitchen Rory Kinnear (voice only)
Gen. Arkady Grigorovich Ourumov Gottfried John Laurence Possa
Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky Robbie Coltrane Alec Newman
Russian Defence Minister Dmitri Mishkin Tcheky Karyo Ed Stoppard

Gameplay

GoldenEye 007 features re-imagined areas from the film.

While GoldenEye 007 is a re-imagining of the film, the game does have noticeable differences. Levels have been altered to reflect the game's modified story. According to Craig Harris of IGN, "GoldenEye still retains the basics of GoldenEye‍ '​s story, but retells it in a way that makes sense with Daniel Craig's interpretation of James Bond."[5] Likewise, the game features modern game elements to coincide with other modern first-person shooters, such as destructible environments, regenerating health, and online multiplayer.[6]

Eurocom has also added a few updated features while retaining some features from the original game. Instead of a watch, players use a mobile phone to scan documents, take photos, and communicate with MI6. The original GoldenEye 007 featured a cheat menu which is available from the start in the re-make.[7] The game updates the AI-Bot system which is built upon Eurocom's previous game, Dead Space: Extraction. Each computer player possesses its own AI-bot system to make them dynamic and challenging.[8]

The Classic Edition is bundled with a limited edition gold-coloured Classic Controller Pro [9]

The game offers players several choices of controllers: Wii Remote with Nunchuk, Wii Zapper, Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro, or a Nintendo GameCube controller. GoldenEye 007 also provides players using the Remote with Nunchuk or Wii Zapper with the ability to peer around cover by tilting the Nunchuk. The game includes twenty-five weapons based upon counterparts from the Bond franchise.

Multiplayer

GoldenEye 007 features both offline split screen for up to four local players and online play for up to eight players. There are 10 multiplayer maps. There are four different game modes for offline multiplayer and nine different game modes for online multiplayer. Online multiplayer is provided through the free Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and though up to eight players can connect to a game remotely, only one local player is allowed at a time. Online multiplayer games can be set to worldwide multiplayer or defined by format (PAL or NTSC). Each has different Regions - NTSC Regions include such options as Cuba and Bahamas whereas PAL Regions include such options as United Kingdom. Multiplayer includes characters from the single player campaign, such as James Bond (referred to as "LeBond James" in French copies of the disc) and Alec Trevelyan, as well as classic Bond-series characters including Jaws, Oddjob, and Julius No. Additionally, online multiplayer offers XP progression, unlockables and multipliers. Normal xp gained for eliminating an enemy is 5xp whereas for streaks there are much greater xp rewards available such as 25xp for a 3 elimination streak, 150xp for a 10 kill streak and 500xp for managing a 30 elimination streak. Also, xp acquisition leads to levelling up which rewards the player with unlockables including weaponry and gadgets.

Split screen combat provides over a dozen modifiers, including Melee Only, You Only Live Twice, TeaBag Destiny, and Paintball Mode from the original game.[10]

Development

During November 2006, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime announced that Nintendo was exploring the possibility of adding the Nintendo 64 classic GoldenEye 007 to the Virtual Console, despite a complicated situation in which the game's developer Rare is owned by Microsoft (producers of the rival Xbox 360 console) and the video game rights to the James Bond franchise are held by Activision. He stated, "We would love to see it [on the Virtual Console], so we're exploring all the rights issues. On January 7, 2008, Xbox Evolved reported that an updated version of GoldenEye 007 would be released on Xbox Live Arcade. However on January 11, 2008, 1UP.com reported that a GoldenEye port (as opposed to a remake) had been in development at Rare for several months, but stated that the title would not be released on the Xbox Live Arcade since "Microsoft and Nintendo couldn't agree on the financial side of things". Perfect Dark, a Nintendo 64 title which used the same engine as GoldenEye would later make it to Xbox Live Arcade, however. As of August 2013, Microsoft has made no comment on further effort to acquire the rights to the game and release GoldenEye 007 on XBLA.[11][12] It was revealed at E3 2010 that a new Goldeneye video game would be released for the Wii in November 2010. GoldenEye 007 is built on a modified version of the game engine from another Wii game by Eurocom, Dead Space: Extraction.[13]

Originally, Free Radical Design (now Crytek UK) were approached by Activision to develop the game because former Rare staff were working there, however the deal was never finalised.[14]

James Bond film producer Michael G. Wilson spoke in June 2010 about Daniel Craig's participation in revisiting the story from the original film. "When we first pitched the game to him, he was really excited about it. He thought the original game was great. Daniel plays a lot of games and... gives us a lot of good criticism. We'll show him what the plan is and he'll suggest changes and get very hands-on." Wilson went on to say that Craig is aware of the original game's impact, but that his on-screen interpretation of James Bond also required changes to the tone of the story and an increased physical nature to the gameplay.[15]

David Arnold, composer of every Bond film score (except Skyfall) since and including Tomorrow Never Dies, composed the game's score.[2][16] Nicole Scherzinger performs the title song, a cover version of the film's theme which was originally performed by Tina Turner.[2] The game's script is penned by Bruce Feirstein, the co-writer of the GoldenEye film,[1] who has described several changes made to update the story in the fifteen years since its release; for example, Alec Trevelyan's motivations have changed, as the character's backstory involving a Lienz Cossack father would make Trevelyan seventy-one years old in 2010, while Valentin Zukovsky no longer has any connection to the KGB. Feirstein also cited a sequence of the game set at a Dubai arms fair.[17] Rory Kinnear reprises his role from Quantum of Solace as Bill Tanner, M's Chief of Staff.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(Wii) 83.67%[18]
(NDS) 68.82%[19]
Metacritic(Wii) 81/100[20]
(NDS) 64/100[21]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1UP.comB+[22]
Game Informer6.5/10[23]
GameSpot8.5/10[24]
GamesRadar7/10[25]
GameTrailers8.6/10[26]
IGN9.0/10[10]
Nintendo World Report8.5/10[27]
Official Nintendo Magazine90%[28]
GamingNexus.comA–[29]
Joystiq4/5[30]
Digital Trends8/10[31]

GoldenEye 007 has received positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Wii version 83.67% and 81/100[18][20] and the Nintendo DS version 68.82% and 64/100.[19][21] IGN awarded the game a 9.0 out of 10 and an Editor's Choice Award, praising its multiplayer component and its well-crafted story while criticising the lack of voice chat.[10] The reviewer, Craig Harris, concluded by acknowledging that the game—as of its release—is the Wii's best first person shooter.[10] Gaming Nexus gave GoldenEye 007 an A–, stating, "instead of standing in the original GoldenEye‍ '​s shadow, Eurocom has created a brand new game that is just as compelling and addictive as the original."[29] GameSpot reviewer Tom McShea also praised the game, awarding it an 8.5 out of 10.[24] Joystiq scored the game 4 out of 5.[30] Nintendo World Report awarded the game an 8.5/10, with the reviewer stating, "Frankly, I haven't seen a more impressive Wii shooter."[27] The Official Nintendo Magazine gave GoldenEye 007 a score of 90%.[28] GameTrailers scored the game at 8.6 of 10, indicating that while most aspects are well-done, the game's performance suffers from inconsistent framerates, particularly during splitscreen play. They also derided the menus as "bland" and the "not very crisp" overall picture due to aliasing.[26] Digital Trends' gave the game 8 of 10, complaining of the enemy AI's simplistic strategies and lack of adaptability. While the multiplayer gameplay was highly praised by the reviewer, the lack of voice chat was seen as a significant omission.[31]

GamesRadar, although less positive, were still pleased with the result, awarding the game a 7 out of 10, stating that it was impossible for the game to live up to the original, but that it was still "a damn fine, 'serious' shooter on the Wii, and that's saying something," adding that "even without the limited options for mature action for Wii owners, GoldenEye 007 is a solid game in its own right."[25] In contrast, however, Game Informer was less impressed, giving the game a 6.5/10, calling it "a lackluster game that fails to hit the same high notes of the original, or keep pace with modern shooters".[23]

GoldenEye 007: Reloaded

At the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con International, Activision unveiled GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, a remastering of the Wii game for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. The game features high-definition graphics due to running on a new game engine, an achievement system, new "Mi6 Ops Missions", and PlayStation Move compatibility for the PS3 version.[32][33] On Sept. 14, 2011, Activision announced plans to release an exclusive PlayStation 3 bundle called "007: GoldenEye Reloaded Double 'O' Edition" which will include access to the downloadable character Hugo Drax.[34] The bundle will include a PlayStation Move motion controller, navigation controller, PlayStation Eye camera, and Sharp Shooter peripheral along with the game on Blu-ray Disc. The game was released on November 1, 2011 in North America and on November 4, 2011 in Europe.

Multiplayer

GoldenEye 007 features online play for up to 16 players. There are 14 multiplayer maps. There are nine different game modes for online multiplayer. Online multiplayer can be used by Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, and though up to 16 players can connect to a game remotely, only one local player is allowed at a time. Multiplayer includes characters from the single player campaign, such as James Bond and Alec Trevelyan, as well as classic Bond-series characters including Jaws, Oddjob, and Julius No. Additionally, online multiplayer offers XP progression, unlockables and multipliers.

Differences compared to GoldenEye 007 (2010)

Reloaded has some changes to its Wii counterpart. There is new added gameplay, peripheral compatibility and improved graphics.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(PS3) 75.60%[37]
(X360) 73.20%[38]
Metacritic(PS3) 72/100[39]
(X360) 72/100[40]

GoldenEye 007: Reloaded received positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 75.60% and 72/100[37][39] and the Xbox 360 version 73.20% and 72/100.[38][40]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "GoldenEye 007 – Official Game Site". Activision. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Nicole Scherzinger covers title theme song for 'GoldenEye 007'". MI6.co.uk. 2010-10-26. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  3. ↑ "Get the inside story of the all-new GoldenEye 007 for Wii". Nintendo.co.uk. 2010-10-20. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  4. ↑ Ronaghan, Neal (2010-06-18). "GoldenEye DS Coming, Developed by n-Space". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harris, Craig. "GoldenEye Reimagined for Wii". IGN. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
  6. ↑ "GoldenEye For Wii Is A Remake With Some Asterisks". kotaku. 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
  7. ↑ "Wii Feature: GoldenEye 007 Interview: Part 2". Official Nintendo Magazine. 2010-07-20. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  8. ↑ Koh, Carolyn. "GoldenEye 007: Reloaded Hands On Preview". FPS Guru. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  9. ↑ McElroy, Griffin (2010-08-11). "Goldeneye 007 Classic Edition includes gold Classic Controller Pro". Joystiq. AOL Inc. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Harris, Craig (2010-11-02). "GoldenEye 007 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  11. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (2006-11-28). "Nintendo Exec Predicts Wii Future, Chances Of 'GoldenEye' On Console - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  12. ↑ Patrick Klepek. "Why Did GoldenEye XBLA Stall?". 1up.
  13. ↑ Earwaker, Kiran (2010-10-08). "GoldenEye 007 - Hands On Preview". TVG Media Ltd. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  14. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2012-04-26). "TimeSplitters dev was working on Star Wars Battlefront 3 and 4". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
  15. ↑ "GoldenEye 007 gets Daniel Craig's approval". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future Publishing Limited. 2010-06-15. Retrieved 2010-12-18.
  16. ↑ Robinson, Martin (2010-11-04). "Playing as 007: Bringing Bond to Games". IGN. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
  17. ↑ Leader, Michael (2010-08-02). "Bruce Feirstein interview: James Bond, Blood Stone and modernising GoldenEye". Dennis Publishing. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "GoldenEye 007 for Wii - GameRankings". CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo DS - GameRankings". CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "GoldenEye 007 for Wii Reviews at Metacritic". CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo DS Reviews at Metacritic". CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
  22. ↑ Clark, Matt (2010-11-02). "GoldenEye 007 Review". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Turi, Tim (2010-11-02). "GoldenEye 007 Review". Game Informer. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 McShea, Tom (2010-11-04). "GoldenEye 007 Review for Wii". CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Keast, Matthew (2010-11-02). "GoldenEye 007 Review". Future US, Inc. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "GoldenEye 007 Video Game, Review". GameTrailers.com. 2010-11-03. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Miller, Zachary (2010-11-02). "GoldenEye 007 Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Scullion, Chris (2010-11-05). "GoldenEye Wii Review". Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Colleli, Sean (2010-11-02). "GoldenEye 007 - Review". Gaming Nexus. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Minsker, Evan (2010-11-02). "Goldeneye 007 review: For England, James". AOL, Inc. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Fleming, Ryan (2010-11-10). "GoldenEye 007 (Wii) review". Digital Trends. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
  32. ↑ Walton, Mark (2011-07-20). "GoldenEye 007: Reloaded First Impressions". GameSpot. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  33. ↑ Robinson, Andy (2011-07-20). "News: GoldenEye HD is official: Move, online confirmed - Trailer". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  34. ↑ McCarty, Dave (14 September 2011). "PS3 to get exclusive GoldenEye 007 'Reloaded’ bundle". HD Report. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  35. ↑ "Goldeneye 007: Reloaded - Remaking a Remake - IGN". Xbox360.ign.com. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  36. ↑ "Goldeneye: Reloaded Hits PS3, Xbox 360 In November - IGN". Ps3.ign.com. Retrieved 2012-09-19.
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 "GoldenEye 007: Reloaded for PlayStation 3". Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "GoldenEye 007: Reloaded for Xbox 360". Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "GoldenEye 007: Reloaded Critic Reviews for PlayStation 3 at Metacritic.com". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 "GoldenEye 007: Reloaded Critic Reviews for Xbox 360 at Metacritic.com". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2011-11-01.

External links