PAX Prime 2011 Hands-On: Goldeneye 007: Reloaded - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 29 August 2011 / 5,432 Views
Goldeneye 007 is a name in video games synonymous with multiplayer shooting game fun. Nearly everyone has fond memories of playing the original Nintendo 64 version, usually with three friends splitting the small, non-HD screens into four quadrants of raucous action. Last year, a reworked update of the game was brought to the Nintendo Wii and recieved with respectable review scores and nearly 1.4 million units sold. Now, Goldeneye is coming too all those gamers patiently awaiting an HD release.
Goldeneye 007: Reloaded is that updated, HD version. This isn't just some shiny port from the Nintendo 64 or the Nintendo Wii, but has been built from the ground up with a brand new engine as well as new game modes. Most prominent of these new games modes is MI6. Named after the famous British Intelligence team of which James Bond is a part of, MI6 mode is most similar to the Spec Ops modes in the Call of Duty franchise. Each one has a different specialization like stealth or elimination and several factors can be adjusted in each one. Difficulty, special modes like Golden Gun, or a myriad of other settings are available for each MI6 level. After setting a score, your accomplishment will be made available to your friends. If they want to challenge your score, they need only select yours and all the settings you used will be downloaded for them.
All that information out of the way, I got to play Goldeneye 007: Reloaded myself on the show floor of PAX Prime 2011. First off, it sure doesn't look like any Goldeneye I've ever played. This is a proper HD shooter and yet the environments and visuals are still taking cues from that original 1997 release. The developers set me up with a run through one of the MI6 levels. Adding to the other updated elements was the PlayStation Move support. I picked up the Sharpshooter and started hunting bad guys.
The new Goldeneye is a strange and happy mix of the old and the updated. The old weapons were there, albiet with nice HD looks. The uniforms of enemies, the vehicles, the settings, and even a few memorable setpiece moments were all intact, though once again completely redone with the new engine and updated graphics. It reminds you there are many things about the original Goldeneye game that hold up very well, even if the graphics no longer do. The gameplay smoother and the gunplay tighter than the original. The Sharpshooter (which I've had issues with in the past) was behaving admirably and felt like a natural fit for my modern romp through James Bond nostalgia.
Before playing it, I was excited for Goldeneye to come to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. I play Wii, but I play my shooters on those HD consoles, so it just seems like a more natural fit to me. Now having played it, Goldeneye 007: Reloaded has moved up several spots on my wishlist. Four player split-screen is coming to the HD generation in classic style.
Look for Goldeneye 007: Reloaded on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in early November.
