Golden Eye 007: Reloaded for the Xbox 360 is published by Activision, a popular publisher for many major releases including Call of Duty and Transformers. Most of you probably remember Golden Eye 007: Reloaded being released last year for the Wii. This format of the game is near enough the same as the Wii version, yet in spite of the differences it is still a fast and exciting shooter that doesn’t rely on ancient memories to be great.
If you had to make a list of the top ten most influential video games of all time then GoldenEye 007 would have to fit in there somewhere. GoldenEye originally created by Rare was the first FPS game to be introduced to console audiences and revolutionized the multiplayer gaming experience by allowing up to 4 players to play via split screen. Considering how many Call of Duty and Battlefield LAN parties are taking place online at the moment, there was originally a time when dorm rooms and houses would be crammed full of gamers waiting for their corner of the screen in their quest for the ever popular Golden Gun.
When GoldenEye 007 was released on the Wii, it proved that it is possible to successfully re-imagine a classic. By combining the spy elements that made the Nintendo 64 original with modern amenities, it created a great experience that didn’t play on nostalgia to be entertaining. Yet a year later here it comes again for the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 with only a few adjustments in the game play compared to the Wii version; it still remains as an enticing change of pace from other shooters.
There are a number of forceful missions to complete with diverse objectives as you slink through enemy territory. When you are spotted by the enemies, Reloaded transforms into an action game which becomes hectic with razor sharp mechanics and a variety of deadly weapons. Goldeneye 007: Reloaded is an interesting hybrid between FPS and Stealth that can be easily enjoyable.
Although GoldenEye 007 is based around the same type of story line as the original version for the Nintendo 64, there is one major update added to the game. The developers have given the game new life by introducing the current bond, Daniel Craig, into the game. They also altered a lot of the original cast from the original, however only M keeps her stature.We could say that this is a totally new GoldenEye outing as almost everything has been altered to some respect, with completely new maps, upgraded graphics engine, change in gameplay elements and more features.
The next biggest change in the game comes in the form of health system, which as expected, is taken from the current FPS genre. GoldenEye adopts the modern approach of regenerating health bars which works better than the old method. Although, if you do prefer the old method then you can alter the difficulty level to classic mode this will enable you to play the game through the old school rules. But the levels in this game have not actually been built around this mode; this will become obvious after you have played a level or two.
GoldenEye has two major aspects that players will either enjoy or not enjoy, however I feel that true bond fans will love these different aspects. One aspect is the stealth and not been seen kill approach, and the other is the true Call of Duty run and kill everything. The gun touting route is not always the viable option as most levels will force you to use the stealthy approach to complete the mission.
The AI in the game is somewhat funny at times especially the guards that talk to each other you will a few gags that will make you laugh, if you ever get a chance to listen before you kill them. Sometimes you can easily sneak past guards however on times a guard 100 yards away will see you and alert the others how they do this is beyond me when the guard only a few feet away does not even notice me.
In the first GoldenEye game there were hundreds of alarms that would go off if you were caught, well in this Reloaded version the only alarms that go off if you happen to be spotted by the CCTV cameras. If you do shoot a guard, no matter if you kill the guard or not you better be ready for the consequence of your actions, as you will soon find that an entire army on your back ready to take you down.
Another new feature to be added is a Call of Duty’s special ops mode called MI6 Ops, which has players going through various environments from the campaign with specific objects based on eliminations, defence, stealth and also all-out assault. These missions allow for customization depending entirely of the gamer’s choice of difficulty. Not to mention the original modes that can be enabled such as the infamous paintball mode. These missions are great additions to the game, which provide a lot of extra gaming time.
It was interesting to see what the outcome of the multiplayer modes would be like both online and offline. When you play the multi-player mode online it becomes more and more clear that it is running on the same engine as Call of Duty franchise. Say good bye to the days when you used to have to hunt down the best gun in the within the maps, as now like Call of Duty you have to unlock them by levelling up and putting it into a load out.
Thinking of the running through levels, you may find yourself disorientated when you go into the multi-player mode expecting the maps to play like they did in the original version. They do have some similar elements in play but they look and play nothing like them. A good example of this is that there are no secret doors in Archives.
The online modes are hard to nail down because there just doesn’t seem to be enough gamers playing this online currently, this could be because of the timing of this release since it has been released in between two of the most popular and most anticipated shooters of the year Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3. Perhaps if this game was set to have been release at the beginning of the year more people would of considered playing it.
It’s becoming rarer for games these days to come with a 4 player split screen multi player mode, so it genuinely nice to see it has been continued with this more recent version of Golden Eye. There is an enormous amount of fun to be had playing the game through this mode both for gamers who have played the original and for gamers who have never had the opportunity to play a 007 game in the past.
Overall Golden Eye looks and sounds amazing. The updated version of the theme song is recorded by Nicole Scherzinger, which feels right when you think about how much this game has been updated to suit the current gaming market. The controls for the game are relatively easy to grips with. Sometimes during the beginning you may find that it will take you some time to get used to the sensitivity of the controls to make a significant jump between 1 and 2 etc. But after a while the controls will start to feel perfectly natural.
Graphics
There are a few glitches in the game, however there are few and far between.
Sounds
The sound score within the game fit perfect and is up to date with what you expect from a new bond film/game
Gameplay
4 player split screen, multi-player online, single player, GoldenEye has a lot to offer any Bond fan and is well worth getting.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
