If you remember Nintendo 64’s popular GoldenEye video game, you remember the well-loved multiplayer mode: you and your friends try to kill each other in a four-window split screen in a variety of locations. You not only had assault rifles and shotguns and rocket launchers at your disposal, but also proximity mines and frag grenades.
Now Activision is hoping gamers want to relive their youth with a refurbished GoldenEye, this time featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond, marking the franchise’s first return to consoles since the N64 era.
After a week reviewing the GoldenEye 007: Reloaded, it’s safe to say Activision did what they aimed to do: give gamers the same smooth fun multiplayer experience they enjoyed more than a decade ago.
Multiplayer is the real hook here, and its still a quick intense mode. You have to be quick on your feet when your buddies spot you, using the on-screen enemy radar. In some modes, you only have one weapon to use, so best to choose something fast and helpful in close range combat. I learned the hard the way the foolishness of fighting with a rocket launcher.
Not content with just battling with regular weapons, I rounded out my arsenal with proximity mines but found it difficult to get them working. Explosive grenades are easier to use, and flash bangs are great for stunning enemies when they’re around the corner. Some more intuitive controls on proximities, though, would’ve been ideal.
The shooting dynamics are smoother than in the predecessor, and moving along levels is also more intuitive. Hiding behind cover is helpful, but it can be more advantageous to storm into an area and surprise enemies with your quick gun bursts.
I tested multiplayer with four players altogether and have yet to try out the 16-player mode for Xbox Live. But I got a feeling I wouldn’t be so crazy seeing my TV split into 16 windows.
Less impressive, but still worthwhile, is the mission mode. Much like following any mission from games such as Gears of War or Call of Duty, you’re asked to find weapon caches or link up with other agents in order to complete objectives. It’s engrossing at times, but sometimes derivative. If you’ve played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, you can’t help but compare the two and deem COD the winner. By far.
The gameplay is sleek, but it’s a little too easy to kill enemies. Setting your crosshairs on bad guys is simple, but it also depends what level of game difficulty you set your game to; but what I liked is the stealth mode the game encourages. You can kill enemies quietly with silencers, not alerting his friends nearby. You can also use “melee” to attack someone with your hands. A nice quiet move can be the true Bond way.
GoldenEye 007: Reloaded has all the markings of a fantastic first-person shooter, especially in multiplayer mode. It just won’t wow you in single-player, but perhaps it shouldn’t be bought for just one gamer. Got a holiday party coming up with some other FPS nerds? You might have found your party favourite right here.
