Review: GoldenEye Reloaded (Xbox 360)

By Wayne Webb

GoldenEye was one of the best games ever on the N64 and was one of the first and best memories I have of console first-person multiplayer games. It’s been retooled, redrawn and re-engineered for the modern consoles, with the modern Bond.

Pierce Brosnan and Sean Bean have been dumped in favour of Daniel Craig and the storyline vaguely reflects the plot of the 1995 movie. That aside it’s authentic as a Bond game should be. A pre credits action sequence that you play before an opening montage the late producer Cubby Broccoli would have been proud to make. And just like the actors being replaced, Nicole Scherzinger supplants Tina Turner for the excellent title song. In the space of the first few minutes of play and the credits you know that this is Bond – authentic as it can be and therein lies a lot of the appeal.

The game itself is fun, much like the older version, though I don’t recall stealth being such a major part of the game. In Reloaded you can almost play the entire game without alerting any guards to your presence if you are stealthy and patient enough. Nonsensically though, while the plot insists you chase after someone, you can slow right down and take your time to dispatch loads of enemies carefully and quietly, while the fleeing target does not progress until you do. Similarly, often a closed door can confuse enemies to not chase through after you, but then at other times they do just that.

This is a Bond film made into a game and like the excellent “Everything or Nothing” game from 2003; suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy this as an interactive movie game. Those cinematic non-interactive pieces can seem a little slow and cumbersome at times, dropping the pace of some levels and adding to the plot nicely in others.

There are also some excellent extras outside of the top-notch single player campaign though, and these can keep you playing and replaying for a long while. The multiplayer allows for up to four on split screen, or the usual gamut of death awaiting you online. MI6 Ops is a series of missions that have differing objectives and constraints like speed, stealth or defend your base assignments.

There’s longevity in this game and if you’re a fan of Bond movies or the original GoldenEye game, then you won’t be disappointed.

Pros: Loads of gameplay; various modes; exciting action and good multiplayer; authentic Bond story and style
Cons: sometimes nonsensical enemies; a little cartoonish in places

4 Shacks Out Of 5