When I started the list, I said I'm only covering Bond games on the Nintendo 64, GameCube, and PlayStation platforms, so I will not give my thoughts on the original Wii version. I know some of you may be disappointed, but I don't see it as a loss considering that Reloaded has more features. All I'm missing from the Wii version is gazing at the original graphic designs and playing it through the Wii's motion controls. I'll admit, I'm interested in playing the game by using the motion controls, but it's not enough to motivate me to purchase a Wii console. Some gamers and Bond fans may be surprised that I ranked this game low on the list, considering that it's been getting plenty of praise. While I enjoyed playing it, I think it's highly overrated.
I like the idea that the game is a reimagined adventure that could have happened before the events of Skyfall, similar to 007 Legends. If anything, it's more believable that these events could have occurred in the Craig universe. Forgetting how the film Specter damaged the idea of the game being cannon since Blofield is in it (as if anyone cares), despite Legends attempt to modernize the Bond stories, most of the stories don't fit the dark, graphic, and dramatic approach to the Craig films, consequently coming off as silly. Aside from shutting down a giant laser, the plot of Bond losing a friend only to find out that he's been betrayed by the person he thought was dead is a perfect concept for the Craig era. The game itself goes further with its liberties of having the environments look less like the designs in the N64 game and film, therefore giving them a personality to suit the Craig series. The game does mimic a few designs, but it mostly keeps them modernized rather than feeling like a piece of the 90s is present. Beyond that, unlike how most characters in 007 Legends were modeled after the actors from the movies, the game redesigns all the characters.
I would love to applaud the game for reinventing Goldeneye to match the Daniel Craig era if it didn't appear so bland and empty. That's not to say that all level designs are not appealing. Zukovsky's nightclub is a flashy yet soothing environment. The Solar Farm has a Ken Adams-like design without looking out of place. The Memorial Park still carries its foreboding patriotic atmosphere. However, when comparing it to the N64 game, each level had its distinct environment from the design and music, while most levels here look like something out of Call of Duty. There's minimal personality to these levels for how generic they appear, containing too many shadows, greys and yellows, and places that look like battlefields from a war game. I understand that it's trying to look as gritty and intense as the Craig films. Still, the movies and even the Quantum of Solace video game have way more visual personality fitting the current Bond universe than this attempt. As out of place as 007 Legends felt with placing Craig in the old films, I at least felt like I was looking at a Bond game most of the time. If I were to walk into someone playing this game, I would have easily mistaken it for Call of Duty. The game doesn't try to show Bond on-screen as much as possible to have the courtesy to keep the Bond feel present. The Ps3 version Quantum of Solace, despite looking like a Call of Duty game, not only had the luxury of using locations from the first two Craig movies but uniquely combined first and third-person shooter to keep it from looking too much like a near-exact clone. All that's missing for this game to complete itself as a Call of Duty clone entirely is blood. There's blood trickling down from the screen when the player dies, but there is none when killing the enemy in a gritty war-like environment when this detail is welcomed here than in 007 Legends.
I am glad that the game isn't an exact copy of the N64 game, just with better graphics and cinematic cutscenes. The first part of the Dam level seems that way by having its design look identical to the one from the N64 game. Once Bond and Trevelyan hi-jack a truck leading to an on-rails shooting section (that the N64 was originally going to have), the game makes itself clear it's not going down the same direction as players of the original game may think. It's refreshing, but at times, it gets to be very underwhelming when comparing some of these levels to the original game. One of the best levels from the N64 game is the Train mission, involving Bond racing through the train cars gunning down goons to rescue Natalya from Trevelyan and Ourumov. The game decides to have Bond approach the train after damaging it with the tank, like in the film. I give props for the game taking it in a new direction, except Bond is fighting through a dark and brown dusty construction site, making it a less exciting environment (the construction site in the Quantum of Solace game looks way better than this game). I was hoping the meeting with Ourumov would make for an exciting conclusion as the N64 by having the chance to kill him and use a laser to escape from an explosion in a short time span. Instead, all that happens is a cut scene with Xenia killing Ourumouv and escaping without worrying about a timer to set off the bomb, with no use of a laser.
There are certainly other changes that make some of the levels less exciting compared to the Goldeneye 64. A couple examples include having no choice of how to escape the facility, not allowed to stop the investigation in the Archives at a player's own time, and driving a tank in a deserted city that seems to be in ruins, as opposed to a populated area. I understand that I should try the judge on its own merits without comparing it to the N64 classic, but since the game constantly reminds me of the original with its story, objectives, and occasional level designs, how can I not separate the two? I can't help but miss having most of the choices and freedoms that made the Goldeneye 64 a milestone in gaming, whether it's handling objectives in no order or carrying as many weapons as I please. I appreciate that the game is trying to adapt to the modern bond game formula, and I probably wouldn't have much of a problem if it wasn't under the Goldeneye name.
But it's not just the original Goldeneye game I'm thinking about when playing the game; I'm also thinking of the fun that this game eliminates from previous Bond games. I understand the games are trying to be faithful to the Craig movies, and while I expect the games to carry a similar tone, that doesn't mean the games should limit the fun. I don't care if carrying limited guns is realistic; let me take as many different weapons as possible. Who cares if it's plausible for Bond to use cellphones instead of physical gadgets, I want to use hidden weapons, ex-ray goggles, and a laser watch. Watching the movies is one thing; playing games is entirely different. Licensed games take liberties all the time, granted typically for the worst. But to take away something that isn't broken, only to give half of what was once had, and claim that it's new and faithful to the films is only admitting they have an excuse to be lazy. These are video games, have as much fun with the spy concept as much as possible, just as long as the spirit of the Craig films is not entirely lost. It just irritates me that this dumb elimination was carried over to a game adaptation of Goldeneye.
Regarding the N64 game, the only driving level present in the game was the famous tank level, which is still a highlight. As much of a highlight as the level was, the mechanics were no different from the ones for walking and shooting. Despite being in a tank and seeing a part of it, I still sensed the vibe that I was still killing goons on foot. The Bond games upgraded the driving portion with Tomorrow Never Dies, experimented with the possibilities in 007 Racing, and perfected it in Agent Under Fire and forward on. This remake of Goldeneye only has one driving level, which I understand is accurate to the source, and I'm in the very least glad this Craig game has one driving level instead of none like in Quantum of Solace. I probably would have accepted the game having one driving level if the game didn't tease me into thinking I would take part in some driving action. A few times, it looks like the game will lead to a driving level, only to be let down by having it be an on-rails shooting or the level just abruptly ending. Just when I thought I would not be driving a tank after the games' constant teasing, I find myself doing so, and you know what, it was awesome! It stands as one of the best driving levels I have ever played in a 007 game, and honestly, better than the tank level in Goldeneye 64. Discovering that there are no other driving levels like that in the game came off as disappointing, giving the impression that the makers only gave the player the tank level for fan service. I would have loved to escape the cops after leaving a nightclub or riding a motorcycle up towards the aircraft on top of a mountain. The game proves it's capable of making a good driving level, is it too much to ask for one more?
Unlike previous Bond games that typically involve Bond fighting up against a henchman in a boss battle figuring out strategies to weaken the opponent, just like 007 Legends, the use of Quick-time or cutscenes are mostly the boss battles. I say mostly because, at the very last level of the game, there is an exciting boss fight against Trevelyan that I think is more intense than the N64 counterpart. The boss battle involves gunning down Trevelyan and his men, with occasional use of Quick-time while given the task to protect Natayala, avoid the Goldeneye laser beam, and shutting it down. After all this work, the player is rewarded for shooting Trevelyan off the cradle after Bond delivers his farewell line to him. As for the other villains, a cutscene shows Xenia killing Ourumov, and a round of Quick-time unexcitingly kills Xenia. The combination of Quick-time and punch-out in 007 Legends was a little more exciting than just pressing buttons to kill an opponent, though that doesn't mean that didn't get old too. I'm not saying that Quick-time isn't an exciting option because, at times, it can be thrilling when it's used to weaken an enemy and used for escaping a death trap. However, it is not much of a riveting method when that's the only way to kill some of the villains, making the experience feel limited compared to other Bond games.
As if this remake of Goldeneye can't get any less bland, the remodels to half of the characters give the game even less personality. I'm not opposed to remodeling the characters. It would be cool to see how the game would take these characters to a more modern approach, and to its credit, it did succeed with a few. I would love to see Gottfried John's likeness as General Ourumov with modern and better-detailed graphics, but the replacement still appears cold and threatening. Valentin Zukovsky gets an unrecognizable robust design with his badass facial scar, cool beret, and a covered tattoo body suitable for war. A part of me should be mad that this character has no resemblance to the Zukovsky from the film, as he looks more like a character from the G.I. Joe cartoon in the 80s. But I like the new approach they take him, going as far as making him a successful nightclub owner and a vicious gangster feared by all, except for Bond. As long as he's a Russian club owner who is allied with Bond with a bit of a personal vendetta against him for an injury, any other change is welcomed. Aside from Ourumov and Zukovsky in terms of remodels, everybody else is forgettable. Sure, their characteristics remain accurate, but I don't find myself remembering their designs for how boring they appear. There isn't much to the character designs that make them stand out, coming across as stock character designs.
The worst character to get a redesign out of them all goes to Alec Trevelyan. Sean Bean in the film perfectly appeared as Bond's equal by coming across as confident and menacing. Trevelyan in this game looks nothing like it in the slightest. When he appears as an MI6 agent, though friendlier looking than Bean, he seems more like a trainee than a man with experience who's as elegant and rugged as Bond himself. Then when it's revealed he's the game's main villain, he looks worse, appearing as incompetent as a henchman that Bond can kill without a sweat. There's no scar, no distinct wardrobe, or a body structure that seems up to par with Bond's. When looking at designs as generic and non-threatening as the ones in the game, it makes me wish they were modeled after characters off the cast from the film instead.
For all my complaining, the most significant advantage over the N64 game is the narrative. I still play the N64 game from start to finish whenever I decide to replay it, but objectively speaking, the story serves more as a road map to tie the levels together than trying to tell a coherent story. There are very few cutscenes, and the interaction with the characters at crucial points in the story is more optional than it is required. The story was the last thing the creators were focusing on, surprisingly leading to a more unique and open interactive experience. With Goldeneye 007: Reloaded, it is definite that telling the Goldeneye story was one of their top priorities.
For all the liberties the game contributes to the story that makes the gameplay experience less exciting, the liberties that do work are such solid upgrades that I wish the movie had these scenes. In both the film and N64 game, Bond does not meet up with Trevelyan until he's made it inside the facility as they are about to plant the chargers. Reloaded has two levels of the two fighting side by side as they break inside the base together. This change to the story allows for more bonding time between the two to better grasp their friendship before discovering that Trevelyan is the main antagonist. Daniel Craig and Elliot Cowan's chemistry brings such a strong sense of their friendship for how they joke around, comment on one another's skill, and aid each other that I find myself heartbroken that he was never Bond's ally while playing it. In the film, Brosnan perfectly sold Bond's despair for his friend's betrayal, but Sean Bean, from the very beginning, already had a suspicious presence before the reveal.
In the movie Bond never witnessed the first use of the Goldeneye satellite in Severnaya. And in the N64 game Bond and Natalya escape as the place is about to be blown to bits. In this game, Bond enters the grounds of Severnaya by tracking down the helicopter owned by the Janus crime syndicate, making it plausible for him to be in the area. Bond is not inside the radar facility to see Ourumov and Xenia activate the Goldeneye satellite. Still, he does witness the satellite destroy the facility as he sneaks his way over. Once inside the wreckage of the facility, Bond hears the sound of Ourumov and Xenia killing the surviving scientists pleading for their lives, creating a grimmer tone for the disaster. To top the change off, this is the moment where Bond and Natalya meet up, which couldn't have been a better meeting scenario than any of their meetings in previous Goldeneye related media. The game takes all the necessary steps to form a partnership by having her hesitant and going off on her own, to aiding Bond and to eventually having the two getting captured together.
The game improves the story in some places, and even improves the N64 game in other areas. The most obvious improvement is that the game (until the last level) wisely doesn't have the players carry the burden of protecting a wandering Natalya while finishing objectives (surprisingly, from my personal game experience, I didn't have that much of a problem with her). Others are ones that I felt needed a level of their own. In the N64 game, Bond meets Zukovsky at Statue Park instead of the run-down club he owns. Seeing Zukovsky before coming face to face with Trevelyan at the same level has always been a treat for me, but I did wish there was a level fighting my way to his club or meeting him there and then making my way to statue park to meet the game's main villain. Reloaded allows me to meet Zukovsky at his club while also meeting Xenia for the first time, starting out slow and atmospheric to an exhilarating gunfight. I admire how some levels don't begin the way a person would expect. Knowing a level will take place on the carrier, I expected to start the level already aboard. Instead, I received a fast-paced fight through an airport that would eventually lead me to the vessel. An engaging new addition creating a perfect balance of what to keep and add-in.
For all the freedoms the game takes away from the original N64, and adding the stupid Call of Duty style limitations from the Quantum of Solace game doesn't mean the game forbids players from making different choices. Like some of the great 007 games, the game gives the player the option to play a mission stealthy or just firing endlessly at guards. Sometimes a player is given a choice of how a guard should be disposed of. Does a player kill the guard on the toilet the N64 way or the film way? While fighting against both Ourumov's men and the guards guarding the radar facility, there's a couple of options if a player should kill or sneak past the wounded guards, let Ourumov's men dispose of them, or dispose both soldiers. By making different choices in terms of combat naturally, the game gives their players a choice of which route to take, whether it's sneaking into an area through a vent or just walking right through the door, undoubtedly leading to new experiences for each gameplay.
Suppose players wish to spice things up by changing the difficulty, like its N64 counterpart, the game adds a few new objectives for each level. It is sad to say that the new objectives are only optional when in the original game, a player had to complete every new objective to make it to the next level successfully. Intriguingly the hardest difficulty is titled 007 Classic, where the game's health system functions like the original. A player can only grab body armor to keep their health instead of relying on a regenerator. When getting shot, a health and armor bar appears looking similar to the one in N64, except the Wii version contains the colors from the original game, while the reloaded version blands it up by using colorless digital dots.
The multiplayer experience gives players the choice to either play online, or with players at home with a split screen. For the purpose of this review, I was only able to play the split screen version of the multiplayer, with only two players. The campaign is overall amusing, but not one of my favorites. Part of that may have to do with the limited supply of players I have, since there are no A.I. bots to fight or people online playing this game anymore. The maps are so big, that having more than two players is essential to get the full experience. The maps are missions from the game, which are as good as the levels themselves. Some that are visually cool, but for the most part unappealing. I said, the character skins in the later game 007 Legends are better than the models here, since most of the character models here are the ones used in story mode, which like the level designs are mainly misses. But what saves the selection of characters from becoming as disappointingly limited as the skins in Goldeneye: Rogue Agent are the models based on characters from the movies, with better likenesses than any of the games had prior. Some of them are characters I have yet to play in other multiplayer Bond games at the time include Tee-Hee, Rosa Klebb, Dr. Kananga, and Charles Grey's Blofeld. What makes playing these characters even more special is that they each have their own special ability. Apart from surviving more abuse than other characters, or moving faster, I love how some the characters come equipped with their own special weapon. NightFire did that with Oddjob, by giving him his hat, but this game's multiplayer takes things a step further. Scaramanga wields his golden gun, Goldfinger has his gold revolver, players can view Tee-Hee's mechanical arm in action, and Klebb has her poison shoe blade. Of all weapons however, my favorite is the Moonraker laser which I never get tired of for its cool design for the gun and laser and having an awesome sound effect. This multiplayer experience may not be one of my favorites from the games but is certainly worth playing.
Overall Thoughts
There's no denying the game has plenty of replay value, with some welcomed upgrades to the story and N64 game. Like 007 Legends, the game has excellent ambitions of combining classic Bond with the new, but in the end, it becomes a mess. Plus, attempting to modernize a revolutionary game cherished by many makes the final concept even messier. I'm not saying this game is in the same league of bad as 007 Legends. Have the game not had more variety compared to Legends, a cohesive story, and a better driving level, it would have been considered just as flawed. While I agree Goldeneye 007: Reloaded is a better-made game than Legends, I find it a little forgettable. 007 Legends was terrible, but it was a memorably intriguing mess, in my opinion. Goldeneye 007: Reloaded I'll remember having fun playing, but when I think back to the dull visuals, the awful character designs, and the many limitations the game has compared to other Bond games, it's not one of my go-to's or a game I highly recommend to gamers. Even if the game weren't a Goldeneye remake, it still would have had the same problems; it just wouldn't have the burden to compete against an original classic. However, in terms of re-playability and leaving an impression, this game succeeds over Blood Stone.
Least Favorite Mission
Solar
Solar is one of the best-looking levels in the game. It's one of the very few levels that looks it belongs in a Bond game while still matching the modern era of the Bond universe. It disappoints me the only thing that stands out about the level is the design. Solar has nothing new to offer gameplay-wise as it feels like an extension of the Jungle level. All I'm doing is killing guards and destroying drones again, except this time the level ends with me getting captured than taking on a Bond villain. That said, I consider the station mission as the worst level remake in the game; I can't call it the worst level in the game since it does have a few amusing things about it, even if they are small.
Favorite Mission
Tank
I was going to go with the mission Nightclub for its atmosphere, inventive redesign for Zukovsky, introduction to Xenia, and exciting finale. It was a real close call until I thought of what the game accomplished with another level; it actually improved one of the best levels in Goldeneye 64. The tank mission in Goldeneye 64 is fondly remembered as one of the best missions for a good reason. It's the definitive level where a player can drive a vehicle while blowing things up and running over guards, followed by a violent squishing sound. Looking at the tank level in this game, it doesn't look pleasing to the eye since Bond is causing destruction in a wasteland than a populated city street. Even worse, the game had to stupidly cut out the feature of running over goons. What it does do better than the original is the amount of destruction I'm allowed to cause. Having a health regenerator is better than losing health and finding armor to restore it. Since it takes ages to die in this level, I can have as much fun as I want blowing up anything in sight, except this time I can also blow up enemy helicopters and part of a weak building. Not to mention I won't have to worry about losing health when ramming through cars. This mission has fewer limitations than its N64 counterpart, all the more reason why I love it and consider it my favorite mission in the game.
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