Comic-Con 2011

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Goldeneye 007 Updated Hands-On

Shaun McInnis
By Shaun McInnis, Editor

Golden gun in hand, we take another trip down multiplayer memory lane.

While the status of the next James Bond movie remains thoroughly up in the air amid talk of an indefinite hiatus, the world of video games is another story entirely. Activision is working on not one but two James Bond titles for release this year. One of these is a name that you ought to be very familiar with whether you know anything about the upcoming game or not. That game, of course, is Goldeneye 007 for the Wii. Developed by Eurocom, this first-person shooter is described by Activision as a "reimagining" of the Nintendo 64 classic. We got our first look last month at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, and with Comic-Con 2010 bringing the world's entertainment industry to San Diego, we recently had a chance to see a brief update to the multiplayer component.

Like its 1997 predecessor, Goldeneye 007 will feature a robust multiplayer mode that can be played either via local split-screen or--in an obvious departure from the original--online using this newfangled "Internet" business. A familiar cast of playable characters will reprise their roles from the first game, including both Oddjob (whose height has been tweaked somewhat to make him more of a target to gunfire) and Jaws. And aside from updated graphics, the general look and feel of the game seem pretty faithful to the original, along with the familiar blood running down the screen when you die and post-match accolades telling you how you did after the match.

Where the game seems to depart the most from its predecessor is in the control scheme. Whereas the appearance and feature set are quite inspired by the first game, the way you move around seems to take most of its cues from modern shooters. You can sprint, vault over objects, and even stare down the red dot sight of your AK-47 for extra accuracy. You'll also find dedicated melee and grenade buttons, allowing you to do a lot of things within a very small window of time. There appears to be a lot more depth to the controls, which seems like a given considering you're no longer confined to a Nintendo 64 controller.

Our hands-on time was spent playing Golden Gun on a new map called Station. Golden Gun, a classic shooter mode if there ever was one, is an obvious holdover from the Nintendo 64 game. But playing it on this new map made for quite a different experience. The density and variety of the construction site setting was a big departure from the relatively empty, plain geometry that the original game's maps were composed of due to the technology of the day. It seems like you can be surprised more easily by people vaulting over objects or popping out from behind a stack of scattered plywood with all the stray objects lying around. In short: the experience was more frenetic than we recall.

Overall, the experience played like a hybrid of new and old. It brought back warm, fuzzy memories of the first Goldeneye and brought up questions about whether this one can maintain that same magic given all the time that has passed in the interim. It definitely seems like there's room for a great split-screen shooter for when you've got a bunch of friends over, but it seems like you'd need to spend a lot more time with the game to see whether that's just the nostalgia talking. We're eager to find out as we get closer to Goldeneye's November release.

Shaun McInnis
By Shaun McInnis, Editor

Shaun McInnis has always dreamed of an a open-world car combat RPG based on Jack Kerouac's On the Road. Outside of video games, he enjoys photography and learning impractical coffee brewing techniques.

119 Comments

  • Szpblue

    Posted Sep 13, 2010 4:24 pm GMT

    what's a try hard?

  • MEDzZ3RO

    Posted Aug 23, 2010 9:56 am GMT

    @WackedWilly
    Milking it is slang for making the most out of a situation in such a way that irritates people,in this case not offering much change and putting out the same game with different graphics and guns year after year.
    No,I'm not an employer but I am an adult,I've grown up with games from a young age,playing the Megadrive,PS1,PS2,Gamecube,Wii,PS3 and most of the Gameboys.It's what I like to do in my spare time.
    A "try hard"?,just because I've made some intelligent references to a debate doesn't make me a try hard....

  • WackedWilly

    Posted Aug 23, 2010 9:43 am GMT

    @MEDzZ3RO
    I've seen some of the comments you posted, and any adult that has a life (at least nowadays) wouldn't say milker or have a gamespot account (unless their an employee for gamespot) If you didn't get what I said overall it seems your a try-hard.

  • MEDzZ3RO

    Posted Aug 21, 2010 10:34 am GMT

    @badron11
    I mentioned Rage because it falls under the same category as Vegas.
    Favourites...???,hmm..??, when I first started out you couldn't of got me off Streets of Rage 2 and Golden axe on the Megadrive,afterwards on the PS1 I didn't really have any favourites but I played Tekken,Tomb Raider and Worms quite a bit.On the N64 it had to be Zelda Ocarina and Goldeneye.On the PS2 I stuck with Tekken but then like (almost everyone at that time) got hooked on Vice City and San Andreas.On the Cube I used to play XIII,The Urbz and Mariokart Double Dash split screen with my mates,it was addictive you know?
    Currently I'm into Bad Company 2,Killzone 2,Resistance 2,God Of War series,Uncharted 2,Borderlands,Fallout,Modnation...etc..,I tend to play alot of fps,rpg and fighting games as a rule but I play almost any genre;I'm not big on puzzle games though,lol.

  • topherfilms

    Posted Aug 18, 2010 6:41 am GMT

    @badron11:

    My all time fav is another Rare classic, Conker's Bad Fur Day. Although GoldenEye easily ranks in the top 5. I've never played Symphyony which is a shame because I hear it's alot like Metroid, which is my favorite series.

  • badron11

    Posted Aug 15, 2010 6:05 pm GMT

    @topherfilms
    @MEDzZ3RO

    I've enjoyed this, and I hope that you guys have fun with the games you play. By the way, just curious what are your favorite types of games? Do you like fighting games? Old school platformers? To prove to you that I like gameplay over graphics my favorite game of all time is Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the original PS1. I also bought it again for the 360 arcade. What do you guys like?

  • badron11

    Posted Aug 15, 2010 6:02 pm GMT

    @topherfilms
    I said I was done. You can't be swayed. You clearly are Nintendo biased and won't believe anything I say, so I've decided to end it on this note. You love the Wii-mote Nunchuck combo, ok, that's great, but to say that it's the best way to play FPS is an opinion that I've never even heard one other person say. I never said once about graphics being more important than gameplay, because I don't even believe that. I also never said which you quoted me somehow on, that Nintendo had nothing to do with the game, that must have been someone else. And once again, I don't even care about this game, I said I wish it was on all three consoles for the people that want it on a console other than the Wii. It also wouldn't ruin the game by making it multiplatform, it would increase sales by a ton.

    @MEDzZ3RO
    I never mentioned any game named "Rage". And Fallout is an exploration game first, then a shooter, and it's shooting mechanics aren't that good that's why they made them better for new vegas. Mass Effect is a game that's story and relationship based, and for people that don't like guns, there are tons of abilities to use. You can beat the game without shooting once. You guys have to get your stuff straight. Once again, stop misquoting me, and I'm done.

  • MYWIIWII5

    Posted Aug 14, 2010 1:25 pm GMT

    If the new 360 doesn't have a problem, that would be a first for microsoft

  • topherfilms

    Posted Aug 13, 2010 11:48 am GMT

    @badron11: I never said I was anti HD. I just value gameplay and most of all controls over visuals. Especialy when it comes to FPS. That being said it doesn't matter how much you want it to come out on all systems, this is Nintendo (and Rare's) baby. Unfortunatly for you Nintedo has custodial rights to the game. And saying childish things like "Nintendo had nothing to do with the game" makes you look like an idiot. George Lucas may be the creative mind behind Star Wars, but he wouldn't have a movie or franchise without the financial backing or distribution from 20th Century Fox. Really why ruin the game by making it multiplatform?

  • MEDzZ3RO

    Posted Aug 13, 2010 5:02 am GMT

    @badron11
    None of those features are gameplay changing,you still play Halo:reach as you did combat evolved;the core gameplay is identical;Even Call Of Duty (biggest milker of them all) has changed it's core gameplay throughout the years.Look at games like Bad Company,Resistance,Operation Flashpoint....etc..;the sequels play considerably different from the originals even though all three sold strongly enough that they could of left the gameplay untouched and done the usual,new guns,maps and game modes.
    Fallout 3 is a first person shooter/3rd person shooter RPG dependent on your preference,you cannot deny that you walk around killing things with guns,it's no different from a shooter even though story-wise its an RPG. Mass Effect is no different,as are Borderlands and Rage;Id Software practically pioneered the fps genre and your suggesting that Rage,like Fallout,isn't an fps?

    A "war"??,it isn't a "war",it's merely conflicting ideas and opinions being debated about;only children would use such a metaphore.

  • badron11

    Posted Aug 12, 2010 1:26 pm GMT

    Join team badron and don't be like the anti HD topherfilms, who thinks that every game that is HD sucks, just because it's not on his Wii. Not that I have to answer to you, but I checked this game out because it's freaking Goldeneye. Not because it's on the Wii, just because I wanted to check it out. As far as your points go, you are the one(@topherfilms) that is clearly in the minority when it comes to making any sense, and having any taste in games. I still don't know where I "contradicted" myself. And to that @MedzZ3RO guy, Halo hasn't taken any chances? How about bringing something new every single iteration. Forge, Theater, Armor Customization, Firefight, 4 player campaign, and this year it's improved upon everything I've just listed plus added brand new classes and tons of other stuff. You're just about as ignorant as @topherfilms. It's ok guys, ignorance can be fixed, but stupidity is forever. Oh and MedzZ3RO, thanks for telling me more stuff I know. Here is something you don't know, Fallout is not an FPS, and Mass Effect is more of a RPG with shooting elements than a shooter. There must be bleach in both of your gene pools. @WackedWilly, this war was started by topherfilms by the way if you go back and read the first post I made, it was just a simple post saying I wished it was ON ALL THREE SYSTEMS. I'm glad you like this though. I'm out guys. To all that agreed with me, thanks. To all that didn't, I just stated facts.

  • robulastage

    Posted Aug 11, 2010 10:51 pm GMT

    I wish everyone would drop their piss poor attitudes and take a couple Tylenol for their bruised egos.

  • WackedWilly

    Posted Aug 11, 2010 5:20 pm GMT

    wow this page turned from sharing your thoughts on goldeneye to all out war between Badron and topherfilms...I like it!

  • topherfilms

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 6:07 am GMT

    @badron11
    That guy was right you do spend alot of time contradicting yourself. The reason my spelling and grammer sux is because I don't spend a lot of time thinking and typing these responses. I'm sure your teacher told you that if you're gonna use big words like "troll" you should learn what they actually mean. You've been whining from the get go about this game not being on HD system, and how HD games are SOOOO much better like, O-M-G!!! This is a Nintendo game like it or not, this paticular page is dedicated to said game. You are the troll. If I was a troll I would go to a Halo Reach page and whine about it not coming out on the Wii which has far superior FPS controls.

    You also seemed to have missed or conveniently ignored my point. Nintendo as the publisher of GoldenEye 64, holds the rights to that game. Nintendo unable to release the game on VC because of the legal mess asked Activision to remake the game. Hence Wii exclusivity. Learn to accept this and move on with your life.

    MS fixed RROD? Wow! Can't wait to play Kinectimals!! Like MS said, "It's not gonna have the same problems that the 360 Arcade had! It's not gonna have the same problems that the 360 Elite had. It's not gonna have the same problems..."

  • MEDzZ3RO

    Posted Aug 9, 2010 5:11 am GMT

    @badron11
    It seems fairly obvious to me that you go around calling people trolls and yet from what you've written I gather you haven't got a Wii?;if so,what are you doing on here?.Either way your contradicting yourself,either its because you came on to troll or that this "crappy" game interests you,which is it?
    HD visuals and graphics don't make a game,gameplay does and out of the 4 games you listed,only 1 had good gameplay.Halo hasn't taken any risks since the series began and has had the same gameplay for years (dated),Fallout although a good game is lacking in the fps gameplay department and Mass effect is like most shooters out there.

    Just a case in point,Crysis has great visuals but is lacking on the gameplay side of things but Counterstrike probably has some of the worst graphics seen on PC in the last 10years has amazing gameplay and still remains one of the most played games on PC.I do favour the PS3 over Wii but don't make judgement upon graphics when we were all playing 32 and 64 bit games less then 20years ago.

  • badron11

    Posted Aug 8, 2010 8:58 pm GMT

    @topherfilms
    Wow. Your overuse of the word pissy is redundant. Your grammar is horrible, your Nintendo loving is so blinding it's pathetic. Do you think I really care about this crappy game? I'll be too busy playing Halo Reach, Mass Effect series, Red Dead Redemption, Fallout series, and just about every single other bad*** game that comes out for the HD systems. Just because you have this inferiority complex you think that all of this **** you type to everyone vindicates you. I'm also tired of people like you who say that you have some kind of authority. Give me a break man. Keep in mind that you started this with me for no reason, and also started **** with everyone else just because you are a Nintendo troll. You just don't like the fact that someone called you out on your BS that is smarter than you, no matter how "clever" your little responses may be, that you probably think about all day long before typing and posting on this site. Get over yourself, and before you tell me to take a reading comprehension class, learn how to spell, and dual wield some Wii Nunchakus before you hurt yourself trying to pet your little pony or doggy that you wish was in HD. And by the way, what is "thier", and "marking research"? Did you mean their and marketing? I do not need research, I can read and comprehend pretty well. And for the RRoD problem, it is finally solved with the new 360 models. People like you make me and obviously others sick. Shigeru Miyamoto would not be proud.

  • TheBigKabosh

    Posted Aug 7, 2010 11:05 pm GMT

    @badron11

    I don't know what's more ridiculous, you whining about getting "thumbs down" or thinking that owning an HDTV makes the game better. It just makes it look better, nothing else. HD in gaming is a gimmick - not a bad one, but a gimmick nonetheless.

  • topherfilms

    Posted Aug 7, 2010 4:36 am GMT

    @theJamin:

    I haven't played PD 0. I considered getting a 360 back in the day for that game. At the time I worked for a big box retailor when the 360 launched, and we were seeing an absurd amount of returns. It was clear from the get go that the 360 was a crap piece of hardware. Since they still haven't adressed the RROD issue I've never bothered to get one.