The mission goes awry when Trevelyan is caught and apparently shot by General Arkady Ourumov. It begins with James Bond (007) and Alec Trevelyan (006) on a mission infiltrating a chemical weapons facility in Arkhangelsk, Russia, which is believed to be the source of weapons used by a terrorist cell to target British embassies around the world. The story is set some time after the events of Quantum of Solace. Unlike the original video game and therefore movie, the whole story takes place after the Cold War due to the Soviet Union's replacement by the Russian Federation, so the story does not jump nine years ahead after the opening sequence. With the exception of M, all other main characters from the film have had their appearances altered, though they still retain their original names. Judi Dench, who has portrayed M since GoldenEye, reprises her role for the game. 6.2 Differences compared to GoldenEye 007 (2010)Īlthough Pierce Brosnan starred as James Bond in GoldenEye' and was featured in the 1997 game GoldenEye 007, subsequent Bond actor Daniel Craig's likeness and voice are featured in the 2010 game and the plot has been modified to fit with the current style of James Bond films.The multiplayer models are a bit of a mixed bag: for one, they look like the characters they’re supposed to represent, but their facial animations and subpar textures make them look like upscaled versions of the N64 originals. Also great are the weapon models and their handling: each gun feels unique, and the sound design really lets you feel the power behind each bullet. The presentation is superb, with a reimagined UI that’s not very intrusive - although it could’ve been a little smaller. Jungle levels look like something straight out of Crysis, while some other levels, like the arctic base, are also quite pleasing to the eye. Thanks to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3’s hardware, Reloaded looks leagues better than the original game.
Despite that, the story lacks any real “twist” (that the James Bond series is so popular for) for it to be worth a second playthrough. The game plays with players’ expectations at every turn, changing some key elements of the story to keep surprising returning players. It’s worth mentioning that the plot of Reloaded isn’t the same as what players might have seen in the N64 original. There’s also the new MI6 mode, which’s basically an objective-based single-player experience similar to a “Time Attack” mode. Dumb AI and linear levels hinder the experience, even though the campaign is a short and uninteresting one. Sadly, the single-player campaign quickly comes apart at the seams. All of these possibilities mean that multiplayer is even more addictive than it ever was. In a nice nod to the N64 game, players can customize the online matches with modifiers such as Golden Gun mode, or Paintball mode.
Thankfully, GoldenEye 007: Reloaded avoids this inconvenience thanks to its more contemporary control scheme, involving two analog sticks like most players are used to.Īdditionally, Reloaded retains the original’s local multiplayer, but also expands on it with an online multiplayer mode. One of the most common complaints about the original GoldenEye game was its cumbersome controls: the N64’s controller is infamously cumbersome to use.