SilvereEye 006" 

Review by Umbreona.

While I have always been a big fan of FPS games and LOVE the Wiimote & Nunchuck style of playing them to the point of being addicted to it now, GoldenEye for the Wii left me feeling a Wii disappointed. I know that the game has a lot of Hype and that it could NEVER really live up to the Hype that the original N64 version created.

That game DEFINED the modern FPS genre and gave us a lot of what we expect in an FPS these days with CoD and Halo 2 giving us much of the rest. So let me break this game down and get into the grit of what was good and what was bad.

Graphics: 8/10

I do not believe a game is measured by its graphics alone but they are important and if you have a good TV and some proper component cables this game looks very good. The graphics are Crisp yet Dark giving you good detail while setting the mood. The environments look drastically different from each other so you will not be staring at one bleak color scheme the whole game. Characters are rather well rendered and the effects like explosions, fire, lasers, and gun lights are all well done.

Sometimes characters look a bit weird when they bend their body to look around making them seem to move in an inhuman fashion that is a bit painful to look at. There is also some clutter that floats about now and then that is rather unneeded and tends to cause you to shoot thin air sometimes in the Multiplayer when you are sure it is some one's gun or body you are seeing. There is also a bit of noise to the graphics purposely thrown in at times that is more distracting than pleasant but that is about the sum and total of the graphical flaws which is not much to complain about.



Sound Effects: 7/10

The sound effects in this game are alright but nothing to write home about. They do the job of getting you into the game but are not that memorable. There is full voice acting which is a great addition but the main actors here are the guns. Many of the guns do sound a bit different but only slightly and they are rather quiet compared to their Real Life counterparts which can be disappointing. Compared to the N64 version where the Magnum sounded like a Hand Held Cannon (as it should) this game's Mag sounds like just a normal rifle or some large pistol without nearly the reverberation or effect of the old one.


Music: 4/10

The music in GoldenEye for the Wii is a real let down compared to its N64 roots. It sits in the background with ambient solitude. While in the N64 version the Music was pumping and hard hitting getting you into each mission and each match you will often forget that this game even HAS music playing. Even the simplest inclusion of things like the Bond Theme would have been nice but even that is largely lacking. You may as well turn the music off and pull up the N64 OST and listen to that instead.


Story: 8/10

The story in this game is pretty much the same as in the original so there is nothing much to complain or praise about it. However, they did update the technology a fair bit for this game setting it in modern times and honestly I did not prefer that change. Using a Smart Phone as your ONLY gadget or gismo is boring. I liked the Laser Watch, Covert Modems, and other fun accessories from the original N64 release much better. It may have given the game a dated feel but this is a game about a Classic James Bond movie, should it not HAVE a dated feel? I think the campy super spy feel of the original N64 game and the Movie is just plain superior to the updated mediocre version we get here.

Despite that the voice acting and cut scenes combine with the updated levels to make this game's story come to life rather well and while it does not have the same good feel of the old version it is still entertaining, interesting, and well composed and presented.


Single Player Gameplay: 9/10

I would suggest ignoring the novice difficulties and going straight for Classic Mode if you are familiar with the N64 version of this game.
The single player campaign is very well done and if you take your time and look around there is almost always a way to be stealthy and sneaky rather than running into a huge open fire fight which brings back very fond memories of the N64 version. Because the levels are all nicely redone and you actually get to even drive a TANK in this game it is a real BLAST to play through this version's single player. I wish it had lasted even longer but sadly it did not.

The only reason the Single gets knocked down at all is because the final boss makes suspending your disbelief a real trick. Not only is the fight punishingly difficult it also makes no sense as you can unload clip after clip of bullets into the Boss's FACE and he barely notices. I can understand if he was wearing an armored helmet but with his bare head and face taking SMG, Assault Rifle, and Point Blank Shot Gun blasts it really makes you wonder how he became SUPER MAN.

Also, I am spoiled by The Conduit already in being able to make control adjustments WHILE I play the game which was a very nice addition in that game and would be welcome in all other FPS games to come.



Multiplayer Gameplay: 4/10

The Multiplayer of this game is supposed to be its real selling point but if you are expecting the N64 style of Multiplayer combined with Online then do not even bother. This game bears NO resemblance to that game at all in Multiplayer mode.

There are no weapons on the map to fight over in this Version. Gone are the fun weapons like the Dragon with its Proximity Mine Mode, the MoonRaker Laser, and Huge supplies of Proximity, Timed, and Remote Mines you could litter the level with in the old days. Gone is the time of shooting through DOORS with the Magnum and MoonRaker to annihilate foes that could not even see you yet. Gone is hiding in the stalls and blasting the unsuspecting fool who comes in for a potty break. Gone is dual wielding pistols. Gone is the eternal humor of Mine Tag and other fun games we used to come up with inside the game. Gone also is the possibility of including any Bots into the levels.

The local Multiplayer is rather drab, missing most of the game styles and has relatively weak customization compared to the original. It almost seems like it was thrown in as an after thought instead of a main selling point despite that being one of the Original's strongest features. However... It does let you do ONE thing you cannot do Online... Customize your APPEARANCE! In the Multiplayer version you get assigned a random appearance which is rather sad in the modern age of FPS games which almost to the last allow you to customize your look. Now is also a good time to bring up that while you can use ANY controller the Wii can support which is awesome you can only chose from preset button layouts instead of being able to put them wherever you like which is weak.

The Online Multiplayer is both better than the Single and Horrible at the same time which is rather unfortunate. You can get a friend's list together and bring them into games with you and it seems like if you go into team games they are always on your team but you can NEVER have private matches. You also may have a lot of trouble playing every mode in the Multiplayer because some require you to gain certain levels to open up so very few are playing them and others just do not seem popular enough to get the required minimum number of people in the room. There is also NO use of Wii Speak or any other way to speak to people in the game which makes team-play extremely difficult as you cannot coordinate in any way besides trying to stick together on the map or calling up everyone on a crazy party call.

There is no respawn timer in this game so the MOMENT you kill someone they can pop back up and sometimes they literally appear behind you and kill you before you have the slightest CHANCE of realizing they are there. Other times it respawns them right in front of your gun and you kill the same poor guy several times in a row with him having NO chance to survive. It seems to spawn you randomly about the level which is good for stopping Spawn Campers but more often than not spawns you right ontop of a Grenade or into a Bullet Stream for instant Death upon Respawn.

So far I am unsure if you an customize the level options in Multiplayer such as time or kill counts or turn on things like Paintball Mode like you can in the Local Multiplayer. I have not seen any ability to do so which is rather weak to be sure.

Perhaps the biggest problem I have with the Online Multiplayer though is the Leveling System. Honestly...? A leveling system on an FPS!? This is not an RPG here people. You need to level up your character by using various weapons, doing certain tricks like getting the first kill of a match, and just plain killing people. Leveling up provides you with greater weapons and greater bonuses that make you faster, healthier, and more deadly. This allows you to make better custom weapon sets for yourself that you can use to kill everyone else with. Why do I find this so repugnant? Because if you are skilled you can rake in a fair bit of EXP and go up the levels and get much stronger but if you are mediocre or weak in your skill you will stagnate at lower levels stuck with crappy gear.

So as an example I am rather skilled and I am going through the levels and getting things like a Damage Bonus, Clip Extender for more Shots, and Better Guns. My mate who is not very skilled is barely advancing at all. So the person who is already a powerful combatant who does not need any help gets more powerful and harder to kill while the person who is a weak combatant who NEEDS a bit help to compete gets nothing and thus the gap grows. That is a patently BAD idea which will probably scare off a lot of fresh competition when everyone playing online is max level with all the bells and whistles and the new players have to start off with the Nerf Set.

Some people may like to have an unfair advantage over others but I honestly do not prefer it. My favorite matches are those where someone of near equal skill or slightly superior skill shows up and me and them can slug it out in epic combat to see who really is the best. With no handicap in place and stacking the deck AGAINST the weaker players it just means that unless everyone chose not to use all these rewards (Not happening I am sure) the weaker players will always be little better than target drones and NEVER stand a chance of providing a reasonable fight.

I am fine with Leader Boards and Kill to Death Ratios and this sort of thing to help determine who is best and who is worst but a First Person SHOOTER should NOT have unlockable guns and bonuses based on a leveling system that revolves strictly around kills.



Buy or Rent?

I would say if you are a Call of Duty fan (as it seems to have the same engine and mechanics in many cases) or someone who just wants another good shooter for the Wii or a big Bond fan who would love to play out a modernized GoldenEye storyline then buy it right away. If you want to make sure you will be competitive online then you should buy it right now and work yourself up before it is too late.

If you are expecting this to be an Upgraded version of the N64 game then you better rent it first and make sure that it is what you expected because it is hardly faithful at all to the original in terms of Multiplayer.

Final Score: 7/10