Being a ridiculously huge fan of the original game, I was busting to see how Activision's GoldenEye reimagining delivers. Is it a perfect remake of the original or a shameless pretender (like EA's GoldenEye: Rogue Agent)? We saw the new version of the famous Russian Dam opening level and have broken down just how closely it matches the original classic. The Dam level keeps a lot of the elements of the Nintendo 64 original (we'd say about 60-70% of the elements) but then it also injects in a large amount of new scenes, primarily designed to ramp the action up.
The same: The opening scene is structurally very similar. The layout where you begin is almost identical and you have the same silenced pistol to take out the patrolling Russian soldier, who's packing the classic AK-47 machine gun. And yes, the first tower opposite the tunnel also has the infamous sniper rifle sitting there for you.
The new: You're now playing Daniel Craig instead of Pierce Brosnan. Agent 006 also accompanies you through this section (and the rest of the level). Activision said this was so that you could get to know him better and it would be more meaningful when he later betrays you. What? Oh, come on, if you haven't seen the GoldenEye film or original game yet you deserved to have that spoilt. The way you kill the first Russian soldier is also different because you now have the option to lean over the concrete barrier and subdue the soldier silently by grabbing his mouth and knocking him out. Stealth plays a far larger role in the new game and you'll be encouraged to choose between stealth and all-out action often.
Once you've picked up the sniper rifle you'll notice it also now has a thermal vision mode so you can spot the enemies through the fog (and this time the fog's used to add atmosphere, rather than to hide a lack of performance). And rather than sniping the soldiers at the end of the tunnel, you now jump in a truck with 006. This truck sequence adds a new action-packed sequence to the level, where 006 drives the truck and you madly kill soldiers along the way. By smashing the windscreen with the butt of your rifle, you can blast away at passing soldiers. Next up, a soldier jumps onto the side of the truck and opens the door to try and pull you out, allowing you to kick him out and watch him come to a brutal stop as his body smashes into a passing concrete wall. The action-packed truck sequence also sees you barge an enemy truck off the cliff before your truck comes to an explosive stop when a soldier hits you with a rocket.
The same: While the middle part of the level with the guard post - where you put a device on the satellite dish and unlocked the gate - is now absent, there are many more similarities when you get to the dam itself. Firstly, the structure of the dam and the surrounding terrain is very similar. Yes you can go down to the concrete jetties beside the lake, and yes, you still get to head inside the dam itself. These are hardly the biggest deals, but there were also other nods to the original including a padlock you get to shoot off (although it's in a different part of the level), the same curved, red health bar returns and, yes, you still get to dive off the front of the dam.
The new: Most of the action inside the dam is quite different. For a start, a new chopper sweeps over head and lands atop the dam. As you get to the jetties a couple of gunboats power into view. You have to blast away at these and then kill the nearby soldiers by shooting the explosive barrels near them. Next, you climb down the cable of an elevator shaft and then breach some locked doors, with a cool slow-motion sequence as you shoot everyone inside. Your smart phone can also now be accessed to scan data and complete objectives.
Although the new GoldenEye makes quite a few changes to the classic template, I'm still very keen to play through it. In an ideal world, I'd have loved to have seen a more faithful recreation - and it'd be even better if this game was coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 as well as Wii - but the bottom line is this is a top-notch looking Wii shooter, with plenty of nods to my most cherished shooter of all time. Never say never again when it comes to GoldenEye.
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The same: The opening scene is structurally very similar. The layout where you begin is almost identical and you have the same silenced pistol to take out the patrolling Russian soldier, who's packing the classic AK-47 machine gun. And yes, the first tower opposite the tunnel also has the infamous sniper rifle sitting there for you.
The new: You're now playing Daniel Craig instead of Pierce Brosnan. Agent 006 also accompanies you through this section (and the rest of the level). Activision said this was so that you could get to know him better and it would be more meaningful when he later betrays you. What? Oh, come on, if you haven't seen the GoldenEye film or original game yet you deserved to have that spoilt. The way you kill the first Russian soldier is also different because you now have the option to lean over the concrete barrier and subdue the soldier silently by grabbing his mouth and knocking him out. Stealth plays a far larger role in the new game and you'll be encouraged to choose between stealth and all-out action often.
Once you've picked up the sniper rifle you'll notice it also now has a thermal vision mode so you can spot the enemies through the fog (and this time the fog's used to add atmosphere, rather than to hide a lack of performance). And rather than sniping the soldiers at the end of the tunnel, you now jump in a truck with 006. This truck sequence adds a new action-packed sequence to the level, where 006 drives the truck and you madly kill soldiers along the way. By smashing the windscreen with the butt of your rifle, you can blast away at passing soldiers. Next up, a soldier jumps onto the side of the truck and opens the door to try and pull you out, allowing you to kick him out and watch him come to a brutal stop as his body smashes into a passing concrete wall. The action-packed truck sequence also sees you barge an enemy truck off the cliff before your truck comes to an explosive stop when a soldier hits you with a rocket.
The same: While the middle part of the level with the guard post - where you put a device on the satellite dish and unlocked the gate - is now absent, there are many more similarities when you get to the dam itself. Firstly, the structure of the dam and the surrounding terrain is very similar. Yes you can go down to the concrete jetties beside the lake, and yes, you still get to head inside the dam itself. These are hardly the biggest deals, but there were also other nods to the original including a padlock you get to shoot off (although it's in a different part of the level), the same curved, red health bar returns and, yes, you still get to dive off the front of the dam.
The new: Most of the action inside the dam is quite different. For a start, a new chopper sweeps over head and lands atop the dam. As you get to the jetties a couple of gunboats power into view. You have to blast away at these and then kill the nearby soldiers by shooting the explosive barrels near them. Next, you climb down the cable of an elevator shaft and then breach some locked doors, with a cool slow-motion sequence as you shoot everyone inside. Your smart phone can also now be accessed to scan data and complete objectives.
Although the new GoldenEye makes quite a few changes to the classic template, I'm still very keen to play through it. In an ideal world, I'd have loved to have seen a more faithful recreation - and it'd be even better if this game was coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 as well as Wii - but the bottom line is this is a top-notch looking Wii shooter, with plenty of nods to my most cherished shooter of all time. Never say never again when it comes to GoldenEye.
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