What if I told you that one of the biggest games in the history of the FPS genre was actually based on a movie? Sounds ridiculous right? That’s exactly what happened 13 years ago when a studio by the name of Rareware (now just Rare) took on the role of creating the video game adaptation to the 1995 film of the same name. GoldenEye 007 was the game and it redefined everything that we knew about console shooters. The game paved the way for the competitive multiplayer modes in games that we currently enjoy. During the Nintendo conference at E3 this year, a modern day remake was announced and unveiled. And since then, it has been a really long wait. The only question that remains is: in a world ruled by games with the word “duty” in its title, does GoldenEye 007 still hold its own? Read on to find out.

As far as the game’s story is concerned, not much has really been changed. When you think about it, it's still a game based on a movie. Although they can take some creative liberties, the narrative’s foundation remains the same. In GoldenEye, you play as MI6 Agent 007, also known as James Bond. The game opens up with 007 and fellow agent 006 infiltrating a chemical weapons laboratory in Russia.

The agent duo plant explosives throughout a plant, and just before they are set to make their great escape, the mission takes a terrible turn when agent 006 is captured and executed by Russian army Colonel Ouromov. Bond makes it out of area alive but it isn’t the last time he sees Ouromov. The plot is full of twists and turns the whole way through, and in typical Bond fashion, you find yourself traversing across the globe.

Now for the fans of the original, I must warn you that some creative liberties have been taken in regards to the game’s plot. Most of the changes are quite subtle, and character motivation is one of them. Other changes are not so subtle, such as the addition of scenarios that weren’t in the original. These changes actually compliment the narrative as they’ve taken a story set in a different world (1995 is like so back in the day) and modernized it for 2010.

Instead of having a cool and collected Pierce Brosnan as James Bond (who potrayed him in the late 90’s), we have the much edgier Daniel Craig who has held the role for the past two Bond flicks. Even the game’s music received a 2010 face-lift, with the Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger singing the game’s opening theme, and DJ Deadmau5 being played in the game’s night club level. It’s nice to be Activision and having access to a third of the world’s music.

The biggest change to the title comes to us in the form of gameplay. Let’s face it, with so many “modern” shooters in the immediate area, going back to health points and shooting from the hip would have easily turned many shooter fans off from the past decade. The team behind the project had to adapt to everything that has been going on in the genre and, because of it, it has included two very important functions: down the sight shooting, and cover to regain health.

Again, purists from the previous game may have issues with the new changes, but don’t worry, they didn’t leave you out. For those who seek that same challenge from the original (OK maybe not the same because hard was really freaking hard) you can play the game on 007 classic mode. What this means is that the game will not hold you’re hand and you will only be able to take a certain amount of damage through each area. It is easily one of the hardest things I played this year.

As far as controls are concerned, I played through the game switching between the classic controller as well as the Wii-Mote and nunchuck. While the game plays as good as any other FPS out there when using the classic controller, I honestly think I enjoyed the Wii-mote and nunchuck combination even more so; something I would have never thought that I would say in a million years, but it really does play like a dream. So much so, that I’m actually looking forward to playing more shooting games this way from now on.

What would be GoldenEye without multiplayer? Well, this game not only has it, but also boasts probably the best multiplayer experience on the Wii thus far. Full support for the classic split screen action for four player, or you can take the mayhem online with up to 8 people. Running through Nintendo WiFi connection, the game surprisingly held up well, considering everything that was going on during some of the more intense matches. Top that all off with the ability to gain XP as well as stat tracking and classic characters from the original, and the multiplayer in this game in nothing short of pure win.

As I said earlier, I had nothing but high hopes for this game since its announcement at E3 this year. During the wait, I was worried that it would be a cash-in Bond title, but it was not the case at all. The team at Eurocom took a major gamble by re-making and re-imagining a title that many people hold to a very high regard, but it paid off 100%. It was a timeless classic 13 years ago and the same holds true for today. GoldenEye 007 is a must buy for any self respecting Wii owner.

• Title: GoldenEye 007

  

• Platform Reviewed: Wii
• Developer: Eurocom
• Publisher: Activision
• MSRP: $49.99 (Stand Alone), $69.99 (Classic Controller Pro Bundle)
• Release Date: Available Now
• Review Copy Info: A Copy of the game was provided to DualShockers Inc, by the publisher for purposes of this review.