GoldenEye 007: Reloaded

GoldenEye 007: Reloaded is the reimagining of the classic N64 Bond shooter specifically rebuilt for the DS rather than simply trying to squeeze the big console versions onto the cartridge. The story follows the same broad reinterpretation of the classic GoldenEye plot but with Daniel Craig's Bond chasing Alec Trevelyan and the Janus organization through locations such as the Dam, Facility, Severnaya, Bunker, Jungle and Control. It isn't a straight recreation of the N64 campaign tho, several areas were redesigned or removed and the narrative is much more streamlined, cutscenes use the DS engine and illustrations for briefings, while a surprising amount of voice work from Daniel Craig and Judi Dench makes it feel much more like an actual Bond game. The story can get a little messy and character motivations aren't always clear but the basic plot gets the job done.

GAME DATASHEET
Name	GoldenEye 007 GoldenEye 007: Reloaded
Genre	FPS Action adventure stealth
Console	N64, DS, Wii, PS3, XBOX 360
Released	1997
Developer	Rare | n-Space | Eurocom
Publisher	ACTIVISION
Language	Japanese | English | Spanish | French | Italian | German

n-Space took the FPS formula it had already developed through Call of Duty games and gave it a more Bond flavored twist with gunfights mixed with stealth, takedowns, cover and occasional environmental tricks. You can sneak behind guards, use a silenced pistol, avoid cameras and turrets or just kick the door down and start blasting, tho the game does guide you pretty heavily toward the next objective. The stealth is easily one of the better ideas here because it gives you a reason to think about how you approach an area instead of simply emptying magazines into everyone but the shooting itself is more problematic, several people complain about enemies taking way too many bullets while having almost absurd accuracy themselves, so some firefights can go from perfectly fine to «Bro, HOW are you still alive?».

The controls are fine but you might need a minute, the default setup uses the touchscreen for aiming, looking around, reloading and other actions while the buttons handle movement and firing, it can be precise once you get comfortable but holding the DS like that for a long session can murder your wrist. Thankfully, n-Space added a button control scheme that uses the D-pad and face buttons for movement and looking which some people found much more comfortable. Visually, the game is okay, the environments have real 3D geometry, character models are recognizable and places show off what n-Space could squeeze out of the system, the tradeoff is that the framerate and image clarity can suffer, while the weapons sometimes lack the punch you'd expect. Audio fares better with solid effects, the Bond theme and plenty of music and voice samples helping sell the cinematic vibe.

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