007 Legends just as easily could have been released as a downloadable level pack for last year’s GoldenEye Reloaded. It’s built on the same engine and has the same general gameplay feel, yet it lacks the cohesion one would expect from a standalone video game. But of course, going the DLC route wouldn’t pull as much attention or consumer dollars as a separate retail release designed both as a shill for the latest Bond film as well as a cash in on the 50th anniversary of James Bond movie magic.

Although not without redeeming values, the overall experience feels exactly like a typical rushed movie tie-in.

The mishmash begins during the opening scene of the latest 007 flick, Skyfall, with Daniel Craig’s Bond getting shot off a moving train and plummeting to the river below. As he’s swirling around in the flowing water on the verge of death, flashbacks have him reliving some of his past assignments, a not-so-clever way to string together a slew of missions that have no direct continuity.

Legends loosely pieces together key moments, locales, and characters from five classic Bond films — Moonraker, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Die Another Day, License to Kill, and Goldfinger – into what feels like a series of five micro 007 games strung together in succession. A sixth downloadable chapter based on Skyfall only hammers this point home, tanking hard as a throwaway 30-minute movie promotion that adds little to the experience. But hey, at least it’s free. It wouldn’t have been a surprise for Activision to charge for such a worthless piece of expansionary content.

Each movie in this compilation of super spy first-person shooter missions gets roughly an hour or so of face time, with little in the way of plot background information to put the individual stories into proper context. If you haven’t seen all the movies, good luck making any sense of what’s going on. And even if you have, you’ll probably wish each movie was represented with a bit more depth and focus. You’re only getting the Cliffs Notes versions of these Bond stories.

Even sadder are the poorly implemented fist fight sequences that reduce Bond’s famous encounters with iconic henchmen such as Oddjob and Jaws to some of the weakest quick time event sequences ever developed. During these fights, a giant prompt flashes on the screen, telling you which direction to flick the left or right analog stick to punch high or low with the hand tethered to each limb based on the enemy’s telegraphed block animation. What is this, James Bond’s Punch-Out?

Story isn’t needed for the game to be fun to play, though. Whether you’re thwarting Operation Grand Slam in an assault on Fort Knox in Goldfinger, stopping Gustav Graves’ plans to use the Icarus satellite for evil in Die Another Day, or floating around Hugo Drax’s space station engaged in laser battles in Moonraker, Legends presents an enjoyable string of missions to shoot and sneak through. To call the game a cheap knock-off of Modern Warfare with a James Bond skin isn’t entirely inaccurate; however such a statement is overly flattering to Call of Duty and too dismissive of what this game has to offer.

Except for a few instances of frustrating forced stealth, in which being spotted results in immediate mission failure, the levels allow for multiple approaches. Legends has that classic GoldenEye feel to it with lots of optional objectives and hidden collectibles – and yes, there is an option for the old health system with med packs and body armor. There’s plenty of action and stealth of course, but side elements like vehicular missions, hacking and lock picking mini-games, and investigation scenarios that involve searching for fingerprints and cracking safes to gather intel, add enough diversity to keep the pace moving at a brisk rate.

It wouldn’t be a 007 game without gadgets either. While the developers didn’t push the boundaries of design ingenuity, Bond has some pretty sweet tech at his disposal. His wristwatch functions as a radar and also shoots a laser to short out security cameras; his smartphone has many uses as a camera, hacking device and environment scanner; and he has a handy pen dart gun that can be used to cause distractions or quietly sedate or shock enemies. New since GoldenEye Reloaded, Legends also incorporates a leveling system which rewards you with XP points for completing optional objectives and challenges. These points can then be used to unlock weapon mods, gadget upgrades, and perk-like Training Modules to enhance Bond’s spy skills with benefits like faster weapon reloads, quieter footsteps, increased health, and so on.

Since the N64 GoldenEye glory days, multiplayer has always been a main draw in any 007 game. Although a bit shallow compared to other modern FPS titles, the combination of offline and online competition continues the Bond multiplayer tradition with respectable results. Legends offers 12 match types and eight maps, and employs the genre-standard progression model of earning experience through performance to gradually increase in rank and unlock additional weapons, gadgets, upgrade attachments and loadout customizations. It’s too bad no one ever seems to care about participating in any mode but team deathmatch (on PSN at least), as it’s tough finding busy lobbies in the more interesting match types, such as Escalation, in which players win by scoring kills through an escalating sequence of weapons, and Legends, a deathmatch variant which puts players in the roles of famous Bond characters, each with unique abilities.

The community’s disinterest in certain modes is not the game’s fault; the spotty performance is however. While the multiplayer is fun when it works, unfortunately the developers failed to provide reliable servers. One match will run flawlessly, yet the next will be a mess of lag, networking errors, failed host migrations and various other connection issues that prevent you from being able to easily jump into and complete a map. If these multiplayer issues get you down, you can always hop offline and play locally in split-screen or take on the solo Challenge mode, a collection of 10 MI6 Ops style standalone missions which task you with completing different objectives in a time trial format.

I really do love the idea behind 007 Legends. A James Bond “Greatest Hits” video game certainly is a cool concept, but I just wish it weren’t so hurriedly cobbled together. Eurocom couldn’t even be bothered to carry over the well-designed PlayStation Move control scheme from the PS3 version of GoldenEye Reloaded (it was so hyped the game even got a special bundle with the Sharpshooter rifle!), which just goes to show how rushed and lazy this game feels. That said, Legends is more middle of the road than terrible, but it ultimately disappoints because it clearly could have been so much better. If you liked the GoldenEye remake, you’ll have a good time with this game too. Just don’t expect the same level of excellence.

Pros:
+ James Bond “Greatest Hits” format is a great concept…
+ Gameplay is still GoldenEye fun
+ Good variety of weapons, gadgets, and objectives
+ Challenge missions and respectable multiplayer add replay
+ Looks and sounds like a Bond game should

Cons:
– …if only it weren’t so lazily pieced together
– Doesn’t provide enough context or background story for each movie section
– Iconic henchman encounters reduced to lame QTE fist fights
– Forced stealth segments slow the otherwise brisk pacing
– Online performance goes through fits of instability

Game Info:
Platform: Reviewed on PS3, also available for PC, Wii U and Xbox 360
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Eurocom
Release Date: PS3/360 – 10/16/2012, PC – 11/1/2012, Wii U – 12/11/2012
Genre: FPS
ESRB Rating: Teen
Players: 1-12 (1-4 offline, 2-12 online)
Source: Review copy provided by publisher

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Sometimes you are playing two games from the same genre on the same platform. Very occasionally you might find yourself playing two games from the same developer simultaneously. But to be playing two games from the same genre by the same developer on the same platform released in the same month? And yet as I was playing Call of Duty: Black Ops on the DS, I was also playing GoldenEye 007, one of two recently released DS games based on the James Bond franchise (the other is Blood Stone…also by n-Space). Both shooters, both DS games, both by n-Space, released within a week of each other! I already mentioned a liking for Call of Duty: Black Ops … so do we get the same result?

Well, without beating around the bush, let me be clear: of the three n-Space FPS games released in early November … this is the worst. It is not a terrible game by any stretch, but considering it is a remake of one of the most beloved console shooters … I expected much, much more.

Technically, the high point is the inclusion of voice acting by Daniel Craig and especially Dame Judi Dench. The graphics are clear enough to keep you informed and engaged, but are clearly the weakest of the three games — and I complained about the graphics in Call of Duty: Black Ops looking outdated! There are full cutscenes, but with the graphics in the state they are, they only highlight the technical issues.

For me the biggest surprise was that GoldenEye plays like a run & gun shooter. I expected a fully capable stealth game with complex objectives and so on, but instead I am playing find the keycard and shoot the guard in the face. The FPS mechanic is solid but feels distinctly out of place in this sort of game. There is little to do other than rote following objectives jammed in your face; occasionally you will find some hidden intel that unlocks some concept art, but even that isn’t much of an impetus to leave the direct route.

You can complete the campaign in about 5 or 6 hours, which is considerably shorter than I have heard the Wii or N64 games are. That is because much of the original game wasn’t ported, and even some of the new Wii levels didn’t make the port to the DS. Once you are done, aside from the concept art there is a limited multiplayer mode that works pretty well, allowing up to six players to compete at a time in a variety of standard matches.

There is one additional factor here: nostalgia. If you were a big fan of the original you will want to try this version, but in my opinion nostalgia can only carry you so far. It has to be tempered by reality.

And here is the reality – there were two James Bond games released on the same day, GoldenEye and Blood Stone. And Blood Stone is better in every single way than GoldenEye.

Pros:
+ Voice acting from Daniel Craig and Judi Dench
+ Solid basic shooter gameplay

Cons:
– Mediocre graphics
– Cut down from original and Wii versions
– Run & gun Bond?

Game Info:
Platform: DS
Publisher: Activision
Developer: n-Space
Release Date: 11/2/2010
Genre: FPS
ESRB Rating: Teen
Players: 1-6
Source: Review copy provided by publisher

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Before Halo came along and claimed the “best console FPS ever” title, Rare’s GoldenEye for the Nintendo 64 was the first console FPS to really hit it big with critics and everyday gamers alike. I grew up right in the thick of the GoldenEye hype, and I have to be honest; I was never able to figure out what was that special about it. My friends at the time couldn’t get enough of the game. They’d play the multiplayer for hours and spend just as much time replaying the story missions at higher difficulty settings – and I’d always want them to turn it off and play something else!

But like many games I fluffed off when I was younger, I have since developed respect for GoldenEye as a defining release in the history of gaming. It is a game that truly revolutionized FPS play on consoles and put forth a genre template for other developers to build upon moving forward. Looking back, GoldenEye for the N64 really was ahead of its time in many ways.

Over a decade later, Activision has resurrected the GoldenEye name in an attempt to rekindle fond memories of the N64 classic with a modernized quasi-remake for the Wii (there’s a DS version as well). I say quasi-remake because GoldenEye 007 for the Wii is really only GoldenEye in name. The two share broad similarities, but by and large this is a completely new game, with new actors and a new story, from a different developer. So if you’re expecting this to be some type of nostalgic love letter to old school Bond fans, you may be somewhat disappointed…but only for a short while, because it doesn’t take long for GoldenEye Wii to establish its own identity as a top-tier FPS.

Eurocom, the game’s developer, has past experience developing within the Bond franchise with games like The World is Not Enough and Nightfire (both solid games), and has even established a solid grasp of the Wii by helping Visceral Games in the creation of the underappreciated rail shooter, Dead Space: Extraction. So, save for a miracle that would have allowed Rare to take the job, GoldenEye’s Wii re-imagining couldn’t have been placed in better hands…and it shows.

As with any new Wii shooter, the question that needs to be answered first is simple: do the motion controls work? The answer is also very simple: Yes. Yes they do. They work bloody marvelously, as a matter of fact. From bang to bullets, GoldenEye has the tightest point-and-shoot shooting model of any Wii FPS I’ve played (and I’ve played the vast majority of them), and while you can play with a GameCube or Classic controller if you so desire, to me it seems silly to play a Wii FPS any other way than with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk – especially when they function as well as they do here.

Pointing and shooting with the Wii Remote is as razor sharp and buttery smooth as one could possibly ask for, and the game provides a multitude of control options to cater to gamers of all experience levels, including five pre-sets for Accessible, Intermediate and Experienced play styles, along with an option to set up a customized control configuration by tuning turn speeds and targeting sensitivity, adjusting the size of the dead zone, toggling aim assist and snapping auto-aim mechanics, and so on and so forth.

Controls aside, GoldenEye is a blast to play, literally. Every aspect of the gunplay, from the placement of the gun on the screen to the incredibly detailed gun models and their flashy firing and reload animations to the fleshy “thwack” sound of bullets shredding through terrorist A-holes, is dead on target, ensuring that you have fun shooting the many weapons Bond has at his disposal. Environmental destructibility enhances the fun further by allowing you to destroy enemy cover points and experiment with ways to use your surroundings to kill. Yes, the obligatory exploding red barrels and wall-mounted fire extinguishers are in abundance, but things like ceiling fans and hanging rafters can be turned into instruments of death with an accurate shot as well. Windows shatter, pillars crumble, crates crack apart, vehicles explode…and it all works together to create a frenzied action-movie experience.

The developers also did an amazing job with stage building and the balancing of play styles. A few levels do force you into a particular method, but for the most part it is up to you whether you want to charge through guns blazing with all sorts of high-tech machine guns and heavy firepower or play it with patience and stealth as a “thinking man’s FPS,” shooting out cameras, sneaking through vents, and eliminating threats with sneaky takedowns and silenced pistol headshots like a real spy operative.

And the level designs support this multi-faceted gameplay approach, too. While the stages are fairly scripted and linear, they aren’t rigidly so. Many of the environments branch off, giving you at least some choice of how to proceed. Do you want to open the door going off to the left or to the right? Or maybe take the nearby vent to access the next room quietly? Or hell, why not vault through the window like a true action hero?

When you first go through the game, you may not notice these subtle branches. Upon return visits, however, you will discover new and different ways to proceed compared to the path you took on your first go-round. Like GoldenEye classic, this game is built around the idea of replaying missions. Contrary to the majority of games which use multiple difficulty settings simply as a means to make enemies smarter/dumber and harder/easier to kill, the tiered difficulties in this game also introduce additional secondary mission objectives that must be completed (most requiring some form of intel gathering or sabotage), in turn making each mission more involved and challenging outside of the action.

It’s great fun to be able to start on Operative difficulty and just go through the game focusing on the main objectives, and then go back on the Agent or 007 difficulty to challenge yourself further by having to search the levels with a keener eye and be more mindful of your approach to each situation. There’s even a 007 Classic setting which replaces the recharging health system with the old-school health bar and body armor system, and each stage can be played in Time Trial mode for gamers into the speed run scene.

Multiplayer is a huge value booster as well. Back in the N64 days, GoldenEye was the pinnacle of console FPS multiplayer, and so it is once again…on the Wii at least. Supporting up to eight players online (no Friend Codes required!) and four players in local split-screen, GoldenEye’s multiplayer is a combination of Call of Duty and GoldenEye ‘classic.’ Online, the game’s multiplayer is formatted just like the current Call of Duty titles, complete with nine total match types and an XP progression system which rewards you with accolades and unlocks (weapons, gadgets, mods, modes, etc.) as you compile kills and wins. In my experience, the performance has been rock solid too. Lag has been minimal to non-existent, the Wii-mote controls are just as precise against live opponents as they are against less-reactionary AI enemies, the maps seem balanced and interesting, and early on there appears to be a healthy community of players to match up against.

Offline, the game hearkens back to the original game with a multiplayer setup that doesn’t take itself quite so seriously. Matches are limited to four types and the XP system is nixed entirely, but instead you have the option to apply crazy modifiers that give multiplayer matches almost more of a party game vibe. There are basic settings like friendly fire, number of lives and time limits, but if you’re feeling a bit wacky, you can turn on things like rubber or sticky grenades, paintball mode, and Singularity, a setting which causes players to explode on contact.

Multiplayer isn’t all that it could be, though. Online operatives looking to voice chat will be disappointed by the lack of Wii Speak support, and the lack of a basic option such as the ability to host customized matches definitely hurts. Supposedly you can create parties with friends you’ve exchanged Friend Codes with, but from what I’ve read this process is more trouble than it’s worth (which is usually the case whenever Friend Codes are involved). Not being able to create matches with specific settings means there is potential for imbalance depending on the types of controls people are using. Some players may prefer a standard controller over the point-and-shoot method, or some players may choose to play without aim helpers, and these players may find themselves at a disadvantage. Some type of matchmaking option to filter matches by control configuration would have really helped to ensure an even playing field.

Offline, it’s a shame that there is no support for AI bots. As predominantly a solo gamer myself, it would have been great to be able to play around with the local multiplayer modes against bots, or at least be able to fill in matches for when you only have one friend around.

Digging beyond the multiplayer, GoldenEye falters in a few other areas as well. The story, for example, is a complete throwaway. Original GoldenEye-era James Bond actor, Pierce Brosnan, has been replaced by the current Bond, Daniel Craig, and his likeness and voice acting do bring a cinematic Hollywood flair to the plot. However, the story itself seems like such an afterthought, as it is riddled with the worst kind of spy-thriller clichés, predictable plot twists, and far too many “I’m caught, but the villain is too stupid to kill me” moments that leave you shaking your head and rolling your eyes. The campaign is great fun regardless, but a more involved storyline is really the only ingredient missing from this otherwise tasty dish of Bond FPS action.

One other small element this game lacks is visual polish. Overall, GoldenEye is a graphical showcase for a Wii game. The environments are detailed and lively thanks to rich lighting and weather effects, and also diverse in setting – missions take you on a journey around the world to dams, factories, nightclubs and jungles in places like Russia, Barcelona, Dubai and Nigeria. The characters are incredibly expressive and true to their real-life actor/actress counterparts as well, and as I mentioned earlier, the gun model designs and animations are spectacular. The problem is that the textures are noticeably washed out and blurry, and on the whole the game is bereft of a strong color palette to really make the otherwise impressive graphics pop. Unfortunately, the frame rate dips a wee bit during the more hectic firefights, too.

While I played GoldenEye, I couldn’t help but think of three different shooters from three different eras as apparent sources of inspiration. Its diverse mission design, in-depth multiplayer and pitch-perfect pacing are clearly derived from Call of Duty’s Modern Warfare playbook. The emphasis on environmental destruction and the “guns as toys” mentality remind me an awful lot of Criterion’s previous-gen FPS, Black. And yet at its heart the game still maintains that distinct James Bond personality, carrying over bits and pieces from the classic GoldenEye that returning fans will be able to immediately identify with.

With GoldenEye, Eurocom has accomplished the goal High Voltage attempted to achieve with The Conduit, that goal being to create a modern FPS on the Wii comparable to those available on the higher-end platforms. Obviously the graphical fidelity lags far behind, and there are a few other minor omissions. But in terms of gameplay, multiplayer depth, replayability, fun factor and core functionality – you know, the important stuff – GoldenEye can hold its own against any Call of Duty, Halo, Killzone or other prominent FPS franchise.

Pros:
+ Precise point-and-shoot controls with tons of customization options
+ Thrilling gunplay with cool weapons and destructive environments
+ Diverse level designs balance stealth and action nicely
+ Evolving difficulty system brings back the fun of replaying the campaign multiple times
+ Robust multiplayer offering
+ Technically impressive graphics overall

Cons:
– Dull, toss-away storyline
– Multiplayer doesn’t support Wii Speak, match hosting or bots
– Pale, washed-out textures make the game look kind of bland and generic

Game Info:
Platform: Reviewed on Wii, also available for DS
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Eurocom
Release Date: 11/2/2010
Genre: FPS
ESRB Rating: Teen
Players: 1-8 (2-8 online; 2-4 split-screen)
Source: Review copy provided by publisher

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Alongside this fall’s release of the GoldenEye 007 Wii-make will be the “GoldenEye 007 Classic Edition,” a $70 bundle featuring the game and a golden Classic Controller Pro.

GoldenEye for Wii will support multiple control schemes catering to players of all play styles and skill levels. There’ll be the usual Wii Remote and Nunchuk controls, Wii Zapper controls for easy “point and shoot” play, and of course Classic Controller Pro support for those who prefer their games played with buttons and analog sticks.

Which style do you prefer?

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From the opening cutscene you get the impression that you will be joining Bond as he completes the events in Casino Royale and then starts with the story of the new movie. The truth is that the game is a sort of mish-mosh of story elements from both films, and doesn’t meld well into a cohesive narrative. What is also obvious is that the developers have not made that their focus – from the start it is clear that this is an action game. Something else from the beginning – the cutscenes are merely ‘adequate’, looking no better than the in-game engine but differing in appearance enough that you wonder why they even bothered.

If you are a lover of the ‘classic Bond’ ideals of cool technology and gadgets and winner through intelligence rather than just run-and-gun brutality – then just skip this game. The pedigree of the engine and developer suggests a FPS-centric affair, and that is what the game delivers. Rather than a straight first person shooter you get a first person shooter with an integrated third-person cover system. You occasionally get to engage in hacking computer systems and picking locks, but that is just a matter of pressing and holding a button while a timer ticks away and hoping you don’t get killed while you wait.

Technically the game is a mixed bag – as you would expect, the graphics are pretty solid. They don’t live up to those of either Call of Duty 4 or World at War, but they look pretty good throughout. Strangely, the graphics in the opening area are not representative of the whole game – my initial thought was ‘the graphics are pretty weak’, but as I played on they got much better. Character models were all nicely detailed and featured fluid and fairly natural motion. The music and voice acting is a real highlight! Any fan of the franchise hopes for familiar themes, and they are featured throughout the game. The sound quality and placement of the themes is very nicely done, adding quite a bit to the authentic ‘Bond feel’. The developers have done a great job getting the main actors from the film to record the voices for the game – and also gotten very good performances from them. I think that more and more actors are getting a better feel for doing this sort of voice work, as we are having fewer occurrences of quality actors turning in abysmal game performances.

As I mentioned, the game is based on the Call of Duty 4 engine but plays largely as a hybrid first / third person shooter. This works as both a strength and weakness, and since the game is essentially a straight action game that is what holds the game back. As a straight-out shooter, things go along pretty nicely – your aim and control works just as you would expect from the Call of Duty games, and the levels are designed to make that style of gameplay fun. The problem comes in with the cover system. It is a hybrid wall-hug and cover system that allows you to lean out to take shots, but your range of view is quite limited and enemies can easily flank you and take you out while you are ‘attached’ to cover. Alternately, popping out of cover means making yourself vulnerable to everyone else. There is just no graceful way to manage the cover system that feels natural.

The enemy AI and difficulty settings create an interesting situation: enemies are smart enough to use tactics to take you out, but dumb enough to still keep running into your fire. There are four difficulty levels – New Recruit, Field Operative, Agent and 007. Playing as New Recruit feels like ‘god mode’ – you know you occasionally take damage, but it feels trivial as you mow down enemies easily. That is actually a good thing – that means that new players who don’t wanted to get frustrated and abandon the game (which happens too often with hardcore shooters) will have an option. Field Operative is sort of the ‘normal’ setting, but is perhaps a bit too easy as it feels simple to work through levels. Conversely, Agent feels a bit too hard – or at least it exposes the inadequacy of the cover system as a glaring flaw. Dying and retrying is part of any shooter, but when it feels like it is happening because of a flawed gameplay mechanic it sucks the fun out of the experience. I never tried more than a few minutes of continuous death in 007 mode.

The multiplayer levels are pretty solid and will greatly extend this rather short game. While it is nothing innovative, there are a load of modes that are fun and should satisfy fans of the series and shooter fans in general. They are a step back from the wildly popular rank increasing systems in the Battlefront and Call of Duty games, but they are quite fun. There are standard Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes, and some interesting Bond-specific modes which are nice variants on ‘kill the guy with’ and ‘infiltrator’ and ‘king of the hill’ modes found in other games. The multiplayer benefits from solid level design that allows you to exploit a number of gameplay styles, and since all players face the same cover issues, it levels the playing field and makes it more fun. Sadly there isn’t much action on multiplayer due to a low volume of players. That leaves you with a too-short single player campaign with limited replayability, and multiplayer matches against the same few folks online.

It is interesting that there were a number of shooter games released late in 2007 that made me say ‘they should have held this until March rather than pitting it against a wide array of superior games’. That is exactly how I feel about Quantum of Solace: it is a decent game that is no shorter than the last two Call of Duty games, it has some interesting gameplay mechanics, and it has some fun multiplayer options. But it is just a solidly average game that would get little to no attention without the James Bond license attached. Every aspect of the game shouts ‘me too’, which is fine when you are part of the slow early spring release schedule, but not so good when you go up against the fall heavyweights. I imagine that it will sell better than it deserves due to the movie tie-in, but will be quickly forgotten well before the DVD release.

Pros:
+ Interesting cover system
+ Solid graphics
+ Excellent music and voice work

Cons:
– Too short
– Multiplayer is empty
– Flawed cover system
– Uneven Difficulty
– Nothing really stands out

Game Info:
Platform: Reviewed on PC, also available for PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii and DS
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Beenox
Release Date: 11/4/08
Genre: FPS
ESRB Rating: Teen
Players: 1-16