Video Game Vintage Title: GoldenEye 007

GoldenEye 007

GoldenEye 007 is a 2010 first-person shooter video game developed by Eurocom and published by Activision for the Wii video game console, with a handheld version for Nintendo DS developed by n-Space. It is a modern reimagining of the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, and a remake of the 1997 Nintendo 64 video game GoldenEye 007. The game was officially announced by Nintendo at their E3 2010 conference presentation. The game was released on November 2, 2010 in tandem with another James Bond game, Blood Stone. It took on the elements of a modern shooter while retaining a classic name. A remastering of the Wii game was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles in 2011, re-titled as GoldenEye 007: Reloaded.

GoldenEye 007 Plot

The story is set some time after Quantum of Solace as James Bond (007) (Daniel Craig) and Alec Trevelyan (006) (Elliot Cowan) are on a mission infiltrating a chemical weapons facility in Arkhangelsk, Russia, which is believed to be the source of weapons used by a terrorist cell to target British embassies around the world. The mission goes awry when Trevelyan is apparently shot by General Ourumov (Laurence Possa). Bond escapes by detonating explosives he had placed throughout the facility before fleeing Arkhangelsk via airplane.

Later, a phone call intercepted from Ourumov connects him to Russian gangster Valentin Zukovsky (Alec Newman) as Ourumov attempts to acquire a helicopter that has been modified to survive an electromagnetic pulse. Zukovsky directs him to an arms fair in Dubai but is unable to stop Onatopp and Ourumov from stealing the helicopter. He is however able to plant his smartphone on board, and MI6 is able to track the helicopter to a remote base in Siberia. Bond is unable to stop the theft of a GoldenEye weapons satellite which is detonated by Ourumov. Bond is able to rescue Natalya Simonova (Kirsty Mitchell) before being arrested by the Russian army.

Believing Bond and Natalya to be responsible for the GoldenEye blast, Russian Defense Minister Dmitri Mishkin (Ed Stoppard) interrogates the two in St. Petersburg, but is killed by Ourumov who abducts Natalya. Bond pursues him to a train and confronts him over his plan for the GoldenEye satellite. Xenia betrays Ourumov and kills him. Bond is able to help Natalya off the train and goes to a meeting at Statue Park learning that Trevelyan survived his execution at the hands of Ourumov and is now Janus, the mastermind behind the GoldenEye theft and leaves with Natalya, who is instrumental to his plan. Bond is able to infiltrate a Solar facility in Africa and tricks Alec into destroying his supercomputers stopping his plan to use the satellite to destroy the bank of London erasing evidence of finances he stole. After fighting Trevelyan, Bond is able to overload the facility control room and shoots Trevelyan sending him to his death over the tower. Natalya and Bond escape the base by helicopter, with the couple kissing in the mission's aftermath.

GoldenEye 007 Gameplay

While GoldenEye 007 is a re-imagining of the film, the game does have noticeable differences. Levels have been altered to reflect the game's modified story. According to Craig Harris of IGN, "GoldenEye still retains the basics of GoldenEye's story, but retells it in a way that makes sense with Daniel Craig's interpretation of James Bond." Likewise, the game features modern game elements to coincide with other modern first-person shooters, such as destructible environments, regenerating health, and online multiplayer.

Eurocom has also added a few updated features while retaining some features from the original game. Instead of a watch, players use a mobile phone to scan documents, take photos, and communicate with MI6. The original GoldenEye 007 featured a cheat menu which is available from the start in the re-make. The game updates the AI-Bot system which is built upon Eurocom's previous game, Dead Space: Extraction. Each computer player possesses its own AI-bot system to make them dynamic and challenging.

SettingAlthough Pierce Brosnan starred as Bond in GoldenEye and was featured in the 1997 game, subsequent Bond actor Daniel Craig's likeness and voice are featured in the 2010 game and the plot has been modified to fit his interpretation with the current style of James Bond films. Judi Dench, who has portrayed M since GoldenEye, reprises her role for the game, though in voice only. With the exception of M, all other main characters from the film have had their appearances altered, though they still retain their original names.

Unlike the original video game and movie, the whole story takes place after the Cold War due to the Soviet Union's replacement by Russia, so the story does not jump nine years ahead after the opening sequence.