....for Sine, that is. For those of us who are rational, it's what you've been begging for on the Wii.
I went through the single-player game (didn't have the chance in the week I had it to play multi) and I have to say, it's an awesome remake. I was very, very skeptical about how it would turn out - hell, I wouldn't have even gotten it if it wasn't on EB's Gameplay Guarantee and I knew I would be able to return it for full cost. Particularly since it was Eurocom who was doing it (the masters of licensed swill).
But what makes this game so good is the fact that it all feels familiar but it's a completely new game. Obviously most of the locales are going to be pretty similar; the original was based off of the movie settings and sets after all. And you can clearly see the homages to the original game design (the beginning of the Facility in particular) but it never, ever feels like you're playing the N64 game all over again. Levels are mostly re-done with little snippets of the original (and movie) design and there's lots of additional stuff to do and look out for. Yes, the cameras are still there but not overly intrusive and EVERYWHERE. They feel more like a throwback and an occasional nuisance as opposed to the devil watching over you (particularly in the original's 007 mode).
There's tons of cutscenes throughout the game with the in-game engine, often in the middle of levels. Having to re-cast the entire roster with new voices and faces actually helps separate it from the original too. Alec is still Alec and Onatopp is still Onatopp, but they look and sound different. There's a new hacking system (using your Smartphone; gotta keep it current for the cellphone bitches after all) which comes in lightly on lower levels of difficulty, moreso with the additional objectives on higher difficulty. Some timed actions during more dramatized action/fight sequences a-la God of War that are pretty neat too.
Sure, it's not perfect, not by any stretch. The point-and-shoot is annoying (I played the entire game with the Wiimote and nunchuk) since you basically HAVE to aim down the sight and the second you get out guess what? You're turning in that direction. Fucking irritating, but at least you have the option of using whatever you want (zapper, Classic Controller, and GC controller are supported). And you do get the feeling of "damn, I really wish this was in HD". It's not that the game looks bad, the graphics are great....for a Wii game. But if you compare it to Medal of Honor or CoD, it's no contest at all. And the enemies seem to take an excessive amount of gunshots, even on Medium (Operative) difficulty, I can't imagine what they'd be like on Insane (007 Classic).
But at the end of the day, you have a very solid shooter where the good far outweighs the bad. Not only is it nostalgic, it's a good step up from the original in nearly every way, plays very well, and stands up to a lot of shooters, even on other systems. For a remake, that's the best you can hope for. I'm definitely going to pick it back up at some point and play it through again on a harder level of difficulty. I actually want to go through it again, not something I can say about too many games anymore. That's saying a lot.
I went through the single-player game (didn't have the chance in the week I had it to play multi) and I have to say, it's an awesome remake. I was very, very skeptical about how it would turn out - hell, I wouldn't have even gotten it if it wasn't on EB's Gameplay Guarantee and I knew I would be able to return it for full cost. Particularly since it was Eurocom who was doing it (the masters of licensed swill).
But what makes this game so good is the fact that it all feels familiar but it's a completely new game. Obviously most of the locales are going to be pretty similar; the original was based off of the movie settings and sets after all. And you can clearly see the homages to the original game design (the beginning of the Facility in particular) but it never, ever feels like you're playing the N64 game all over again. Levels are mostly re-done with little snippets of the original (and movie) design and there's lots of additional stuff to do and look out for. Yes, the cameras are still there but not overly intrusive and EVERYWHERE. They feel more like a throwback and an occasional nuisance as opposed to the devil watching over you (particularly in the original's 007 mode).
There's tons of cutscenes throughout the game with the in-game engine, often in the middle of levels. Having to re-cast the entire roster with new voices and faces actually helps separate it from the original too. Alec is still Alec and Onatopp is still Onatopp, but they look and sound different. There's a new hacking system (using your Smartphone; gotta keep it current for the cellphone bitches after all) which comes in lightly on lower levels of difficulty, moreso with the additional objectives on higher difficulty. Some timed actions during more dramatized action/fight sequences a-la God of War that are pretty neat too.
Sure, it's not perfect, not by any stretch. The point-and-shoot is annoying (I played the entire game with the Wiimote and nunchuk) since you basically HAVE to aim down the sight and the second you get out guess what? You're turning in that direction. Fucking irritating, but at least you have the option of using whatever you want (zapper, Classic Controller, and GC controller are supported). And you do get the feeling of "damn, I really wish this was in HD". It's not that the game looks bad, the graphics are great....for a Wii game. But if you compare it to Medal of Honor or CoD, it's no contest at all. And the enemies seem to take an excessive amount of gunshots, even on Medium (Operative) difficulty, I can't imagine what they'd be like on Insane (007 Classic).
But at the end of the day, you have a very solid shooter where the good far outweighs the bad. Not only is it nostalgic, it's a good step up from the original in nearly every way, plays very well, and stands up to a lot of shooters, even on other systems. For a remake, that's the best you can hope for. I'm definitely going to pick it back up at some point and play it through again on a harder level of difficulty. I actually want to go through it again, not something I can say about too many games anymore. That's saying a lot.
I was there on that fateful day, were you?
