http://www.videogamer.com/news/activision_explains_goldeneye_nintendo_exclusivity.html

Activision explains GoldenEye Nintendo exclusivity

Cites gap in shooter market on Wii - wanted to partner with Nintendo.


GoldenEye 007, from Activision and Eurocom, is exclusive to Nintendo because of a gap in the Wii's line-up and because Activision wanted to partner with Nintendo. That's according to Brian Pass, senior producer at Activision.

When asked why GoldenEye 007 is exclusive to Nintendo platforms, Pass said: "There are a number of different reasons for that. One's we have a partnership with Nintendo. It's a great opportunity. This game was originally on the N64, so there's the nostalgia factor for people that are Nintendo fans. So we wanted to partner with Nintendo for this.

"There's opportunity. So, the opportunity on the Nintendo Wii platform is huge. There's roughly 12 million Wiis in North America. But it's not really a console that a lot of shooter fans are playing on. So we wanted to offer them their own first-person shooter, that's unique and exclusive to that console."

Pass thinks the reason gamers aren't playing shooters on the Wii is because they don't like using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. GoldenEye 007 will feature Classic Pro Controller support.

"Why are people not playing shooters on the Wii? I don't know," said Pass. "Maybe it's because people don't like using the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck. They don't like using the pointing device. Now they've got the Classic Pro Controller. This is dual analogue stick. It's got the exact same layout you find on PS3 or 360.

"You put this in a shooter fan's hands and they instantly know how to play. We feel that the opportunity and the time is right. And partnering with Nintendo is a huge opportunity for us. We really want to tap in to the nostalgia for Nintendo fans, and take advantage of the opportunity presented by the platform."

Xbox 360 and PS3 owners hoping they'll get a version of GoldenEye 007 in the future probably shouldn't get their hopes up. "We can't talk about that," commented Pass, while Dawn Pinkney, primary producer, Eurocom simply said that "it belongs to the platform that it should be on, which is Nintendo".

GoldenEye 007 is due for release on Wii and Nintendo DS in November.

http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=11623

 
It's been 13 years and 15 years since the original game and movie, respectively, so even though this title isn't coming to Xbox Live Arcade anymore, the Wii version sports close-to-high-definition graphics that rival any FPS on the Nintendo console. Character models are well-rounded and no longer move like awkward marionettes, while detailed environments are destructible and filled with weather hazards like rain. Likewise, the mission menus have been updated to feel more like you're being debriefed at MI6; flashy text along with sliding objective locations and key character photos replace the plain vanilla folders N64 gamers had to navigate through.

Activision's explanation is that this updated GoldenEye 007 features Craig much like the 2006 adaptation of Casino Royal starred the new Bond actor. If you're able to bend your mind around that, his licensed character likeness looks fantastic during the brief seconds you're not in the first-person perspective. 

"We've also had Ben Cooke, Daniel Craig's stunt double," said Pinkney. "We've motion-captured all the stunts and all the takedowns from Ben Cooke."

Judi Dench returns to her 1995 debut role of M with her voice and likeness, while Rory Kinnear once again replaces Michael Kitchen as M's chief of staff Bill Tanner. He already replaced Kitchen once, in person, in the latest Bond flick, 2008's Quantum of Solace.

Activision even further went out of its way to bring in non-acting talent. Bruce Fierstein, who wrote the original screenplay for the GoldenEye film, makes sure this doesn't turn into another disaster akin to EA's GoldenEye 2: Rogue Agent game. Composer David Arnold finally adds "GoldenEye" to his resume, as he's scored the last give Bond movies - every once since, but not including, GoldenEye. Finally, while you and I may not know the names of costume designer Lindsay Pugh and concept artist Robert Cowper, both contribute their talents to this game's direction. 

Activision's determination to not just "cash in" on the GoldenEye legacy is evident by bringing in such a wide variety of cast and crew, from the lead actor's stunt double to the costume designer. But, the company also demonstrates its efforts by using its Call of Duty resources to adapt to modern gameplay standards. As Daniel Craig's Bond begins the first level perched on top of a previously inaccessible tunnel entrance (just feet behind the ground where the original GoldenEye started), you see and talk to Alec Trevelyan, aka Agent 006. He's no longer at the helm of the truck as an imagined part of the level. He actually shoots alongside you as you take down the first tower across the parallel bridges.

Like Call of Duty, stealth plays a key role in this game. Guards still babble about inane topics - like checking the fillings in another guard's mouth - same as they did 13 years ago. Now, however, you can subdue and silence them gun-free. Approaching idling enemies from behind and pressing the content-sensitive A button breaks the necks of unsuspecting guards without alerting everyone in the vicinity.

"Within covert," Pinkney explained, "There's lots of different options, like headshots, active takedowns, different mousetraps in the environments, different routes you can take."

Once you take out all of the targets in the first tower, you radio to 006, who hints at "extra firepower" being nearby. Of course, as any Bond veteran knows, that means picking up the handy sniper rifle in the top of the guard tower. You join 006 by hopping into the truck's passenger seat and attempt to pose as guards to open the first security gate. It's no longer a matter of traveling alongside the truck and opening up the gate yourself with a press of a button like the N64 days.

"Because this is Daniel Craig's Bond," Pinkney said, "We have what Daniel Craig's Bond means within the gameplay. That's all the agility: he can roll over, jump down from heights, all of that strength. We've also got his physicality, which we're using the Wii motion control for. You can punch through glass, you can fall through glass, you interact with objects with a melee gesture."

Of course, the enemy AI has improved, too. They see past your disguises and trigger a CoD-like scripted event that involves your throat and their Cold War-era hands. Prying them off of you requires tapping the A button. Once that is done, you hit the Y button to reload your weapon and proceed to the dam's interior. 

"What the hell is happening up there? Have you heard anything new?" shouts one of the guards to another as you slyly make your way down into the belly of the dam. What the hell is happening up there? As the demo descended down the ladder, all I could think was "What the hell happened down here?" The bunkers clearly involved the work of an interior decorator from their N64-to-Wii conversion, as the once bare walls are spruced up with alarms, technology and nefarious government décor. It went from being a Saddam-era, third-world hidey-hole to a top-of-the-line, former "this is what we spend all of our money on" superpower's bunker.

In the "classy" James Bond way of doing things, disabling alarms is achieved with a simple press of the PDA, replacing very "déclassé" N64's shoot-the-alarm mechanic. Additional objectives like destroying or clearly security data during firefights ramps up the challenge and replay value considerably, just like the original's tough-as-nails Secret Agent and 00-Agent difficulty levels.

"The biggest thing for us is player choice," said Pinkney. "Any at point, you can pick a firefight if you want to or approach it covertly."

"Like the one at the edge of this tunnel, we've got a main door. You go through the main door, you will likely take on a firefight on the other side because you've alerted on AI. Whereas, there's a more covert route around through a manhole tunnel and that allows you to enter the next area covertly. Adding that replay ability to the game and just providing lots of choice, you can go back and try different things."

The demo ended with James Bond performing a swan dive from the dam while wearing a parachute on his back. Unlike the N64 version, which had him attached to a thin and hard-to-see bungee cord, you won't be sent into shock as he seemingly leaps to his death at the end of the first level. Before the game's campaign mode was able to cut to the Facility's vent, we were whisked onto a quick game of multiplayer.

In addition to the aforementioned four-player splitscreen, GoldenEye's multiplayer mode includes up to eight players online. 

"They both provide different gameplay experiences," said Pinkney. "The splitscreen is more nostalgic. It's fun, you jump in, you play with your friends on the couch."

"Online is different. We've got an XP, perks and unlocks system. There's more of a deeper experience that you play over time. That has nine different modes."

Splitscreen contains three modes with 16 different modifiers, like paintball mode, "throw the grenades," headshots only and melee only (akin to GoldenEye's amusing Slapper's Only! game type). This allows for up to 200 different combinations.

Conveniently, the main selection menu contains two options up front: "inversion" and "skin." There's no digging through the options menu if you're accustomed to inverted analog controls like me. Toggling between non-inversion and inversion from the main menu is thankfully a snap. The other option, skins, is really your way of selecting a character. Only four skins were available in the demo: Bond, Jaws, Oddjob and Scaramanga. However, there are supposed to be a total of forty in the final game.

Like the N64 days, two things remain true about GoldenEye 007's multiplayer: 1) You still can't pick two of the same character, so I got stuck with Scaramanga, and 2) Oddjob wins. Oddjob always wins!

Final Thoughts 

GoldenEye 007 for Wii is the best James Bond game in 13 years. Even with five months left in development, it's decidedly evident. A remake looked doubtful this generation due to all of the complicated licensing issues, but Nintendo's Press Conference changed everything and, within a few short hours, I was playing the updated version in an E3 meeting room. Activision and Eurocom have been able to strike the right balance between modernizing the graphics and gameplay, and keeping intact the nostalgic factor that made the N64 game great in the first place. It doesn't include Rareware originals like The Complex multiplayer level, even though it'd be worth any amount of money to license the missing stages. Regardless, both the campaign and multiplayer modes will provide retro reminiscence for N64 diehards and groundbreaking FPS fans alike when the game releases this November.

 This is a pretty long and great read, so check it out at the link. 

ASK_Story said:

My concern with this game is that it's from Eurocom, when you check out their resume it's really not that impressive.

That is a big concern. I'm hoping the stories of them hiring old rare and free radical people are true. Or at least that they've hired some more accomplished people.

My other concern is their downplaying of the remote in an apparent belief that old school or fps gamers dislike using the remote.

gamingeek said:

http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=11623

We've also got his physicality, which we're using the Wii motion control for. You can punch through glass, you can fall through glass, you interact with objects with a melee gesture."

Glad they have some motion in but it's wrongheaded.

gamingeek said:

http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=11623

Approaching idling enemies from behind and pressing the content-sensitive A button breaks the necks of unsuspecting guards without alerting everyone in the vicinity.

They should be using it for this stuff. It worked well in godfather.

You don't want visceral motions for picking up a coffee cup - you want it for strangling, beating, neck breaking. I think they are just afraid to use it for important gameplay so they use it for incidental stuff that noone cares about. It would be like using button presses to bash people around in Godfather and only using motion for opening doors.

gamingeek said:

http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=11623

  and trigger a CoD-like scripted event that involves your throat and their Cold War-era hands. Prying them off of you requires tapping the A button.

Again - afraid to use it for gameplay. Funny that they keep harping on craig's physicality - but they resist using the controller for the obvious stuff. OOOH breaking glass - that's what I want to do when I'm bond. Please let me break glass, fall through glass and interact with objects (probably twiddling dials).

I would like them to have customisable controls  so I could decide if I wanted to use a motion or button.

That's my only bitchy nitpicking though. Everything else sounds great.

gamingeek said:

You sound like a hardcore GE fan Monkey.

Yeah, I did play it a lot - even though I'm not a big shooter guy.

I like that it's not exactly a standard war shooter, that in itself is refreshing. And stealth gameplay has always been interesting to me. So many shooters are just about brute force, even the survival horror games have morphed that way. More hiding in shadows for me, please.