![]() On that front, GoldenEye’s 2010 run-out absolutely delivers. Flipping that story around while still tickling at nostalgia for the original was no easy task. GoldenEye is very much a Bond film of its time, of an age in the nineties where computers were vaguely new and exciting – while Craig’s Bond is of course part of a more dry, post-9/11, post-Bourne vision of the franchise. It also switches some things around to pay homage to the original game, too, rejigging the story to justify some scenes and conceits that were present on the N64, but not in the film. It strips away bits of the film that don’t work as well in a video game, or in the context of the modern age. To this day, I remain fairly impressed by what a good job the team at now-defunct developer Eurocom and the various external collaborators did on adapting the story of GoldenEye to both Craig’s version of the character and to a very different decade. So, too, was Daniel Craig himself, who was keen to make sure the tone and action in the story matched his more ‘physical’ take on Bond. EON Productions, the company that holds the keys to the Bond franchise, was directly involved. Incumbent Bond composer of the time David Arnold returned for the game’s musical score, accompanied by TV composer Kevin Kiner. That’s probably in part because it was delivered by Bruce Feirstein, the same screenwriter who was behind much of the original film. The modern-day adaptation of the concepts of GoldenEye is pretty sharp, considering the original story relies heavily on post Cold War intrigue that was less relevant by 2010. The game has legitimacy within the franchise, too. Probably not the GoldenEye you remember, huh? For me, it’s a crucial piece of who his Bond is – a glimpse into the height of his career. Craig’s retread of GoldenEye, however, remains intact. Blood Stone also isn’t as good, either as a game or a new Bond story. Both games are set in between Quantum of Solace and Skyfall, though Blood Stone contradicts later films and is therefore decanonized. You know where that does happen, though? In video games.Īnd so, we look to GoldenEye 2010, and also Blood Stone, for stories where Craig’s Bond, played by the man himself, is in his prime. Therefore, Daniel Craig never actually gets a film where he just gets to be what each of the other actors to play the role was: James Bond in his prime, the top agent of MI6 with swagger and relatively minimal baggage. We go from the uncertain young Double-0 to a jaded old agent who might’ve lost his touch in between Craig’s second and third films – and though Bond gets his mojo back, he teeters on the edge of retirement for both of his remaining films. In Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die, he’s an aged, experienced agent. In Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, which take place back-to-back, he is an uncertain, rough-edged rookie, newly promoted to Double-0 status. But narratively, the 2010 GoldenEye is thrilling, and with hindsight on the Daniel Craig era of Bond in its entirety, quite unique.įor better or worse, Daniel Craig’s Bond in cinema goes on quite an accelerated journey. In real terms, it is indeed a Call of Duty clone with some James Bond sauce smeared on top. ![]() The 2010 GoldenEye takes the opposite path. Really, though, the N64 title was just a great-feeling game – which is why it is now most fondly remembered for its multiplayer shenanigans, which of course are entirely disconnected from the game’s narrative. The 1997 GoldenEye is among the gold standard of movie tie-ins – arriving so late that the movie was out for much of the game’s creation, its developers were able to twist the story however they liked. The main reason I value the game is because, as a Bond fan, it’s an interesting curiosity. In fact, in many ways, in 2022, I actually value GoldenEye 2010 just as much as its 1997 predecessor.īefore you scroll to the comments and unload the abuse – let me explain why. There’s a ring of truth to bits of this - but I firmly disagree that this title is worthless. It’s a glorified Call of Duty clone, and so on and so forth. It doesn’t have a patch on the N64 original. If you believe the musings of your average internet-goer, this game isn't worth thinking about. But to me, as a James Bond fan, I’ve got just as much time for another GoldenEye 007: the 2010 remake and reimagining of the classic for the Nintendo Wii, later ported to the PS3 and 360. It’s impossible to argue that GoldenEye 007, aka GoldenEye 64, is anything less than one of the most important games ever made.
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