 |
| |
MI6 attended the multiplayer reveal event in San
Francisco on Monday for the upcoming game "GoldenEye
007: Reloaded"...
|
|
Multiplayer Reveal Event
12th October 2011
Activision revealed the multiplayer modes
and features of the upcoming "GoldenEye
007: Reloaded" game at an exclusive preview event
in San Francisco on Monday, and MI6 was the only Bond website
to
get the scoop.
With almost all multiplayer modes in the PlayStation 3 and
Xbox 360 market focusing on online play, it is a bold move
for
Activision to promote the classic split-screen mayhem that
the current
generation of gaming bloggers grew up on almost 15 years ago.
As well as Daniel Craig as 007 in his iconic tuxedo, there
are 44 generic playable characters and an additional 14 classic
characters available in multiplayer,
including: Oddjob, Jaws, Scaramanga, Baron Samedi, Rosa Klebb,
Dr. No, Red Grant, Blofeld (Charles Grey), Tee Hee, Max Zorin,
Goldfinger, Kananga, and a Hugo Drax exclusive for the PS3. Some
of the characters also possess special abilities, such as Jaws'
steel teeth that reduce the damage a head shot inflicts by deflecting
some bullets.
Several multiplayer modes were demonstrated, including: 4-player
split-screen, MI6 Ops, 16-player online and the new Sharp Shooter
for the PS3.
The 4-player split screen mode, made famous
by the original "GoldenEye
007" on the Nintendo 64 back in 1997, has been overhauled
since last year's 'exclusive' release on the Wii. As you would
expect with the all new high-definition game engine created by
Eurocom for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, the frame rate and
texture resolution is a massive improvement on the often blurry
Wii edition. But the quality is not quite as sharp as the single
player or full screen online modes, which is perhaps to be expected
given the engine is supporting four players simultaneously. The
game on show was not the final version that will hit stores next
month, so there may be improvements to come, including the often
sluggish load times. To live up to the GoldenEye brand, there
are countless game modifiers which allow you to taylor the death
matches (called 'Classic Conflict' here) to suit your personal
preferences to the finest detail including favourites like paintball.
The new Moonraker laser weapon was a particular favourite of
the audience, and Oddjob maintains his reputation as a frustrating
foe to come
up against given his reduced height and deadly bowler hat.
Also unveiled for the first time was the new
Sharp Shooter system which comprises a PlayStation Move motion
controller, navigation controller,
PlayStation Eye camera and Sharp Shooter peripheral. The Double
'O' Edition bundle pack is exclusive to the PS3 and also
includes the Hugo Drax character. The Sharp Shooter took a bit
of time
to calibrate (hopefully a one-time process) and first time users
suffered a few quick deaths before getting to grips with the
move, aim and shoot combination of controls. As the Sharp Shooter
is held against your shoulder, you do not look through the sights
like a regular rifle, but an onscreen reticule makes it more
accurate than 'shooting from the hip'. Turning to look around
the environment is a lot slower than using a standard controller,
and players must remain standing in the spot where the Sharp
Shooter was calibrated to maintain optimal control. It is a fun
addition to the single player campaign, but users in multiplayer
may be at a serious disadvantage.
All the multiplayer modes were well received
by the audience of gaming sites and bloggers, with the 16-player
online
mode retaining
players for the longest period. Flashbacks of dorm room death-matches
of yesteryear were had by all and many stories were shared during
the battles. But the most vociferous feedback came from the 4-player
split screen, where good humoured celebrations and insults were
thrown around in equal measure in a party-like atmosphere, often
to the curdling background scream of "Oddjooobbbbb!"
