Goldeneye 007: Reloaded is an HD remastering of the Wii title released last year.  If you are a fan of the original game, or an FPS fan who happens to enjoy Mi6’s most famous agent, I would recommend this game to you.  It not only has retooled versions of the single-player missions, but features 16-player multiplayer.  Reloaded also has some brand new features, aside from running at 60 frames-per-second, it has a new mode called Mi6 Ops Missions.  These missions, similar to the Special Ops mode of Modern Warfare 2 fame, puts the players back into environments from the story missions with specific objectives like Assault and Stealth.

Specifically for the Playstation 3, Activision will be releasing a bundle that includes all the bells and whistles necessary to play the game using a Playstation Move controller.  Included in the Goldeneye 007: Reloaded Double ‘O’ Edition will be a Playstation Move motion controller, navigation controller, Playstation Eye camera and the Sharp Shooter.  Also exclusive for PS3 will be a free DLC character of Hugo Drax from Moonraker, who will be equipped with his Laser Pistol.

As a huge fan of the original game, the Wii game was a ton of fun.  The point and shoot controls were awesome as well, and should translate quite well to the Move.  Add to that, the online multiplayer experience that the HD consoles can offer for the game and I may not emerge from my apartment for quite a while after this game comes out.  Both Goldeneye 007: Reloaded and the PS3 exclusive bundle are both launching November 1st.  If you want to see me then, I’ll be the one throwing a hat at you as Oddjob.  For the full press release hit the link.

Press Release

As a huge fan of it on the SNES, my first stop was to check out Donkey Kong Country Returns.  To put it simply, this game is basically New Super Donkey Kong Country Wii.  A lot like New Super Mario Bros, it takes the foundation set by the original game and adds little bits of new things.  You’ll find all the original vine swinging and mine cart racing still there, but you also get co-op play, ground pounding and some plane-switching action.  All of the new stuff feels great and the two-player element really adds another dimension.  There is definitely the potential for some frustration, as both players share a pool of lives, but not nearly as much as the chaos created by the multiplayer in New Super Mario Bros Wii.

The level I got to play was jungle-themed much like those from the original, though there seemed to be a tiki twist to it as well.  The gameplay was extremely easy to jump right into and felt both familiar and fresh.  A lot of the action was your standard DKC platforming, collecting bananas and visiting bonus areas.  One odd thing that caught my eye was the inclusion of jigsaw puzzle pieces that strongly resembles the “Jiggys” of the Banjo Kazooie franchise as collectible items.  One new thing that also stood out was that, every once in a while, a barrel will shoot you into the background.  Once there, you’ll either hop into a bonus barrel or do some action back there in order to progress the level.  I know, it’s not a new concept by any stretch, but it is a welcome addition to the DKC formula.  To sum up, if you are a fan of the original games, then you will be love the feel of playing a Donkey Kong Country game again, if you are new to the series then this will be a great chance to get you into it and if you are not a fan then perhaps you should borrow it from someone who is and see if it doesn’t change your mind.

In the interest of heading straight for old favorites, I ran towards Goldeneye 007 next.  Sadly, they did not have a demo of the single player campaign available to play, but they did have some multiplayer set up.  I jumped in as Alec Trevelyan, but was immediately sad that I didn’t pick Odd Job.  While everyone else that was playable threw grenades, our favorite bowler-wearing henchman threw his hat.  We played using classic controller pros and it felt very natural right away.  To be honest, I loved the game, but I was terrible at it.  My butt-kicking aside, the shooting was very smooth and while adapting to how the FPS genre has evolved over the years, it still felt very much like Goldeneye 007.

After that, I saw an opening and dove in at Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.  I will proudly admit that my dog ran from the room and I hurt my voice cheering and clapping when they announced this game at last year’s E3.  Getting my hands on the game, it looks as though I won’t be disappointed.  In the demo at the booth, they had a battling section and a puzzle section to experience.  Mainly, the battle system simply got a facelift and a firmware update.  The 360-view camera pans and grandiose djinn attacks are still there, but better-looking than ever.  The character models, while still remaining in the Golden Sun art style, have a Final Fantasy IV DS feel to them.  Thankfully, the issues such as wasting an attack when an enemy in one spot dies and someone attacks thin air have been addressed.

In the puzzle section of the demo, again it was a mixture of the same formula with some small updates.  You are once again moving statues and pillars with your powers but some new things have been thrown in as well.  In the demo training area there were posters put up that you had to burn down with fire synergy.  Overall, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn looked very pretty, but was also quite familiar.  Is this a bad thing you might ask?  Absolutely not, says I, because that formula, familiar as it may be, was and still is a ton of fun.  I will very likely be clawing at the gate of my nearest DS game retailer when that game ships in Q4 of 2010.

These are just three of the games that I played while basking in the glow of Nintendo’s booth.  I will be back to talk about all the other Nintendo goodness that I experienced, later this week.  Hint: it may or may not involve a legend.

Well, it’s official.  If your head explodes, then a new one will instantly grow in its place so that it may also explode.  I discovered this great scientific fact this morning at the Nintendo Media Briefing.  They have shown this year that not only are they dedicated to bringing gaming to everyone, but also keeping it awesome for those of us that have been enjoying it for a while now.

The briefing started off with a huge bang by them going straight into the new Zelda game.  The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, as it is titled, will feature Wii Motion Plus controls and looks to be quite the fun time.  Not only are you going to be able to use a whip in the game, but there’s a beetle launcher than lets you control the beetle flying around the environment.

After such a strong opening, I thought to myself, how in the world can they top footage of the new Zelda?  It turns out they did it quite easily with a slew of awesome looking games, most of which are due later this year.  Wii Party, Just Dance 2, Mario Sports Mix, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, Goldeneye 007, Epic Mickey, Metroid Other M and Donkey Kong Country Returns all made appearances and that was just for the Wii.

After all of that, they brought in the Nintendo 3DS.  After they talked some serious trash about 3D with glasses, they revealed Kid Icarus: Uprising as a title for the 3DS.  Seeing video of the 3DS, it looks like a handheld Wii, or perhaps a bit better.  Nintendo then assured us that there was going to be lots of 3rd party support for the system and proceeded to confirm every game you could ever want for the system.  Kingdom Hearts and Metal Gear Solid being notables among the many, there were really a bunch of titles there to see.

As I sit there considering the 3DS, the thought did cross my mind of, well I haven’t seen the 3D yet.  So, Nintendo has a bunch of models walk out holding the device and tells us to see it for ourselves.  I got to touch it and I am blown away.  The 3D seems neat and well implemented, the new analog stick feels great and the graphic were just as good as the videos boasted.

All in all, consider me blown away.  We’re not done yet though, so make sure to tune in now for our Sony briefing!