Wednesday, May 05, 2004
A sequel to Goldeneye?
Did you hear there's going to be a Goldeneye 2? Yup, after all these years, we're finally getting a sequel to one of the games that made the N64 such an amazing system. Remember all those late night multiplayer matches you played with your friends? Remember how awesome it was using Proximity Mines in the basement level? You could stick the mines in all the respawn points and kill your friends as soon as they appeared. Or License to Kill in the Stack level using only pistols? Was there any game more tense than that? It's about time someone finally resurrected that classic...
Wait a second. This new game isn't Goldeneye 2 at all. It's called Goldeneye: Rogue Agents. It will probably still be great though. I mean, it does have the Goldeneye name behind it and GE is one of the best games ever. No worries right? They still have the same levels and talented development team behind it, right? Nope, guess again.
Electronic Arts, the most hated of all video companies, is once again trying their hardest to single-handedly ruin the industry. Sure, that's a little over dramatic, but what else is there to say about a company that is blatantly trying to make money off the work of another developer?
When I first heard about the proposed Goldeneye sequel, I was obviously quite upset. Goldeneye/Perfect Dark are my second favorite games of all time, and I spent most of my junior year of high school in my basement playing Bond with my friends. It is a game that revolutionized first person shooters on home systems and is still amazingly fun today. Yes, Nick, some people are able to play FPSs without dual analog sticks.
I assumed, when EA announced this game a few months ago, that they would simply remake the N64 classic. For some reason I thought I would see Temple and Archives redone with modern graphics and an online mode. Obviously, I wouldn't purchase this, but it would have been a fun game.
Apparently, EA is completely ignoring the original. They have decided to create a band new title from the ground up. The only thing Goldeneye: Rogue Agents has in common with Goldeneye is the name. This is much, much worse that I had thought.
To anyone who was blind to their tyranny before, this should be a wakeup call to exactly what kind of company EA is. They have built their fortune with licensed titles. Besides Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, they have not made any original games this generation. It's sick, but that's to be expected from them.
Simply owning the Bond name wasn't enough for them though. People loved Goldeneye back in the day and I'm sure more than one copy of EA's Bond games have been sold to ignorant consumers who aren't aware Rare isn't in charge of the franchise anymore. While the previous Bond games - NightFire and Everything or Nothing - were not bad games, they were nothing special. People did not run out to purchase new systems to play them nor did they organize huge multiplayer tournaments every week. They were simply fun games to play until something else came out. Hardly carrying on what GE started 7 years ago.
Can you think of any ethical reason EA would reuse the Goldeneye name? They already established with Everything or Nothing they have no problem hiring actors and writing an original script for a new Bond game. Try as they might, though, they aren't able to recreate the buzz that surrounded Goldeneye. Even after pumping millions of dollars into the development of Everything or Nothing, they still were only able to produce a fun, but very forgettable, game.
By reusing the Goldeneye name, EA thinks they might be able to once again sucker the people who don't know any better into buying their game. Most people will see the Goldeneye name and assume that Rare is still behind it. People will think they can relive past glory. There is no other reason, other than money, EA would need to go back to this title. There is no similarity between this new game and the old game. In this game, Goldeneye refers to a gold hued eye the main character has attached after losing his real eye in a battle with Dr. No. Did EA have such a need to create this ridiculous story they were forced into using the Goldeneye name? I'm going to guess no. It is simply a way to cash in on a big name. If EA is so worried about making money, why don’t they just make an original game that is as good as Goldeneye? Why not attempt to make a classic people will still be playing in 7 years rather than trying to cash in on popular licenses?
I know Nick is going to try to defend his company once more, but this is beyond defense. It's one thing to buy popular movie franchises and churn out games to make a quick buck. It is another thing entirely to reuse another video games' name in attempt to bolster your own profits.
Wait a second. This new game isn't Goldeneye 2 at all. It's called Goldeneye: Rogue Agents. It will probably still be great though. I mean, it does have the Goldeneye name behind it and GE is one of the best games ever. No worries right? They still have the same levels and talented development team behind it, right? Nope, guess again.
Electronic Arts, the most hated of all video companies, is once again trying their hardest to single-handedly ruin the industry. Sure, that's a little over dramatic, but what else is there to say about a company that is blatantly trying to make money off the work of another developer?
When I first heard about the proposed Goldeneye sequel, I was obviously quite upset. Goldeneye/Perfect Dark are my second favorite games of all time, and I spent most of my junior year of high school in my basement playing Bond with my friends. It is a game that revolutionized first person shooters on home systems and is still amazingly fun today. Yes, Nick, some people are able to play FPSs without dual analog sticks.
I assumed, when EA announced this game a few months ago, that they would simply remake the N64 classic. For some reason I thought I would see Temple and Archives redone with modern graphics and an online mode. Obviously, I wouldn't purchase this, but it would have been a fun game.
Apparently, EA is completely ignoring the original. They have decided to create a band new title from the ground up. The only thing Goldeneye: Rogue Agents has in common with Goldeneye is the name. This is much, much worse that I had thought.
To anyone who was blind to their tyranny before, this should be a wakeup call to exactly what kind of company EA is. They have built their fortune with licensed titles. Besides Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, they have not made any original games this generation. It's sick, but that's to be expected from them.
Simply owning the Bond name wasn't enough for them though. People loved Goldeneye back in the day and I'm sure more than one copy of EA's Bond games have been sold to ignorant consumers who aren't aware Rare isn't in charge of the franchise anymore. While the previous Bond games - NightFire and Everything or Nothing - were not bad games, they were nothing special. People did not run out to purchase new systems to play them nor did they organize huge multiplayer tournaments every week. They were simply fun games to play until something else came out. Hardly carrying on what GE started 7 years ago.
Can you think of any ethical reason EA would reuse the Goldeneye name? They already established with Everything or Nothing they have no problem hiring actors and writing an original script for a new Bond game. Try as they might, though, they aren't able to recreate the buzz that surrounded Goldeneye. Even after pumping millions of dollars into the development of Everything or Nothing, they still were only able to produce a fun, but very forgettable, game.
By reusing the Goldeneye name, EA thinks they might be able to once again sucker the people who don't know any better into buying their game. Most people will see the Goldeneye name and assume that Rare is still behind it. People will think they can relive past glory. There is no other reason, other than money, EA would need to go back to this title. There is no similarity between this new game and the old game. In this game, Goldeneye refers to a gold hued eye the main character has attached after losing his real eye in a battle with Dr. No. Did EA have such a need to create this ridiculous story they were forced into using the Goldeneye name? I'm going to guess no. It is simply a way to cash in on a big name. If EA is so worried about making money, why don’t they just make an original game that is as good as Goldeneye? Why not attempt to make a classic people will still be playing in 7 years rather than trying to cash in on popular licenses?
I know Nick is going to try to defend his company once more, but this is beyond defense. It's one thing to buy popular movie franchises and churn out games to make a quick buck. It is another thing entirely to reuse another video games' name in attempt to bolster your own profits.
// posted by Tom @ 4:39 PM 
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