You've no doubt heard by now that Activision is remaking the classic N64 shooter, GoldenEye 007, for the Wii. Apparently word has also gotten around to the original game's designer, and he doesn't sound too optimistic about it.

In an interview with Official Nintendo Magazine (wait, really?), Martin Hollis stated:

I imagine it is a business decision isn't it?

This name is valuable, let's use it. I find it hard to picture Activision's top management being excited about the original and wanting to do it justice. In fact, I find it hard to imagine them being excited about any game. It's my perception that they are trying to be EA, only more so. I think they are doing a fine job at that.

That's not to say that he's being a complete downer, as it appears that he does still have (somewhat) high hopes for the game itself and is confident in the developers.

I know and like Eurocom. I think they are a good company. I'm confident they have done their very best.

To be honest, I'm glad someone associated with the original game had the balls to speak out against Activision's blatant attempts to cash in on the gaming community. My opinion is pretty much the same. They don't give a shit about the games, or the gamers. They are all business and have clearly demonstrated that they'll shamelessly throw this kind of thing around, disregarding quality, in order to turn a profit.

As for the remake... yeah, I'm a little excited to see how it will turn out. The trailer shown at E3 was definitely made to play on gamers' nostalgia, and it worked. Hearing the classic bond theme and seeing all the old levels I used to play through brought back some great memories. After that, it sort of sunk in that this was just another Wii game like any other, and a quick money-making scheme by Activision. If they really cared about the original, I doubt they'd be using Daniel Craig in place of Pierce Brosnan (you know, the guy who starred in the movie that the game is based on!). They're suckering in classic gamers as well as those who watch the newer Bond movies.

Not to mention the fact that the Wii doesn't exactly have the best track record as far as shooters go. Still, I'm curious to see how it turns out. It will be out this fall, and as a huge fan of the original, you can definitely expect to see a critical review from me as soon as it's out.