2nd Op By

Dale Weir 10 RATING

I, like Chi and the rest of the video game industry, was less than impressed when Nintendo announced that one of the debut titles on the Nintendo 64 would be a FPS based on the latest James Bond flick, GoldenEye. The genre was saturated with games that were essentially graphical showcases and no fun to play at all. On top of that Rare was developing it. The last game they made was Donkey Kong Country for the SNES, which was a nice feat, but nevertheless an accomplishment that didn't command respect. All this made the accomplishment that is GoldenEye all the more special and makes it easily the surprise hit of the decade.

Chi put it best when he said, "while the game is heavily steeped in the movie... it isn't hindered by it". In GoldenEye I got to actually play as James Bond and do the things James Bond would do. But maybe more to their credit, Rare was also the first to incorporate stealth into a FPS. It was always clear that I was a spy and that stealth and caution would win out over brute force. Giving the player nothing but a silenced handgun to start off most of the missions was a simple, but crucial move. I had to learn early on to make do with what I had.

It was to my advantage to sneak up on enemies or pick them off one by one from a distance because once you were found out, you were usually out-numbered. The realism Chi mentioned also helped to keep the player in the game. When you shot an enemy in the head, that was it. He's dead. Shoot him in the arm and he's quickly aware you're out there somewhere. It was done so well that you were truly rewarded for doing what a spy would do rather than what a "fragmaster" would do. This was a guilty pleasure, but I must admit that many times I postponed beating the game to work on my shooting and stealth. Sneaking up on guards or picking them off from yards away offered a certain satisfaction that I couldn't get anywhere else.

The James Bond license was almost worthless when Nintendo bought it. After GoldenEye, it seemed like every developer and publisher wanted to get their hands on the license for the newest James Bond movie. Did James Bond suddenly become marketable? No, GoldenEye showed the industry what could be done with a good license and excellent design. Time will tell if they were playing attention.

Public Opinion

John Isles, IV 8.5 Rating

GoldenEye 007 is one of the most praised games on the N64. The praise is rightfully deserved, and is still a benchmark title for the now-antiquated N64.

The mission mode offers deep, solid, immersive gameplay with great atmosphere and a very fitting soundtrack. Animation is excellent, particularly killing a guard in an explosion—choreographed just like in the movie! Stealth is a good addition, but you still get opportunities to go on a killing spree. Combined with an excellent, effective control scheme and realistic weapons that require reloading, it's brilliant.

And when everyone talks about how great the multiplayer game is, I do agree. Yet, even with its numerous options, it still falls far short from being ideal. Some of weapon groupings are obviously one-sided. Lacking fully customizable weapons is the biggest offender. My other major grievance is the monotonous faces and the permanently fisted hands of the character models.

Dale and Chi do a great job in delving into the game, but their tens are a bit high for me. GoldenEye is an excellent game, though. It offers a one-of-a-kind experience that should be experienced by anyone, Bond fan or no. Should you ever part with a copy, do Q a favor: Do please try and return the equipment in pristine order.

The multiplayer games are ingenious and provide enough entertainment for a full summer vacation with your friends. There is perhaps no better moment in gaming than when you have found a good spot in GoldenEye 007, and take out your friends with a sniper rifle one by one as they battle each other oblivious to your location.

A masterpiece and gaming perfection—this game single-handedly made me a FPS fan. Though I have yet to still try Halo, up until know, I still haven't played anything that is close.

Reader Second Opinions