Goldeneye 007 (N64 Review) by Carl B.

Goldeneye 007
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Rareware
System: Nintendo 64
Release: August 25th, 1997

October, 2009 -
Goldeneye brought many new gameplay aspects to the FPS genre back in 1997, but is the overall experience as enriching now as it was then?

Goldeneye 007 pits players as British MI6 agent James Bond, and follows the general storyline of the movie. So yes, if you didn't already know; Goldeneye is a game based off of a movie. Unlike other movie-games, Goldeneye 007 is a good one.

The means in which the story is told in Goldeneye are a bit choppy. There aren't any story-related cutscenes, but there are a few conversations story-wise that take place in levels; one of which being a conversation between 006 and Bond in the Chemical Facility level. Other than that, the story is mostly told in mission breifings between levels. This can get kind of confusing, in one instance Bond is at a missile silo then in the next level he's on a cruise ship. But that doesn't really matter a whole lot, because all we care about is shooting the bad guys, right?

Right.

Goldeneye introduced many new gameplay aspects to the FPS genre, such as head and leg shot detection. This may not seem like a big deal now, but it was back in 1997. Players can shoot at an enemy's leg and they would topple over, or shoot them in the head for a quick kill. The hit detection isn't limited to just the head and legs, but the whole body of an enemy (and the player, too).

Enemy AI is also a big deal for the game, because back then it had some of the best ever seen in an FPS. Enemies roll from side to side in an attempt to dodge players' shots, hide behind cover, and gang up on the player. The three different difficulty levels have a huge impact on the enemy AI, with Agent difficulty being very easy to kill, and 00-Agent being very hard. Nowadays, however; the enemy AI is less than stellar at best and won't pose a huge challenge compared to other FPS on the market.

Mission breifings are given to the player before each level. A general overview, M breifing, Q breifing, and a little bit of background information from Ms. Moneypenny are all shown in a document like format. Players can also choose to go back and replay previous levels if they wish, and after a level is beaten player stats are displayed. Depending on the set difficulty level, there are a number of objectives players have to accomplish in order to move on to the next mission. In addition, there are two extra levels un-related to the movie that can be unlocked if the game is completed on the higher difficulty modes.

Some levels require stealth-like gameplay in order to progress through the level and accomplish the objectives in an effecient manner. Players can always "run and gun" if they want, but in some cases sneaking up behind enemies and shooting from behind them make things a lot easier. There are also video cameras throughout some levels, and if they catch the player in their sights for long enough it will trip an alarm; sending swarms of enemies after James Bond. Enemies can also hit alarm switches. Luckily for the player, both the video cameras and alarm switches can be destroyed. The levels are well balanced between basic corridor shooting and open areas. There are a lot of different guns in the game, loosely based off of guns in the real world.

Controls feel very fluid in Goldeneye 007. There are a number of control settings to choose from; but the basic jist of things is that Z controls the firing, B is reload/action, A is next weapon, and R aims. The most common changeable configuration is making the C buttons look around or have the control stick be look around, with the one that isn't look being movement. Any worries about aiming can be set aside now, because Goldeneye has an auto-aim feature, and a manual aiming system similar to that of Metroid Prime.

Visually, Goldeneye 007 doesn't work wonders in most areas compared to other N64 games such as Ocarina of Time or Banjo Kazooie. The game looks very outdated nowadays, but even then most textures in the game were bland. The big deal about the game's graphics however, were the face models for enemy and NPC characters. They were highly detailed for their time, and considering the limitations of the N64's cart based memory. Sadly, the game's framerate does take a few hits every now and again, but it isn't anything too major or gameplay hindering. Player health is shown on screen as red bars, but only show up when the player is taking damage.


One huge replay point for Goldeneye is its multiplayer. Though it doesn't have big bad online play because it's a 1997 game, it does feature some of the best split screen FPS action. Up to four players can battle it out in a multitude of modes including deathmatch and a unique mode called "Man With the Golden Gun", where a single one shot kill gun is placed on the map and players race to obtain it. There are 11 different maps and 31 different playable characters, most of which are unlocked as players progress through the game.

The Verdict

Sound
15/15- Fantastic soundtrack all around. Possibly the best James Bond inspired soundtrack ever. Every level has its own catchy tune; players will be bobbing their heads in no time.

Graphics
17/20- Decent graphics for an N64 game, but have aged a lot over the years. Textures look bland compared to other N64 games, but character face detail is great. A few framerate dips every now and then, but it won't hinder a player's gameplay experience.

Appeal
23/25- Great single player, with added missions depending on the difficulty level. The game can be beaten in an extremely fast ammount of time for even a novice player. Multiplayer is fun if you have some extra controllers laying around.

Gameplay
36/40- Control feels very fluid and it's easy to aim and shoot enemies. Levels are a bit basic though, but overall they're balanced out well between corridors and open areas. Enemy AI will seem below average and really easy to beat most of the time. Great variations for mission objectives on levels.

Overall
91/100- Goldeneye 007 is a solid FPS. Though it was revolutionary for its time, it has aged quite a bit compared to the FPSes of today, but is still a great classic that will be played and enjoyed time and time again.