GoldenEye 007

"Its a new world... with new enemies... and new threats... but you can still count on one man."

You were expecting someone else? No, you read at the bottom of my Mario 64 review that this was coming soon. I had saw the movie five years back when it came out, and actually SAT THROUGH the movie, unlike some others, who watched the first ten minutes without ejecting the movie. I liked it. But, I simply enjoyed it. Then, suddenly, a new age is upon me. The age of 1997. Little did we know that Rareware had a little surprise cooking up for us...

The scenario? A couple weeks after Goldeneye 007 came out. I was over at Willy Scotts house. He askes me if I would like to go over to see his friend Andrew. I accept, and we make our way down the street toward his house. Along the way, Willy tells me that Andrew has gotten Goldeneye. I say: ''Oh, I saw that movie.'' Willy says: ''No, the game.'' I say: ''There's a game?'' Willy replies: ''Yes, and it's awesome...''

We go in and meet Andrew, who is playing Goldeneye. He was playing one-player, he was in the Severnaya Bunker, oblivious to our presence. Willy and I grinned at each other, and just stood there, not doing anything. But, when he went into the main control room, I couldn't help myself, I said: ''Hey, that looks just like the movie!'' Andrew spun around shouting ''OH JEEZ!'' and glared at us, and threw a pillow at me.

I will spare you the rest of my visit, but we did have a multiplayer, killed many a time in the Library by Andrew. I wonder why ''I'' was his target?


The Introduction:
I liked that game. I liked it so much that I requested it for Christmas a couple years back. Oh yes, I am still playing it, the game is that good, so good, that it deserves a ten. My first ten ever. So this is whats its like to praise to yout fullest extent.


Story: 10/10
There is no real story to the game, and it STILL gets a ten. The whole game is really the story, and gives the game an epic feel, it really does. What the game does, is follow the plot in Goldeneye very closely, and all the characters are here. Now, the brief summary of the Goldeneye story itself.

It all started, when Bond and his partner, Alec Trevelyan, went on a fateful mission to the Chemical Facility, where Alec was shot by General Ourumov. Ourumov was an important operative in the ''Janus Syndicate'', an international group of terrorists. Now, Bond had a score to settle.

As the years past, clues about a space weapon named Goldeneye was slowly revealed through M16. Bond went on two, very dangerous missions to learn more about them. On one of them, he came across Ourumov, who he only managed to wound him. He dropped a briefcase, containing plans to steal a stealth helicopter named ''Pirate.''

The Pirate was onboard a Frigate in Monte Carlo. When Bond went there, he placed a tracking bug on the Pirate helicopter before Janus hijacked it. The helicopter was traced to Severnaya, where Ourumov, and Xenia Onatopp killed everyone inside, and stole the Goldeneye. Bond was dropped in, and managed to break into the Bunker, where he was captured by troops. Bond was throw in jail, where he met Natalya Simonova, the sole survivor of the incident. She told Bond what Ourumov and Xenia had done, and working together, they escaped. But, Ourumov activated the Goldeneye to fire on Severnaya, so Bond and Natayla barely escaped with their lives.

Bond traced Pirate to St. Petersburg, where it was found in Statue Park. Coincidentally enough, Natalya was in the same city, and was abducted by Janus. Bond went to Statue Park, where he found out that the leader of Janus was ********* someone who will be very hard to kill...

Graphics: 9/10
These just might be the best graphics that ever came out on the N64, but I probably doubt it. They are in the Top Ten, I'm sure of that. Anywhoo, very fine graphics is important in all First Person Shooters. However, I have not seen much of that in many games lately. It does not help that I do not like shooters all that much, with the exception of Perfect Dark and this. The graphics are very similar to the movie. Like when was in the bottling room of the Facility in the movie, it looks almost exactly like the very same room! Rare has really outdone themselves this time. They present tones and tones of eye candy as well...

As for the graphics themselves, they are simply jaw-dropping. After starting in the Dam, you will probably go into shock, and when you come out, you will find yourself in the hospital, involuntarily saying the word ''graphics...graphics'' over and over. Also, keep in mind that this game is almost three years old. Woops, there you go into shock again. Erm, anyway this game is downright realistic. They have all the earmarks of real life. Rusty pipes, all solders instead of big pink lumbering monsters, and squeaky clean tiled floors and walls. Speaking off which, there is never a dull picture. I cannot say that they are ''happy'' colors, like in Mario 64 or Banjo-Kazooie, especially in a 13+ rated game, but they are bright at times. So, it is all excellent and realistic. Heck, bullet holes even appear when you shoot the wall. Have you ever seen that in a shooter before? No...

Now, onto character design. All the characters are very accurate, and look just like they would from their movies, particularly Jaws. I once used the Sniper Rifle to zoom in on his face, and was amazed at how much he looked like the actual Jaws from Moonraker. But, the thing that will get you is the enemies. First off, they don't all just look the same, like in other shooters with human enemies. They all have random heads of shifty Rare characters, with the exception of the main characters. Next, if you come up behind them, they will not just stand there like a moron. Sometimes, they will do certain things that they think they are safe to do when no one is around, such as scratching there butt with one foot, or bending over and coughing. And the thing that amazes people the most...the fact that guards know where they have been hit and react to it. For instance, if you shoot someone in the hand, he will clutch it in pain. If you shoot him in the chest, he will probably fall to his knees, and die face down. In the head, he will simply fly back and die immediately. There are even very dramatic deaths, such as shooting someone in the neck. He will fall to his knees, holing his neck, and fall to the floor, lying there for a few seconds. Yes...

Anything else? Oh yeah. Slowdown. I can only remember one instance where there was slowdown. That time, I was in the practicing Enemy Rockets on the Train, with invincibility on. I was in a really narrow corridor, and DOZENS of rockets were being fired at me. There were DOZENS of explosions, you see why there was slowdown.

One last thing before I move on: Fogging. There are only three levels in the entire game with lots of fog, and they're deliberate. First of all is the Dam. You are THOUSANDS of feet up in the air, in a mountain area, with a lake giving of mist nearby. Next is the Runway, which is also up in the air, and is quite big and wide. Lastly, the second Surface. And that is really good, because it is nighttime, and in Siberia. The fog really gives you the feeling that it is cold and windy. Brr, pass the blubber.

Music and Sound: 9/10
The music is definitely some of the best I ever heard in a Rareware title, it is on par with Jet Force Gemini. Instead of those repetitive tunes that you expected, we have excellent compositions. Sometimes, when my parents are gone, and my brother and sister aren't around to tell them, I just crank up the volume, and totally zone into the blaring music.

The sound is very good too, but rather basic. There is a ''pew'' sound when you shoot a silenced gun, and a ''-p-p-p-p-'' when you shoot machine guns. Rusty doors open with a ''clink CLINK'' sound, metal doors open with a ''breehh'' sound, glass doors with a ''tseww'' noise. Guards make random moans when you shoot them. Um, its uh, time to move on before you think I'm insane.

Control: 10/10
This is no doubt the easiest control I have ever witnessed. As always, the analog stick is nice and cooperative, and the Z button is easily accessible, should you want to send a bullet or two into someone's body. You can change your weapons with ''A'' and reload with ''B.'' Its that easy! For veterans, there are a few advanced techniques such as speed strafing. It involves holding the C buttons in a certain way to go fast. There is something for everyone here.

The biggest area of the control, however, is the first person perspective. First person is ALWAYS important in shooters, because it gives you the actual sense that it is YOU playing, not Bond. First person always adds so much to games, even to the point where it sometimes makes you scared. For instance, you here gunfire, but you have no idea where its coming from. You look around nervously, and half a dozen soldiers come running out from behind the corner and begin firing. So, this perspective is the root of all the depth in Goldeneye that you don't experience in other games. Hey, remember Tomorrow Never Dies for Playstation? This game was not well liked, and I think the main reason for this was because it didn't have, say it with me, ''first person perspective.''

As if that weren't enough, you can also configure what buttons to push, what to fire with, etc. Ah, there are also eight different control options, all named after the Bond girls. Creative! If you are having trouble with the default setting Honey, then why not try Kissy? Of course, there is always Solitaire and Goodnight to think about. Or, do you want to play with a buddy, or want to challenge yourself to the max. by using two controllers simultaneously? Then give Plenty, Galore, Domino or Goodhead a try.

Gameplay: 10/10
Ha, and you thought that this was just your basic, boring ''kill-everyone-and-make-it-to-the-end'' game. Goldeneye goes much, much deeper than that. There are objectives to complete, people to rescue, certain people to kill. The game works like the movie, so if you have seen it, you will probably have a better sense of what is going on. For instance, if you are in the Facility, you are talking to Trevelyan, who is capture by Ourumov. He is going to execute him in a matter of mere seconds. You do not attempt to shoot Ourumov, or he will kill Alec, and sic his soldiers on you. If you have not seen the movie, well I envy how much fun you will have figuring how to find things out.

The gameplay itself is simply marvelous. Before you begin, you are briefed by M, Q, and Moneypenny about your your mission objectives. That's right, objectives. I said it wasn't a kill everyone and run game. Before, you make it to the exit, you might want to contact Valentin Zucofscy to delay Janus from taking Natalya to the their Soviet missile train. At the Train, you should kill Ourumov, without hurting Natalya, and cut through the floor to safety. This may seem brief, because of the next paragraphs.

An important feature of the game... killing people. Yes, and to do that, you will need guns. Hmm, what do we have to choose from here... HOLY... um, cow. Yeah, that's it, cow, and I did not mean to say anything else at all. Sorry for the sudden outburst, but well, there are just so many guns! We are talking 50+ here folks. There is an extremely wide range here, from fists, to pistols, to rifles, to machine guns, explosives, mines, even Tasers! Hey, even Scaramanga's infamous Golden Gun makes a guest appearance here. Also, unlike other shooters, you have to conserve your ammo, because there is a limited amount for each one, except the Slapper, and the Laser. Whoo!

The most interesting aspect in the single-player mode is the fact that our enemies have Artificial Intelligence. Have you seen to much of that lately? No. However, if you have played Jet Force Gemini, or Perfect Dark, you will probably be disappointed at this games AI. Nether less, try this out the Invisibility cheat, and sneak around the guards. Stand behind someone, and shoot the wall near his head. He will turn around in surprise, point his gun at you, see nothing. He will look around for a second, and them start fleeing, looking for this unknown person. Interesting. Try finding two guards in the same room. Shoot one, and the other guard will come running, and investigate the area where his friend died. Aw, they really care. Now, turn off Invisibility. Go to the second Bunker, take the KF7 Soviet, and just blast an entire magazine into the wall. DOZENS of guard will come running towards you, lumbering down hallways, pouring out of rooms, ah, Goldeneye has it all...

Oh yeah, there is something quite unique to Goldeneye. The Body Hit Damage system. Let me get you straight. Have you ever seen a game where if you shoot a guard in the hand, he will take minimal damage, and in the head, he will most likely die? Have you? C'mon. Seriously though, that is the case.

And let's not be forgetting the fact this game has three difficulty levels. First up, we have to beat Agent, which is not to hard. They put it in to give you the feel of the game, and to warm you up for what's ahead. Then, what do we have to complete Secret Agent. Look out, the game gets tough here! The enemies are tougher, you have more objectives, and other things to make it hard. Okay, so you've done that. The moment has arrived. Now, you have to beat the game on (drumroll) 00 Agent. Ah, I will leave you to be beat this, I will be backing a year or so to see how you are doing. That is a slight exaggeration. But you will certainly be struggling with it for months to come with its lack of Body Armor and ammo, tough enemies, and new and improved AI.

But, the thing that Goldeneye is famous for is it's suburb multiplayer. It is a ultra cool deathmatch, in up to eleven different battle arenas, you will have fun for a very long time, especially with its eight different different scenarios, huge arsenal of weaponry, extra levels to unlock, and more and more characters to play as.

Now, my fingers are at the point before they start bleeding, so I will finish up the gameplay soon. Goldeneye's last important aspect is it's cheats. You get them by beating a certain level in a certain time, on a certain difficulty levels. There are twenty-three in all, all of which are very fun to play around with. The cheat system adds even more replay value, as many of them are near impossible, and some of them add entirely new game scenarios (enemy rockets).

Originality: 3/10
The games weakness. Thing is, many shooters came before this game, the game is not all that original. More points are marked down due to the fact that this is a movie game, and movie games are NEVER original. I can't stand badmouthing one of my favorite games, so its time to move on.

Difficulty: 10/10
Well, I explained every nook and cranny of the difficulty in my gameplay section, and there is light at the end of this long pointless review, so there is not much to say here.


Replay Value: !!/10

Cha-CHING!!! Here we go ladies and gentlemen! More hyped than Daily Doubles even! The Replay Value in this game is absolutely tremendous! Surpassing even Blast Corps, and Perfect Dark, here is the things that makes this replay value so high''

-Beat game on Agent
-Beat game on Secret Agent and open up Aztec
-Beat Aztec
-Beat game on 00 Agent and open up Egyptian
-Beat Egyptian and open up 007 mode
-Have lots 'o' fun with 007 mode
-Have fun in Multiplayer
-Unlock new Multiplayer levels
-Unlock new Multiplayer characters
-Acquire and have fun with all the cheats
-Beat game on Enemy Rockets
-Get more and more good times
-Come back for more in single player
-Complete ''j_ohanley's challenges'' which is coming soon

Oh yeah...

Buy or Rent? I strongly suggest buying. I guarantee you won't be disappointed, and I have not met ANYONE that the multiplayer hasn't appealed to.


The Final Notes

There are no overall statistics this time, because GameFAQS only allows 16KBs... sorry.

All in all, Goldeneye is a million seller, because it delivers in all possible areas, except originality. There are only a remote few out there that dislike the game at first, and even they eventually begin to appreciate it sooner or latter (wait to go Jerec!).

'Night.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/22/00, Updated 07/22/00