Goldeneye 007
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| Goldeneye 007 | |
| Developer | Rare |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| System | Nintendo 64 |
| Release Date | Nintendo 64 JP August 23, 1997 US August 25, 1997 EU August 25, 1997 AU August 25, 1997 |
| Rating | ESRB: T |
Goldeneye 007 is a first-person shooter based on the movie of the same name. It was notable as a rare example of a highly acclaimed game based on a movie and one of the first examples of a quality first-person shooter on a home console.
Development[edit]
This game was originally conceived as a rail shooter for the Super NES. Goldeneye took two and half years to develop. The first year and a half was spent building the game engine, created art assets, and developing enemy AI.
Story[edit]
The game starts in the year 1980, when M16 has uncovered chemical weapons at the Byelomorye Dam in the USSR. As James Bond, the player must infiltrate the facility by bungee jumping of the dam and meet up with fellow agent, Alec Trevelyan. From there, James Bond engages in a number of other missions set in the 1990s while investigating the launch of a powerful satellite known as GoldenEye.
Gameplay[edit]
The game is made up of twenty different missions, each available at Agent, Secret Agent, 00-Agent, and 007 difficulty. 007 difficulty is customizable and only available after beating the entire game at 00-Agent difficulty. Each difficulty level gives the player new objectives to complete.
Goldeneye was one of the first FPS's to let the player do different amounts of damage depending on what part of the body and what side of the body you attack. Stealth was also encouraged by letting the player shoot security cameras and alarms. There were also cheats available if the player managed to beat the level within a certain time limit.
Perhaps the most popular feature of Goldeneye is its multiplayer. Players can choose from 31 characters (only 12 are unlockable at first), 11 arenas, and several weapon sets. The modes of play include Normal (the typical death match), You Only Live Twice (death match with two lives), The Living Daylights (hold the flag the longest), The Man with the Golden Gun (Death match with a gun that kills with one shot), and License to Kill (all attacks kill in one hit).
Legacy[edit]
The engine used to create Goldeneye was reused to create Perfect Dark, so it is considered its spiritual successor.
Ports/Remakes[edit]
- It was remade for release on the Nintendo Wii. This version was developed by Activision and featured Daniel Craig (James Bond's actor at the time) as James Bond's model in place of Pierce Brosnan (who played Bond in the original Goldeneye movie).
- In 2023 (January for America and Europe, November for Japan), the game was added to the Nintendo Switch's digital library of Nintendo 64 games for subscribers of the Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack service. In Japan, it was only available through an 18+ version of the app that was established for the release of this game and Jet Force Gemini.
- The game was also made available through Xbox Gamepass in January 2023.
Sequels[edit]
The James Bond license was bought by Electronic Arts after Goldeneye. The next Bond game was Tomorrow Never Dies.