Goldeneye: Without you my N64 would be in the Dumpster

Intro:

I haven’t written anything on the N64 since last December, but even that’s not saying much since I don’t write as much as I did before. So I’ve decided to make this my second to the last game review for the system, and what better way to go out then with Goldeneye. This was the first game that I bought for the system and I’m surprised that I still own it.

Gameplay:

Ok, I know there are hundreds of reviews that have covered Goldeneye’s gameplay to the bone, so this review isn’t going to be long (in other words this is an excuse for being lazy). Anyway, Goldeneye is a first-person shooter that features the man himself, James Bond. Yeah you heard right, James Bond, that loveable secret agent that always seem to save the world. As for the game itself, it's almost like the movie

In the one-player mode you go through levels completing various missions. There are a number of difficulty settings to choose from and each one plays differently. Missions vary greatly and every level seems to offer something new. Save hostages, take pictures of top-secret projects, sneak into enemy head quarters, find objects, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I won't go into great detail.

Weapons and gadgets are a big part of the game too. Some levels give you a couple weapons to start out with, but most give you the PP something silencer as your first weapon. As you progress further in the levels you can pick up deadlier toys like hand grenades, sniper rifles, automatic rifles, and remote mines.

Enemy A.I. is pretty good too. In most games enemies usually just come running at you waiting to be killed. Although that happens in Goldeneye too, at least some baddies have common sense. In stealthy levels enemies will react to the sound of a gun going off, press alarms to alert everyone, or pull off physical maneuvers to get a shot at you. Speaking of stealth you can find a nice amount of it in this game. You have to take out surveillance cameras and pesky soldiers that will cause trouble in the future.

Besides the challenging single player mode you got the highly addictive multiplayer mode. This mode alone is worth the game. Up to 4-players can play and kill the hell out of each other. Of course there are various match types like the plain death match, golden gun, and capture the flag. No matter which mode you select, you’re going to have a blast. I mean who wouldn’t, when you have a bunch of crazy weapons and cool arenas. The beauty about these games is that it becomes one big competition to see who is the best player.

Graphics:

This is a pretty old N64 game, but it still looks good. The levels are carefully crafted and bring back nice scenes from the movie. There are also a good variety of locations like underground caverns, military bases, a boat, and a jungle. Characters animations are also pretty cool. When enemies are shot they will react by holding the spot where they got shot. The framerate is perhaps the game’s biggest graphically flaw. Although most of the game runs at a good speed, problems occur during big explosions or when too much is happening on screen. What’s even more annoying is that the screen decreases its size when this stuff occurs too. At first it’s a little bothersome but sooner or later you won’t even notice it.

Sound:

It’s you typical Goldeneye soundtrack. The opening intro demonstrates this well. The in-game music is decent, but way too repetitive for my tastes. Sound effects are superb. Each gun has it’s own specific sound, and explosions sound sweet. The lack of voice-overs was disappointing, but it didn’t really matter since the story was pretty weak.

Overall:

Goldeneye is one of my favorite games for the N64, as well as one of my favorite FPS. The game offers a lot when it comes to replay value and multiplayer competition. Graphics are good as well as the sound. Control is solid and easy to get the hang of. Levels are diverse and the various difficulty settings make the game a good challenge. Goldeneye is definitely a classic worth owning.