GoldenEye 007
1997
Nintendo 64
**********
Pros: Great engine, Controls, Multiplayer, Replay Value,
Weapons, Cheats, Great Graphics…
Cons: …for the
Time, No Y-Axis Toggle in Multiplayer, Some Characters Not Used Very Well,
Disappointing Soundtrack
While the
PlayStation had a sizable library of good games, it seems that the N64 only had
a handful that stood out. Still, each of
those games was good enough to justify buying the system by itself, and GoldenEye was one of them. I know this makes me sound like a millennial,
but my favorite Bond movie is Goldeneye,
and I like the game more. At a time when
most of us thought that First-Person Shooters were all Wolfenstein/Doom clones, this is the game that taught us that not
all FPS’s are created equal.
This game
revolutionized the genre by introducing it to consoles and making it work. It also added innovations like body-specific
shot points for the NPC’s a la Virtua Cop
(the buttshot was my favorite), improved AI, and a sniper function. The gameplay was a lot freer than previous
FPS games. There were also escort missions in which you had to
protect Natalya (or shoot her if you felt like it). There were also little bits of humor and
small details that made the game that much more enjoyable. Cheats like DK Mode and Paintball Mode added
to the variety. Its multiplayer was
among the most fun gaming experiences I’ve ever had.
Despite
this, a popular sentiment in the gaming community is that it “hasn’t aged well,”
like the gaming equivalent of those people who claim that Citzen Kane is overrated. It’s
like a philologist’s saying “Latin is stupid.”
I can’t imagine such a sentiment being taken this seriously in any other
subculture. Especially one that revolves
around something as impractical and entertaining as video games. The Ford Model T, for example, is obsolete by all practical
means, but I don’t see how that principle can apply to a video game. The only things
I would say have aged about this game are the graphics, which looked amazing on
a console by 1997 standards.
 |
| "OMG they look just like real people!" -Us in 1997. Seriously. |
While there is noticeable lag when too much happens on
the screen (or when you fire closer to a wall), I’ve never understood
complaints about framerates (a rant for another day).
Controls
were the primary challenge in transferring FPS’s to consoles. Mouse and keyboard controls are ideal in these games and offer a level precision that console controllers don’t. I for one have never been able to use a
controller unless it’s set to Legacy, so I agree with PC control’s superiority. The N64, however, made this jump possible
with an analog joystick on its criminally underrated controller (that's another rant for
another day). The default control style
of GoldenEye worked well, but it came
with a few options. Players could switch
from Legacy to Standard. The auto-aim
feature was a bit cheap, but it could be turned off. Precision aiming could be achieved in Legacy
with a simple press of the R-Button, which switches the joystick to aiming mode. If anything, having imprecise aiming while in
motion while having to stand to aim is more realistic to me. While people complained about
strafing/looking with the C-Buttons. I
liked using strafing while running to move more precisely without accidentally
looking up. I like PC FPS control style
as much as the next person, but I love the chaotic run-and-gun style GoldenEye and Perfect Dark encouraged. The
double controller styles were an awkward solution to anyone who really wanted a dual
joystick control. The only substantial
complaint I have about the controls is that the multiplayer lacks an option for
uninverted Y-Axis. It’s important to
have this as an option, but I’ve never understood why other people prefer
it. Joysticks are supposed to have inverted Y-Axes, people. They’re freakin’ joysticks.
 |
The crown jewel of this game was the
multiplayer. It was added as an afterthought,
which is surprising considering how well-executed it was. Taking advantage of a four way split-screen,
it introduced FPS multiplayers to the majority of us. While many of the maps in multiplayer were
taken from campaign mode, there were a few multiplayer maps that were very well-designed. The best ones were the Library/Stack, the
Complex, the Temple, and the misunderstood Caves. I’ve never understood what people see in the
Facility. It was a campaign map that was
far too linear to be good for multiplayer, and those annoying doors didn’t
help, either. The canning room at the end
might have been a good place for a fight, but that’s the part that was cut out for
memory conservation. Matches were
limited by kills or time limit. In
addition to the option of teams, the multiplayer mode offered various fun
scenarios such as License to Kill (one shot = one kill), The
Living Daylights (an unarmed player carries a flag for the longest period), and The Man with the Golden Gun (a single instant kill weapon on the map).
GoldenEye’s weaponry was also a departure from what most people were used
to. In addition to popularizing
reloading and sniper rifles, the arsenal was based on specific
real-world firearms. Most FPS’s at the
time would have one generic representative for each class of weapon. GoldenEye
featured multiple pistols, submachine guns, and rifles, each with its own
advantages, disadvantages and “personality.”
Types of ammunition, like “pistol” and “rifle,” could only be used in
their respective class of weapon. There
were some inaccuracies, though. The
ammunition magically transferred to the magazines of whatever gun Bond was
using at the time, and a tactical reload did not retain the cartridge in the
chamber. Also, the ammunition
compatibility did not take into account the real life calibers of the
guns. The only guns in the game that are
actually share a cartridge in real life are the D5K, the Phantom, the ZMG,
and maybe the DD44 (I assume the Klobb is a .32 variant). The game also offered dual wield with some
weapons, but unfortunately not in multiplayer.
Campaign
mode mostly follows the movie’s plot with some changes in order to include Bond
in all the major events. The Agent,
Secret Agent, and 00 Agent are difficulty settings with added objectives. Beating a certain level on a certain
difficulty within a certain time limit unlocks cheats. Beating the game on Secret Agent and 00 Agent
unlocked two bonus levels, one based on Moonraker
and an Egyptian themed one with Baron Samedi and the Golden Gun. M, Q, Moneypenny, and Jack Wade are visually
absent during the whole game, but they communicate with you in text. Some of their comments in the briefing are
amusing. Some of these briefings even in the middle of a mission in which it doesn’t make sense in
universe to be briefed. Moneypenny’s
comments are either funny or they’re contrived double-entendres; almost all of
them are borderline yandere.
Because
the game was based on a movie, the story and characters shouldn’t be too much to
comment on, but there is at least one change that bugs me: Natalya. Natalya is my favorite Bond girl because she
was the most like a co-protagonist in any Bond movie. She had independent motivation, possessed a fleshed-out
personality, was skilled, and she was and was refreshingly non-sexualized. She still had to get banged by Bond in the
end, which was supposedly mandatory for the franchise. In the game, she’s kind of an idiot. Most of this is understandable in terms of
AI, and this helplessness is particularly
apparent in the infamous Control climax. In the movie she's alone until she meets Bond in St. Petersburg, but in the game she meets him at Severanaya and foolishly leaves the safety of MI6's protection to go to St. Petersburg.
Her relationship with Boris is turned on its head. In the movie, Boris betrays his country, sets
up Natalya and his other coworkers for a violent massacre (killing Natalya’s
best friend in the process), kidnaps her again for another attempted murder,
and is helping a terrorist organization kill millions while destabilizing world
order. So what does Natalya do when she
first sees Boris after the kidnapping?
She comes at him and beats the
shit out him while he cries like a bitch. What does she do in the
game? Well when you encounter Boris in
Control if you murder him, kill him in self-defense when he pulls a gun, or
simply scare him by firing a gun in his
presence, she refuses to help you
save the world and you fail the mission.
Granted, the story is modified so that her history with Boris is *less*
negative, but still.
 |
| Movie Natalya >>>>>> 64 Natalya |
Various
characters from the franchise appear as playable characters in the multiplayer,
but there are many conspicuously missing.
The campaign mode characters are all there, plus Oddjob, Jaws, Mayday,
and Baron Samedi. I would have liked to
see Dr. No, Rosa Klebb, Goldfinger, Mr. Wint, Mr. Kidd, Blofeld, Zorin, and
Scaramanga. Blofeld could have been
rendered with a cat in one hand, or they could have made Flag Tag mode a Carry
the Persian Cat mode. Scaramanga’s
absence is particularly distracting considering how the Golden Gun plays a
major role in a bonus level in which he is only mentioned in the briefing and
then replaced in the game by Baron Samedi.
I assume most of these omissions were for legal reasons, but maybe they
were afraid that putting Christopher Lee in this game would have created a black hole
of awesomeness that would have destroyed the world.
I would
have preferred different designs on some of the playable characters as
well. Trevelyan (my personal pick
because I love Sean Bean) and Mishkin wear bland black suits instead of
something nicer. Xenia and May Day would
have looked much better dressed up rather than dressed down. Then again some of these designs were
demanded by the story mode...but then again Xenia didn't have a belly shirt in that scene. Now it’s
time to address the elephant hyrax in the room: Oddjob. Why did they make him so short? Harold Sakata’s 5’10’’ height was hardly aberrant
enough to justify such a game-breaking model, and few would have noticed if he
was no shorter than anyone else. So why
make a character whom many would love to play as taboo? An unfairly short character could have been
useful for a team vs one battle, but then they could have used Nick Nack.
Another
minor gripe I have about the game is the soundtrack. It’s pretty good, but it could have been a lot
better. The composers Grant Kirkhope and
Graeme Norgate went on to make much better original scores for Perfect Dark and the Timesplitters series, but here they
mostly stuck to remixes of the Bond theme.
This is unfortunate considering that this film series has a cornucopia of great, iconic songs to work with.
Even more frustrating is that the game at no point features the theme for the movie it’s based on, even though it’s the best one. The multiplayer has a few very enjoyable tracks (especially “Go, Dog, Go”), but until youtube you had no control
over which of these tracks you got to hear.
This is particularly annoying when you get the secondary track from Silo,
which is hardwired to stop after one minute without looping. This is effective in the campaign
mode. In multiplayer, however, you enjoy
one minute of an energetic music only to have to continue the match in awkward
silence. Some of the uncompressed
versions are fun to listen to.
Despite
assertions to the contrary, GoldenEye 007
stands up well and has had a crucial legacy on first-person shooters. David Doak, Ken Lobb, Martin Hollis & Co.
produced a great game, and the team went on to make Perfect Dark, a spiritual sequel that did everything a game sequel
should, and the very enjoyable Timesplitters
series. The game’s status has inspired a
few attempts to rekindle the nostalgia, such as the mediocre GoldenEye: Rogue Agent and the generic GoldenEye Wii. One successful attempt was the GoldenEye Source mod.
WEAPONS
Without a weapon to defend yourself, you apparently you
“slap” your enemies to death. This would
be a lot funnier if the animation didn’t look more like a karate chop. The feature might be amusing on multiplayer,
which features an unarmed combat option amusingly labeled “Slappers Only!”
7/800 Pistol Rounds
Penetration: Low
Based On: Walther PPK
A serviceable basic weapon. Comes silenced in some boards so as not to
alert the NPC’s so much.
8/800 Pistol Rounds
Penetration: Low
Based On: TT33 Tokarev/Tokagypt 58
Despite popular belief, it’s no more powerful than the
PP7. It’s louder and marginally less
accurate as well, but the extra round more than makes up for that. It’s a remarkably handsome weapon that looks
much better than its real-life counterpart.
Unfortunately, it lacks the Tokarev’s penetrative capabilities. Overall, it’s more satisfying than the
PP7.
6/200 Magnum Rounds
Penetration: High
Based On: Ruger Blackhawk/”Cougar”
Very powerful and effective revolver, but the slow rate
of fire balances that out a bit.
20/800 Pistol Rounds
Penetration: Low
Based On: Škorpion Sa. Vz. 61
The worst gun in the game. Was originally called the "Spyder," but they decided to "honor" team member Ken Lobb by naming the gun after him. You’d think there’d be some trade-off, but it
sucks at everything. It has the shortest
magazine of any submachine gun. It has
no stopping power. It’s ridiculously
inaccurate. I also has a relatively low
rate of fire for a fully auto weapon, even though the sound effect sounds
faster. Still, it can be used passably
on dual wield or License to Kill, and it’s perversely fun to watch the NPCs “dance” as they’re
riddled with the absurd amount of ammunition it takes to take them down. It might be more fun in multiplayer if it was
available as the only weapon, but only a truly brave person would use it
against any other player who’s not unarmed.
It makes a cool sound, though.
30/800 Pistol Rounds
Penetration: Low
Based On: Heckler & Koch MP5K
A decent gun, even if the rate of fire is slightly
slow. Makes a distinctive sound. In one board it comes with a silencer and you
start off with a 20 round magazine.
32/800 Pistol Rounds
Penetration: Low
Based On: IMI Micro-Uzi
Very high rate of fire.
Especially effective when dual-wielded.
50/800 Pistol Rounds
Penetration: Low
Based On: SITES Spectre M4
The second-best SMG in the game. It’s powerful and has a relatively large
magazine with the ability to be dual-wielded.
Unfortunately, it was only around in one board and was unavailable in
multiplayer. The instruction manual
describes it as “a terrorist favorite” and “no subtlety here.” It can be suppressed and it doesn’t seem to
be too popular in general.
80/800 Pistol Rounds
Penetration: High
Based On: Fabrique Nationale FN-P90
The best gun in the game.
Great rate of fire, a huge magazine, good stopping power, and
penetration. Its wood trim clashes with
its more futuristic appearance in real life.
Thanks to a programming error, it has an
80-round magazine as a opposed to a 50-round mag. It also infamously ejects rounds to the side
instead of from the bottom like in real life.
It also has one of the best sound effects for any video game gun: an intimidating scream
of rage in the form of a gun report. In
real life, it just sounds like a normal machine gun. That was
like finding out that Santa Claus wasn’t real.
50/400 Rifle Rounds
Penetration: Low
Based On: AKS-74
A decent assault rifle.
Basically an average submachine gun with a scope.
30/400 Rifle Rounds
Penetration: High
Based On: M16
Far more powerful and fun than the KF7. Makes a great sound, and the muzzle flash adds to the intimidation factor
8/400 Rifle Rounds
Penetration: Low
Based On: N/A, but scope appears to based on one from The Living Daylights
The ability to snipe your enemies from so far away with a
ridiculously powerful scope in a video game was amazing in 1997. Not much use in multiplayer, though.
5/100 Shotgun Cartridges
Penetration: Low
Based On: Franchi SPAS-12 (?)
Simulated a shotgun but firing five scattered rounds at a
time. Very powerful for each shot, but
very slow and impractical.
5/100 Shotgun Cartridges
Penetration: Low
Based On: N/A, Remington 870 (?)
Only available using cheats, the shotgun is an inferior
version of the automatic shotgun that only distinguishes itself with a cool sound.
1/100 Golden Bullets
Penetration: Low
Based On: The Golden Gun
Single-shot, but a guaranteed kill with each hit. A great high-risk/high reward gun for
multiplayer matches.
7/800 Pistol Bullets
Penetration: High
A PP7 with the penetration and power of the Cougar
Magnum. Never found out that it was
supposed to be a combination of the two until now.
7/800 Pistol Bullets
Penetration: Low
A PP7 with the one-hit kill feature of the Golden
Gun. Lacks the gameplay balance,
though.
13 Grenades
Inaccurate and relatively pointless. I almost never use them.
11 Timed Mines
A limpet mine with a 5-second fuse. Almost never used these either.
11 Proximity Mines
A limpet mine with a motion senor that would blow up
whomever came near it. Very fun to use
in multiplayer. It didn’t know the
difference between friend and foe so be careful with them. Unlike the movie mines they were based on,
they were very hard to spot when they were planted, making them a devious
weapon.
11 Remote Mines
A very useful weapon.
Can be detonated after switching to a watch detonator or, preferably, by
pressing A and B simultaneously. Can be
set up in multiplayer to be detonated at any time or can be detonated in midair
while being thrown at someone. Based on
the remote mines from the movie, only a lot more metallic and less
clunky-looking.
1/3 Rockets
Self-explanatory.
A fun, effective weapon. More
effective than the Grenade Launcher if you didn’t have the high-ground.
6/12 Grenade Rounds
One of the more fun multiplayer weapons. Grenades ricochet on most walls and ceilings,
adding an interesting dynamic to deathmatches.
50 Tank Shells
Based On: KhPZ T-54 Tank
By some quirk, an invisible tank cannon is available on
the all-weapons cheat. It just fires the
tank shell and blows people up. Not as
amusing as the tank itself, which you can flatten people with.
1000 Shots
Based On: Omega Seamaster Watch
Used on Train to break through a trap door, but can be
used as a short range weapon. Not that
you want to waste the mission-critical energy.
Unlimited Shots
Based On: Moonraker Laser
Not that fun, unless you dual wield and are lucky enough
to get the satisfying alternating fire noise.
It’s only real advantage is the unlimited ammo.
Unlimited Shots
Unlike a real taser, it kills people and leaves bullet
holes in the wall. It fires very
slowly. Amusingly, it’s labeled as
“Taser Boy”
HUNTING KNIFE
11 Hunting Knives
11 Hunting Knives
Self-explanatory.
Like slapping except has the damage of a close-range shotgun blast.
11 Throwing Knives
Same except you can throw them. Makes for a challenge.
MEMORABLE QUOTES
NATALYA: You are a spy and I am a traitor we will be
shot.
BOND: I don’t think so.
I have a cunning plan.
Guard! My stomach hurts. I’m going to be sick.
JAILER: <sigh> You must think I was born yesterday.
NATALYA: That worked well.
BOND: I’m really ill.
Open the cell door!
JAILER: Shut up!
Don’t bother me again!
[Bond uses magnetized watch to take Jailer's key]
BOND: What’s in for you, Valentin?
VALENTIN: Business is business, Mr. Bond. I like to see my competitors out of action.
ALEC: I was always better, James.
M BRIEFING (DAM): The area around the dam is well
defended against full scale military attack but a lone agent stands a much
better chance. The easiest way to gain
entrance to the weapons factory will be to get down the face of the dam.
Q had an idea about that.
M BRIEFING (FACILITY): There are no women or casinos for
a thousand miles, 007, so even you will be able to concentrate on this mission.
MONEYPENNY (SURFACE 1):
It’s cold in Siberia James. Make
sure you wrap up warm and take care to protect your extremities.
Q BRANCH (SILO): Q The layout of the missile silo means that a few carefully placed explosive charges will destroy the entire complex – concentrate
on the fuel rooms (H4, C3, K2 and A1).
007, remember to treat the temed explosives with respect – you know what
happened to 004 in Beirut.
Oh, and get me a picture of the satellite, there’s a good
chap.
MONEYPENNY (SILO) You leave at 1800 hours for Bishkek
James, just imagine those romantic nights in the
steppes. Lying beneath the stars, the
campfires twinkling on the hills – sounds like heaven. When you’re in the arms of some dusky maiden,
spare a though of poor old me cooped up behind a desk in rainy London.
Q BRANCH (SURFACE 2): Right, I’ve altered a standard mine
to take a ten-second fuse. There’s only one,
so don’t play around with it. That
should take care of their helicopter.
This is a cover op, so I’ve fitted a silencer to your pistol. Satisfied?
No? Well, tough; that’s all you’re
getting.
M BRIEFING (BUNKER 2): Unbelievable, 007. If this gets out we’ll be the laughing stock
of the international community. As soon
as you get back – IF you get back – you’re getting a performance review. Only completing the objectives will give you
a hope of keeping your rather checkered career intact.
M BRIEFING (ARCHIVES): Again? Captured again? I hope you can defend your performance, 007,
because there isn’t a lawyer in the land who’d take on the case.
Q BRANCH (ARCHIVES): Up to you to get out of this one,
007. I can’t hold your hand all the time. By the way, get that flight recorder for me,
would you? Thanks.
MONEYPENNY (ARCHIVES): Banged up again, James? Now you know what it’s like to be trapped
behind a desk, and I’m off out to the theatre with a gentleman tonight. How times change!
MONEYPENNY (DEPOT): Don’t miss your train, James.
MONEYPENNY (TRAIN): That girl, again, James?
MONEYPENNY (JUNGLE): A hot date in the rainforest? With two women! Shame on you, James.
M BRIEFING (CRADLE): You know my feelings about personal
vendettas interfering with mission success, 007. However, in this case, I think we can turn a blind eye to whatever
happens out there. Be careful, and
remember,
- you are licensed
to kill.
