| Until Rare released this game in 1997, the N64 was a barren desert devoid of any decent N64 first person shooters (FPS�s). Quake and Doom were both PC releases and only had a certain following - the one thing they did prove was that the door was open to improve the formula� and Goldeneye did it down to a tee. You could tell from the very first seconds of the game that it was a true winner. The impressive opening sequence is very true to the real life Bond films, and the music is spot on. However, it is when you get inside the game itself that the fun really begins. The graphics are crisp and crystal clear (unlike some other FPS�s on the N64�) and the controls are instinctive and remarkably easy to grasp and make you feel at home straight away. The aiming function is concise and a joy to use, the guns are well rendered and extremely realistic, and the sound is simply incredible. The music is atmospheric and not dull in the slightest, and those guns make a lot of noise! Most notable of all is the artificial intelligence - the guards roll and jump out of the way of danger, and even raise the alarm if you drop your guard. There are 18 film based missions to play through (all of which are extremely loyal to the movie - at times you can recognise the film in the game, and vice versa) and two bonus missions based loosely on other Bond films. There is also a wealth of cheats to obtain by completing certain levels in sometimes very stringent time limits - the invincibility cheat particularly springs to mind here. Somewhat amazingly, if you thought that sounded good, the best is yet to come. The most innovative feature of GoldenEye is its fantastic two to four player deathmatch mode. You can take a role as your favourite Bond character and fight against each other using all the weapons from the game and as much (or as little) strategy as you like. It�s a true winner, and a feature of the game that never ever grows old, no matter how much you play it. The options are endless, and a different challenge awaits you every single time you play it. Best of all, the graphics still remain top-notch and the framerate is unaffected while all of this is going on. Pure genius, a benchmark for all N64 games to aim at, and surely the spark that lit the 64-bit torch - quite simply it�s a must have game that will leave you shaken and undoubtedly stirred. 95% By Martin Goodall |
 |
 |