Game Highlight #2

Goldeneye 007

Rated worldwide as one of the best video games ever made,

(It was even in it's own display cabinet in a video game shop in Majorca last year!), and even more widely known as the best multiplayer game to have ever existed!

Goldeneye 007 makes it straight to this weeks "Game Of The Week".

First off...you don't even have to like the James Bond series to enjoy playing, quite simply,

Goldeneye 007 is just a great game to pickup and play.

Whether it's the single player or multiplayer mode you choose, it promises hours of fun, even 17 years after it's release date.

On the other hand, if you are a bit of a Bond fan then this is probably the closest you'll ever get to be him (sorry to break it to you).

In comparison to the earlier video games such as those released on the GameBoy, Megadrive and Master System etc. the game features various remixes of the James Bond theme, as well as dramatic and tense orchestral scores which really make you feel as if you're playing through the actual film...why they haven't done this in the later video game releases, I'll never know?

So overall then, what makes this game so utterly fantastic?

Guns, Girls & Martini...

Well, strictly speaking it doesn't feature Bond having a "shaken not stirred" Martini in the game,

but it does stick very closely to Bonds other traits.

There are guns, and there are girls in the game.

Most notably, Natalia Simonova who (if you've seen the film) is a programmer for the Russian Space Forces teams up with Bond to help stop Trevelyan's fiendish plans.

As you play through certain levels (in this example "Jungle") you'll be fighting alongside Natalya, who provides assistance in helping you take out the enemies. The only thing to be wary of is Natalya's health...if she's shot, then game over! you must restart the level again.

On one hand it's good that the game has stuck true to the film, and it's also good to see Bond not acting solo for a change...on the other hand, having Natalya can be a bit of a chore in the sense that you must ensure she doesn't run on ahead and get killed.

Going back to the first point on this sections heading "Guns", Goldeneye 007 provides you with a good range of weaponry...it's not packed full of guns and weaponry, but it certainly isn't skimpy.

The most commonly recognised gun in the game is of course Bonds signature weapon of choice...the Walther PPK.

It's simple, powerful enough to take down the enemies, and of course provides you as the gamer a more realistic and closer attachment as Bond.

Of course, there are more guns in the game that become available as you play through, for example the KF7 Soviet, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle etc. and my personal favourite, the "Klobb" (best used as a pair!).

The Soundtrack...

Goldeneye 007's soundtrack is my personal all-time favourite.

For those of you that have never played the game, it's not just your typical action sounding orchestral score...this soundtrack depicts Bond as a true secret agent / badass!

Chemical Facility is one of my prized levels, purely because of the music.

It's a grungy, dark and adrenaline filled version of the Bond theme which as a whole always makes me feel pumped up and ready to tear through the level (starting of course with shooting the hat off of the soldier in the toilet). But it's not just the Chemical Facility levels audio that makes the game great...Statue is truly horrifying!

I'll be honest, I'm not one that get's easily frightened when playing video games, but the dark eeriness of an empty park filled with statues of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin with enemies jumping out of nowhere attacking you...all the while with a scary booming orchestral score playing, really made me think twice about playing Goldeneye with no lights on again!

Though I could spend a lot longer describing the soundtrack to Goldeneye, I'm going to decide to wrap it up there.

As a whole, the music suits the atmosphere of the level you're playing and is very well composed and implemented into the game...honestly though, play through statue and comment back telling me that you honestly didn't feel even the slightest chill...I'll be impressed!

Multiplayer Mode...

Long before the day's of talking via a headset, using an onscreen keyboard or any other form of chat over a network, multiplayer with you and 3 others meant splitting the TV screen into 4 mini screens. Back in the 90's when we had huge great analogue TV sets with small displays, this was a huge pain to setup...especially when the TV set's had really long backs and lunging over them blindly to try and plug a scart lead in was a mission itself!

However, spending 20 minutes of arm aching pain to try and plug the video lead in or searching through the analogue TV's frequency to pickup the aerial connection from the N64 to the TV was totally worth it in Goldeneye's case.

There are a choice of 35 characters to play as, 12 of them being the most recognisable from the Bond series. Baron Samedi, Oddjob, MayDay and probably everybody's favourite villain turned allie...Jaws.

Multiplayer mode is packed full of different weapons, huge levels and evenings full of entertainment, it's not a multiplayer game where you can camp or hide and lay low etc. it's fast paced and crazy fun!

So now you know a general overview of Goldneye 007 and what the game is like, we'll have a talk about what you do in the levels.

Goldeneye is no exception to the typical "objective based" levels that so many games feature.

Before you begin a level, you're tasked with a set amount of objectives that you must complete.

Of course, should you miss an objective or ignore it, then the mission is over and you will have to restart the level from scratch because of that failure.

Aside this, the number of objectives and of course the difficulty of completing the tasks is dependant on what level you have the game set to i.e. agent, secret agent or 00 agent.

Shown right is Alec Trevelyan, who (if you've

seen the film) is played by Sean Bean.

Rare have done their very best in matching the characters to their real likeness, and again it makes the game feel far more closer to the film than later game instalments have.

Agent under fire for example...who was that Bond supposed to be?

Graphics...

6/10 - Ouch, it may sound quite hurtful to give the almighty Goldeneye 007 a low score in it's graphics quality, but remember...it's a game released way back in 1997. It hasn't aged well, and it really isn't great in it's graphic abilities. That aside, I will admit that the textures and patterns used in the game as well as the animation are good and it makes for smooth gameplay even when confronted with a big bunch of enemies.

When COMPLETELY surrounded by enemies, explosions, fire and gas etc. ...you'll notice a slow down in the gameplay, and yes, lag will happen.

It's important to remember that it's a 17 year old game and therefore it doesn't have enough power to keep up with the rendering of the display.

On a more positive note however, the colours in the game are vivid and the shading has been done well (just look at the canisters behind Trevelyan).

Sounds...

9/10 - Goldeneye as I mentioned earlier, has a wonderful soundtrack to it and in my opinion makes up for at least 25% of this games greatness.

From it's tense, suspense and action packed orchestral scores, to the darker, grittier and scarier music in the case of statue. The audio really adds to the feel of Bond and the missions he must complete.

Now in terms of sounds, the gun noises are realistic and it's actually pretty cool to hear the ricochet of bullets bouncing off of walls (a sound that many games don't include). Besides these, the footsteps in snow, computer terminals and glass shattering etc. are all included and close to how it would sound in real life...a big well done to the sound team, it's made up of many elements to make this shooter that evermore popular.

Controls & Gameplay...

8/10 - Controls on an N64 controller as a whole aren't fantastic...it's an awkward design if you're new to the console, but Goldeneye seems to optimise what it has...and does it well.

There are many different control options to set to help you get the best feel for the game that's right for you. These can be found in the games menu...or Bond's watch.

I would recommend solitaire if you're new to the N64, otherwise, play about and see what's best for you.

Gameplay is moderately paced, plenty of levels and fun AI...they're not the most intelligent AI on the planet, but it is fun, and they do pull of some sneaky moves (standing behind boxes, rolling toward you or running to gain additional help are all part of their master plan!).

Of course, playing as Bond you do also get gadgets to help you out along the way.

The laser watch, remote mines with detonator etc. all aid you in the field and makes for a more interesting and "secret agent" like feel for the game.

To wrap up, if you haven't played Goldeneye 007, it's one of those games you must play before you die!

It's fast, fluid, packed full of fun, and did I mention the amazing soundtrack?

For a mere £6 for the cartridge alone or (if you're a collector like myself) £15 for the game fully boxed with the manual, it's a small price to pay for so much hours on end fun that you'll get back in return!