Rare’s GoldenEye 007 turns a movie project into one of the finest shooters ever put on a console. Built for the Nintendo 64, the game takes its story, its villains and its settings from the James Bond film of the same name, then builds missions and a multiplayer mode around them that outlive the film itself.
Mission Design
Each level asks players to do more than fire a gun. Guards must be avoided or dealt with, goals must be found, and rooms reward players who take time to look around them. Difficulty settings change more than enemy health; higher settings add new goals, so the game never feels thin for players who return to it.
The pace moves from quiet caution to open fighting and back again, often within the same level. That balance keeps the campaign from turning into one long straight passage.
Multiplayer on One Screen
The multiplayer mode is where GoldenEye 007 built its reputation. Up to four players can compete on one console, choosing from a roster of characters and a set of guns and arenas drawn from the campaign. Settings for player limits, time limits and gun sets let players shape matches to their own taste.
That freedom, on hardware not built with such play in mind, gave the game a social life far beyond its main campaign.
Controls and Presentation
The N64 controller was not designed with a shooter in mind, and GoldenEye 007 works around that limit with a control scheme built for the console’s odd shape. Aiming, kneeling and switching guns all sit within reach without feeling tight. The game’s look has aged, with rough character models and dull textures, but level design and lighting still hold up.
By the Numbers
- Platform: Nintendo 64
- Genre: Shooter
- Developer: Rare
- Based on: The James Bond film GoldenEye
- Multiplayer: Up to four players, one screen
Guns feel distinct from one another, each with its own kick and rate of fire, which matters as much in multiplayer as in the campaign.
GoldenEye 007 set a standard that shooters on consoles chased for years afterward. Its missions, its multiplayer mode and its willingness to let players approach goals their own way still hold up.
