Introduction: Back in 1997, when the N64 was still looking promising, a game was released that broke through into the American market and caused a new generation of Nintendo fans to be born. This title is none other than, Goldeneye 007. Released to support the movie by the same name, not much was expected of Rare' new title, as movie based video games never have high expectations. But after playing it just once, everyone realized that they were experiencing a true piece of gaming art.

Review: This game can be summed up easily. Take rather simple but crafty graphics(at least for the time it was released), excellent gameplay, James Bond, and a kick-ass arsenal of weapons at your disposal, and you have Goldeneye. This game doesn't have the best plot developement(its based on the plot from the movie), but definitely makes up for it with it's stylish gameplay. The controls are simple and anyone, unless you don't have hands, can master them with ease. The Story mode is very extensive and provides ours of shoot-em-up action and some light problem solving from the legendary agent himself, James Bond. You can choose from three difficulty levels(most people try to beat the game with all three). You will find that the first mission is rather simple but expect the following one' to increase in difficulty. Each mission entails several objectives and some require you to pass the level in a given time limit. Throughout the game, you must shoot and sometimes sneak yourself through rather large 3D enviroments. An array of weaponery, including rocket/grenade launchers, several different hand guns, mines, lasers, and shotguns(to name a few), allows you to kill the henchmen that stand in your way and move on to the next level. At some points, you can pick up two different weapons at once and deliver ultimate damage. Like an RCP90 in one hand and a grenade launcher in the other. The entire game includes levels with two secret levels that must be unlocked. Completeing all of the objectives on all of the difficulty levels is very gratifying. The game ends with a sequence of Bond making-out with the heroin and the credits rolling in the foreground.

Now, here is the reason this game is so great. The Multiplayer Mode. What's better than walking around with grenades and shotguns and mines blowing the crap out of everything you see? Simple. Walking around with grenades and shotguns and mines blowing the crap out of your friends. In Multiplayer Mode, you can do this too. After, selecting your characters(you can choose from Bond, his team, the villians, and tons of extras like guards) you will then pick from any of the levels available. You unlock levels by clearing them in Story Mode. Some are very large realistic enviroments, and some are very small. In the case of a small enviroment, the best way to win is pack up with a rocket launcher, stroll in to the center of the level, and blow everything to hell. To protect yourself, just like in Story Mode, you can pick up armor. There are usually two or three spots on each level with armor. Before starting the fiasco, you are also asked to select the weapons used, the combat style, and the time limit. Personally, I prefer the best of five kills mode. After that, go kill your buddies. In the game I mean. Not in reality. I don't want to be charged with accessory to mass murder.

There are only a few downsides to this game. (1) The sound could use some work. The soundtrack includes some classic "Bond" themes, but is rather redundant. I wish the music would interact with the enviroment more. As far as fx effects are concerned, not too shabby. Obviously its a cartridge and cannot produce more life-like sounds though. (2) The enviroments are not as interactive as say, Perfect Dark' is. More often than not, when you walk up to a ledge and look down, you cannot fall off of it. It's like there is an invisible energy field protecting sprites from falling off ledges. But this is an insignificant downfall and sometimes not even noticeable.

Conclusion: That is all I really have to say about this ground-breaking game. One other noteable fact is the internal memory. That is one reason people stuck with the console. No memory cards needed with this title. Unfortunately, Goldeneye 007 has yet to be emulated up to everyone's standards. It runs slow with many graphics errors unless you have a really fast computer and an expensive video card. But you can still download it at Emuparadise. So enjoy.

Ratings: (scale of 0.0 - 5.0)