GoldenEye 007 is now more accessible thanks to its re-release on Nintendo Switch Online and Xbox One and Series S/X. Many younger gamers might not be accustomed to this type of first-person shooter. Even those who played it back in the day might have forgotten how it controls or perhaps have some complaints about how the button layout translates to the newer controllers.
However, no one should let this get in the way of just how revolutionary the game was when it came out in 1997. In fact, a lot of what made GoldenEye 007 great still resonates today. Even with its age, it is still easy to see why this adaptation of the bond movie is still so special and still has value in the modern gaming landscape.
8 Mission Design
GoldenEye's objectives are clearly defined for the player, but there are no waypoints or clear instructions on how to do them. Problem-solving and exploration are required to find out where one needs to go or which switches to activate.
If players fail an objective they fail the mission, but the gameplay still continues until Bond exits the level or dies. To add to the complexity of the missions, each difficulty mode adds more objectives to further make players familiarize themselves with the areas.
7 Arsenal
Most missions start players off with the Silenced PP7 and additional weapons are found on the map or from enemies' dead bodies. Every class of weapon has numerous variations and some weapons only show up in one or two levels. Fortunately, multiplayer allows players to further experiment with rarer guns depending on the loadouts.
The number of weapons available to use is impressive not only by the standards of the time but also compared to modern FPS games. Attachments and customization do not exist, but every gun has a distinct personality and feel.
6 Level Design
Before GoldenEye, first-person shooter levels felt like mazes where it was easy to get turned around. Modern games, on the other hand, are linear and clearly mark where players should go.
GoldenEye hits this perfect balance with big levels that force players to figure out where to go themselves with some contextual clues. More importantly, every level feels like a real place people would live and exist in with bathrooms and details irrelevant to the actual mission.
5 Interactive Environments
As beautiful as some games are today, environments can feel static and lifeless. GoldenEye does not have the same level of interactivity as games like Crysis but a fair amount of the environments are destructible, from boxes to tables and bookshelves.
A couple of levels even have a tank Bond can jump into to cause some destruction. This all lends to the levels feeling alive and the sense of immersion for which the game is praised.
4 Animations
The enemies in GoldenEye are remarkably lively for the N64. They react to every gunshot wound and will roll and sidestep to avoid bullets and get into a firing position. Then there are the death animations.
Ragdoll physics was not common back then so no one should expect to see them here, but the feature is not missed when the enemies die like they do in GoldenEye. Some of the deaths are quick and visceral drops to the floor while others are long and drawn out. A particularly nice one is when the guard grabs their throat and slowly drops to their knees.
3 The Aesthetic
When a game is designed as an adaptation, a huge goal is to make players feel like they are in the shoes of the character in the world. This is particularly important with James Bond because who among the masses does not want to role-play as a secret agent?
Despite being a first-person shooter where the protagonist is rarely seen, GoldenEye 007 feels like Bond more than most other games based on the franchise. It's all in the music, art, weapons, and HUD. The pause menu alone accomplishes this with the character looking at his watch to freeze the gameplay.
2 Multiplayer
It's difficult to describe the phenomenon of the four-player split-screen in GoldenEye 007 to those who were not there. Today, it might not seem like it would be fun to play, but it is surprisingly easy to get hooked on again if someone has three other friends to play with.
It's clearly a predecessor to the multiplayer mayhem of Perfect Dark and TimeSplitters, though with fewer customization options. Because it is so unique when compared to modern FPS juggernauts like Call of Duty and Fortnite, GoldenEye manages to stay fresh with its slower pace and lower player count.
1 Music
Music is often an underappreciated part of any game or movie. It is front and center in GoldenEye 007. The game almost immediately greets players with a bombastic rendition of the theme.
Each level is adorned with slick tunes by Grant Kirkhope and Graeme Norgate (with a small contribution from Robin Beanland as well). It is mostly original tunes but has a similar vibe to the movie. Depending on the level, the songs are either low-key jams or fast and hectic. The pause menu music has become memetic for its smooth arrangement of the main theme.
Goldeneye 007 is available on Nintendo 64, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.