GoldenEye 007, which originally came out on the Nintendo 64 back in 1997, has a roster of memorable weapons, and an expert has gone through some of the game's most notable ones, comparing them to real firearms. With it being such an influential and innovative entry in the FPS genre, Rare's adaptation of the 1995 James Bond movie of the same name showed that first-person shooters didn't have to be limited to PC. The game was proof that it was possible for FPS titles to enjoy space on the console market as well.
With GoldenEye 007 now out on Xbox Game Pass and Switch Online, there's been renewed interest in this classic retro game. It also means those who weren't around when the game was first released can see what all the fuss was about. It may have aged significantly over the past two and a half decades, but it's cemented itself as an important contribution to gaming at a time when the industry was moving towards 3D. There are lots of reasons why it still stands out, and some of that is down to its iconic guns.
In a video uploaded to the GameSpot YouTube channel, weapons expert Jonathan Ferguson, who is the Keeper of Firearms & Artillery at the Royal Armouries in Leeds, UK, has been analyzing the weapons in GoldenEye 007. In particular, they were interested in seeing how well the developer was able to simulate the aesthetic of some real world firearms. While Ferguson acknowledged that Rare took liberties, particularly when it came to licensing, they were quite impressed with some of the accuracies. For example, the Klobb, which is named after one of the game's developers, is very similar to the real world VZ Scorpion, which includes the distinctively shaped stock.
Ferguson even talks about the Golden Gun, which is one of the most powerful handguns in all of gaming. Anyone who played the game, or has got back into it since the re-releases, will remember just how deadly this gun was against enemies with its one shot kill.
While the gaming industry has advanced over the years, GoldenEye 007 still holds up for many fans. It may not look pretty, but its ability to retell a digital story of the film it was adapted from, the missions and level design, not to mention its famous multiplayer feature, is what keeps it a talking point to this day, especially among older gamers.
GoldenEye 007 was first released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997, and is now available for Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
