Goldeneye 007
Reviewed by Donald Zhou
This game is awesome. I usually don't like first-person shooters or
"Doom" clones because the gameplay is to dumb. Shoot, back-off,
shoot back-off, that's it. With Goldeneye, however, things changed.
This game blows all other "Doomers" out of the water.
Graphics 9.5
The graphics would have received a 10 except for some little glitches
like fuzziness and slowdown when there is too much action on screen.
Other than that it is an eye candy. Smooth motion-captured movement
and texture-mapped faces and characters makes it very believable.
On top of that there is no fog except where it is needed, this plus the
unbelievingly real environment makes graphic a sight to see.
Music Sound/FX 9.8
Unbelievable! Who said you need to have CD's to have excellent sound!
Rare proved them wrong. Most of the music is based on the James Bond
Theme, which is not bad. Each type of music is suited for different
stages. For example in the "get out as fast as you can" stage, the music
is fast and pulsing, while the "stealth and undercover" stage the music
is quiet and dreading. They did good to listen to and set the mode very
well. The sound/FX is not bad either, especially the explosions the
groans and the chattering of machine guns. Each kind of gun sounds
different, you could tell and Uzi from an Ak-47. This and other effects
make this game like no other game.
Guns and Weapons 10
I have to talk about this because without guns and other destructive
devices, there is no first-person shooters. In Goldeneye, the weapon
and guns are not over the top like in Turok or Quake, however, they are
realistic weapons. If you ever wanted to know what is like to shoot an
AK Kalashikov or fire a M-16 now is you chance. Besides, what other
game allow you to drive a tank and run people over with it.
Gameplay 10
Too many "Doom" clones have been killed by one thing, bad gameplay.
What make Goldeneye different? You ask. Everything. First of all this
is not those run around, kill dumb enemies, find the key and exit game.
This game have different mission objectives and as you increase the
difficulty, there are more objectives to complete. Second, the enemies
in this game is smart. For example if you sneak up on a guard standing
on his beat, he seems distracted. He'll scratch his legs, butt, and balls
etc, yawn and even sneeze and as long as you stay hidden, he will not
notice, however, once he spotted you he'll aim first then start shooting,
and to save his own life, he will duck and do combat rolls. When he is hit,
he'll do different death animations. Hit them in the head they'll drop
straight down. Knock'em in the arms or legs will cause them pain but won't
kill them, so you better aim for the vitals. Third, anybody who goes around
places shooting stuff like Rambo will get killed instantly. This game
demand strategies and a presence of mind, something sorely lacking in
other "Doom" clones. Remember, James Bond is a spy, not a space marine,
in certain situations stealth is better than brute force, especially since
the guards could "hear" what you are doing. Pumping Ak-47 in a crowded
room will instantly bring Russian special forces on your head, stay quiet
and use your trusty PPK with a silencer, and nobody will notice you are
there with them. Finally, another word of caution. Don't be trigger happy.
There are certain things and people you just can't shoot! For example, in a
certain stage there is a double agent you must contact first in order to
receive an important piece of equipment to complete the stage. If you go
on a rampage and kill him, OOPPS you just failed and have to start all
over again! In other places there are vital computers to download and
equipment to photograph or recover. Destroy these and you will be very
sorry. So keep you wits and mind around you and think before you act! All
I could say is go out and buy this game. It is too cool! This the best game
for 1997 and EGM agreed. And wait till you discover the multi-player mode.
This is the best. I still remember one memorable night in which I brought
this game to one of my friend house and didn't stop killing each other for
six hours! So if you want to be Bond, James Bond (and who doesn't) than slap
on you tux, holster your PPK, grab a vodka martini (shaken, not stirred, of
course) and put this game on your N64 and watch the fireworks.