REVIEW: Goldeneye 007 1997, Nintendo 64
	By: Rare Type: First person shooter Players: 1-4 Difficulty: Hard

Goldeneye, this is the game that brought life back into the genre. There have been countless copys of Goldeneye since it's release some good some bad, it's only really been bettered by the semi sequel the brilliant Perfect Dark. Goldeneye is one of the very few games that has done a good job of a licence, the game looks and feels straight out of a bond movie right down to the gadgets and locations. When you start the game you'll be treated to an opening sequence just like in all the Bond movies with the added atmosphere of the ace Bond tune. The control system in Goldeneye 007 is also very good and fits perfectly to the Nintendo 64 control pad, it plays like a dream. The analogue stick is used to move around but with the c buttons you can strafe which is essential if you want to be good at this game. The A button is used for changing weapons with the R button used for aiming. The B button is used for opening doors and the Z button is perfectly placed to use as a trigger.

The game follows fairly closely to Pierce Brosnans first outing as James Bond, it first starts like the film on the Dam where Bond has to Bungee jump down off the dam. The game has 18 levels and 2 secret levels from old Bond movies for completing the game on the higher difficulty setting, there are three settings from Agent, Secret Agent, and 00 Agent. If you complete the game on all settings aswell as the two secret levels you'll be rewarded with the 007 mode which is a special option which lets you toggle with the enemys health, damage, reaction speed, and accuracy. The game also features some poweful weapons ranging from pistols to automatics, it also has remote mines, grenades,and the ultra powerful RCP-90. Theres nothing like being Bond and picking off your man from far away with your sniper rifle, or going for a sneaky death by using a silencer close up. Also completing levels in set times gives you access to a cheat option which lets you use cheats only on levels you have completed, for instance completing Dam on secret Secret Agent in under 2:40 gives you paintball mode. The graphics in this game are also very good especially the level design. But the character models which aren't bad don't really look as good as on games like the Turok series. The faces look a little blurry but really the rest looks quite good.

The multiplayer is one of the many areas in which Goldeneye shines, the four player deathmatch is one of the best multi-player experiences on the N64 although it doesn't have as many options as Perfect Dark does but then again Perfect Dark is it's sequel. The multiplayer features eleven levels aswell as a random option, there are also five scenarios to chose from ranging from normal to licence to kill, which is a one hit kills game.The single player is also very good and plays superbly, and you will be able to pick it up in no time at all as it is quite straight forward to play. This game is also compatible with the Nintendo 64 rumble pak, it was actually one of the first to use it along with Lylatwars, the rumble is another good feature to the game as when you get shot the pak rumbles making it feel more real. The sound is also very good with each level often having a bond tune or a new tune for the game. Rareware have created another masterpiece with this game, and they've made good use of the Bond licence. I can't think of a downside to this game as the game isn't easy it will take you ages to complete it fully with every level completed on every difficulty setting and have all the cheats. Goldeneye is a an essential Nintendo 64 game to own and will last you for ages, if you haven't got it allready I suggest you buy it now. - Tom Chislett 96%

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