Retronomicon 10.14.09: Goldeneye 007

Posted by Lee Price on 10.14.2009

The Retronomicon takes a stealthy step into First Person Shooter territory this week with a game that many still regard as the greatest of all time. So whip out the Walther PPK and get ready to chase done a rogue agent as this week the Retronomicon looks at Goldeneye 007.

Salutations true believers it's your resident retro junkie, and the man soon to be sued by Stan Lee for gimmick infringement, Lee Price here. I'm back with another healthy dose of old school for those of you who just can't let go of the past. I took a look at a classic adventure game last week in Grim Fandango so this week I've decided to ramp up the action-o-meter (its a word!) and go in all guns blazing with this week's entry. As for me, I'm still addicted to Persona 4. I actually don't want to play the dungeons because I enjoy the social links aspect of the game so much. I'm also waiting for the imminent release of Pro Evolution Soccer 2010. Apparently Seabass and co. have actually changed some things this year which is a bit of a shock after the last two entries into what was formally the greatest footie sim on God's green Earth. Will Pro regain its crown? Guess we'll see in a few weeks. But enough about me, cos I'm just not that interesting, lets get to the column.





Comments

Looks like we're sticking with a brace of comments a week for the time being as my little box attained just two comments again this week.

First up we have a guy who fast seems to be becoming the Retronomicon's biggest fan, 411's very own Armando Rodriguez, who had this to say;

Wow, you continue to cover games I own and love. I would like to send a BIG thank you to Dell for introducing me to this game. When I bought my first gaming PC years ago from Dell they had an offer that included a bunch of free games, all of them awesome. Among them where Starcraft, Tomb Raider III and Grim Fandango. Oh, and Civilization II. I became a fan of all those series (that I had never played before) thanks to Dell. But back to this game, it was awesome. NO matter how much you talk about it or try to explain it, people need to experience it, otherwise they would not understand. At least for me, the puzzles where pretty hard!

First of all that sounds like an awesome games package you got there. Every single game there is pretty damned sweet and it comes to something when Tomb Raider III is possibly the weak link out of the bunch. And I agree wholeheartedly about the need to experience Grim Fandango, words just can't do it justice. As for the puzzles, I didn't necessarily mean that lacked difficulty, but rather that they lacked a certain something in terms of charm when compared to the Monkey Island puzzles. Of course the story pulls all that back in spades so its a pretty moot point.

And finally we have Bobo who takes a break from his busy life as a clown to say;

Grim Fandango is simply awesome. Great story, great characters, great setting and quite unique. Something a lot of games fail to tick more than one of those boxes these days.

If there's one word that can describe Grim Fandango it would be unique. Not so much in the way it plays, though it was quite innovative for the time, but more for the points mentioned in this comment. The story, characterization and setting are all things that just hadn't been done before and lends the game a fresh feeling, even to this day.

Right then enough waxing lyrical about skeletal Mexicans, its time to get into the main bit of the article, and the Retronomicon has a doozy for you this week. So strap on those rose-tinted specs as this week the Retronomicon takes a look at Goldeneye 007.



The Background

Rare have been looked at in a little detail back in the entry for Banjo Kazooie, so I don't need to go into too much outside of telling you that they were one of Nintendo's best and most trusted developers during the SNES era. In fact work on Goldeneye originally started out with it being a SNES project that would follow an on-rails format similar to Virtua Cop, however it was converted to the N64 to help Nintendo gain a killer app for their fledgling console and in the process became a full-fledged FPS.

Goldeneye the film had been released in 1995 and was widely credited with bringing the James Bond series of films back up to snuff after a number of poor releases. The film also introduced Pierce Brosnan as the titular character, a man who many believe to have been a perfect fit for the Bond character with his suave demeanor and smooth English accent. Brosnan also became the face of Bond in the game, for the few brief flashes at the start of a level when you saw him at least, which was especially fitting as this particular Bond game stuck very close to the source material.

As for Nintendo, they were riding a bit of a wave of popularity upon the release of the N64. Mario 64 had established itself as one of, if not the, greatest platformers of all time and in the process had gotten the console off to a flying start. So the stage was set for Rare and Nintendo to introduce what was, at the time, the most revolutionary First Person Shooter ever released, Goldeneye 007.



The Game

Goldeneye was a revolution in the FPS genre, there is no two ways about it. Before the release of this gem of a title First Person Shooters followed the Doom mode of "shoot first ask questions never". Goldeneye was the first FPS to give the player defined objectives, as well as utilizing stealth to a large degree, something that would become more prevelant in years to come.

Plot wise the game follows a very similar tack to the films. Beginning in the Soviet Union in 1986, Bond is on a mission to infiltrate a weapons lab in Byelomorye Dam, meeting up with Alex Trevelyan, a fellow MI6 operative, along the way.

Of course things quickly go awry when Alex apparently gets himself killed by the villainous Colonel Ourumov, with Bond managing to make a quick get away. From then on the game is a rollercoaster ride as Bond must initially infiltrate a missile silo in Russia where he meets Natalya, before journeying around the world to capture Ourumov and bring him to justice.

Of course Bond doesn't count on his friend Trevelyan being alive, and more astonishingly working for the enemy. With this big reveal Bond's objective changes to protecting Natalya while attempting to bring his ex-cohort to justice. Along the way Bond meets and defeats many adversaries and goons, most prominent perhaps being Xenia Onatopp, the woman with the most lethal legs in sexual history in the film, before finally getting his revenge on Alex atop a massive satellite.

The game is split into about 20 or so levels, each following on from the last to keep the story feeling connected throughout. The fact that Goldeneye had such a complex story was in itself a rarity in the FPS genre at the time, but linking it all together so well and also providing the player the option to replay completed levels at higher difficulties was a revelation.

The levels themselves were also quite complex affairs, providing the player with several missions to be completed during the course of their travels through the level. These could range from installing a small gadget to infiltrate communications up to meeting with inside men, such as the infamous Dr Doak who was so named in tribute to Rare staffer David Doak, all the way to escaping imprisonment by using your magnetic watch to attract a key. As any player of Doom or Quake can tell you this is far ahead of any objectives that had previously been issued in an FPS and, while you still got to do plenty of the "point shooty end of the gun at the bad guy and he dies" stuff, there was also plenty of other stuff to take up your time which made you both explore the levels to their fullest and work out strategies to achieve your objectives.

The real beauty of this system though was the way Rare incorporated it into the difficulty settings, Agent, Secret Agent and 00 Agent. The missions were presented as files that gave the player information on both the area they were going to and the missions they were expected to accomplish. Those on the Agent setting would, on top of having easier enemies, also have a number of objectives set as optional, while those on the higher difficulties would have to complete all of the set objectives to complete the missions. Its was a unique way of presenting a level to the player in the first place but the optionality of some objectives on the easier difficulties presented novices with an easier road into the game and also allowed them to complete the whole mission if they so choose, without the obligation of having to do it to progress.

Graphically the game was also a revelation. Though horribly dated by today's standards, the use of face mapping was a relatively new technology in gaming in 1997 and it is put into great effect in Goldeneye. Its use makes identifying key characters that much easier, and is probably the only reason why many manage to avoid shooting Valentin when he makes his appearances.

The graphical quality extends throughout the game, with vast levels that are just ripe for exploration. In fact some of them actually used the set plans from the movie, specifically the parts where Bond enters the Dam through the bathroom and also when he escapes the interrogation room. The attention to detail throughout is astounding though, right down to the weapons which are all based on real life weapons just with name changes. Despite looking blocky nowadays, in 1997 this was all cutting edge stuff.

Rare even included some beautiful little small touches, not least with the pause menu. Now while that may sound a little drab and boring, it actually wasn't as Rare utilized the watch that Bond was wearing to access his mission objectives, change the control style and just generally fiddle around with in game settings. This is the same watch that Bond later uses to attract a magnetic key with so it gives the little tool a real feel of functionality and is a wonderful little touch in a game full of them.

The sound quality is also top notch. The classic Bond theme is used throughout to great effect, hell the first thing you hear is the theme and it really gets you charged up for the game ahead. On top of that the music for each of the stages fits like a glove, always providing a slightly tense feeling when you're sneaking through a facility or ramping up the volume when you're at a more action packed stage. There is no voice work outside of the groans of guards as you kill them, but all the weapons sound like they should. Even the Rocket Launcher utilizes the sound made by depth charges in Operation Petticoat, which is another nice little touch and gives the weapon a certain explosive feel..



Of course all this is secondary to the most important aspect of Goldeneye, which is incidentally the aspect that has kept the game alive in many a memory to this day. I am of course talking about the absolutely unbelievably good gameplay. Now before I start really waxing lyrical here lets get a little gripe out the way first. In a world of mouse and keyboard control, or even double analogue stick control, the system in place is more dated than a boy-band's back catalog. In this day and age it just feels so unnatural to have only one analogue stick and to be using a couple of buttons to shift the camera around. So if you are planning on giving Goldeneye a whirl anytime soon, be prepared to deal with that.

Once you have the controls figured out, which to be fair were amongst the best console FPS controls around until the advent of the Dual Shock pad, Goldeneye is an absolute delight to play. For one thing it is one of the first games to use a limb specific system when it comes to shooting. This means that it is entirely possible to disarm a foe by shooting him in the arm, before landing a bullet in his knee cap and finally his head to finish the job. The introduction of these specific target areas lent hugely to the more realistic feel of the game as a head shot meant death for an enemy. Hell it was even possible to shoot a mook's hat off, and the groin shot was always cause for much fun and hilarity. In fact one of the best times I had with the game was using the timed mines in the second level in such a way that when I made them explode they would send scientists flying through the windows.

Which brings me onto my next point, the scope for just faffing about. Goldeneye provided a structure for each level, and missions that needed to be completed, but there was just so much fun to be had by ignoring what you had to do and mess around instead. Hell even Rare seem to have noticed this as they don't instantly end a level if you fail an objective, but rather let you run amok until you choose to end it or you die. For example you can just decimate the entire civilian population of St Petersburg with a tank if you so desire. You'll fail the mission but it will still be a lot of fun. Incidentally the citizens in the Streets tank level are dressed in red as a reference to the term "redshirt" which are stock characters in a film which must suffer a violent death to highlight the danger that the protagonist faces. So the game is even encouraging you to goof off and kill them all. Well kinda...

Goldeneye was also the first FPS to introduce a real stealth element to its gameplay. Enemies could be taken down with one special KARATE CHOP to the back of the neck if you were successful in sneaking up on them. On top of this Bond would regularly have to evade detection by CCTV cameras, often having to destroy or sneak under them due to the fact that if they clocked him it would often led to an alarm being raised and every goon within a five mile radius descending on your location. Very bad on the higher difficulties when ammo is a little more sparse. Goldeneye was the first game to really popularize this concept in console, and indeed modern day, FPS games and it is just another example of the game's innovation.

Of course what would a Goldeneye tribute be without mention of the multi-player aspect of the game. For a long time Goldeneye stood as the king of FPS deathmatch, with up to four players at once battling it out for supremacy. Granted you had to play in split screen mode, but when you get some buddies and some brews in none of that seems to matter in the slightest as you are faced with what was probably the most addictive multi-player action since Micro Machines.

Deathmatch wasn't the only option offered though, as a number of multi-player staples were available, most notably the Capture the Flag mode, which was an amazing amount of fun on some of the levels. You could even change the types of weapons on offer in a combat arena, as well as being offered the chance to play as any character in the game if you unlocked them. Running around the Facility level as Oddjob has always been fun and even better is playing capture the flag and being the only person who knows how to re-enter the vent that you use to enter the facility, thus causing many cries of "CHEATER" as you laugh at you fellow players.

So Goldeneye stands as one of the greatest games of all time for all of these reasons and more. Granted it has dated in a lot of ways, the graphics are blocky and the control system feels prehistoric, but get past the aging issues and you will experience one of the true greats of the FPS, or indeed any, genre. Goldeneye must be played, it is that simple.



The Aftermath

What more needs to be said, I'm sure you all know the story by now. Goldeneye was a massive success both critically and commercially, racking up massive scores on its way to being declared almost universally as one of the greatest games of all time. Of course it had the sales figures to back this up with an impressive 8 million units selling. Now compare that to the fact that 33 million N64's were sold and it becomes apparent that a game is pretty special if almost a quarter of the console's entire user base own a copy.

Of course with the game's success came the inevitable clamor for a sequel. Unfortunately Rare soon lost the Bond license to EA, who went on to do what they did best in this era and released a few mediocre titles to squeeze some money out of the Bond name. So Rare instead created an original IP. I am course referring to Perfect Dark, which is pretty much the only FPS on the N64 that can stand up to the might of Goldeneye.

The path Rare itself followed has been covered before. They created a few more classic titles before jumping ship to Microsoft and shedding much of the Goldeneye team, who then went on to become Free Radical and developed the Timesplitters series.

As for the game itself, there have been many calls for both a next-gen remake and a re-release on either the Virtual Console or XBLA. PSN doesn't seem to have much of a chance due to Sony's lack of ties to the original game, but there is still a possibility that the game could reach the other two consoles if all the red tape is sorted. After all there was apparently a port to the XBLA in the works at one point and Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime has stated he would like to get the game on the VC. Until then though we can but dream...

The Final Word

Really what more can I say? You'd be hard pressed to find a gamer that lived through the Saturn/PS1/N64 era that hasn't played Goldeneye. For them the game will always hold some extremely happy memories. Of course for those younger peeps who may have only experienced the likes of Halo, there is a possibility that some of Goldeneye's charm may be lost. Still I am a firm believer that quality shines through over age and Goldeneye is probably the best example.

The Price is Right

Another nice and quick price guide this week as we only have the N64 to deal with. As usual only pay top dollar for top packaging.

UK

N64 - £3 – 12

US

N64 - $10 – 15

Spreading the Word

Another day another Retronomicon, but don't stop reading here. There's still plenty at 411 Games to take up your time.

Firstly be sure to bookmark the site or make it your homepage.

Also be sure to check out the 411 Games twitter right here.

And here's some more good reading to take up your time;

Rod Oracheski looks at what's going on with the IGN "music hub" this week in Achievement Unlocked
Adam Larck looks at his top 10 open world games (props on Fallout 3 being numero uno by the way) in The 10th Hour
Jordan Williams checks in with the douchiest version of Working Title you'll ever see.
And Trace Aber brings you issue 42 of Living LIVE

And finally the multi-staff efforts;

The staff take a look at their top 5 SNES games in the 411 Games Top 5
And Adam Larck takes on Jeffrey Harris in this weeks Fact or Fiction
And Rod Oracheski host a new edition of Four Player Co-Op

The Guy Who Can do it Better Than You

This week I though we'd go for a bit of fun with the video clip so here's some hilarity to be had in Goldeneye.



Enjoy and see yo.....

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE

Ah that's right, it seems that I am expanding my power base here at 411 Games as I am to take the mantle of Ask 411 Games at some point in the near future. So to give me some material for the column I'd like to ask both of my readers to take a minute to wing a question my way by clicking right here.

With your help I can get maybe 5 people reading my columns and then we'll really be cooking with gasoline.

Anyways enjoy and ta-ta for now.