![]() In 1997, the very look of GoldenEye 007 was mesmerizing. Those qualities render it the best Bond video game to write about, talk about, and play in the year of the film franchise’s 60 th anniversary. It’s quite incredible just how much of the GoldenEye movie it delightfully translates as well as iconic 007 cues from the entire series. It helps that the game is relatively fresh in mind. It was a special afternoon that, to a large extent, inspired this retrospective. Naturally, the next couple of hours were spent boozing it up whilst demolishing one another in the game’s legendary multiplayer format. In March, there was a small get-together on a fine Sunday afternoon with local friends to revisit the N64 classic. One section features a few television sets equipped with vintage consoles. The second-story establishment serves refreshing alcoholic beverages while patrons try their hand at dozens upon dozens of old-school arcades, all lined in rows. There is a video game bar in Montreal’s Quartier Latin neighborhood, Arcade MTL. GoldenEye for the N64 was it. Peak “play AS 007 in your own home.” Woah. So in 1997, we didn’t know what was coming up. This was a few years before Electronic Arts took over the 007 license and gifted fans with a lineup of James Bond games that may never be matched again: Agent Under Fire, Nightfire, Everything or Nothing, and a very cool (if loose) adaptation of From Russia with Love featuring the actual voice of the first James Bond actor Sean Connery. They might as well have canceled the darn project at that point. That’s unheard of when it comes to movie tie-in products. The fact of the matter was that GoldenEye for the N64 was coming out almost 2 full years after the film it’s an adaptation of. Nor was it that late August means back to school, therefore less time to play games (that’s just the author whining). After all, by August fans had mere months to wait for Tomorrow Never Dies. The issue with the release date wasn’t that no new 007 film was coming out. Second, GoldenEye 007 for the N64 was released late in the summer of 1997. Yes, believe it or not, Timothy Dalton’s Bond is etched in video game history too. First, there hadn’t been any significant 007-inspired game since James Bond 007: The Duel in 1993 for the Sega Genesis. Credit NintendoĪnd it was about time as well. Nevertheless, the final product gave, and continues to give, Bond fans plenty to gush about. As much as the name Rare brings warm feelings to GoldenEye 007 fans, it wasn’t all roses in 19 when the game was made. Few people ever consider the toil that programmers go through so that gamers experience happiness in their living rooms. The Guardian recently published a thorough and eye-opening article about how the game’s developers worked like dogs to make the magic happen. Rather than bask in its qualities and chuckle at its quirks from a gamer’s perspective (besides, we’ve already done that here and here), this exercise will be from the point of view of a James Bond fan and someone who barely plays any video games at all! There is no Substitute… Save a Walther for an N64 controller In this article, Goomba Stomp celebrates GoldenEye 007 (henceforth GE N64), but with a twist. As such, 007 enthusiasts, specifically those who adore both the movies and Rare’s game can look back fondly at not one but two important milestones for the IP. What’s more, the film franchise turns 60 this October 5 th. Its birthday was only a couple of weeks ago on August 25 th in North America (November 7 th in the UK). There is, of course, the subsection of folk for whom both go hand in hand. Conversely, the thoughts of seasoned video gamers and readers of Goomba Stomp will conjure up images of Rare’s 1997, global phenomenon, GolenEye 007, released exclusively for the Nintendo 64. General Bond fans, movie buffs, and people who read our magazine’s sister site Tilt will most likely think about the 1995 film starring Pierce Brosnan. The twist is that their thoughts will not necessarily jump to the same product. ![]() Mention of the name elicits overwhelmingly positive responses from people all over the world. That’s not to suggest that GoldenEye is adored and reviled in equal measure. Rarely does the title of a pop culture icon hold such vastly different meanings for people. GoldenEye 007 on the N64: A Retrospective 25 Years Later
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