Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    GoldenEye 007

    Game » consists of 5 releases. Released Aug 23, 1997

    A first-person shooter for the Nintendo 64 and a video game tie-in with the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye. It paved the way for a long line of shooter games based on the universe of the British secret agent and is often credited for helping establish first-person shooters for consoles.

    Short summary describing this game.

    GoldenEye 007 last edited by Nes on 06/27/23 11:03AM View full history

    Overview

    No Caption Provided

    GoldenEye 007 (not to be confused with the 2010 remake of the same name) is an espionage first person shooter developed by Rareware and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 on August 25, 1997.

    A video game adaptation of the 1995 film GoldenEye, GoldenEye 007 is the first first-person adaptation of the James Bond series. Originally envisioned as a light-gun rail shooter, the game introduced and/or popularized several gameplay mechanics with the genre, including objective-based missions with stealth missions and difficulty-based objectives, sniper scope zooming, position-dependent hit reaction animations, unlockable cheats, and fully-customizable split-screen deathmatch multiplayer.

    The story follows British MI6 secret agent James Bond (code-named "007", with the likeness of then-Bond actor Pierce Brosnan) as he investigates several secret Russian war operations during the final days of the Soviet Union, only to discover a top-secret spy satellite known as "GoldenEye". When a criminal syndicate (known as Janus) plans on using the satellite's electromagnetic pulse for nefarious purposes years later, it's up to Bond to unravel the head of the terrorist organization and, with the help of Russian programmer Natalya Simonava, stop their plans.

    Along with a fan-made mod for Half-Life 2 (dubbed GoldenEye: Source), there have been several attempts to bring a downloadable version on the game to later consoles (including the Wii Virtual Console and the Xbox 360), which were rejected due to licensing and rights issues. It did, however, receive ports for the Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and for Nintendo Switch (via Nintendo Switch Online) on January 27, 2023, with the Xbox version including updated 4K visuals (and is free for digital owners of Rare Replay).

    The game later received two spiritual successors: Perfect Dark (a Rareware game utilizing a significantly-improved version of the game's engine) and Timesplitters (made by former Rareware members). Some of the game's levels were also remade in both Perfect Dark and its successor. It also received a same-name remake in 2010, featuring a reworked story (with then-Bond actor Daniel Craig as the lead role), as well as reworked level and gameplay design

    In 2010, the game was received a same-name remake by Eurocom and Activision for Nintendo consoles (with an enhanced version later released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3). It features a reworked story (with then-Bond actor Daniel Craig as the lead role), as well as reworked level and gameplay design.

    Gameplay

    No Caption Provided

    As the game utilizes the Nintendo 64 controller's analog stick, which allowed for a continuous range of motion, the game uses an auto-aim feature to soften the demands for precision aiming. The auto-aim defaults to on and scales with difficult level selected in-game (with the easiest difficulty providing the most generous aiming assistance). An overriding option to disable auto-aim altogether is offered as well for both single-player and multiplayer.

    The in-game menu system is notable as an example of contextual menus. The player may access the menu at any time during gameplay by pressing Start, prompting Bond to raise his wrist watch to the camera. While the game is obscured by the watch, the action pauses, allowing the player time to adjust game options, view mission objectives, check his/her health and armor, and change weapons and gadgets. The menus are displayed in style with their context of being on a spy gadget: the screen occasionally flickers as though recalibrating and the health and armor bars are curved to fit the circular watch face.

    GoldenEye's missions are often relatively open-ended in allowing players to take varying routes through them and opt for a more or less stealthy approach on the fly. Although the game never requires stealth, many missions can be made easier by silently dispatching or evading enemies, shooting out surveillance cameras, and killing enemies before they can reach and trigger alarms, as the sound of gunfire and explosions will quickly alert nearby enemies and bring them rushing to the action. Additionally, there is no means of recovering lost health during a mission; only lost armor can be recovered by finding body armor power ups.

    Campaign

    Missions

    The main story is divided into 18 discrete missions, each of which must be must be completed sequentially. The game also includes two bonus missions unrelated to the story, loosely based on earlier James Bond films.

    The mission select screen with all missions unlocked.
    The mission select screen with all missions unlocked.
    1. Arkangelsk (1986)
      1. Dam
      2. Facility
      3. Runway
    2. Severnaya (1991)
      1. Surface
      2. Bunker
    3. Kirghizstan (1993)
      1. Launch Silo #4
    4. Monte Carlo (1995)
      1. Frigate
    5. Severnaya (1995)
      1. Surface
      2. Bunker
    6. St. Petersburg (1995)
      1. Statue Park
      2. Military Archives
      3. Streets
      4. Depot
      5. Train
    7. Cuba (1995)
      1. Jungle
      2. Control Center
      3. Water Caverns
      4. Antenna Cradle
    8. Teotihuaca'n (BONUS, unlocked after completing all previous missions on the Secret Agent difficulty)
      1. Aztec Complex
    9. el-Saghira (BONUS, unlocked after completing all previous missions on the 00 Agent difficulty)
      1. Egyptian Temple

    Difficulty Settings

    No Caption Provided

    Every mission can be played under one of 4 difficulty levels: Agent, Secret Agent, 00 Agent, and 007. The first three difficulties are selectable from the outset, while 007 is only unlocked after beating all 20 missions on 00 Agent. Upon completion of a mission, the next one is unlocked at equivalent and lower difficulty levels (so beating Dam on Secret Agent will unlock Facility, playable on Agent and Secret Agent, but not 00 Agent).

    Besides the standard differences between Agent, Secret Agent, and 00 Agent difficulties like how much health enemies have and how much damage they inflict on the player, each difficulty setting requires the player to satisfy a different set of mission objectives. Lower difficulties tend to require objectives that are subsets of those required on higher difficulties. For example, the first mission, Dam, only demands that the player reach the exit point to complete it on Agent; on Secret Agent, it requires the player to destroy all alarms in the level; finally, 00 Agent requires the player to install a covert modem on a communications line, hack into a server to steal data, and then reach the exit point. This feature of varying objectives adds an extra layer of challenge and discovery in playing a formerly-completed mission on a new higher difficulty setting, as not only will enemies pose a greater challenge, but the player is required to do new things and perhaps play the level in a significantly different way to succeed.

    No Caption Provided

    007 is not like the other difficulty settings in that it allows certain elements of the game's difficulty to be set manually, like enemy health and reaction speed, via sliders (from 0% to either 100% or 1000%). It is thus possible to make enemies extremely weak--even moreso than on Agent difficulty. One difficulty element that is not customizable is the objectives that are required--007 always requires the same set of objectives as 00 Agent.

    Cheats

    All 20 missions have their own difficulty-specific par time (or "target time") which unlocks a special cheat that can be used when starting a mission. Using cheats disables both mission advancement (meaning that they cannot be used to progress through the game) and target times (meaning that they cannot be used to unlock further cheats).

    Some of these cheats are usable in the game's multiplayer mode. This includes DK Mode, Turbo Mode, Paintball Mode, No Radar (which is exclusive to multiplayer), Infinite Ammo, and Invincibility.

    Agent

    • DK Mode - Unlocked after clearing Runway in under 5:00.
    • Turbo Mode - Unlocked after clearing Silo in under 3:00.
    • 2x Throwing Knives - Unlocked after clearing the second Bunker in under 3:30.
    • Enemy Rockets - Unlocked after clearing Streets in under 1:45.
    • 2x Hunting Knives - Unlocked after clearing Jungle in under 3:45.
    • Magnum - Unlocked after clearing Cradle.
    • Gold PP7 - Unlocked after clearing Cradle in under 2:15.

    Secret Agent

    • Paintball Mode - Unlocked after clearing Dam in under 2:40.
    • 2x Grenade Launcher - Unlocked after clearing the first Surface in under 3:30.
    • No Radar (mulitplayer-only) - Unlocked after clearing Frigate in under 4:30.
    • Fast Animation - Unlocked after clearing Statue in under 3:15.
    • Slow Animation - Unlocked after clearing Depot in under 1:40.
    • Infinite Ammo - Unlocked after clearing Control in under 10:00.
    • Laser - Unlocked after clearing Aztec.
    • 2x Lasers - Unlocked after clearing Aztec in under 9:00.

    00 Agent

    • 2x Rocket Launcher - Unlocked after clearing the first Bunker in under 4:00.
    • Tiny Bond - Unlocked after clearing the second Surface in under 4:15.
    • Invisibility - Unlocked after clearing Archives in under 1:20.
    • Silver PP7 - Unlocked after clearing Train in under 5:25.
    • 2x RCP-90s - Unlocked after clearing Caverns in under 9:30.
    • Golden Gun - Unlocked after clearing Egyptian.
    • All Guns - Unlocked after clearing Egyptian in under 6:00.

    Weapons/Equipment

    Handguns

    • PP7 - Bond's signature weapon. He starts with it on every mission (with the exception of the second Bunker mission, although he can find it early on) and sometimes uses it silenced. At one point in the game, Bond can find an additional one to dual-wield. Through cheats, players can unlock two variations: the Silver PP7 (which have the same power as the Cougar Magnum) and the Gold PP7 (which have the same power as the Golden Gun).
    • DD44 Dostovei - An uncommon pistol dropped by certain enemies throughout the game. It is stronger than the PP7, at the cost of a slightly-weaker firing rate. Unlike the PP7, players can commonly dual-wield DD44s for greater efficiency.

    Automatic Weapons

    • KF7 Soviet - Standard assault rifle and the most common weapon used by enemies. It uses an auto-zooming scope for longer ranges. Unlike the other automatic weapons, the KF7 Soviet can only be dual-wielded using the All Guns cheat.
    • Klobb - Standard sub-machine gun.
    • D5K Deutsche - Standard sub-machine gun. A silenced version can be used in the Frigate mission.
    • ZMG (9mm) - Standard sub-machine gun found late in the game.
    • AR-33 Assault Rifle - High-powered assault rifle used by enemies during later levels. Like the KF7 Soviet, it includes a scope.
    • RCP-90 - High-powered sub-machine gun found late in the game. In multiplayer, it is only used with the Power Weapons layout.
    • Phantom - Standard sub-machine gun found only in one level: the Frigate. It is the only fully-automatic weapon to not appear in multiplayer.

    Explosives

    • Grenades - Standard throwable hand grenades commonly found throughout the game. They have a five-second timed fuse and can be cooked by holding down the Fire button. In multiplayer, it is only used with the Grenades layout.
    • Remote Mine - Throwable explosive that sticks onto surfaces and can be remotely detonated by the player. Rarely used in single-player. In multiplayer, it is only used with the Remote Mines layout.
    • Timed Mine - Throwable explosive that sticks onto surfaces and automatically detonates after five seconds. Rarely used in single-player. In multiplayer, it is only used with the Timed Mines layout.
    • Proximity Mine - Throwable explosive that sticks onto surfaces and automatically detonates when an enemy is nearby. Rarely used in single-player. In multiplayer, it is only used with the Proximity Mines layout.
    • Grenade Launcher - Semi-automatic revolver-style grenade launcher rarely found throughout the game, firing grenades in an arc that explode on contact. Rarely used in single-player. In multiplayer, it is only used with the Grenade Launcher layout. Can be dual-wielded using either the All Guns or 2x Grenade Launcher cheat.
    • Rocket Launcher - Single-shot rocket-propelled grenade launcher that fires grenades in a straightline that explode on contact. Rarely used in single-player. In multiplayer, it is only used with the Rockets layout. Can be dual-wielded using either the All Guns or 2x Rocket Launcher cheat.
    • Tank Shells - While driving a tank, players have the option to either use their normal weapons or the tank's powerful cannon. Using the All Guns cheat, players can even fire shells while not riding in a tank.

    Special Weapons

    • Sniper Rifle - A silenced semi-automatic rifle with a zoomable sniper scope. It is only used for some early levels and in multiplayer mode with the Sniper Rifles layout. When players have it in their inventory, their standard unarmed ability is changed so that players instead use the butt of the rifle. Can be dual-wielded using the All Guns cheat.
    • Automatic Shotgun - A powerful semi-automatic shotgun used by certain enemies in later levels. It is also used in multiplayer mode with the Power Weapons layout. Can be dual-wielded using the All Guns cheat.
    • Military Laser - Often referred to as the "Moonraker Laser". It is a semi-automatic weapon with infinite ammo, found in the bonus level Aztec Complex, that fires high-tech deadly lasers that can shoot through doors and other obstacles. It is also used in multiplayer mode with the Lasers layout. Can be dual-wielded.
    • Cougar Magnum - A high-powered magnum revolver that is used by Natalya at one point in the game. It can be used by Bond through cheats and is used in some multiplayer weapon layouts. Can be dual-wielded using the All Guns cheat.
    • Golden Gun - Believed to be the only weapon of its type in existence, the Golden Gun is a unique single-shot handgun (assembled from disguisable parts) that fires gold-plated bullets (which, in this game, instantly kills opponents). In single-player, it is only found in the bonus level Egyptian Temple. In multiplayer, it is used for the Man with the Golden Gun mode, but can be played outside of it with the Golden Gun layout. Can be dual-wielded using the All Guns cheat.
    • Throwing Knife - Standard throwing knives that, despite their slow throwing rate, can deal heavy damage. In single-player, it is only found hidden in the second Bunker level (requiring use of the Watch Magnet). In multiplayer, they can be used with the Throwing Knives layout. Can be dual-wielded using either the All Guns or 2x Throwing Knives cheat.
    • Hunting Knife - An unused knife that's used for better melee combat. Only available in single-player with cheats. Can be dual-wielded.
    • Shotgun - An unused semi-automatic shotgun that is only available in single-player with the All Guns cheat.
    • Tazer - An unused taser (and gag weapon) that is only available in single-player with the All Guns cheat.

    Equipment

    • Bungee Rope
    • Bomb Diffuser
    • Camera
    • Covert Modem
    • Door Decoder
    • Detonator
    • Data-thief
    • Key Analyzer
    • Tracker Bug
    • Watch Magnet
    • Watch Laser

    Multiplayer

    No Caption Provided

    Up to four players can compete against one another in split-screen, with a wide variety of options available to configure the game.

    Along with game maps and player characters, players can choose from a number of game modes (including team-based scenarios), the game length (including both points and time), weapon layouts, player handicaps, and aiming features (including auto-aim and reticule appearance).

    Game Modes

    • Normal - Standard deathmatch mode. The player with the most points wins.
    • You Only Live Twice - Standard last man standing mode. Players can only respawn once. The player who survives wins.
    • The Living Daylights [Flag Tag] - Similar to Kill the Man with the Ball mode in the Marathon series, players fight for possession of a single flag. Players who are holding the flag gains points over time and cannot use weapons. The player who held the flag the longest wins.
    • The Man with the Golden Gun - Normal mode with a twist: a single Golden Gun is hidden on the map that always kills with a single bullet. Players who have the golden gun are highlighted separately on the radar and cannot pick up body armor.
    • Team - Normal mode with teamplay enabled. Can only be played in three-player (2v1) or four-player (either 2v2 or 3v1) matches. Friendly fire is enabled, with killing teammates subtracting a point for the team. The team with the most points wins.

    Maps

    No Caption Provided

    The game includes 11 playable maps, five of which are sectioned-off parts of campaign levels and must be unlocked beforehand by completing their co-responding campaign mission.

    Unlocked from the start:

    • Temple
    • Complex
    • Caves
    • Library
    • Basement (the bottom section of Library)
    • Stack (the top section of Library)

    Unlockable:

    • Facility
    • Bunker (restricted to three-player matches)
    • Archives (restricted to three-player matches)
    • Caverns (restricted to three-player matches)
    • Egyptian (restricted to two-player matches)

    Weapons

    GoldenEye 007 is one of the first games to introduce the ability for players to choose from a number of weapon layouts for use in multiplayer matches. The layouts themselves are not customizable, and players spawn with no weapons.

    • Slappers Only! - (none)
    • Pistols - Silenced PP7, DD44 Dostovei, Cougar Magnum.
    • Throwing Knives - Throwing Knives.
    • Automatics - Silenced PP7, DD44 Dostovei, Klobb, D5K Deutsche.
    • Power Weapons - DD44 Dostovei, RCP-90, Automatic Shotgun, Cougar Magnum.
    • Sniper Rifles - DD44 Dostovei, Klobb, Sniper Rifle, Cougar Magnum.
    • Grenades - Silenced PP7, DD44 Dostovei, Klobb, KF7 Soviet, Grenades.
    • Remote Mines - PP7, ZMG 9mm, AR-33 Assault Rifle, Remote Mines.
    • Grenade Launcher - Silenced PP7, DD44 Dostovei, Klobb, KF7 Soviet, Grenade Launcher.
    • Timed Mines - PP7, ZMG 9mm, AR-33 Assault Rifle, Timed Mines.
    • Proximity Mines - PP7, ZMG 9mm, AR-33 Assault Rifle, Proximity Mines.
    • Rockets - DD44 Dostovei, Klobb, KF7 Soviet, Rocket Launcher.
    • Lasers - DD44 Dostovei, Klobb, KF7 Soviet, Moonraker Laser.
    • Golden Gun - Silenced PP7, DD44 Dostovei, Klobb, KF7 Soviet, Golden Gun.

    Characters

    No Caption Provided

    Initially, players can choose from eight characters, each of whom are main characters in the story: Bond, Natalya, Trevelyn, Xenia, Ouromov, Boris, Valentin, and Mishkin.

    After completing the game on the Agent difficulty (or higher), players unlock 25 additional characters for use in multiplayer. These range from generic NPCs from the campaign (including both enemy soldiers and civilians) to henchmen from previous Bond movies (featuring the likeness of their original actors), including May Day from A View to a Kill, Jaws form both The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, Oddjob from Goldfinger, and Baron Samedi from Live and Let Die. Both Jaws and Baron Samedi also appear during the main game's bonus missions.

    Two characters in the game are unique for their height differences with the other characters: Oddjob (who is smaller and harder to hit) and Jaws (who is taller and easier to hit). It's worth noting that while Oddjob is harder to hit, his auto-aim is less functional due to his size (which is inversely true with Jaws).

    During initial development of the game, Rare intended to include the likenesses of Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Timothy Dalton (three of the series' previous Bond actors) for both multiplayer usage and the main menu screen (as a way to differentiate the save games). Although screenshots of this exist, these likenesses were removed prior to release.

    Awards

    At the end of each match, players are given up to two "awards" based on their match performance. These are simply bonuses and have no effect on gameplay.

    • Most Deadly - Had the most kills throughout the match.
    • Most Professional - Had the most headshots throughout the match.
    • Marksmanship Award - Had the highest accuracy throughout the match.
    • Mostly Harmless - Had the least amount of damage dealt throughout the match.
    • Lemming Award - Had the most suicides throughout the match.
    • Most Honorable - Shot the least amount of players at their backs throughout the match.
    • Most Dishonorable - Shot the most amount of players at their backs throughout the match.
    • Most Frantic - Spent the most amount of time on other players' screens throughout the match.
    • Most Cowardly - Spent the least amount of time on other players' screens throughout the match.
    • Where's the Ammo? - Ended the match with the lowest amount of ammo.
    • AC-10 Award - Picked up the most amount of body armor throughout the match.
    • Where's the Armor? - Picked up the least amount of body armor throughout the match.
    • Longest Innings - Had the longest life at one point during the match.
    • Shortest Innings - Had the shortest life at one point during the match.
    • Double Kill - Killed two players at once at some point in the match.
    • Triple Kill - Killed three players at once at some point in the match.
    • Quadruple Kill (Doh!) - Killed three players (and themself) at once at some point in the match

    German Release

    As a sidenote, the game has never been released in Germany because of the strict laws concerning FPS games. Nintendo feared its reputation could be damaged by releasing a violent game of this sort which then would be banned. Nevertheless it was released in neighbouring countries, and the Austria & Switzerland PAL release (with German text on the box and a German manual) even had a remark on its box saying "Nicht für den deutschen Markt bestimmt", which translates as "Not intended for sale in Germany". Despite the measures Nintendo had undertaken to keep the game off of German shelves, it was imported and soon became very popular all over the country, making it a target for Germany's BPJS (Bundesprüfstelle für Jugendgefährdende Schriften, the Federal Department for Writings Harmful to Young Persons). Eventually, GoldenEye 007 was banned although it was never released in Germany, making it one of very few extraordinary cases.

    sizepositionchange
    sizepositionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    positionchange
    bordersheaderpositiontable
    positionchange

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.