You Only Live Twice
| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Nintendo 64 | 9.00 |
| Overall | 9.00 |
|
I've had a boxed copy of GoldenEye 007 for the N64 sitting around my house for several years. Though I was an avid N64 owner when the system was current I had no interest in playing the game at the time of release (1997). Quake 2 was available on the PC, and even then I was averse to any game that was getting so much praise as was Rare's classic. By the time I got around to getting the game, I did so out of collector's obligation and assumed that I would never play it. With all the conversation about the "re-make" of GoldenEye 007 for the Wii, and having just finished Perfect Dark Zero, I figured that in the interest of expanding my knowledge of gaming I would play-through the N64 original. At least I was going to try and beat the game, when I put in the cartridge I wasn't expecting the game to be playable, it is after all, a 13 year old N64 FPS. While the graphics of the N64 was an improvement over it's contemporaries, I always think of N64 graphics as being muddy and polygonal. I was impressed first by the direction of the game. The sound, camera sweeps, sub-titles and menus all gave the impression of quality. Graphically, the game was sharper than I was expecting, particularly in 16:9 aspect ratio and adjusted for wide-screen viewing. The textures, for the most part, are vaudevillian, though they are often only used for backdrops in the distance. Anything you get close to (mostly and thankfully) is flat mapped. This all helps in maintaining a smooth frame rate, which only showed signs of "chug" when there were multiple enemies on screen. The enemies demonstrated unspectacular AI, which was suitable for the time, and a level that I enjoy. I love sitting back from a doorway mowing down tens of enemies as they cavalierly walk into the room. The weapons were satisfying and there was a broad range of them. There were also a lot of gadgets, accessible through Bond's (noticeably not-laden-with-advertising) wristwatch, though I did not find much use for any of them. The wristwatch was a handy way to access the menus though, and remind myself of the objectives of the missions. Current developers would have you believe that they invented the minimalist "no-HUD" design and access to menus through in-world artifices, but indeed, it is all here in GoldenEye 007. Perhaps the only addition I would make would be that of a map or a compass. While some levels are tubular and easy to navigate, others are wide open and directionless. The director of the modern game stated that these levels would not live up to modern inspection, however, most of them are well-designed and could have been included in the new game. Some certainly were hardly designed at all though, like the Surface levels, which I assume were used for multi-player. As with Perfect Dark Zero (and there are many similarities between the two games, though the later lacks any of the polish of the former), you don't really aim your weapon with any precision, you just sort of point in the general direction of your foe. The difficulty is ramped up to compensate for this concession, and the result is a level of challenge that is just right. The fact that GoldenEye 007 was not only playable, but challenging and enjoyable, 13 years after it's release is an indication of it's quality. Rare had a rich and deep lineage before GoldenEye 007 and having played this game I can now see why they once had a loyal following. It also makes me yearn for a time when developers with such a diverse range of talent flourished. |
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Posted by aspro Mon, 06 Dec 2010 20:27:17
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travo (8m)
Thoroughly enjoyed reading your perspective. Personally I still love the design of this game and the original perfect dark over many modern day shooters. I guess it explains why I love the new Goldeneye too as it goes back to the essential elements and brings them back to the fore.
I'll get GE007W eventually.
What is curious to me is the interview I transcribed for you from EDGE with the game director. He came across as dismissive of the original, in almost every way. How do you reconcile that? (if you can go back and read it).
And it has many modern FPS touches. I like that he did that rather then just revered and make some remake with the same levels and better visuals.
I don't think Julian Widdows was the game director I think he was an overall producer but Dawn Pinkey the woman seen in some video interviews - she headed up the project directly.
Whatever was said in interviews, it's pretty obvious that they went back and got the essential elements and magnificently applied them to modern game design.