GoldenEye 007 (1997 Video Game) - Reception and Legacy

Reception and Legacy

Despite an unsuccessful showing at E3 1997 and low expectations among the gaming media, GoldenEye 007 turned out to be both a critical and a commercial success. It received very high critical praise and sold more than eight million units worldwide, making it the third best selling Nintendo 64 game, behind Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64. According to a paper published on the website of the Entertainment Software Association, the game grossed $250 million worldwide. The game has collected numerous awards, including the BAFTA Interactive Entertainment "Games Award" in 1998, and four awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences: "Console Action Game of the Year", "Console Game of the Year", "Interactive Title of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Software Engineering". Rare was also recognized for its work on the game and won the BAFTA award for "Best UK Developer".

Video game journalists have praised GoldenEye 007 for proving that it is possible to create a "fun" FPS experience on a console in both single-player and multiplayer modes; when the game was released, the FPS was primarily a genre for PC gamers. Journalists noted that the game "opened the genre to a completely new market" and that it was "the first big console FPS that truly got it right." Additionally, the game's use of realistic gameplay, which contrasted with the approaches taken by Doom-clones, and introduction of multiplayer deathmatch on a console are often credited for having revolutionized the genre.

Graphically, the game was praised for its varied and detailed environments; well-animated characters; realistic effects such as glass transparencies, bullet holes and lingering smoke; and for generally maintaining a solid frame rate. The zoomable sniper rifle was praised as one of the game's most impressive and entertaining features, Edge describing it as a "novel twist" and Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot noting its ability to alleviate the game's distance fog. GoldenEye 007 has subsequently become credited alongside Shiny Entertainment's MDK for pioneering and popularizing the now-standard inclusion of scoped sniper rifles in video games. The game's audio was also well-received: the music was praised for its inclusion of the "James Bond Theme" and "addictive" tunes based on the GoldenEye film's score. The sound effects were said to be "detailed", although some reviewers criticised the omission of character speech. Some later levels begin in lifts and feature transitions from elevator music to full soundtracks, which Gerstmann cited as examples of the music's ability to add ambience to the game, and as an illustration of the game's attention to detail.

The gameplay was praised for its depth. IGN's Doug Perry called GoldenEye 007 an immersive game, which "blends smart strategy gameplay with fast-action gunmanship". Similarly, Greg Sewart of Gaming Age pointed out that players also have "a bit of freedom as to what they want to do in any given situation, and what order the directives are completed in". Reviewers also enjoyed the wide variety of weapons and the multi-objective-based missions, stating that they make the game stay "fresh by never having you do the same thing twice". The controls were praised for their precision and were said to be more intuitive than Acclaim's earlier well-received Nintendo 64 FPS Turok: Dinosaur Hunter. The game's use of context-sensitive hit locations on the enemies added a realism that was previously unseen in video games. Colin of Game Revolution called the gameplay realistic, setting GoldenEye "apart from the pack", but also criticized the campaign for being badly paced. He noted that GoldenEye 007 "takes it for granted that you have already seen the movie". He also added that players may get stuck due to the game's lack of orientation.

At the time, the multiplayer mode was considered the best multiplayer game on the system, "edging Mario Kart 64 by a hair" according to IGN. Edge called it addictive, and praised the originality of some of the scenarios such as You Only Live Twice. The magazine also stated that it set the standard for multiplayer console combat until it was surpassed by the release of Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001. In December 2011, IGN journalists placed the multiplayer mode at 17th in their list of the "Top 100 Video Game Moments", and in 2010 Nintendo Power listed GoldenEye 007 as one of the greatest multiplayer experiences in Nintendo history, stating that it is remembered as one of the finest examples of a first-person shooter. Retrospective commentary on GoldenEye 007 in the years following its release included an October 2011 review by Mark Reece from NintendoLife. Reece gave the game a rating of eight out of ten, commenting that although the game's multiplayer mode stands up well, its graphics, audio and "fiddly" aiming system are dated. He noted that GoldenEye 007's approach to difficulty settings provides good replay value, but is a system rarely used in modern FPS games.

Rowan Kaiser of 1UP.com, who placed the game 53rd on "The 60 Most Influential Games of All Time", pointed out that the game "paved the way for the later popularity of Halo, Call of Duty, and more". Similarly, GamePro, placing it 9th in "The 52 Most Important Video Games of All Time", called it the console killer-app of the 1990s and the best game ever licensed from a film. With its eight million copies sold, GoldenEye 007 was also one of the most significant titles that helped the Nintendo 64 to remain competitive with rival Sony's PlayStation, though it eventually lost much of its market share.

GoldenEye 007 is frequently included in gaming publications' "greatest game" lists. In a January 2000 poll, readers of the long-running British magazine Computer and Video Games voted GoldenEye 007 into first place in a list of "the hundred greatest video games", and it was ranked 5th in a poll the following year. Also that year, the game ranked 16th in Game Informer's list of the "Top 100 Games of All Time". In 2005, a "Best Games of All-Time" contest at GameFAQs placed GoldenEye 007 at 7th, and in a list made by IGN in 2005, the game was ranked 29th, while the Reader's Choice placed it at 7th. Video game review site ScrewAttack rated GoldenEye 007 number one in three separate top ten lists: a June 2008 list of the "Top 10 FPS Games Ever", a June 2009 list of the "Top 10 Movie-Based Games", and an October 2010 list of the "Top 10 Local-Multiplayer Console Games". Edge has featured GoldenEye 007 prominently in three "greatest game" lists: it placed third in a staff-voted poll in 2000; seventeenth in a staff, reader, and gaming industry-voted poll in 2007; and it was also included as one of the publication's "Top 10 shooters" in 2003.