FIRST PERSON GAMING

First-person shooters were a sensation on PC for several years before GoldenEye’s release, but the genre was far from established on home consoles. Hardware limitations affected performance and controllers couldn’t match the feel of mouse-and-keyboard accuracy. Some would say these issues continue to this day, but the gulf between PCs and consoles is far less pronounced. Add this to the fact that three FPS games had recently released on N64 in the months before GoldenEye, and some began to tire of this burgeoning genre.

“…it’s yet another first-person game in the N64’s minuscule line-up.” McNamara, GI.

“…but it’s still just another first-person title on the N64.” Reiner, GI.

“Overall, GoldenEye, while being a good corridor shooter, is a corridor shooter, nonetheless. I have no problem with Nintendo releasing quality games, but I think it’s time they expand the horizons of the system a little.” Stewart, GA

On the flipside, others claimed it stood out from the rest.

“This is absolutely the best first-person game ever.” Boyer, EGM

“Goldeneye is one of the best first person shooters ever.” Ferris, GR

“[3D Shooting Mission:] Finalist felt great to play, and 007 was thrilling too, so you couldn’t go wrong with either of them.” Haneda, WF.

“In fact, we can say with a clear conscience that Goldeneye 007 is the best single-player first-person game on any system.” Perry, IGN 

“…the best console corridor shooter out there.” Robinson, GP

“In a crowded field with 6 different shooters, 007 and Twisted Metal gave me good vibes.” Masuda, WF.

IS IT BETTER THAN TUROK?

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter earlier in the same year as GoldenEye and invited several direct comparisons since it was another early console first-person shooter. Iguana Entertainment created a large open world for players to explore, but due to the limited capabilities of the N64 the team had to shroud everything in a thick fog to get it to run well. Rare took a different route with more contained, discrete levels, but was able to avoid using fog effects for the most part. GoldenEye would eventually win the battle for historical relevance and sales (8 million vs. 1.5 million), but which game came out on top in reviewers’ eyes?

“First of all, it’s not as good as Turok.” McNamara, GI

“Every detail is sharp and realistic, an amazing feat, exceeding even the high standards set by Turok.” No byline, NP

“…the good news is that the infamous fog effect is almost non-existent.” Stewart, GA

“I think it’s better than Turok and I loved Turok. There’s a lot more complexity in this game.” Lucas, EP

Even though it didn’t exist when both games were released, Metacritic went back and aggregated the reviews of the time, scoring GoldenEye at 96 and Turok at 85.