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What Did Reviewers Think of N64’s GoldenEye 007 in 1997?
Blog > Stories
What Did Reviewers Think of N64’s GoldenEye 007 in 1997?
Sequels and Poorly-Aged Takes
MORE BOND
After having such a great time with GoldenEye, some reviewers were already discussing what they wanted to see next from developer Rare. Everyone understandably assumed they would revisit the Bond license, but Rare ended up going in a different direction. After the runaway success of GoldenEye the licensing price went through the roof so Rare produced a wholly original shooter, 2000’s Perfect Dark, instead.
“Hopefully, if this game goes over well, Rareware will bring out a sequel based on this year’s Bond flick, Tomorrow Never Dies. Hey, they already have Pierce Bronson’s face texture.” Uncredited section, GI
“Use James Bond in a video game plot that has nothing to do with any of the movies. Make a game where the outcome is unknown.” Ferris, GR
WTF??
As one might expect, critical writing from 1997 isn’t quite timeless when read through a modern lens. I’ll leave you with some fun quotes that make you go “hmm.”
“Women’s Lib didn’t affect him either, and the sexual innuendos abound. James Bond is one of the few icons of machismo that hasn’t been destroyed by Political Correctness. Case in point: Arnold Schwarzenegger pregnant.” Ferris, GR
“Cool Boarders 2. What an absolutely cool game it is. Beyond that, eh. We had a lot of games with average scores this week.” Tsūshin, WF. In the review roundup section.
“If there’s a downside to GoldenEye, and we had to struggle to come up with one, it’s that squeamish players may find death animations are so realistic that they close their eyes and wind up getting shot.” No byline, NP
“While the Bond atmosphere is there, the cartridge music just doesn’t do it justice.” Stewart, GA [Note: GoldenEye has one of the most revered game soundtracks of all time. You can even order it on vinyl.]
“Play GoldenEye one time and you’ll be jonesin’ for James harder than Grace Jones on a lonely night.” Robinson, GP
