Our first day impressions, starting with Goldeneye:

The epic Goldeneye still evokes strong emotions from gamers. Many feel it is overrated tosh whilst others claim it paved the way for future FPS titles. Either way, heed our warnings that the following will evoke many differing opinions...

TAPEDECK:

“Before getting 'stuck in' I thought I would go through all of the controller setups trying to get to grips with everything again. I eventually settled with the dual controller setup. The use of two analogue sticks meant it felt more like a modern setup rather than using the C buttons - which feel, suprisingly archaic. Also, (due to the Wii) I kept shaking the controller to reload - doh!”

CUBE :

“At first I couldn't play the game at all. It just felt horrible to play, even after I had gotten used to the controls. Then I remembered the unlockable cheat menu, in particular "Turbo Mode".

So, with the game running at double speed the game was more than bearable, it was actually a lot of fun and felt as good as it did back in the day (when Turbo Mode was stupidly fast). The music is still awesome and nice little touches like shooting off enemy hats means that the game stands up aesthetically, too.”

FIERCE_LINk:

“Whilst booting this up earlier today, I couldn't help but be transported back to my childhood. Hearing that oh-so familiar theme music made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I armed my PPK ready to do battle once again.

Some games lose their magic over the years, and some even have your questioning why you liked them in the first place. Thankfully, Goldeneye doesn't fit into either of these categories. It's a true classic, and it still sucks you into that other world, even to this day.”

TAPEDECK:

“I must mention that Goldeneye features more options in it's setup (for both visuals and controls) than many modern day titles have. Special mention must go to the cinematic screen option which still gives off a being-in-the-movie vibe. Brilliant.

Unfortunately I found that the lack of cutscenes (which modern games bring) means the story can seem to jump about a lot. No doubt if you know the movie well enough this isn't a problem but for those of us who aren't familiar with the plot, confusion can come into play when you think "why is Bond in Siberia now?" Thankfully wherever Bond is, he still plays as beautifully as ever.”

CUBE :

“The great thing about GoldenEye (and a few other N64 shooters) is that even though they are made up of lots of small levels, it never feels linear (unlike most modern FPS games). The levels have a decent amount of exploration and allows for a bit of freedom.”

TAPEDECK:

“You can tell that the levels were developed before the objectives were even thought of. This means there are 'pointless' sections of areas. True to life.”

FIERCE_LINK:

“For a game that was created in the late 90's, this really doesn't look too shabby even by today's standards. The scenery is still marvelous to look at aswell (particularly the backdrop of mountains). In my honest opinion the area where this game really does excel is the pace of the gameplay. Very rarely in this game do you wander around or run aimlessly - the structure of the missions and the layout of the levels/maps are second to none, and would even teach shooters of this generation a thing or two.

Some games lose their magic over the years, and some even have your questioning why you liked them in the first place. Thankfully, Goldeneye doesn't fit into either of these categories. It's a true classic, and it still sucks you into that other world, even to this day. “

VIPER :

“I played this not too long ago. I always break it out every now and again. Thing is I always start off playing it innocently but I just know eventually i'm going to end up seeing how many different ways I can kill the scientists in Facility. Or creating a huge stack of remote mines, setting them off, thus giving the game slowdown for 10 minutes. Great success!”

DARKSNOWMAN:

"I actually played this a few months ago - but only in multiplayer so I hit the single player, threw on some cheats, (paintball mode!) and headed to the Dam. I hadn't realised how long it has been since I played GoldenEye’s single player mode! As the camera panned in before the level started, I could almost smell and taste my early teenage years. Good memories... and the game didn't disappoint. I switched the controls to Solitaire (you know it makes sense) and I paintballed my way to the bungee jump.”

”After that I played a few other levels which were also good- such as the Bunker. I had forgotten how to select the watch magnet, but I got there after a minute then me and Natalya were free to wreak havoc on our way to the control room, which she was obsessed with getting to. Sadly, Natalya got caught in some crossfire along the way meaning I laid waste to the control room when I reached it before escaping out to the helipad. Great, great fun though!”

Quake II:

“I don't remember ever playing this before, but now the framerate just makes me want to puke.”

Turok Rage Wars:

”I got it when I was a kid. I don't really know why I still have the game. Rage Wars is a multiplayer-only take on the Turok games, which I feel were better off as single player games. Even with elements like the bow and dinosaurs the game feels like a generic Unreal Tournament clone. Turok was all about getting completely lost - which is impossible when you are confined to tiny arenas.”

Perfect Dark:

”It was so fun to play when it was released, and gladly it is just as fun to play now. The ‘item wheel’ made accessing weapons so much easier and the addition of cut-scenes and voice acting made the single player so much more involving. The locations, characters and weapons of Perfect Dark are first rate. A great range of memorable locations and memorable, innovative weapons reign supreme. The secondary features of some weapons are still fantastic, and the distinct designs of the alien weapons (the clunkiness of the Skedar weapons and the sexy-smooth reloading orbs of the Maian weapons) are second to none.”

”And then there's the multiplater. It had excellent Co-op modes that let you take on levels with a friend and the counter-op mode which had player 2 controlling the enemies is still great fun. The proper multiplayer mode had a stupid amount of features and is still joyous to play.”

The World is Not Enough:

”Even though The World is Not Enough (film) was nothing compared to GoldenEye, the game was (and still is) good. There is a bit more of a focus on Bond's gadgets and a mixture of stealth and action levels as well as levels where either one is an option. A lot of fun to play, but not amazing.”

Perfect Dark:

”Perfect Dark is really a game of two halves. There's the single player and the multiplayer. First off, I gave the single player a go and you're treated to a cutscene before the mission actually starts. As Tapedeck mentioned earlier, this was missing from Goldeneye, and this does help in the story/immersion element of the game.”

”As far as the plot goes for this game, perhaps it tries to do a bit too much. Comparing the first and last level of the game, it does seem that this game really does take you light years away from your original starting point. But it's up to the individual gamer to decide whether that is a good or bad thing. To me, I much prefer the story-telling elements in the first half to the later. (Particularly before the introduction of the Skedar).”

”A lot of effort has clearly gone into this game, particularly the multiplayer mode. It's in this area that Perfect Dark really shines. There's a great variety of maps to choose from and you can even play in sections taken from Goldeneye - the popular choice being Facility (renamed Felicity due to a comedy typo fact fans!) The selection of weapons on offer is bewildering - from the Farsight to the Superdragon, and from proximity mines to the MagSec. Players even have the opportunity to mix and match which weapons appear when and where and this makes each multiplayer bout as fresh as the last. You truly haven't lived until you and your mates have done battle against a hoard of dark-sims! I love this game, I always have and always will. Rare really went al out creating it and even if some elements are not to your liking, they are small niggles on an otherwise superb game. A classic, and one which would still impress and involve gamers both old and new.”

Duke Nukem 64:

”It had to be the first thing in seeing as no one else seems to have bought it! I whipped through the opening three levels of Hollywood Holocaust, Red Light District and Duke Burger - "Go away, we're like, closed." I played Duke a few months ago, showing it off to a mate, and I found it kinda hard to get back into. But this evening, on my own I was straight back into it with no hitches. I made those alien scum pay.”

“What I always liked and appreciated about Duke was the quiet atmosphere (made you feel alone- moreso than any Metroid game. ), and the amount of secrets to find in each level. There were tons of little vantage points, secret rooms and things to uncover and use. Where I found this came into its own was during the multiplayer Dukematches.”

”I had some Dukematch action tonight- me versus the Dukebots. You can't do that in GoldenEye now, can you!? And trust me, there's nothing better than getting a jetpack, a shotgun and some explosive shells and taking to the skies above the stadium to pick off the Bots below.”

“Speaking of GoldenEye... you couldn't have a slash in the toilets in Facility, could you? Or fraternise with some strippers... well, we can let that one slide seeing as the Big N's censors got the strip clubs, nudity and swearing removed!

Perfect Dark:

I decided to play half of PD's single player. And as it started up I was reminded of the N64 logo morphing into the Datadyne logo which still looks amazing. Then the ace music kicked in. I started playing 'Datadyne Infiltration' - again the music was excellent. Nice realistic exploration with the odd empty room meant the title felt fresh and realistic. Infact, the building still looks impressive today. I must mention that Grant Kirkhope's atmospheric/futuristic music truly rules in the second level. When playing the Carrington Villa I was delighted that the graphics still hold up today! Some levels (like Chicago) were framerate killers but overall Perfect Dark is still very playable. Frustrating moments are aplenty but it still has that '1-more-go' feeling to it. The graphics are still pretty impressive to this day and the sound is great. The playability of the title was fine but the framerate sucked. (And I remember it getting even worse on the later Skedar-related missions).

Well that's our first day of N64 gaming wrapped up so we would like to thank Darksnowman, Cube, Viper and Fierce_link for their wholly insightful and excellent views! Now let us know your favourite or most hated shooter on the N64 and the reasons why in our forums!

And remember that tomorrow you can join us for MORE! N64 loving as we put our pedal to the metal and head out onto the race track! Even better, it could be your comments here on N-Europe! So get that N64 dusted off and get involved, we'll be waiting!