Goldeneye

It is a tribute to Rares creme de la creme that now, five years after its release, Goldeneye is still regarded by many as the best FPS to appear on a console, maybe even the best FPS period. When it was released in 1997 it caused a huge storm, attracting greater audience to Nintendos dipping Nintendo 64, and set Rare high upon that pedestal. Geniuses they were called, what had done was truly remarkable. All the praise they got was not unfounded, they had delivered one of the finest games ever made. But lets delve a little deeper, shall we?

It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes (not made, makes) Goldeneye so damn great. Like all classic games, it was a mixture of all elements that make a game good, with that unmistakable magic sprinkled over it. Ask any Goldeneye fan what makes it so good, and you'll probably get 'the levels' as one of the answers. Since Goldeneye, I have yet to find a game with such perfect level designs. With the exception of the mediocre Streets and Jungle, each of the games levels is superbly crafted. Dam is such a memorable introduction, a couple of steps and you'll get your hands on the sniper rifle (definitely one of the best sniper rifles in recent memory) and will have plenty of sniping moments. There's nothing like zooming in as far as you can go on a blissfully unaware guard and taking him down with a well-aimed headshot. And then there's the famous Facility, a great example of a good Bond level.You'll crawl through ducts at the start and drop down on guards in the loo, after taking one out with a thrilling headshot first of course. And then there's the playful Bunker, which you'll revisit a few years later in its bigger form, the exciting Archives, and among many others, Complex, the most cleverly-constructed and difficult level I've encountered in a FPS. But what makes the levels rise above the mediocre levels in many FPS' today is that when you've completed them on all the difficulties, when you've got the cheats, you'll still go back to the level to mess around. You'll muck about with the enemies, try out cheat-enabled weapons and modes, you'll just go back for some fun. Luckily, the levels aren't too linear in design, meaning there isn't always a set path for you to follow, so you can try out new ideas and routes. But mainly, you'll go back because it's fun. I wouldn't be able to tell you the amount of hours I've spent just mucking around in Bunker, and making up hilarious new ways to kill enemies.

One of the reasons the singleplayer works so well isn't just the design of the levels, but the unbelievably smooth learning curve and well-pitched difficulties of each setting; Agent, Secret Agent and 00 Agent. No matter how hard any of the levels seem, they're never impossible. With enough time and effort, you'll eventually do it, and you know that. And thank god Rare didn't release cheats for the game until two and a half years after the game was launched, by which time people had developed enough skill and persevered enough to complete the levels. And once you do finally complete them, you'll have this amazing feeling of self-satisfaction. At what's more, for once difficult is actually fun. And then, when you've got all those ticks, when you're feeling all proud of yourself, cheats come along. And not lazy, easy enter-in cheats, but ones that have to be earned. You have to complete certain levels in certain times on certain difficulties for them. Unlocking gimmicky ones like Big Heads or Paintball mightn't take much, but for the honour of Invincible or All Guns you're going to have to go to hell and back in some of the most challenging and sweat-drowning videogaming feats you'll achieve.

And if you ever get tired of the singleplayer (fat chance of that happening) there's always the infamous multiplayer. Once again, ingenious level design is evident. Some of them are just modified singleplayer levels but somehow they work brilliantly in multiplayer. Facility especially is filled with superbly-conceived spots and promises hours of fun-filled games. Archives is a brutal level, nicely compact while the huge Bunker will have you playing strategic, skilled games. The multiplayer-only levels aren't as good, but the only real bad one is Caves. But it doesn't matter, a select few levels outclass pretty much everything recent FPS developers could churn out. What's even more remarkable is that Goldeneye manages to do this without the gloss many shooters today have. There's no Mapmaker, no plethora of modes, no customable weapons, no user-specific characters, no gimmicks, no hooks, just pure, damn good gameplay. Even now, five years on, Goldeneyes multiplayer is a thing of legend, and the source of countless hours of 4-player heaven.

And this entire package is wrapped up in the most loved film franchise ever. Right from the rausing Bond intro you've got the music, the gadgets, the inspiring document-like presentation of the menues. Unlike immatators like Agent Under Fire and Nightfire etc., Goldeneye feels like a proper Bond game, but it doesn't feel forced or artificial. It just feels like Rare knew exactly what they were doing with the license, and you can clearly see the commitment to make the most of it. Rare are acclaimed for their constant strive for perfection, and nowhere is this more present than in Goldeneye. The game shines like little we see today, it is a game dearly remembered and loved by all, and will always be loved. It's a timeless classic.

10/10

By Conor