GoldenEye 007 (N64)

Controls are easy to master, which is impressive considering the variety of actions the onscreen hero can perform. Bond can run and walk at variable speeds, duck, pivot, hide, attach mines to enemy helicopters, block doors from opening, and more. The optional auto-aim feature is especially nice. Of course, James Bond is proficient in a wide variety of weapons. You get to use them all, from the trusty Walther PPK (with silencer) to double sets of full-auto machine guns.

The game's faithful tribute to the Bond legacy includes briefing dossiers on each mission, complete with wisecracks from Q and flirtatious comments from Miss Moneypenny. And the 3-D representation of locations and characters from the movie is very impressive.

One of the distinguishing features of the game is the outstanding artificial intelligence of the enemies. When attacked, squads will rush to hit the alarm. If they make it, reinforcements come running. Enemy soldiers respond to being shot or blown up with chilling realism. According to Rareware, there are over 30 different animation routines that come into play, depending on where the soldier is hit. For those who prefer the challenge of human opponents, there are six clever multiplayer modes where up to four players can shoot it out, as teams or solo agents.

With excellent gameplay, intelligence, and style, GoldenEye 007 is a first-person shooter that'll keep you coming back for more. --Jeanne Uy

Pros:
• Built-in save capability for up to four players
• Auto-aim feature helps novice players feel like a sharpshooter
• Rich, complex gameworld filled with detail and variety
• Great bonus missions

Cons:
• Sometimes cinematic scenes for fulfilling mission objectives are a bit anticlimactic

GoldenEye 007 puts would-be double "O" operatives through the paces in 20 challenging missions, each with three different difficulty levels. With each difficulty level, the intelligence of your opponents increases and the complexity and number of objectives grows. Following and expanding on the story line of the hit movie, GoldenEye 007's missions span the globe; from a secret base in arctic Russia to the a giant satellite antenna cradle suspended over the steaming jungles of Cuba.

While the actual game's budget is of course, Top Secret, Nintendo have spared no expense in creating one of the most immersive gaming experiences ever. Almost two years in the making, the game is worth the wait. To capture the atmosphere of the movie, the game's developers visited the movie sets several times during production to gather research materials. The designers used photographs, movie footage and actual blueprints of the sets to create the complex level layouts. The result is one of the most realistic 3-D, first-person games ever. GoldenEye adds an unbeatable license to thrill.