When the Nintendo 64 was released, Nintendo promised us groundbreaking titles that far exceeded any found on a 32-bit system. Well, Nintendo and Rare have largely delivered on this promise, while the third parties haven't been living up to their end of the bargain. Just like with Blast Corps, Rare has developed another outstanding game in Goldeneye 007.

The game is based on the movie of the same name, and of course stars James Bond (just in case someone didn't know :). Initially, there are 18 different levels that you have to work your way through, and they're tied together by a typically cheesy Bond plot. As you work your way through the game, two more levels will become available, bringing it up to a total of 20. This game is one of the many first person shooters coming to the Nintendo 64 (since the N64 can handle large 3D environments with ease), and it will probably be the best (at least until Quake 64 comes out next year).

The graphics in this game are amazing! Every object in is made up of rock solid polygons. Fog is almost non-existent in this game, except on the levels set in Siberia, but then it's used to add to the atmosphere, not hide pop-up. The enemies look amazingly realistic, and polygon-clipping just cannot be found. Also, the level of detail is amazing. Great attention was paid to detail, and it shows in the nice looking computers and other fine touches. You can even shoot the hat off a soldier! The only problem that I had with the graphics was the "wall" which was found on a couple of levels. Trying to go into the woods, only to find out that it's just a big blob of color, is somewhat disappointing. All Rare would've had to do to fix this is to put a fence (or something similar) just far enough from the woods so that the player can never run right up onto the texture blob, and it would still look like real woods. However, this is only a very small complaint. Right now, these are the best graphics to be found on ANY system.

The music and sound effects are absolutely stunning. Oddly enough sounding amazing, the music consists mostly of remixed Bond themes. The sound effects are equally impressive. Guns sound realistic, and definitely one of the coolest sounding levels of all time is the Cuban Jungle level. A stellar job by Rare in this department, and another blow to all of those who think that the N64 can't handle quality sound.

Gameplay is where this game impresses the most. The enemies react realistically depending on where you shoot them. A well placed shot can easily mean the difference between victory and defeat. The controls are absolutely perfect, and the analog control gives Goldeneye 007 superb handling. There are four controller setups as well, so anyone should be able to find one that they're comfortable with. Levels are large and varied, and there are three different difficulty settings as well. The use of the Rumble Pak in this game is also superb, and feeling the recoil of the gun just adds a whole new level of realism to this magnificent game.

Overall, this game is a must buy for any N64 fan. Even if you don't like first person shooters (and I didn't before I bought this game), this will be the one that changes your opinion about the "Doom" genre. Certainly a magnificent feat by Rare, and definitely the best console first person game of all time.

Overall: 9.7