GoldenEye 007 is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. Based on the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, the player controls the secret agent James Bond to prevent a criminal syndicate from using a satellite weapon. They navigate a series of levels to complete objectives, such as recovering or destroying objects, while shooting enemies. In a multiplayer mode, up to four players compete in several deathmatch scenarios via split-screen.

Development began in January 1995. An inexperienced team led by Martin Hollis developed GoldenEye 007 over two-and-a-half years. It was conceived as a side-scrolling platform game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but evolved into a 3D shooter for the Nintendo 64 inspired by Doom (1993) and Virtua Cop (1994). Rare visited the GoldenEye set for reference, and Eon Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer allowed them to expand the game with sequences not featured in the film.

GoldenEye 007 was released in August 1997, almost two years after the release of the film but shortly before the release of its sequel Tomorrow Never Dies. It faced low expectations from the gaming media during development. However, it received critical acclaim and sold over eight million copies, making it the third-bestselling Nintendo 64 game. The game was praised for its visuals, gameplay depth and variety, and multiplayer mode. In 1998, it received the BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Games Award and four awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

GoldenEye 007 demonstrated the viability of home consoles as platforms for first-person shooters, and signalled a transition from Doom-like shooters to a more realistic style. It pioneered features such as atmospheric single-player missions, stealth elements, and multiplayer console deathmatch. The game is considered one of the greatest video games ever made, with many of its elements, such as the Klobb gun, leaving an enduring impression in video game culture. A spiritual successor, Perfect Dark, was released in 2000, while a remake developed by Eurocom, GoldenEye 007, was released in 2010. The original game was rereleased in January 2023 on Xbox One via Xbox Game Pass by Xbox Game Studios and Nintendo Switch via Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack by Nintendo.

Gameplay

When the player takes damage, red and blue bars are displayed on the game’s HUD, representing Bond’s health and armour levels respectively. Ammunition information is displayed at the bottom right corner.

GoldenEye 007 is a first-person shooter where the player takes the role of Secret Intelligence Service agent James Bond through a series of levels.^[2] In each level, the player must complete a set of objectives while computer-controlled opponents try to hinder the player’s progress.^[3] Objectives range from recovering items to destroying objects, defeating enemies, or rescuing hostages. Some objectives may also require the player to use high-tech gadgets. For example, in one level, the player must use Bond’s electromagnetic watch to acquire a jail cell key.^[4] Although the player begins each level with a limited amount of supplies, additional weapons and ammunition can be acquired from defeated enemies.^[5] There are no health-recovery items, but body armour can be acquired to provide a secondary health bar.^[4]

Each level can be played on three difficulty settings: Agent, Secret Agent, and 00 Agent.^[9] These affect aspects such as the damage enemies can withstand and inflict, the amount of ammunition available,^[6] and the number of objectives that must be completed.^[10] Two bonus levels can be unlocked by completing the game on Special Agent and then on 00 Agent.^[9] The player may also replay previously completed levels within target times to unlock bonus cheat options such as infinite ammunition or invincibility.^[11] Upon completing the game on the three difficulty settings, an additional mode is unlocked, allowing the player to customise the difficulty of a level by manually adjusting enemies’ health, reaction times, aiming accuracy, and the damage they inflict.^[9]