So it’s obviously been many years since the release of consoles like the NES, the Sega Genesis…hell, the Xbox and PS2 are now thirteen and fourteen years old respectively. Yes, everyone is now growing increasingly used to a console that not only plays video games but also Blu-Rays, Netflix, and several other options that I already use on my PC, but that’s another story. Believe it or not, most of us PC gamers do have a soft spot for consoles we used to play for hours on end as kids. Some of us are even going back to consoles. You may feel free to troll us all you want, but it’s true and there’s no shame in it. Sometimes all you need after a grueling 48-hour day of assembling nail-clippers or serving 3000 calorie cheese sandwiches is a comfy chair, darkness, and a glowing power button ready, willing and able to remove some of the burden from your weary psyche.
No technical knowledge needed, except for maybe where to plug in the adapters. But other than that it’s literally just plug-and-play. I think all of us who have ever played a video game have that one console with an associated game that surgically implanted memories that would keep us from jumping off rooftops. The following are some of my own fond memories in no particular order, just the ones I could recall at the time of writing this post:
Goldeneye 64:
Really, what can you say about this masterpiece besides: BLAM, POW, SHOOT THAT GUY, KILL THAT GUY, BOND MUSIC, BOND GIRLS (sort of), AND BOND GUNS!!!!
*Goldeneye 64 has a MIGHTY INTERESTING development story that you can check out here.*
Plenty of games have been made out of movies, and when I say plenty I mean TOO MANY *cough*. It’s just an obvious subject that if done well can make for a kick-ass weekend alone or with friends. This gem is an example of a movie-based game created almost flawlessly. The mechanics are simple enough, just move through each map completing different sets of objectives based on your difficulty level and shoot everyone who gets in your way. But the memories aren’t necessarily found in the single-player campaign, which follows the movie almost to a T. Instead you’ll find yourself draining hours and even days shooting, slapping, and blowing up your friends on the classic levels with memorable music and a crapload of dangerous weapons. It was a race to see who could kill fastest and often in the silliest of ways.
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Several that I remember as being among the most enjoyable are: Remote Mines, Throwing Knives, and Rocket Launchers. Sticking explosives on walls or doors and waiting for people to enter your traps was extremely satisfying, and dueling with rockets is arguably the best way to test your mettle against your opponent. Of course this was the only Bond game, to my knowledge, that ever featured blood (pixelated and not very graphic), so throwing knives and seeing the red stuff was something special. At least before we played games from the year 2004 (A la Doom 3).
*My Favorite Moments*
Even the environment could be used as a lethal weapon, and speaking of the environment, you could practically destroy anything from windows to cars, to planes and helicopters.
This might seem lame, but with the right Gameshark codes, you could start the missions with all objectives completed, walk through walls, and even destroy important game objects that were never intended to be damaged by anything. It’s a nice feeling.
The Runway mission and accompanying music:
*My Favorite Moments*
Unfortunately, this is one of the N64 titles that never made it onto the 3DS platform, so you’ll probably have to stick to the original console for best results. Either way, it’s a great game from a great time.
NOTE: Those of you who had the entire library of James Bond games for the N64 (….all two of them….) will probably notice that the AK-47 model is actually NOT the one that was used in the finished product. I love details like this, so you’ll have to excuse me if I end up using them a lot in further blog posts.
In the mean time, let me know what you think and share with us some of your favorite memories, and tune in next time for a look at another game from another console!
