007 - GoldenEye [Model NUS-NGEE-USA]

Released on Aug 25, 1997 in the USA.

Development began in 1995 and was handled by an inexperienced team led by Martin Hollis, who had previously worked as a programmer on the coin-op version of Killer Instinct. It was primarily inspired by Sega's Virtua Cop before being redesigned as a free-roaming shooter. After more than two and a half years of development, GoldenEye 007 was released shortly before the release of the GoldenEye sequel Tomorrow Never Dies. Although the game faced low expectations from the gaming media, it sold more than eight million copies, making it the third-best-selling Nintendo 64 game. The game received critical acclaim, with praise given to 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.

The game was rated T (Teen, it have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older) by ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board).

Retrospectively, GoldenEye 007 is considered an important game in the history of first-person shooters for demonstrating the viability of game consoles as platforms for the genre, and for signaling a transition from the then-standard Doom-like approach to a more realistic style. It pioneered features such as atmospheric single-player missions, stealth elements, and a console multiplayer deathmatch mode. The game is frequently cited as one of the greatest video games of all time, with many of its gameplay elements, such as the Klobb gun, having left an enduring impression in video game culture. A spiritual successor, Perfect Dark, was released in 2000.