TRIVIA FACTS ABOUT THE WORLD OF GOLDENEYE - Part 2

In part two of our Trivia Facts About The World of GoldenEye section, we look back at some unknown trivia facts about the 1997 Nintendo 64 videogame GOLDENEYE 007, based on the 1995 film and developed by Rareware.

WARNING: IT MAY CONTAIN SOME SPOILERS

• GOLDENEYE 007 was originally intended to be a Super Nintendo release to tie-in with the film’s release date of November 1995. The original idea was an on-rails shooter in the style of VIRTUA COP.





Render featuring a gunbarrel sequence


• GOLDENEYE 007 was the first Bond game for the Nintendo 64 console system, and it also was the first 007 videogame to feature a simultaneous 4-Player Multiplayer mode.

• Many tendencies from this game were set as standards in future 007 videogames, as the blood-drip death screen, which can also be seen in TOMORROW NEVER DIES, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (both N64 and PS1 versions), NIGHTFIRE, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, QUANTUM OF SOLACE, BLOOD STONE and, of course, the 2010 remake of GOLDENEYE 007.

• The guns in the game were renamed from the originals, maybe for copyright reasons: Bond’s Walther PPK became the PP7, the Kalashnikov 47 became the KF7 Soviet, the M16 Assault Rifle became the AR33, the H&K MP5 became the Deutche MP5, and Ouromov’s reglamentary Makarov handgun became a DD44 Dostovei, which is actually a Tokarev.

• In the first mission, the Dam, the guard that can be seen opening the gates at the opening cinematic, won’t attack us until he reaches his route, even if he sees us. Using the ‘Turbo Mode’ cheat we can get to him.

• In the same level, there’s an island where Bond was supposed to visit in order to accomplish an objective. Fans who got to the island using the GameShark tools claim there’s a gun and a body armor there, besides the desactivated gun turret that can be seen using Sniper Rifle.

• According to the film, Alec Trevelyan face scars are produced by the Facility explotions. Still, in the second mission of this game (based on that scene), we can not only see the scars, but also a wedding ring on his hand.

• The Facility scenario has appeared not only in the Multiplayer mode of other Bond games like GOLDENEYE ROGUE AGENT, but in Rare games like PERFECT DARK and PERFECT DARK ZERO. In GOLDENEYE 007, the level also features the Bond silohuette with a ban signal, maybe as an in joke from the Rare team.

• One of the scientists in the level keeps the Keycard A, which can open every door in the Facility. Players can wait him in the toilet to force him to drop this keycard. There’s a scientist called Dr. Doak in the game, which is a double agent we have to contact in the Secret Agent and 00 Agent difficulty settings. The character was named after David Doak, a member of the Rare team.

• David Doak was not the only developer who got his name and face on the game. Ken Lobb, ex member of Nintendo of America, lent not only his face to the soldiers, civilians and scientists, but the name to one of the weapons: the Klobb. Other workers such as Greame Norgate and Grant Kirkhope can also be seen ‘playing’ characters in the game.

• We can remember that 006 kills a scientist at the beginning of the film. Still, in the Facility and in some other missions we have clears orders of prevent scientist/civilian casualties. In fact, if we harm scientists in the Facility level, some of them defend themselves with grenades and DD44 guns.

• The dialogue changes in this level when you meet Trevelyan. If you get to the bottling room harmless, Bond will say “It was too easy (getting here), Alec”. Otherwise, he’ll say “It was a bit tricky” or “I almost got killed getting here.” If we shoot him, he’ll attack us claiming: “So, the golden boy is a traitor, how ironic”. If we kill him, he’ll say: “Why, James?”





Render featuring the tank chase. The vehicle
features in two missions: Runway and Streets.


• Also, original stills of this level showed, just like in the film, more gas tanks than the ten we find in the bottling room.

• In the Runway level, inspired in Bond’s escape from the Facility, Bond can get a tank to reach the place, instead of the bike used in the film. The bike was designed and a miniature model can be seen in a table on the next level, Surface. However, in the Wii remake of the game, Bond rides a bike just like in the film and tries to catch the plane in mid-air.

• In the Bunker 1 level, blowing up the hanging TVs in the control room with remote mines will cause bullets and rockets freeze in the air. In this level, we meet Boris for the first time. Even when he is a civilian and shouldn’t be killed, we won’t fail the mission if we kill him (except in the Secret Agent and 00 Agent modes before he turns expendable).

• Original images of the Silo level showed Bond taking and elevator and shooting enemies with an AR33. Finally, we don’t get that gun nor that elevator in this level.

• In the same level, Bond is ambushed by Ouromov. If we shoot him (or if we kill him with the Golden Gun), he’ll escape and throw a briefcase. Still, this belonged to a lost objective from the level.

Bond infiltrates the Severnaya Bunker, a place he didn't
visited in the original film.

• According to Moneypenny’s briefing for the Frigate mission, Xenia Onatopp may be aboard, just like in the film. Still, there’s no trace of her in the final game. Also, the pilot she shoots in the film is a character available in the Multiplayer mode. The helicopter aboard the frigate was renamed “Pirate” instead of “Tiger”.

• In the Bunker 2 level, we can get Throwing Knives by using the Magnet Watch on a grating on the floor. In the same level, we are asked to recover a CCTV VideoTape, which features the poster artwork for the 1995 film.

• In the Statue Park level, we finally find out Alec Trevelyan is Janus. To meet him, we have to reach the Lenin statue. If we’re carring a gun, he’ll ask us to put it away. If we go unarmed, he’ll say: “No gun 007? MI6 must have been readjusting budgets.” We can also kill Trevelyan if we use a Sniper Rifle or if we shoot him with the Golden Gun, but we’ll fail the mission since he hasn’t revealed himself.

• The Archives level features two hidden passages; one of them is hidden behind a big pile of four boxes. They’re also available in the Multiplayer mode.

• In the Streets level, where we ride the tank again, we were supposed to face Russian Police troops, just like in the film, but for unknown reasons they were dropped out and only available with the 64 characters cheat for Multiplayer.

• We have two ways of ending the Depot mission. One is to shoot both guards after opening the doors of Trevelyan’s train; the other is to enter without killing the guards. If we go for the second option, we’ll watch Bond killing the guards before straightening his tie in the cinematic.

• In the Train level, if we destroy the wooden crates, we’ll get a RCP-90 in Agent and Secret Agent, and a gun in 00 Agent. If we are quick enough and get to kill Ouromov, Xenia and Alec (quickly with the Gold PP7 and using the ‘Turbo Mode’ cheat), we’ll have the chance to get to the the end of the wagon. Still, there’s nothing interesting there. By hitting Xenia or Alec, the cowntdown for the bomb will start later.

• The RCP-90 gun, which we ‘officialy’ get in this level, was named after the graphic chip of the N64: RCP stands for Reality CoProcessor and 90 is the frecuency the CPU can reach (93.5 MhZ).

In GOLDENEYE 007, Bond has a 'closer' contact
with Boris Grishenko

• The same that happened in Facility and Statue Park occurs in the Control level: the dialogue variations. At the beginning of the mission, we have to take all enemies down so that Natalya can unlock the doors. If we succeed harmless, she’ll say: “James, you were wonderful.” If we lose some health, she’ll tell us: “James, you’re hurt.”

• In the same mission, if we blow up a computer where Natalya’s working at, she’ll tell us: “I’m going back to the lift, I might be there when you stop clowning around.” And our mission will be failed. The same happens if we kill Boris, since she isn’t angry with him as in the film.

• In the Caverns level, if we shoot some crates next to the radio we use to contact Jack Wade, we’ll get a double AR33.

• The Antenna Cradle level is the last mission of the film’s storyline. After we find Trevelyan, the fight can get longer and longer depending of how good our accuaracy is. Everytime he gets shot, he’ll say phrases based on the movie. If we stand next to the stairs for about ten seconds without entering the Console Control Room where he’s waiting us, he’ll kill himself with a grenade (a glitch) and our objective B will be complete. On the other hand, if he challenges us for a duel in the platform (just like in the film) and we kill him, we’ll get an animation of him falling down, before the classic cinematic of Bond clinging to the helicopter. The latter animation may change if we use the ‘Fast Animation’ or ‘Slow Animation’ cheats, where, depending on the case, Bond will jump before the helicopter gets to pick him up or the helicopter will leave without him.

• If we beat the storyline missions in the Secret Agent difficulty, we’ll unlock the Aztec Complex mission, inspired on the film MOONRAKER. In this level, we’ll have to battle Jaws (even when he turned on our side at the end of that film) in order to get a security card. However, there’s a complicated trick that allows us to get the door open avoiding Jaws: if we attract the guards before reaching the mainframe room and we hide somewhere, one guard will open that door.

• Just like in the MOONRAKER film, there were also female guards in this level, but they were dropped out of the level and left only for the Multiplayer Mode. At the second stage of the game, we’ll find a bridge that goes through a pit. If we fall down there, we’ll get on a corridor that will eventually lead us where Jaws is.

• The last level of the game is Egyptian, based on LIVE AND LET DIE and THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN. This level can be unlocked by beating the game in the 00 Agent difficulty setting. Here, we have to recover the Golden Gun and confront Baron Samedi. At the end of the game, we’ll have a cinematic of him laughing, just like in the end of LIVE AND LET DIE. Still, changing the control settings to ‘Domino’ and using remote mines, we can blow him away (we can also do the same with Natalya in Bunker 2 and Archives).

GOLDENEYE 007 magazine ad. You can noticed
the white tuxedo clad Bond inspired by Sean Connery
that was removed from the game.

• Other Bond classic characters, May Day from A VIEW TO A KILL and Oddjob from GOLDFINGER, are available in the Multiplayer mode after you beat the game. Still, they are nowhere in the single player campaign.

• The Multiplayer mode originally featured an ‘All Bonds’ cheat, as it could be seen in many production stills of the game featuring a character with a white tuxedo (presumably based on Sean Connery). Still, for copyright reasons, this cheat was removed but discretely kept in PERFECT DARK.

Sources: MI6 Declassified Magazine #2 (February 2008), MundoRare.com