Pros: Excellent gameplay, graphics, sounds, multiplayer, and oh yeah... it's Bond
Cons: None

GoldenEye did something that only a few games can claim to have done. It changed the way people play video games.

GoldenEye is a first person shooter (also known as FPS and wanted in several states for being responsible for warping the minds of our impressionable teenagers, along with The Matrix and Marilyn Manson to name a few, but that's another opinion). Which means that you play the game from the perspective of your character. And what makes this game extra special is that that perspective is of Bond, James Bond. Because in GoldenEye, you are 007, trying to stop Trevaylen from blowing up London with the GoldenEye satellite. But anyway, back to the whole changing the face of video gaming thing. Most first person shooters before GoldenEye had you shooting everything that moves. Which was all well and good, but now, in GoldenEye you were expected to complete missions and do various tasks to do good, and if you shoot the wrong guy, you lose. This added a whole new dimension to FPSs and made GoldenEye one of the most challenging games for the N64.

And in addition to those new dimensions, GoldenEye was way cool. I mean did I mention you got to play as James Bond. Being James Bond is like every man's fantasy. You get to save the world, and you get the girl (actually about four girls per Bond movie). But aside from the character, the graphics were fantastic. Everything was so detailed, and the game moved so smooth. And the gameplay was fast and exciting, while still being challenging. And you could just pick up the controller and be comfortable with the controls in minutes. And (man I've said and a lot) GoldenEye was also one of the first games to support the Rumble Pak, and in my opinion, still features the best Rumble Pak support of any game. And (there I go again) the sound was incredible. Vintage Bond. These background tracks were lifted straight from the movie. The sound effects are standard FPS stuff (gunshots, death screams, explosions), but they work, so I'm not complaining. This game just oozes Bond, the music, the style, everything, you are James Bond.

But GoldenEye really shines in the multiplayer. Sure saving the world is fun, but there's just something really fun about blowing up three of your friends without breaking a sweat and getting to laugh int heir faces. The multiplayer mode was great. You could play for hours and not get bored. It was perfect, and made a multiplayer mode almost standard on every N64 game released since.

So GoldenEye changed gaming. But after seeing the release of all the challengers, all the imitators, and even it's eventual quasi-sequel, Perfect Dark, GoldenEye is still the greatest First Person Shooter, and a classic.