GOLDENEYE 007

Reviewed By: Carole Stewart McDonnell
VOLUNTEER GUEST REVIEWER
GAME TECH INFO

Computer Platform: Nintendo 64
Produced by: Nintendo
Price Range: $45-65
Learning curve time: 1 hr. 15 min.
Age level: 12+
ESRB Rating: Teen
System Requirements: Nintendo 64, controller

Genre: First Person Shooter (FPS)
Christian Rating: 3 of 5
   (some objectionable elements)
Gameplay: 5 of 5
   (excellent)
Violence: 2 of 5
   (heavy)
Adult Content: 3 of 5
   (mild)

Cover Graphic from 'Goldeneye 007'

My son begged and begged for this game last Christmas and his dad finally got it for him. Since that time, he has asked me to play it many a time. I have yet to sit through more than fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes is about my limit to blood, mayhem, treachery, cruel interrogation and sexual mind games. Now it's not as violent as "Mortal Kombat"—people thrown on spikes—or “Doom”—sex in animated bathrooms—but how violent does violent have to be? It's a little more intelligent than the others, brings in some cultural and regional history—The Russians and the cold war—and makes spying seem sexy.

In this game you are James Bond trying to save the world with some guns against literally thousands of terrorists shooting at you and sexy spies throwing themselves at you, (hey it could happen). This game teaches children that the weapons of our warfare are guns. It teaches that women are duplicitous and are always out to trick men and steer them from their path. And --there are dead bodies everywhere-- it makes murder seem necessary and painless. The scenery is great. The virtual reality base is awesome. But technical excellence isn't enough to recommend this game. There is too much violence in the real world as it is. The play-world of children should not be tarnished by blood.




For those who said there is no sexual content, I disagree. During the ending credits it shows the “good girl” scientist make out with James in the Cuban jungle. Also, in the JUNGLE stage, Xenia is wearing next to nothing. For the people that use the invisibility cheat, this is especially evident. Also I would like to point out that when using mines, grenades, grenade launchers, or rocket launchers, the explosion throws your enemies off your feet and they scream bloody murder. Also in the JUNGLE stage, the “good girl” scientist wields a fictional Cougar Magnum which, in the game, has the capability of blowing holes in people. Although the most rapid fire gun in the game (the RPC-90) does not spew blood on the wall, another one does. A high-powered fully automatic sniper rifle that wields 5 inch NATO shells (at least by the looks of them) in fact. This gun, the AR-33, can and will be the cause of major violence. In one of the levels, nearly every soldier wields these and the game over sequences can be pretty bloody. The remaining soldiers wield “mookrakers,” fictional lasers that burn you alive. Also, throughout the game, are “Drones”, mounted gatling guns bent on tearing you apart. And they do. As a final point, in the airstrip stage, there are huge mounted AAA guns just lying in wait to destroy your plane, sending your rotted corpse out the windshield. I destroyed this game even though my friend offered me $50 for it.
   —Brian

I also agree with the other comments, I thought GoldenEye was such a good game when I played it that I bought another 1st person shooter, Turok 2. In GoldenEye when you shoot someone they just have blood spots on their shirts, but in Turok one of the weapons latches onto the enemy's head and sucks thier brains out, THAT is violence.
   —Robert Moore

When I read what the reviewer said about this game I thought that he must have been reviewing the Sony Playstation version or maybe a PC version. There is absolutely no sexual content at all. And the blood is not graphic at all, in fact it is hardly visible to me at most times. I think that almost any teen could play this game without suffering any desencitizing affects to human death. This game isn't some guy going around shooting innocent people. First of all, it is a war. He shoots communist soldiers and saves hostages. Second, It's imaginary, and I think that most teenagers realize that. It is the same as a boy going outside to play cowboys and indians with the toy guns that his parents gave him. Compared to all of the other first person shooter games i've seen, this one is the least offensive and yet still the most fun and most popular. My Ratings: [3/5]
   —Ben Williams, age 18

Comments from Young People…

I can see where the reviewer got his opinions if he only watched for less then 15 minutes at a time. If that was done, it would be easy to assume that the rest of the game is like the movies where James Bond is involved in sexual intercourse every 15 minutes just for pleasure. In the game, there are no references or scenes like this ever. The only non-Christian aspect of this game is the mindless killing of people, however once they are killed there are only small spots of blood on their body, and they disappear after seconds. This killing can only be justified by the fact that if Bond didn't kill them, they would kill him. This game is without a doubt the best game ever, as their is yet to be a game which nears in the great gameplay which isn't attempting to steal Goldeneye's fame. My Ratings: [4/5]
   —Chris Maser, age 16

Honestly, I really disagree with the reviewer… Goldeneye has the LEAST amount of violence of any first person shooter I've ever played. You go through different levels, completing interesting objectives and collecting some very cool weapons. The only amount of “violence” is shooting at terrorists…(yaay!)…so they'll get out of your way. It's not even a "hahaha…look I killed you" type of thing. Most of the time, you shoot out of defense…because they run like crazy at you. (Ummm…in real life, I'd grab a gun and shoot someone who was trying to kill me. This isn't un-christian…it's common sense and a smart thing to do.)… My final statement…This is a VERY fun game… My Ratings: [5/5]
   —Dan, age 17

I feel that the reviewer was completely wrong. You simply cannot judge a game after playing it for only 15 minutes. It sounded more like you were reviewing the movie rather than the game. …There is hardly any blood in the game, and you can only see it if you are close up to the corpse and the dead bodies fade after 3-4 seconds. There is no sexual content at all, period. No foul language either. I consider this a “tame” shooter compared with all of the more violent ones. You have objectives to complete, and you can't go around blasting everything in sight. Shoot the wrong thing or person and you fail the mission. If you shoot too many scientists or civilians, you also fail… My Ratings: [4/5/3/5]
   —Mike Sanders, age 14

I thought the reviewer was harsh in his review of Goldeneye. …the violence in this game is really very curbed. The only blood you even see is in the form of tiny little splotches on the commie's shirts. My Ratings: [4/5]
   —Andy, age 13

Very Cool game. I, with the others, disagree with the reviewer. I understand about the spies and violence, but I don't usually notice the blood at all. And it's not like I check out animated female spies. You have to be mature in the game and must be able to understand that killing isn't for fun in the game. It's to beat missions and win a war. Also, when a guy dies, his body disappears unlike some body's in "Perfect Dark", left for immature people to keep shooting and watching them die as blood leaks out from their body. One of my favorites of all time. My Ratings: [4/5]
   —Blake Wolf, age 13

The reviewer of this game was fairly harsh on it. It is barely bloody at all and you are punished for killing innocents, like scientists. “Goldeneye” is one of the best FPS games in existence and is a lot of fun. I don't have a clue where the reviewer saw any sex it it at all; there just isn't any, except in the movie which doesn't share much of anything with the game save a few locations. And after all, it's just a GAME. My Ratings: [4/5]
   —Doug Graham, age 14

I am a 13 year old Christian boy who owns “GoldenEye” and plays it a lot. I read your review and the reviews for “Half Life” (which I've seen my friend's play). I disagree with your reviewer: in "GoldenEye", there is only ONE female spy who is trying to trick or kill him. The other female is a computer scientist who is "good". The blood and gore is not as bad as in “Half Life” or “Duke Nukem” or “Doom” or "Perfect Dark". Yes, people get shot and killed, but when someone gets blown up on "GoldenEye", they simply fall down and THE CORPSES ALL FADE AWAY. Unlike “Half Life” where people get blown up much more graphically. In "Perfect Dark", the corpses don't disappear. “GoldenEye” is challenging and requires thought and isn't a game of simply blowing everything and everyone away. I usually play in “paintball” mode anyway. My Ratings: [3/5]
   —Bryan Lethbridge, age 13


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