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The World is Not Enough - RAWKS!...kind of
Rob - 10/21/00
 

Four years ago, Goldeneye came out for the N64 and it became one of the greatest (if not the greatest) 64 games of all time.  It completely redefined first person shoot 'em adventures, and it was also linked to one of the greatest cinema figures in history, James Bond.

Rare produced the first Bond game and now Eurocom Entertainment and Electronic Arts have paired up to make The World is Not Enough for the N64.  I purchased the game yesterday and while I had grown tired of knowing all the little nook and crannies of Goldeneye, I wasn't quite satisfied after playing The World is Not Enough.  Overall (controlling, gameplay, etc) I could say it's Goldeneye, Mission Impossible, and Turok all rolled into one.  I loved Goldeneye, I didn't mind MI, I hate Turok (yet I have 1 & 2).  Let's go into some detail though.

World is Not Enough N64 Stats:  

  • 32MBs (256 megabit) cartridge - Goldeneye only had 96 megabit
  • ESRB (Rating):  TEEN
  • 1 Player, Multiplayer:  4 simultaneously
  • 14 single-player missions with difficulty settings:  Agent, Secret Agent, 00 Agent
  • 12-20 firearms throughout gameplay, 13 gadgets speckled throughout
  • Memory Card needed for saving
  • Enemy bots in multiplayer mode, Entert your own name for Player Name
  • All people speak for the most part
  • Bond can swim and jump and even skis

Gameplay
The World Is Not Enough follows the movie pretty much on the dot.  The levels (buildings, rooms, appearance) are laid out as much as they could and are indeed very vast and very detailed.

If you don't like running through level after level, blasting away opponents, TWINE offers you a lot of variety in mission gameplay.  Some objectives include:  Chasing after a villain through a city, swimming in a sinking submarine, cover operations, and more.

Although if you like failing a mission to fire a few rounds in an innocent's head, you'll be disappointed when TWINE ends the mission half the time if you fail an objective.

Since the game is so large (bit speaking), you have to go through the loading screen and if you fail all the time, it soons turns into an annoyance.

Your enemies aren't that bright so it shouldn't be that hard to fail objectives.  It's not a given that they'll come if they hear a shout, funny seeing as these enemies talk (Who's there?  Bond is here!  Please don't shoot!)  I find that TWINE makes up for it in much improved death animations (If you shoot a guy in the head, it'll snap back and he'll collapse to his knees then face first, if you shoot a guy standing by a railing he'll flip over it, etc)

However, they might be dumber then the Goldeneye bad guys, they're a bit better with the aim, and you become in real trouble when you have to reload your gun (which are great animations, but so real that you'll be getting your ass kicked as you eject all the shells, and insert each new bullet.  This was my biggest pet peeve of the game)

Multiplayer Mode
With loads of new options for game scenarios, player name ability, and others.  The levels given to you are compact and not quite as up to par with the Goldeneye levels (which were the exact as you played in single mode)  They are nice and fluid, but you find yourself often running around the same place, and running out of ammo.

This doesn't help due to the fact that the Computer opponent Bots are extremely aggressive and can take you out with one single shot to the head.

Graphics
Top Notch.  Definitely better then Goldeneye, everything is fluid  and detailed.  Explosions, 

The cut scenes are great and add to the game.

What can I say?  A++

Sound
Due to the fact that Eurocom didn't work out a deal with the Monty Norman people, there is no original Bond theme.  Which I missed, but the TWINE music isn't horrible, in fact it's above average.  The effect sounds are great, and the voices are very well done, mingled throughout the game.

Let's see how it stacks up:

Presentation
The box is great, they used the actual blueprints from the movies to make the game, all the interfaces are superb.		 9.0
Graphics
Smooth, detailed, never misses a beat.  All the animations are top notch also.		 9.0
Sound
Voices, great effect sounds, decent to above average TWINE geared music.  No walking past the barrel with Norman theme music.  Deduct 2!		 8.0
Gameplay
Single Player - Gooood......Multiplayer Baaaad....		 8.0
Lasting Appeal
Single player will definitely keep you working at it for weeks, until you breakdown and get those gameshark codes.		 8.0
genX Rating (not an average score) 8.5

Strong Recommendation to Buy for Bond and Shooter Fans alike.

- Rob
unknownbrainwaves@comic.com

 

I like to cheat..(Gameshark Only)

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