GoldenEye 007was a must-have video game on theNintendo 64and a genre-defining entry into the first-person shooter genre. Many of the modern-day tropes in shooters come from this very game. Its fingerprints can still be seen on massively popular series despite being over a quarter of a century old.
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If you still want to get that nostalgic feeling of playing GoldenEye, there are a lot of choices out there. Some have that same spy aesthetic; others advanced their game mechanics, while some are by the same game designers who worked on GoldenEye 007 atRare.
10Perfect Dark
Perfect Darkis the sequel we never got. Launched by GoldenEye 007 developer Rare, the Bond license was dropped in favor of an original IP, but the fun remained.
Perfect Dark used the GoldenEye game engine and pushed the console to its limits whileusing the Expansion Pak. Everything about the Bond game classic was improved, polished, and added to. The difference this time was Joanna Dark was carrying out the espionage.
9Call Of Duty Series
Call of Dutyprobably wouldn’t exist without GoldenEye and how it shifted the FPS genre. CoD lives on the spectacle of different levels, whereas previously, the shooter genre was more maze and game mechanic-focused.
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You could call GoldenEye a proto-CoD title because, if you want to shoot a bunch of guards with guns in hallways, the magic is all here with new games nearly every year.
8Ring Of Elysium
GoldenEye was heavily praised for its multiplayer, and the N64’s four controller ports played well into this. Modern shooters have taken this to the next level with battle royale games populating maps with small armies.
Ring of Elysium is a battle royale game, but it has a deep story and interesting multiplayer mechanics. The game has dynamic weather systems that add a whole new layer to the choices you have to make. Plus, it’s free.
7TimeSplitters Series
TimeSplitterswas designed by members of the GoldenEye 007 development team, so the three-game series feels like a move forward from the N64 classic. As evident by the title, this series introduced a time-traveling element into the mix, resulting in varied level designs — including a Russian dam level that called back to its GoldenEye roots.
Both the story mode and multiplayer action are here, and TimeSplitters even threw in a MapMaker way back in 2002. For kids of the early 2000s, these games were gold for their variety of play, and there were many fond memories to be had.
6Halo: Combat Evolved
Haloused its story-driven first-person-shooter gameplay to make the Xbox a must-buy. Since the original Xbox had four controller ports, you could get into couch co-op mayhem with three of your best buddies, just like GoldenEye.
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Halo’s designers also played close attention to weapon design, and the sniper rifle carries over the coolness factor from GoldenEye. Sniping friends was a favorite pastime of early 2000s gamers, and you can’t ignore how Halo changed the multiplayer scene.
5Metal Gear Solid
This PlayStation 1 classic has the spy action that GoldenEye players love. While not a first-person shooter,Metal GearSolidhas tight stealth action that sometimes gets into shooting when Snake’s cover is blown.
Like GoldenEye 007, this game makes you feel like you’re in a movie and is a must-play for any gamer out there unless you don’t like sneaking around in boxes. This was perhaps Sony’s counterpart to the N64’s Bond entry.
4Wolfenstein Series
GoldenEyeowes its lifetoWolfenstein 3Dsince it is the granddaddy of all first-person shooters. With Bethesda and ID launching quality sequels to the classic, you have to admit that later entries of the Wolfenstein series benefit from GoldenEye-like play.
Spy activities, sneaking into bases with hordes of guards, and lots of gunplay make Wolfenstein a great series to get into. It’s come a long way from rudimentary 3D mazes and eating dog food.
3From Russia With Love
From Russia With Love is a delight. Electronic Arts had fun lovingly putting this call back to theSean Connery-era bondout in 2005. It gets overlooked sometimes, but this was a great game and even had high-definition graphics on its original Xbox launch.
You end up doing all the Bond-y things in this game, from using jetpacks, speedboats, cool cars, and shooting a Walther PPK. The game’s story was written by GoldenEye’s screenwriter and even had Sean Connery’s voice.
2No One Lives Forever Series
Launched three years after Goldeneye 007, No One Lives Forever took the 1960s style of spy films and made it into a first-person shooter. The game was jam-packed with charm and varied gameplay, and some considered it the best FPS sinceHalf-Life.
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This story-driven shooter has sharp shooting and stealth mechanics, with multiple ways to get through a level. Like GoldenEye, your main character Cate Archer also has a variety of gadgets she can use.
1Half-Life Series
Playing through GoldenEye in the modern era makes you think, “Wow, this came out before Half-Life?” While Half-Life came out a year later and redefined first-person shooters forever, the Bond classic was already doing some things on the N64.
If you haven’t played Half-Life yet, you’re going to soak up its narrative-driven gameplay and cinematic events. The only criticism you’re able to lob at Valve is they didn’t get the Bond license for their Half-Life game. Everything else in this series is amazing and timeless.
