I’m not exactly huge on shooters. I just never really got into the genre, as a whole. There were two big exceptions, though– two shooters that I played the heck out of. One of them was Halo. But the first– the original– was Goldeneye 007.

I know most of you remember this one. The graphics were bulky and blocky– hilariously so, to look back on it now:

But did that matter at the time? No, because this game was amazing and addictive.

The gameplay was solid and each level gave you a variety of difficulty options. The weapons were all unique and interesting. And most importantly, you could spend hours messing around with the stupidest things and it was still fun. I have memories of playing this game with friends or family members for hours doing stunt games like “PROXIMITY MINES ONLY”. You’ve gotta be a good game to pull something like that off. I mean sure, we’d do stuff like Pistols Only or whatever on Halo, but c’mon, Proximity Mines? It was just so epic.

You also got a watch with a laser on it, which you actually had to use at one point. Although you could shoot people with it if you wanted.

Now let’s talk about the levels. Facility is basically the greatest level ever. I’m not really sure what about it was so appealing. Maybe it was because you started out in a bathroom, or maybe it was just because of the sheer variety of the place’s scope. Maybe it’s because on single-player, it masterfully presented you with goals that were interesting but still achievable in order to ease you into the game, while on multiplayer it was just madcap fun. Whatever the reason, I really can’t think of a more memorable FPS level, at least on consoles.

Granted, the game was full of amazing levels (Bunker comes to mind), and not just multiplayer-wise. The single-player campaigns were rock-solid as well, full of challenges and plenty of humor (like the Bond girl admonishing you to be quiet as you attempt to fend of soldiers who want to kill you.)

So, Goldeneye 007. Anytime someone tells you that no movie has ever been made into a good video game, you can remind them that there is at least one that has.

In closing, imagine how silly you must look when you press pause.