"The name's Tendo. Nin Tendo."

[knightendo]

Sorry for the awful title!! But I'm currently reading the hhuuggee tome "James Bond The Legacy" by John Cork and Bruce Scivally, and am currently at a section talking about the newer Bondmania, which restarted in the late 90's after Brosnan's first coupla movies. It is talking about how the producers formed "Bond Marketing" to make sure all official merchandising "reflected the allure and feel of the unique world of 007." The beginnings of this new arm of Eon Productions may surprise you, it was one certain product that prompted the whole company's creation...!!:

 

(the entire section, just after introducing "Bond Marketing"):

The impetus for this new focus on merchandising originated a few months before the premiere of Tomorrow Never Dies with the release of the most successful James Bond product ever. In fact, it was more than just a product, it was the launch of a new incarnation of 007. Since 1953, when Jonathan Cape first issued the novel Casino Royale, 007 had conquered the worlds of publishing, film, music, television and home video. On 25th August 1997, James Bond revolutionized the world of interactive video games.

 

The release of the Goldeneye 007 game for Nintendo 64 changed the gaming industry forever. Many critics could barely hide their excitement, and Goldeneye 007 was quickly deemed "the best computer game ever". One critic noted, "It's very difficult for me to describe a game that is so close to perfection." Another stated that Goldeneye 007 was "easily the surprise hit of the decade." The game topped sales lists, selling over 2.1 million copies in the US in 1998 alone, earning the Game of the Year award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Goldeneye 007 was so big that Nintendo credited it as a driving force behind the success of the Nintendo 64 platform during the Christmas 1997 sales season. "No game in history took the world over by storm like this one, and no game will probably ever do it again," wrote Anthony Eaton in 2001. (Who's Anthony Eaton...?)

 

The Goldeneye 007 game was an important milestone in the history of Bond, because, like the novel Casino Royale and the film Dr. No, it represented a new viable franchise for 007. While film studios were looking towards video games as the source for new film concepts, the Bond producers had successfully taken a cinematic hero and transformed him into the most popular video game hero on a monumental scale.

 

The game brought in more revenue than the theatrical release of the film (theatrical release income approx $350million according to this book) on which it was based, and transformed a generation of computer game aficionados who soon described themselves as James Bond fans even though they had never seen a 007 film. Colleges and fraternities hosted Goldeneye 007 tournaments. By the summer of 2001 the game had sold over eight million copies worldwide, making it far and away the top-selling video game of all time. While eight million may not sound an astounding number compared with the number of worldwide admissions to the films, consider that the games originally sold for $61.00 apiece, and that among boys aged seven to fourteen in the US, 73% had played the game within the four-year period since its release. To them, 007 was cool, cutting-edge, high-tech. While they probably did not even know that Dom Perignon was a brand of champagne, the youngest computer game fans understood that James Bond represented quality and sophistication.

 

The impact of Goldeneye 007 on the computer gaming industry was immediate and controversial. Goldeneye 007 popularized its format - a design called 'first person shooter' - which quickly became the most imitated in the video game industry. However, at a time when there were concerns about the impact on children of violence on television, in movies and in video games, the designers of subsequent Bond video games made an even greater effort to downplay random violence in favour of strategy and careful choices. Players are rewarded for non-lethal confrontations in 007: Agent Under Fire, and bloodletting, just as in the Bond films themselves, is minimized. The changes have not seemed to slow the enthusiasm for Bond among game players. 007: Agent Under Fire was securely ranked in the Top Ten games sold during the 2001 Christmas season in both the US and Great Britain. 007: Agent Under Fire proved remarkable for other reasons. Unlike the games based on Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough, Agent Under Fire was not modelled on any Bond films. The game created new characters and new adventures. The next Bond computer game, Nightfire, would also be an original scanario with clever plot twists.

 

i know we all know how successful the game was, but some of these figures are staggering (73%?! wow!), and the fact that it was the main reason behind Eon Productions sinking so much time and money into a newly created marketing company is pretty cool. wasn't expecting the game to get as much space in a book like this, but i guess it just shows how important the N64 classic is to the Bond universe!

 

time to get the N64 hooked up again...

[The Bard]

Good stuff. But I never really got into Goldeneye as much as Perfect Dark.

[Shino]

There's so much bullshit in there.

[knightendo]

There's so much bullshit in there.

 

no offence, but that sounds like personal opinion. two rather famous authors in a very well-respected and thoroughly researched book, i'll take what they say as fact, eyethangyou.

[Bogbas]

I recently tried perfect dark on my n64, when I played it I was a bit surprised that it didn't feel "old". There were only a couple of things that separated it from current fps's. 1 the graphics, but it does look pretty awesome for an n64 game. 2. the lack of ragdolls. But it has many hilarious animations to make up for that.

 

And I remember spending hours with friends trying to clear a level on 00 agent difficulty. Good times And then spending few more hours to unlock the cheats by completing a mission in a certain time.

[Hellfire]

I actually prefer PD, but Goldeneye was a heck of a game. Good times indeed.

[Solo]

There's so much bullshit in there.

 

 

The bit about Agent Under Fire being remarkable for other reasons is the only bullshit I can see, as it wasn't.. for any reasons.

 

 

But GoldenEye is indeed legendary, a true 10 out of 10 game. Probably the best split screen action I've ever had (PD comes close though).

[Shino]

The release of the Goldeneye 007 game for Nintendo 64 changed the gaming industry forever. Many critics could barely hide their excitement, and Goldeneye 007 was quickly deemed "the best computer game ever". One critic noted, "It's very difficult for me to describe a game that is so close to perfection."

 

Agreed, a bit of hyping.

 

"No game in history took the world over by storm like this one, and no game will probably ever do it again," wrote Anthony Eaton in 2001. (Who's Anthony Eaton...?)

 

Yes, who? The man said that in 2001, he should know better.

 

the Bond producers had successfully taken a cinematic hero and transformed him into the most popular video game hero on a monumental scale.

 

More hyping.

 

By the summer of 2001 the game had sold over eight million copies worldwide, making it far and away the top-selling video game of all time.

 

Bullshit, it did sell 8 million units, but it's hardly the best selling videogame off all time.

 

Goldeneye 007 popularized its format - a design called 'first person shooter' - which quickly became the most imitated in the video game industry.

 

They could be a little more specific, it popularized it's format in the CONSOLES.

 

 

And the rest is about Agent Under fire and doesn't really matters.

 

The problem is, Goldeneye was/is a great game, but what they show there is just half facts, and not the truth.

[knightendo]

Agreed, a bit of hyping.

Yes, who? The man said that in 2001, he should know better.

More hyping.

Bullshit, it did sell 8 million units, but it's hardly the best selling videogame off all time.

They could be a little more specific, it popularized it's format in the CONSOLES.

And the rest is about Agent Under fire and doesn't really matters.

The problem is, Goldeneye was/is a great game, but what they show there is just half facts, and not the truth.

 

'course it's true! this is near the end of an encyclopedic book! why start hyping a video game at the end of a book like that?! it's not gonna help sales of the book as you'll have already bought it, and it's about a game you can no longer buy!!

 

did a search and actually found the original goldeneye 007 article. the site hasn't been updated in a long time, not since then by the looks of it so i'd say he's now about 27. searching on the net, he's quite an acclaimed reviewer. anyhoo, doesn't matter if he said that in 2001! how can you say he shoulda known better? people still praise the game as highly as that today after all.

 

and it doesn't matter if they didn't emphasize CONSOLES, it states that it is talking VIDEO games so the people this book is aimed at would assume consoles, especially as how it's talking about the n64! this isn't a games book, it's a bond book so it doesn't matter! just because it didn't say the word "console" doesn't mean they're "hyping"!

 

ffs, i find something cool about one of the best games ever and this is the thanks i get for typing it all up at 4am lol. your argments seem opinion-based more than anything.

 

anyhoo, to get back on subject... plugged up the old n64 to the tv today and had a very satisfying blast! the game still feels fresh and innovative even after the slew of console fps' that have come since, and thru it i may sit down with the dvd tonight

[Shino]

Look, I'm not trashing the game in anyway, that game consumed a big part of my life, it even created the biggest inside joke among my friends. But the fact is:

 

• Mario64 did a bigger impact in video gaming history and so did Zelda:Oot;
  
• Bond it's not "the most popular video game hero", mario is;
  
• It's not "the top-selling video game of all time", Super Mario Bros. is;
  

[Hero-of-Time]

Look, I'm not trashing the game in anyway, that game consumed a big part of my life, it even created the biggest inside joke among my friends. But the fact is:

 

• Mario64 did a bigger impact in video gaming history and so did Zelda:Oot;
  
• Bond it's not "the most popular video game hero", mario is;
  
• It's not "the top-selling video game of all time", Super Mario Bros. is;
  

 

*Rings the bell*

 

We have a winner!

[mcj metroid]

goldeneye>perfect dark in my opinion

[Bogbas]

I think this game did "revolutionize" the fps genre. It was among the first fps games that had things like hitboxes and accuracy "cones". And have a stealth as an integral part of the game.

 

IMO half-life didn't do as much to the fps genre as GE did. And I regret that I didn't get GE game back in 97. But I have PD so it's not all bad.

[knightendo]

I think this game did "revolutionize" the fps genre. It was among the first fps games that had things like hitboxes and accuracy "cones". And have a stealth as an integral part of the game.

 

IMO half-life didn't do as much to the fps genre as GE did. And I regret that I didn't get GE game back in 97. But I have PD so it's not all bad.

 

cash converters do good deals on n64's if you're lucky enough to find one. a machine and goldeneye will set you back about £20 just. well worth the investment i can tell you!!

 

quick question for everyone: my original post brings back all those fond memories of just how the game took over so many lives lol (i only experienced it for the first time two years ago), i know it probably won't surface on VC, but IF it did, would you be willing to pay a little extra for an online version of the deathmatch? or up against all the new online titles that'll appear next year do you think it'd be a waste of time?

[demonmike04]

Does any one remember Tendo? =S he left AGES ago..