Showing posts with label GoldenEye 007. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GoldenEye 007. Show all posts

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Wanted Dead or Alive...

Mailbag #55: "Can't Drive 55"

Mario Kart 64
"One foot on the brake and one on the gas.
There's too much traffic, I can't pass..."


The "letters" section has always been a favorite part of any publication.

Even material written ages ago can be entertaining (which is why I hate to throw out old mags).

Skimming through a time capsule of old video game trivia and discoveries submitted by readers.

And while it's fun to get posters, panties (WTF?), and copies of Perfect Dark Zero, anything sent to the old mailboxes will no longer be received.

Mailbag #55: "Can't Drive 55"
https://deterest.blogspot.com/p/mailbag-55.html











     RE: No Subject

MAILBAG #55

"CAN'T DRIVE 55"


Decided to post a few coherent messages from the old mailbox...

(Anyone still reading really does deserve a good thrashing!)





This bag of mail touches on Perfect Dark, TimeSplitters 2, Super Smash Bros, and of course perennial favorite GoldenEye 007.

Best letter wins a rare photo of Natalya in a bikini, "signed" by former President Clinton.
(Already sealed in a bag and chucked in the mail because I sure as hell don't want it!)


Mailbag #55: "Can't Drive 55"
https://deterest.blogspot.com/p/mailbag-55.html






Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Can't Rush Perfection...

Mario is Missing!

Little Miss Dark manages to usurp Super Mario!
How can this be?

Possibly because of an unplanned side-project, the Perfect Dark N64 Blog which quietly debuted last year.
perfectdarkn64.blogspot.com

Much of the content is not to be taken seriously - But many of the cheat codes, unlockables, secrets and walkthru pages have been restored.


STAR CHARTS
" Because The Best   Video Games Came Out Last Century! "


GameSystem
Released
1Perfect DarkN642000
2Super Mario Bros. 3NES1990
3GoldenEye 007 N641997
4Donkey Kong Country 2SNES1995
5Super Mario All-StarsSNES1993

Despite the enduring popularity of Super Mario Bros 3, the NES classic gets bumped down one spot as Agent 007 hides in the basement shadows.





Thursday, June 13, 2024

On An All Time High...

The Juggling Act


Managed to put together more than fifty journal entries during the past spring & winter, effectively doubling the number of posts on this blog.

Definitely didn't expect to crank out that many pages (considerably more, considering the unplanned unveilings of the GoldenEye & Perfect Dark blogs).

Wasn't exactly sure when I'd put down the controller this time round...

After finishing Super Mario Bros 3, and completing 18 of 20 GoldenEye missions on 00 Agent (stuck on Jungle, Aztec)
it feels the time is about right. Also surprised myself by making it halfway through Perfect Dark.

Finding myself too busy with other things.
Some fine specimens out there, in the realm of Bass fishing and bikini babes (and not necessarily in that order).

Last summer, enough sand accumulated on the carpets to play beach volleyball in the hallway...







Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Mario Clouds Everything...

Super Mario Bros. 3

"Wars Not Make One Great..."

With Super Mario Bros. 3 maintaining the pole position, James Bond wrestles with the Planet of the Apes.

The Force is also strong with young Skywalker. Keep trying to warn everyone that the kid grows up to be Darth Vader, but no one seems to listen...











STAR CHARTS
Arbitrarily Assigning Replay Value! 


GameSystem
Released
1Super Mario Bros. 3NES1990
2Donkey Kong Country 3SNES1996
3GoldenEye 007 N641997
4Super Mario All-StarsSNES1993
5Star Wars Episode I: RacerN641999


Monday, May 20, 2024

Never Say Never Again...

Going Postal

GoldenEye 007


Dusted off some mail after a decades-long hiatus.

Some people claim to have read every single edition of the Mailbag. (They're obviously lying - No one could ever be that bored)

It seemed appropriate for this milestone. A hundred Posts going far beyond the basics of our favorite games, and exploring off the beaten path.

Just how many letters are floating around?
Comparable to the mailroom on the TITANIC (and some of it nearly as old).

Mailbag #54: Special GoldenEye Edition
http://goldeneye64.blogspot.com/











     ATTN: MI6
      c/o Moneypenny

MAILBAG #54

SPECIAL GOLDENEYE EDITION


Topics include the GoldenEye movie, Citadel and Gamesharking...
Win a used VHS copy of GoldenEye if your letter was published!




Clearing off the Spyderwebs and brushing up on some useless Bond trivia. Some of it obscure and irrelevant - But those who like GoldenEye like it a lot.







Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Capture The Case...

GoldenEye 007: Ourumov's Briefcase and Key


Longtime fans of GoldenEye 007 will surely be aware of Ourumov's Briefcase and Key...
"Unwinding after a hard day at the office."


The Silo mission (game's sixth level) was one of the very first missions to be created, and likely served as a test-level to figure out some of the basics.

Towards the end of the Silo, there's a brief confrontation with Colonel Ourumov (not yet a General, per the story).

The player can cause Ourumov to drop a few items, often by killing him.
For years, players assumed that the Briefcase and Key MUST lead to an absurd secret area that would somehow contain Oddjob or Mayday...



Collecting that Briefcase and Key is a relatively straight forward trick.
Simple enough using Cheats - Especially Gold PP7 and/or Bond Invisible.



Obtaining the Briefcase itself is useless in the finished game.

The Keycard is listed as a "dash" or "dot" in Bond's inventory.

Interestingly enough, the key can actually be used in the finished game. It seems to open all unlocked doors in the Silo (which isn't overly useful considering it's at the end of a mission).


Quickly opening the door and dashing back down the stairs...
It's possible to kill Ourumov before the "sees" Bond.



I's even possible to pull it off WITHOUT using Cheats.
Relatively simple, just gotta be crafty.

Taking aim on our target. Of course the door tends to close automatically...
Bond may have to climb back up the stairs and open it again.



The Ourumov character model will stand there and take bullets to the head (seemingly oblivious) until his armor and health become depleted. 

 

The General's Droppings...

Ourumov's Briefcase and Key on the Silo floor, along with his DD44 Officers' Pistol.



The "key" is technically a keycard.



The Ourumov character is also highly under-used in the GoldenEye game.
Integral to the story - But following Facility has just a couple brief appearances in Silo and Train...

He's completely absent from the Archives and Streets.

Even a model of his car exists in the memory, indicating the intentions for General Ourumov to serve a more prominent role.







Thursday, May 9, 2024

Reaching Into The Bond Archives...

Artificial Military 'Intelligence'

A quick glance at another favorite GoldenEye mission, the Military Intelligence Archives in St. Petersburg.

Mad Dash Through the Archives
(11th Mission of GoldenEye 007)


00 Agents who finish the Archives mission quickly enough (1:20 or less) will be awarded with the Bond Invisible Cheat (also known as the Achievement "Cheater!").

Not only is the Cheat itself fun to play around with, but also offers the opportunity to peer into the boring lives of guards who swat flies and scratch their asses.

A successful run within the Target Time is something that even relatively new 00 Agents can accomplish.

Many of us did this task before even owning a copy of the game.

Just a quick overview. Hoping to post a more detailed strategy guide eventually.
(Basic Mission Walkthru: Archives)


A speedrun through the Archives is  nowhere near as frustrating as the Facility - Although random AI characters can screw up the mission (which can be maddening).



After a quick escape from the Interrogation room, grab the girl,
(obtain an item from a safe) then break a window for an exit.


Useless Trivia: The guard who patrols through the Mishkin room is the same guard who can be seen on one of the opening Intro Cameras.




The main point of frustration is a rendezvous with Defense Minister Mishkin in a tiny little room, where random character animations can be the death of you (quite literally).

One guard will almost certainly patrol through the room itself, while another guard or two might happen to follow you all the way there.

Sometimes one can improvise by slamming the door in the guard's face...
With any luck, maybe he gets stuck spinning around behind the door.
But these guys tend to be pretty persistent.




Most important thing is to keep those words flowing at the top of the screen, otherwise valuable time is lost.

Dealing with the guards can be a nuisance, because if Natalya hears Bond fire a single shot, she could run away... Gotta take out every guard with a Slapper.



If Bond steps away from Mishkin to deal with a problematic guard, the conversation can get interrupted, losing valuable seconds towards a successful speedrun.

Failure to deal with one of these guards, and run the risk of him blowing up your chances to finish the mission at all. It's a constant trade-off.






Some people have managed to absolutely crush the Target Time in any particular mission (take Facility, Control Center or Water Caverns, for instance).

The Archives is unique because the requirement is 1:20, which is relatively tight. The best players in the world have amazingly done it in 53 seconds. Pretty damn impressive. Still, it's just 27 seconds within the Target.

Even though the Archives mission offers one of the easier Cheats to unlock, it's also the mission that allows the least amount of leeway.





Key in hand, item retrieved from the safe, and a dash for the exit.

Escaping through the window in true Bond fashion.

There's also good continuity, with the exit of the level matching where Bond starts the very next mission (the Streets).





Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Mild Graphic

Getting Set Up With Janus...


Gotta love those old Rareware promotional graphics for GoldenEye 007.
This is one that we don't see quite as often - James Bond in the Statue Park mission.

I believe the original title was "Midnight in Statue Park".




Playing Director...

Lights, Camera, Action Blocks

The camera angles in GoldenEye's Bunker 2 mission were fine just the way they were... But it's always fun to have more, and see things you don't normally see.

A Dual Klobb-Wielding, Keycard Carrying Arctic Commando.

Modifying the Intro Cameras in GoldenEye 007. The game will display one of three different camera angles during the opening cinematic. Added some new angles that I feel are just as interesting.

Doing a bit of spying on the guard who carries Keycard B. It gains access to the doors visible behind him, where Bond will collect a red clipboard from a guard.

The potential is there to do so much more with this (already) amazing game.
Some levels (like Silo) offer just one a single intro camera by default.

Looking down as he walks towards the camera...


A pair of high angle shots.


Looking down as the guard walks away


The guards will start their patrol paths as soon as the level loads, which is particularly entertaining to watch.

Captured this same guard from FOUR different camera angles...

Especially cool because he walks through a set of doors during the intro.

Another low angle shot. Almost as good as the first one.





Sunday, May 5, 2024

Flyin' High Again...

Super Mario Bros. 3
(NES)

Sticky Mario

Blazing into the summer with Super Mario Bros. 3 still occupying the top spot for 600 months in a row (give or take).

There's been a resurgence in Bond's salty escapades, and GoldenEye 007 has shot up the ranks.

Some renewed interest in Super Mario Bros 2, possibly with buzz about the Phanto Fan Club...








STAR CHARTS
Navigating the Retro NintendoSphere 



GameSystem
Released
1Super Mario Bros. 3NES1990
2GoldenEye 007 N641997
3Donkey Kong Country 3SNES1996
4Super Mario Bros.NES1985
5Super Mario Bros. 2NES1988


Super Mario Bros. 2