Unfinished features

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Goldeneye
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Unfinished features

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Citadel
GameShark users found several text references to a level called "Citadel" in the game. Rare explained its nature, and joked about players' speculation that multiplayer-mode Bond characters could be seen in the single-player game: "'Citadel' was a very rough test level designed during the early stages of multiplayer mode. It is not in the finished game in any shape or form, and Oddjob and Mayday would not be in it if it was."

It was thought that a few textual references were all that remained of the level. In 2004, GoldenEye 007 fan sites uncovered an unplayable but viewable single-player version of the level (with implemented sky and water textures).

In 2005, the website GoldenEye Forever revealed that it was possible to access a fully playable multiplayer version by linking a GameShark to a computer. The codes to access Citadel in its fullest state totaled nearly 10,000 lines. The test map is largely a mass of shapes and ramps that the players can climb upon, thus giving players many opportunities for sniping and for hiding.

All Bonds
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Before GoldenEye 007 was released, Rare had placed a feature in the multiplayer mode of the game, known as the "All Bonds" option. This would allow players to choose four of the five actors (at the time of the game) who had portrayed Bond in various films; Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan. George Lazenby was not included. However, before the game was released, Rare removed the feature for unexplained reasons. It is assumed that Rare had every intention to release the game with the feature, but was later forced to remove it (possibly due to legal problems with EON Productions, Danjaq, LLC, or the other Bond actors themselves). In response, Rare said "Yes, it was the hope of the team that [all Bonds] would be available to play, but for various reasons they weren't."

In addition, the actors' portraits were at one point used to illustrate the four single-player save file dossiers; this was also removed, with Pierce Brosnan's portrait appearing on all four in the final version.

Not all remnants of the All Bonds feature were completely removed from the GoldenEye software. One major clue was the fact that the portraits of the four Bonds in the selection screen for multiplayer mode were accessible by using a GameShark. Also, various screenshots in the game manual, such as one from the multiplayer selection screen, show traces of the former Bond portraits. The follow-up game, Perfect Dark, also contains traces of the All Bonds cheat — there are four tuxedo characters available in multiplayer, corresponding to the four suits seen in the Beta version screenshots, which were used in Perfect Dark for the "Dinner Jacket" characters. The James Bond head used in the Aztec and Egyptian bonus levels of GoldenEye 007 is not the same as the one from the standard missions.

The feature was brought to the attention of many gamers when the gaming magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly published an April issue with what they called the "All Bonds Cheat", using some fake screenshots "to support" its claim. The magazine reported that to unlock the option in the cheat menu, a player must complete the Aztec mission on 007 difficulty in less than nine minutes with all customisable enemy settings on the highest difficulty. The claim was later found to be an April Fools prank, which the magazine held annually.

In 2005, a program called the GoldenEye ROM Editor was released by The Rare Witch Project. The coders SubDrag and Ice Mario cracked the compression format of the images used by the game, allowing any image in the game's memory to be viewed and edited, by opening up a ROM image of the game. It was then discovered that the All Bonds faces and suits are still in the game; Rare had only removed the ability to use them. By mapping them onto other multiplayer characters' faces and bodies, one can try to recreate All Bonds, although since the body and head shapes do not match the textures, it will not look as it was intended.
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Re: Unfinished features

Post by The Saint 007 »

I always thought it would be an awesome idea to be able to play as the different Bond actors, although I bet it would probably start some heated arguments during multiplayer matches.
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Re: Unfinished features

Post by BrosnanIsBond007 »

That's cool about the Citadel level. Have other people here played Perfect Dark in addition to Goldeneye? I thought it was a great indirect sequel to the game, and vastly improved the multiplayer experience. The only downsides were it forced you to buy an expansion pack (though they we're very expensive), and the solo missions didn't top the ones in Goldeneye, but then again it wasn't James Bond so that was to be expected!
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Re: Unfinished features

Post by The Saint 007 »

BrosnanIsBond007 wrote:That's cool about the Citadel level. Have other people here played Perfect Dark in addition to Goldeneye? I thought it was a great indirect sequel to the game, and vastly improved the multiplayer experience. The only downsides were it forced you to buy an expansion pack (though they we're very expensive), and the solo missions didn't top the ones in Goldeneye, but then again it wasn't James Bond so that was to be expected!
Yes, I own Perfect Dark for the Nintendo 64, and still play it occasionally. The single player, although a little more linear than GoldenEye, is still pretty awesome. I agree that the multiplayer was a big improvement, and is still a lot of fun to play now. As for the expansion pack, it may have been an annoyance for some people to buy, but considering how many times I played the game, I've got way more than my money's worth out of it. Perfect Dark was quite an advanced N64 game. The game went beyond what the system was capable of, and needed a special expansion pack to fully run it, and even then it still lagged like crazy! It still amazes me how clever/challenging the AI Bots are.
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Re: Unfinished features

Post by Daltonite Toothpaste »

There just to be a site (detstar) that was dedicated to all the hidden stuff amongst the GE code, such as the Citidel and the island. I don't think the site exist anymore, though.
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Re: Unfinished features

Post by BrosnanIsBond007 »

The Saint 007 wrote:
BrosnanIsBond007 wrote:That's cool about the Citadel level. Have other people here played Perfect Dark in addition to Goldeneye? I thought it was a great indirect sequel to the game, and vastly improved the multiplayer experience. The only downsides were it forced you to buy an expansion pack (though they we're very expensive), and the solo missions didn't top the ones in Goldeneye, but then again it wasn't James Bond so that was to be expected!
Yes, I own Perfect Dark for the Nintendo 64, and still play it occasionally. The single player, although a little more linear than GoldenEye, is still pretty awesome. I agree that the multiplayer was a big improvement, and is still a lot of fun to play now. As for the expansion pack, it may have been an annoyance for some people to buy, but considering how many times I played the game, I've got way more than my money's worth out of it. Perfect Dark was quite an advanced N64 game. The game went beyond what the system was capable of, and needed a special expansion pack to fully run it, and even then it still lagged like crazy! It still amazes me how clever/challenging the AI Bots are.
Sorry, meant the expansion packs *weren't* very expensive - I agree, it was definitely worth the price. Looking back, that may even be the best N64 game made, just for how great the multiplayer was (though other classics like Smash Bros, Mario Party, Super Mario 64 & Goldeneye should be up there as well). Yeah, the simulant AI was very well done. I was playing the game recently with my sister using an emulator on my laptop (my N64 recently died :( ) - the frame rate is so high & consistent, it's amazing! It felt like such a new game. I'd take that game over CoD and its millions of clones any day, first class console FPS.
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Re: Unfinished features

Post by The Saint 007 »

I wholeheartedly agree with you, BrosnanIsBond007. GoldenEye and Perfect Dark are far better shooters than Call Of Duty and all its other clones out there. The problem with many FPS games now, is that the single player mode is usually very short and scripted. Another thing I don't like when it comes to multiplayer, is how developers constantly force online down your throat. The thing that I loved about FPS games like Perfect Dark, was the AI Bots that you could customize to suit your own skill/preference. This is good for people who don't have a good internet connection, or just simply don't want to deal with the absurdity that occurs during online matches. Having AI Bots also helps the game maintain its value over time, when it comes to the multiplayer mode. Perfect Dark is a 12 year-old N64 game, and I'm still able to enjoy playing its multiplayer mode because of the fantastic AI Bots. But for all the shooters that strictly have online, the multiplayer will be worthless once the servers go down. The only thing that will be left is single player, which is half-baked for most FPS games nowadays.

I don't like what Activision has done with the Bond games. I refer to them as Craig Of Duty, because it's simply Call Of Duty with Bond characters slapped in it. The single player mode is a linear and scripted CoD experience with CoD controls. Activision puts most of its focus on the multiplayer, which really isn't anything special in my opinion. EA may not be the best game company, but when it comes to the Bond games, I think they put much more effort into them than Activision.
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Re: Unfinished features

Post by BrosnanIsBond007 »

Lol, "Craig of Duty" :lol:

After seeing the movie, I was really hoping there was a Skyfall game, or at least a newer FPS Bond game that would be fun to play. 007 Legends was that newer game, but I was quickly disappointed after finding out from reviews & videos that it was basically CoD Bond. I think you're right about EA making better Bond games than Activision (even though Activision is stronger in other areas). I even remember that 'World is Not Enough' game for N64 being pretty fun - I want to try it on the emulator soon. 'Nightfire' for GC/PS2/XBOX where they got Brosnan's likeness back was also decent, wouldn't mind going back and playing that again either. It's tougher for other companies because Rare set the bar so high, but Activision could definitely be doing better.

What would be great is a new Bond game using basically the Perfect Dark engine (with some improvements) that has level design similar to Goldeneye, and some extra vehicle levels thrown in (car/boat/plane chase). I'd recommend something similar to the newer Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit engine for racing levels, that game has a great feel to it. Since that game was published by EA they should just get the rights back for the Bond games and use that :) The storyline and graphics don't have to be amazing or anything.

P.S. watching footage of 'Nightfire' for PC makes want to go back and play it, it looks cooler than I remember and even has more stealth elements than Goldeneye
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Re: Unfinished features

Post by The Saint 007 »

Yeah, I did enjoy The World Is Not Enough for the N64. I also had lots of fun playing Agent Under Fire, Nightfire, Everything Or Nothing, and From Russia With Love on the GameCube. But Activision's Bond games are so boring, and almost a chore to play. I own Quantum Of Solace and the new GoldenEye for the Nintendo Wii, and I played through them once, and set them on the shelf to collect dust. And that's why I didn't bother to get 007 Legends. As for the multiplayer, like I said before, it's nothing special, and I don't spend 50-60 dollars on a game strictly for multiplayer. I want both a good single player and multiplayer mode, but I guess that's asking for too much nowadays.

The TimeSplitters series are really cool FPS games, and my brother and I really enjoyed playing single player and multiplayer. They're made by a company called Free Radical, who was actually made up of some former Rare employees. So the TimeSplitters games have a GoldenEye/Perfect Dark feel to them. Sadly, Free Radical is no longer around. :(

While I do enjoy FPS Bond games, I like the third-person ones a little more. It allows Bond to do various things he couldn't do in an FPS, and just seems more adventurous. Now I've mentioned this here before, and it may sound crazy, but I actually wouldn't mind a 2D side-scrolling Bond game. 2D platformers are my favourite genre of video games, and with recently playing through the Mega Man X series, I think it might be a cool idea for Bond. It may be a lot more action oriented, but I'm sure some stealth/spy elements could be implemented as well. With great graphics and level design, awesome music, various weapons and gadgets that you could perhaps upgrade, boss battles etc. If you get the right game company to make it, then it just might work. I own the James Bond 007 Game Boy game, and it plays exactly like classic Zelda, which I actually thought was pretty cool. So yeah, I'm definitely all for a 2D Bond game.
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