Goldeneye 007 on Nintendo 64 is often cited as the best FPS game of all time and brings back fond memories for players for many reasons. There's a buzz in the air around the upcoming remastered versions for Nintendo Switch and Xbox Game Pass, triggering a massive wave of nostalgia with a single click of the Golden Gun.
Often the most standout elements of the game were the funniest, such as the hilarious unlockable cheats used in single-player and split-screen multiplayer, leading many to wonder what kind of achievements and elements might feature in the remaster. It's time to take a trip down memory lane and reminisce on the funniest parts of what made Goldeneye 007 so special as arguably the best James Bond video game ever made.
10 Use The DK Mode Cheat
One of the funniest cheats in Goldeneye 007 was DK Mode, sometimes called Big Heads mode. It was an unlockable cheat that transformed the appearance of all characters, giving them overly large heads and shoulders on tiny bodies. It's said the iconic ape Donkey Kong was the inspiration behind the unusual proportions.
DK Mode gave great comedic moments watching friends monkey around in multiplayer mode, and it was fun to watch how cutscenes played out with DK mode switched on. DK mode also made shooting hats from guards' heads entertaining and much easier.
9 Use The Paintball Mode Cheat
Another iconic and memorable cheat in Goldeneye 007 was Paintball Mode, which also showed up as an unlockable cheat in Goldeneye 007: Reloaded. Fans of the original Nintendo 64 version will undoubtedly remember this epic cheat. It was fun plastering guards with paint and anything shootable, especially when wielding dual guns.
Some players discovered they could use the paint to try to write on or graffiti the level walls for a bit of lighthearted amusement to try and impress their friends with their paint-splattered designs. Ultimately, it was fun to make a mess even if the main objective was all about spy espionage.
8 Cause Funny Deaths
It sounds sadistic but shooting an enemy in Goldeneye 007 was often entertaining because of the overly dramatic death animations. Shooting a guard in the foot would make them hop about clutching their foot, or if shot in the neck the guards might dramatically clutch their throat and drop to their knees.
There were also some standout funny death moments in the game, like when players rescued Natalya in the Train mission or when killing General Ourumov with mines. Fatalities in games can often have comedic value, and Goldeneye 007 made the most of that in a way that was more funny than gruesome.
7 Slap Enemies
Being unarmed in Goldeneye 007 didn't necessarily mean being helpless unless it was a hostage situation. Unarmed players could still cause damage by slapping an enemy with their bare hands in a hilarious karate-chop, slapping-style action.
In the 'Slappers Only!' weapon mode in multiplayer, it was fun to run around and try to slap each other to death rather than shoot. In single-player, it was also fun to creep up behind guards and perform a single, sneaky, and satisfying stealth slap that KO'd them in one go in a classic stealth attack movement.
6 Shoot Off Guard Hats
Another funny thing to do in Goldeneye 007 was to use the aim toggle to shoot off guards' hats. Sometimes this happened by accident mid-combat but could be done deliberately to spook guards unaware of a player's presence or just for fun while fighting. Hats flew off and landed somewhere on the surrounding ground.
Oddly, guards never retrieved their hats, and they were the only interactable piece of clothing. However, it was a fun extra thing to do during single-player that added to the entertainment factor during combat.
5 Zap Enemies With Bond's Watch
James Bond is never usually without gadgets, and N64's Goldeneye 007 watch served as a functional menu and a laser weapon. The watch laser was used to cut a hole in the floor of the Train level but could also zap and kill enemies with its powerful voltage in an almost instantaneous and funny takedown.
Players could also use the watch laser to destroy cameras and turrets. However, its range was short, so it wasn't quite as deadly as the iconic one-shot-kill Golden Gun or Golden PP7 weapon.
4 Sneak Up On Guards In The Loo
Like when Bond surprises a guard sitting on the loo in the opening scene of the Goldeneye movie, it was fun to surprise guards while they were using the facilities in the game, especially in the fan-favorite Facility level.
Toilets and comedic death scenes often go hand-in-hand in movies and video games, such as the funny toilet death scene in the infamous Austin Powers franchise. In Goldeneye 007, many guards seemed to be stationed in toilets throughout the game, particularly during the Train level where many are hidden behind sliding doors before meeting their unfortunate end.
3 Use Mines
Mines were often the most fun weapons to use in the game as they could stick to virtually anything and the game featured remote, proximity, and timed mines. Players could sneakily throw a couple of proximity mines around a corner and let the chaos unfold.
Another funny thing to do was throw proximity mines at the end of a level, such as in the Archives level, so an explosion invades the cutscenes and sometimes even kills Bond and his allies in the scene. It was a completely daft thing to do but entertaining nonetheless.
2 Make Everything Explode
Players could also use objects in the level design to cause maximum destruction and use this to their advantage to take down guards or cause maximum explosions just for fun. In the Bunker level, for instance, numerous computer consoles and screens could be shot, causing massive explosions and damage.
Even boxes could be destroyed and cause explosions. This was something to watch out for in levels like the Archives mission, where even enemies could shoot and set them off. Players could also have fun with different types of mines and set off explosions around an entire level.
1 Turn On Fast Or Slow Animation
There were many cheats for players to unlock and have fun within the game, particularly the fast and slow animation options that sped up or slowed down cutscenes and gameplay with hilarious results. Fast animation sped up NPC movements during gameplay and also led to some sidesplitting cutscenes, such as when Bond jumps onto the helicopter but takes off without it in the Cradle mission end cutscene.
In contrast, the Slow Animation cheat made NPCs move exceptionally slow during gameplay, and cutscenes became so slow they often turned overly and hilariously pixillated, like when Bond jumps at the end of the Dam mission.
Goldeneye 007 is available to play now on Nintendo 64 and is coming to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.