Is there any game that transports you to unforgettable moments with friends quite like GoldenEye 007? Just glancing at its iconic cover can whisk you back to those epic basement hangouts, sipping on Surge and munching on Doritos 3D. When you packed your N64 for college, it was a guaranteed recipe for good times, often fueled by questionable keg stands. It seemed inevitable that somewhere in the mix, someone would find an N64 controller lodged in their knee. Today, GoldenEye 007 is being honored not only for the friendships it tested but also for its groundbreaking multiplayer gameplay, officially earning a spot in the World Video Game Hall of Fame.
This legendary game will be joined by other classics like Defender, Quake, and Tamagotchi. According to The Strong National Museum of Play, Defender earns its laurels for differentiating skilled players from those who simply populated arcades with loose change. Then there’s Quake, the revolutionary first-person shooter that id Software crafted as a spiritual successor to Doom, noted for its immersive 3D worlds. And let’s not forget the Tamagotchi experience, which brought us personal joy—and heartache—especially if you had a pencil handy for a quick reset.
While GoldenEye 007 did offer a single-player adventure, it was its outrageous multiplayer mode that captured the hearts of gamers everywhere. Chaos and playful insults were part of the charm, but one rule stood firm: no playing as Oddjob, and the Golden Gun was a no-go! The game’s impact on gaming culture is so profound that a documentary titled GoldenEra was created just a few years back.
The Strong, which also hosts the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York, inaugurated the World Video Game Hall of Fame in 2015. The first class of honorees featured legendary titles like Doom, Pac-Man, Pong, Super Mario Bros., Tetris, and World of Warcraft. Since then, nearly 50 games have been celebrated, spanning a timeline from 1962’s Spacewar! to The Last of Us, which made its mark just a decade after its release in 2013.
This year, other contenders vying for a spot in the Hall included the viral sensation Angry Birds, the ageless classic Frogger, and the bar staple Golden Tee Golf.
What are the stories that linger in your mind from battles in GoldenEye 007? Who were your go-to characters in those thrilling matchups?
