In just a couple of days time, it will be 21 years since GoldenEye 007 was released for Nintendo 64, a title and console that, for seasoned or elder gamers, continues to stir fond memories. Of course, Rare's partnership with the Japanese company was brought to an end after Microsoft snapped it up for $375 million back in 2002 but that didn't stop a remake of the popular game being released for the Wii during the course of 2010.
While the single player aspect of GoldenEye 007 was very much centered around its namesake film, bonus inclusions and the multiplayer mode borrowed numerous other elements from the James Bond universe, such as the appearance of Baron Samedi and the golden gun. There were even Connery, Moore, and Dalton versions of James Bond planned for the game but withdrawn late in development. Now, developers from the studio have now gone on the record with their thoughts on one polarizing character that did make it into the game, Oddjob, which for many became a point of contention due to his uniquely short stature in the game compared to other characters.
In an interview with MEL Magazine, lead environment artist Karl Hilton said that:
"We all thought it was kind of cheating when we were play-testing with Oddjob [due to his short stature, the auto-aim of the weapons goes above his head], but it was too much fun to take out and there was no impetus from any of us to change it. It’s clearly become part of the culture and folklore of the game — I noticed playing GoldenEye as Oddjob was mentioned in Ready Player One, so ultimately, I think it’s fine."
Mark Edmonds, gameplay and engine programmer, very much agreed, commenting that:
"It’s definitely cheating to play as Oddjob! But that can just add to the fun when you’re all sitting there next to each other and berating/poking/hitting the person who chooses him. Personally I like to pick Jaws [who originally appeared in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me] and then beat the person with Oddjob just to show them! We could have put something in to stop this blatant cheating, but why not just let players decide on their own rules?"
While the argument of Oddjob's legitimacy as a selectable character in multiplayer matches may have been long forgotten over the intervening decades since the release GoldenEye 007, at least now you now know where developers from Rare itself stand on the issue.
Were you for or against Oddjob being selected in GoldenEye 007 multiplayer matches? Let us know in the comments section.
Source: MEL Magazine via Eurogamer | Image via ScreenRant
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