As James Bond celebrates his 50th anniversary on the silver screen, it would be impossible to not look back and remember all the wonderful memories that we all have that made the character endearing and lasting to us all. As a 25 year old American male, my life with James Bond didn't begin until 1995 when Pierce Brosnan took on the mantle of British spy 007. It was the first time I was at a reasonable age to see a new Bond film and to understand it to a certain extent. I remember my uncle let my parents and I borrow his VHS copy of Goldeneye and then the tape sat idle for at least long enough to collect a fine layer of dust. I can't really remember what it was that made me put the tape in eventually. Perhaps Batman '89 wasn't rewound. Maybe the Ghostbusters II video sleeve was mysteriously empty that day. No matter the circumstances, Goldeneye entered the VCR that day in '95 and my life was forever changed. Goldeneye was and still is, my favorite James Bond film. No matter how much I love Sean Connery in the role, or how much I appreciate his era as Bond, something about Pierce Brosnan and Goldeneye will always remain in a special place for me. That is not to say that the other Bond films aren't just as important to me. Once I was in love with Goldeneye I bought up all the other films on tape in those matching boxes. I had my Grandma buy me a 007 watch from a catalog just so I could in my mind pretend it shot a laser or a grappling hook. Of the most important elements that made James Bond so immeasurably important to me, the video games must rank just below the films themselves. Remember that at the time Goldeneye arrived on film, the next generation of video games were also debuting. My favorite of them all was Nintendo 64. The controller was funky and looked kind of like a batarang shaped steering wheel to me and I had no idea how Nintendo wanted me to hold it. Then came Goldeneye for N64... Suddenly it all fit. Hold the controller like a gun with the Z button underneath as the trigger. Shooters were born. When I first played Goldeneye, I finally felt as though I was in James Bond's shoes. Aside from reliving scenes from the film, Goldeneye for N64 took it upon itself to expand upon the movie by adding new characters, scenes, and a whole lot more action. Sure it was a single control stick game, so all movement was regulated through that tiny little gray push pin, but it didn't matter. At the time the graphics were stellar and the fact that actors from the movie were rendered into the game was just incredible. Never before had a film franchise tie-in game ever been so true to the source material and stood alone as a true money maker. Before Goldeneye, movie tie-ins were generally just generic games that were probably supposed to be something else, but then got the movie poster slapped on the cartridge and whamo! You got yourself a movie video game crossover! Goldeneye set the new standard for how to branch out the merchandising for a film. Goldeneye wasn't just a regular shooter either. It was THE shooter. Truly difficult levels, Amazing multiplayer that supported up to four players, bonus unlockable levels and characters, and of course the unlockable cheats. Who didn't love flying through levels in turbo mode, or shooting giant-headed enemies in DK Mode? No one that's who! Also the unending replayability is almost unrivaled. (Mario titles of course warrant that "almost" line there.) I played Goldeneye just the other day when I dusted off my Nintendo 64 and showed it to the kids I work with at the daycare I manage. Obviously the graphics aren't up to contemporary standards, and the controls are tricky to get back into, but at the end of the day, I was playing Goldeneye! I have played the new revamp for the Wii of course, but it's just not the same. The N64 version of Goldeneye is classic and just as fun as it ever has been. As an only child, I never played too much of the multiplayer, but when I did at a friends house, I can clearly remember how revolutionary that was as well. It's bold, but I doubt we would have the same respect for say a Call of Duty or a Halo without Goldeneye to pave the way. Go get Goldeneye in the Wii store, or fire it up in your old console if you can. Enjoy the nostalgic ride and if you are up to it after playing for a hundred plus hours, comment about your favorite Goldeneye/Bond memories below! Happy 50th James!