David `Dr` Doak talks GoldenEye 64 development

Despite the tragic events in central London, the Non Trivial Interaction game-related arts festival, the first of what's hoped will be regular event in the UK gaming calendar, got off to a enthusiastic start - repors GamaSutra. Held at the spiritual headquarters of the UK 's independent movie establishment, the National Film Theatre on the South Bank, the first theme of NTI* (as it's labeled) was an exploration into growing closeness between the game and movie industries. And there were certainly plenty of luminaries on hand to give their personal opinions, as well as unpick examples of how they've got the best out of the game/film interface.

Of interest to James Bond fans was guest speaker David Doak, Director - Free Radical Design. Many gamers may recognise him from his cameo in "GoldenEye 64" as Dr. Doak!



Film inspiration, of course, was the cornerstone of David Doak's retrospective look at GoldenEye but surprisingly, 007's exploits weren't top of the list. “We'd constantly listen to the soundtrack of Heat while we were making the game,” he said, while more direct choreography came from the films of John Woo; GoldenEye being notable as one of the first games to enable dual wielding. “We called it double guns back then,” he sniffed. “We were obsessed with double guns.”

Despite being one of the most success games based on a movie license - 8 million units sold - Doak said back in the mid-1990s the team had plenty of leeway. “At the time Nintendo picked up the license, games were as important as mugs in terms of the Bond license,” he said. More problematic was the team's attempt to add all the previous Bond actors as multiplayer characters. “Nintendo pointed out we'd have to pay them,” he said, although revealing screenshots with Sean Connery in his classic white suit had slipped out.

But perhaps one of the most significant points was also one of the most subtle. GoldenEye remains one of the few significant Bond experiences where you regularly see him die. “We just left the camera attached to the head when the player was killed, kept the game system running and then cycled through different cameras,” Doak said. “Bond never dies in the films so I think when you see it, it makes you want to go back and do it right next time.”

Thanks to `JP` for the alert.

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