GoldenEye Doom 2

Nobody who has even a slight knowledge of gaming history can deny the significant role of the DOOM games. Released back in 1993, DOOM caused a revolution in first-person shooters and became one of the most popular action games. Some of the implemented ideas, such as the graphics, the level design and the steady working multiplayer possibilities, made a vast impact upon the genre and the gaming culture as a whole.

James Bond hardly needs words of description. GoldenEye, released in 1995, was the first film to feature Pierce Brosnan as the famous fictional British spy and received mostly positive opinions. In 1997, GoldenEye 007 made its way to the console game shelves - as an arcade FPS, released for Nintendo 64.

So much for the history. What I present today is not a free game in a strict sense - it is a DOOM 2 modification never seen an official release. Yet, it is distributed freely and can be played without owning any of the DOOM games.

The story sticks as close as possible to the film. The Bond atmosphere has been meticuluously transfered. The intro is well-known and the musical theme comes in the typical Doom-ish style.You will see the treacherous Trevelyan, get the chance of exploring various locations that can be seen in GoldenEye and use a tank and a rocket launcher just the way Pierce Brosnan did back in 1995. You'll even find a Vodka Martini in some of the levels, raising your health above normal!
If you've ever played Doom, you'll feel at home here - the HUD is absolutely the same - choice of weapons, health, armor. Most of the levels are structured as if you're in the original game - labyrinths, strong opponents, red/blue/yellow cards used to proceed.. I've never had the chance of playing the GoldenEye 007, but a few YouTube videos convinced me that the delevopers have even tried to reproduct some of the levels there! Speaking of them, this is the place to point out that GoldenEye Doom 2 features 32 levels, vastly differing from one another - you'll pass through secret laboratories and open spaces where you'll have to plan every step carefully. Or else you'll get easily shot. Being a Doom mod, the game offers 5 different difficulties (named after Bond films, e.g. "The man with the golden gun"- the easiest of all. I recommend "You only live twice" - challenging, but fully playable.)

I could go on praising that game for hours, because it fully deserves it. Being both a Bond and Doom fan, it was a real pleasure for me to come across such a game at the Internet. No matter if you are, you should try it. The developers' hard work and dedication can't be simply ignored. Download it here and have fun!

Alex Gordon

It is a bit hard these days to come across a platformer that doesn't include lots of shooting, slashing and blood. Not that one can deny the big impact games like Prince of Persia, Metal Slug, Abuse and many others made back in the 90s - even now there are people who enjoy them.

Yet, there is another type of platform games - the Super Mario type - vivid graphics, some story about rescuing somebody and, of course, endless jumping - on top of the enemies and in the search for coins.

Alex Gordon is a game that fits perfectly into this description. First of all - the character. Alex Gordon is a cat. Being a treasure hunter, he collects precious artifacts. There is a friend of his, who got kidnapped and Alex goes on a dangerous journey to save him. So much for the story.

The graphics, on the other hand, is pretty well made, as far as Alex and his enemies are concerned - highly detailed and with meticulously animated moves. The levels are also vivid and bright.

Speaking of the levels, I can't look over one of the best things - the length of the game. It includes about 50 levels! And the game doesn't get tedious, because the levels differ heavily in terms of design and mission - some require you to find a certain number of objects in a limited time, others are the simple jump'n'run stuff we all know.
Apart from following the main story line, Alex possesses an island that you can redecorate and buy some things - a house or a boat, for instance. They can be upgraded to become bigger and better looking.
In spite of the positive words, I can't overlook one simple thing - this game is a complete Mario clone. The gameplay is identic, the level design is similar... Even some of the enemies are turtles!

Final verdict? It's a playable game, but it doesn't offer anything new. This is a highly polished Super Mario clone, with distinctively easier gameplay. Alex Gordon aims at children and I'm sure they will find it absolutely fantastic. But I'm not too sure that a grown-up person will endure it to end, especially after knowing what Super Mario actually is. In other words - give it a try. Or give it to your child/little brother. They'll be grateful. Grab it here.