I Love the EverDrive 64

Currently listening to:

endlesswaters無限の海 - collection (on tape)

I really love the EverDrive 64 and I specifically want to share my experience with the “ROM hack” Goldfinger 64. But first, Happy Thanksgiving weekend! After getting a fantastic Black Friday deal, I’ll be making the switch to GrapheneOS in the next couple weeks, so perhaps I’ll share my experiences with that in the coming months

Thanksgiving Weekend

Ah, Thanksgiving weekend! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my fiance’s family, topping off the dinner Thursday afternoon with a long walk around the neighborhood. I had been reading a bit about “GTD¹” the night prior, so when I got back home on Thursday night, that’s all I wanted to focus on. Friday rolls around and although we both worked, we each had a fairly quiet day. I began to implement GTD in the office as well but I’m no where near as far along as I am at home. A few tapes here and there that caught my eye went on sale for Black Friday, so I nabbed those, but I didn’t end up picking too much up; the 50% Electronica sale was tempting, but all I really wanted was a DDS hat, which ended up selling out before I had a chance to nab it

Saturday night we had a “Friendsgiving” with a group of people my fiance had acted in a play with; there was a cast house during the play so, for example, they were having a sort-of “family dinner” together every night for two weeks. They had grown close after that experience, but this was the first time getting everyone back together since the play earlier in the year. We had brought mashed potatoes that we made together, which seemed to go over well. After a couple of drinks and over dinner, someone extended his hand to me after stating the mashed potatoes was one of the best things on his plate; “I’ve never received a handshake for mashed potatoes before,” I say. “First time for everything,” someone else replies

From iOS to GrapheneOS

Earlier in the day on Saturday, I received a text from a friend showing me his trade-in deal with Google to get the new Pixel phone. I’ve been meaning to switch to GrapheneOS for years now, but I like to think that I’m good with my money and I’ve refused to give up my iPhone until I run it into the ground. Well, to buy my exact model iPhone refurbished on eBay is ~$255, and Google was offering a $470 trade-in for it, in addition to the $100 off as a part of the sale. I poked through a few articles and watched a video about the differences between the 7 and the 7 Pro, with the idea in my head that I needed to pay the $300 difference to get the “Pro” – surprisingly, I was sold in the opposite direction

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to receiving my plain ol’ 256GB Pixel 7 so I can immediately unlock the bootloader and replace the stock OS with GrapheneOS! It’s been a long time coming, but I’m nearing the finish line. As I write this, I’m running and re-running this script in an effort to begin my migration away from iCloud, but I’m already seeing that I’ll need to write a script to rotate most of these photos, and figure out some way to ensure that duplicate filenames don’t overwrite each other; I’ve seen something like 20 messages telling me that RenderedImage.jpg is overwriting another RenderedImage.jpg in the same folder. I’ll be able to mount my phone to my PC in the near future, unlike what I can currently do with my iPhone, and I hope to streamline the process of taking and adding photos to posts like this. On that subject, I apologize that these photos don’t look the best; I wanted to capture the “authenticity” of games playing on a real N64, but I’m reminded that I’m no photographer, and taking good photos of anything CRT isn’t trivial – at least not to me

EverDrive 64

I had purchased the EverDrive 64 X7 the last time it came back in stock on krikzz’ website², and I’ve been incredibly satisfied with it so far. I may not play N64 every day, but it’s an irreplaceable experience to flick on the N64’s power switch, press my Sony Trinitron’s “on” button, and adjust the sound on my N64-dedicated amp. The stage is set by a few loose N64 carts and more than 4x N64 controllers, the majority being official, kicking around my little setup on an entertainment center left behind by the previous home-owners. I don’t need to swap carts around or worry about internal batteries dying and losing my saves, however. When the Trinitron finishes turning on, I’m met with a ROMs directory. Inside, NES, GBC, and N64. Or I could simply push the “Start” button to reload whatever game I had been playing when I last turned the N64 off

As a tip for any current or future EverDrive owners, here is a link on Archive.org that has a beautifully formatted³ directory structure for browsing on the EverDrive 64; simply organize these directories into your designated ROM directory on your EverDrive’s microSD card and thank me, or whoever is putting these packs together, later

I recently finished playing through GoldenEye on Agent difficulty, and it’s been my intention to actually finish the game on Secret Agent or higher. When I was a kid, I remember getting stuck for weeks on the Control level. I’m not sure what made Control such a difficult level for me as a kid, on Agent no less! I remember going into school and asking a friend for tips on beating the level. I did end up completing the game on Agent back then, but that’s sort-of where the buck stopped. I used the button-combo codes and a guide for unlocking cheats, and ended up unlocking everything, including 007 mode. I’m not even sure I’ve ever completed Egyptian on any difficulty, with or without cheats, but I have a memory (possibly false) of completing Aztec at least once cheat-free. Anyways, wouldn’t it be cool to obtain these unlocks and progress through the game cheat-free?

After recently finishing the game on Agent, I played Dam on 00 Agent a single time, died near the end, and started looking for something else to play. I played through and completed, with a perfect first-place finish on each track, the first cup in the translated F-Zero X Expansion Kit for the 64DD, originally released on 4/20/00. I had never played any F-Zero games on N64 before, so this was a fun experience, even if I really didn’t touch any of the DD features. “Kid Corbin” would’ve gone absolutely bananas for the chance to play these sorts of Japan-only releases, especially something like the 64DD, though. Much of the soundtrack can be heard throughout the various Smash games, but there are many more audio tracks outside of the classics and the game may be worth playing for its soundtrack alone, nevermind the fact that it’s a fun racer as-is

Pokemon in Japan

As an aside on the subject of Japanese exclusives from that era, I remember absolutely loving Pokemon Blue as a kid. I remember when it was released in America, making a massive cultural splash that is still felt today. Pokemon Blue was released in the US in September 1998, while Pokemon Silver was released in Japan in November 1999, but not hitting US shelves until October 2000. That’s right, back in my day games didn’t always have world-wide launch dates. However, there was no region-locking on the GameBoy back then, and I recall a classmate who managed to nab a copy of the Japanese Pokemon Silver before any of us even knew when it was coming to America

Sure, we couldn’t read a single word of the game and had difficulty consistently progressing, but I remember being absolutely floored by the experience. I’ve since forgotten this classmate’s name, but he learned about “sharing” a lot sooner than I did; the game was lent out to practically everyone in our class with a GameBoy. I recall my turn with it, likely for a week or maybe a mere weekend. While I was playing this shared copy, I think our class’ progress was somewhere around the fifth gym and on some sort of island, though I’d have to replay the game to see if any of the details come back to me. Looking back, I’m surprised that we were even able to progress that far into the game!

Goldfinger 64

Anyhow, back onto the central topic at hand: the EverDrive 64

I poke through my “N64 Hacks” directory⁴, and I boot up a few of the GoldenEye hacks. I recall one where the level is merely a modified version of the Ocarina of Time town with the well. I attempt to jump down the well once I find it, and the game appears to freeze up. I don’t wait long before hitting the reset button and picking a different game

I land on Goldfinger 64, which I was excited to play when I first received my EverDrive, but I’d since forgotten about, neglecting to even play a single level. So far, I must say that I’m interested to continue playing through it!

Completing the first two levels, my opinion so far is that the game certainly has its flaws, but it is successfully evoking feelings similar to when I had first played GoldenEye and was insisting to my parents that I needed to rent it every time we went to Blockbuster (they surprised me after enough times renting it and gave it to me as a gift after church one day). The framerate of Goldfinger is a bit choppy at times, and I get the feeling that the game either isn’t or cannot be optimized in its current state; for example, the game takes a noticeable amount of time to load the first level, so much so that I believed my game had frozen. Sadly, the frame rate alone may turn off someone who doesn’t already love GoldenEye from giving the game much of a shot, but I didn’t find myself having much difficulty adjusting

The Six Silos

Speaking of optimizations, the first level is absolutely massive; I’m near-certain that this is the main cause of the choppy framerate throughout the game. As for the level’s size, perhaps someone out there will make fun of me for this but, there are 6x silos that require the player throw “timed explosives” inside of. Due to the low draw distance and each silo being completely indistinguishable from the next, I spent the bulk of my first experience with the game running from silo to silo, trying to figure out if I had thrown an explosive in it yet. On my first successful playthrough, I put the explosives in the same place inside of each silo so I could “quickly” verify if I had already tossed one in or not, rather than looking for the small device tossed haphazardly

The doors to each silo are “hidden” as well, and when you first attempt to open the door, it’ll say that it’s locked. The solution is to come at the hidden door from a sort-of angle to open it. It’s far from intuitive for a “first level” experience, but I’ll throw some ideas out on improving this experience later on. To be totally fair about the “hidden door” situation, however, the mission brief does give very good hints about figuring this out. It didn’t take me longer than maybe 2 minutes to figure these doors out even after skipping the briefing on my first mission attempt, but I can see players getting stuck here

After successfully installing all of these explosives, the player can then move on to the next area. At this point, one is apt to have collected every gun that this level has to offer, and I wanted to bring attention to the Luger. When the level first begins and I’m holding a “looks-slightly-different-but-is-otherwise-standard” Bond-classic silent pistol, I’m reminded of GoldenEye. After killing the first enemy and picking up the Luger, however, my experience begins to feel more like my very first time with each weapon in GoldenEye since it’s all new to me. The gun is so interesting-looking, and makes a very satisfying sound and does a good bit of damage to enemies

Fast-forwarding towards the end of the level where the player is walking through a small town full of civilians and guards; I knew on my first playthrough that the guards were infinitely spawning yet I still chose to keep blasting them, one after another, just because of the satisfaction of using the Luger. I found someone in an alley who suggested I go back to the Bodega in town. I recalled visiting the Bodega but being met with a locked door. I eventually made it back and found one of (I believe) the two potential level finishes, before leaving and getting hit with “mission failed” for not planting a bomb in each silo; I had erroneously believed that there were only four silos and figured I’d be credited with completing the objective of planting them upon reaching the end of the level

On my second playthrough, I stumbled a bit to enter all six silos, getting mixed up and turned around after going inside of each one; I eventually finish this up, reach the town again, and run straight for the Bodega and leave through a slightly different level exit. Mission complete! It plays an interesting cut-scene and the level completes

First-level Thoughts

Considering I began the first level on Agent difficulty, I do feel that this level asks a little bit too much of a new player. Some simple fixes may be to require the player to only plant explosives on ie: three silos rather than all six; I would feel differently if there was some sort of in-game map, or perhaps if the silos were clearly numbered, or even if the doors were normal doors. Additionally, the fact that the hidden doors say that they’re locked is a needless additional layer of obfuscation (excuse how blurry the photo is below, stating that the door is locked)

The Bodega could also be moved to be immediately after entering town. I assume that the town is used in the higher difficulties for different objectives, and it could be simply cool to explore on Agent, but it currently feels too much like an unpleasant maze. I’m thinking about Dam in GoldenEye, where the underground tunnels at the end of the level can be entirely missed on an Agent playthrough, since they’re not needed until 00 Agent difficulty. Alternatively, the Bodega is already relatively close to the start of the town; perhaps the guards closest to the Bodega could be set to respawn, while the remainder of the guards do not, drawing the player’s attention to the Bodega without relying on a character giving the player a hint rather “deep” into the “maze” that doesn’t actually help the player find the Bodega again

All in all, this level was still a great introduction to the campaign, as it showcases the amount of care put into the game, and the attention to detail. It’s a “ROM hack,” but so far it doesn’t feel like it; outside of the frame-rate issues, it feels a “proper” DLC. I’m thinking about The Ballad of Gay Tony, or maybe something like Legacy of the Void’s campaign; new story, levels, weapons, etc. – overall, this feels closer to a new experience than an addition to an old experience

Shoot-out in the Bodega

The second level was also quite fun! I shot up a few of the various bottles and other objectives in the starting room before beginning to explore the rest of the level, and I immediately notice that I’m “inside” the Bodega. I mean, well obviously I’m inside of the Bodega, but when I run outside I can see the same structure; the same streets and (blocked off) entrances. The game makes me feel like I was in town, walked into the Bodega, and now I’m in the Bodega. I can’t say the same for GoldenEye, jumping off the Dam and entering the vents of Facility; GoldenEye just feels like it loaded the next level to the story, not that I entered one level from another, if that makes sense. It was also a nice touch to have a guard using the bathroom early on, which I view as a call-back to the guards in the bathroom stalls in GoldenEye’s Facility

There’s a bit of “quick draw” action as I traverse upstairs, and open each door and try to blast the guard with my Luger before he shoots me first. The player needs to be careful not to shoot the civilians, however! I take an AK47 and some ammo from a few guards on the roof before finding the room I’m supposed to be in. This scantily-clad Bonita structured entirely from polygons is clearly where the player is supposed to end up, given how different the room looks and her presence in it. I unload my AK47 magazine into an enemy that appears behind me, completing the objective. He drops a kitchen key, and it’s immediately apparent that I need to visit the bottom floor to progress

I’m back to using my Luger and I take out a guard who drops a second (!!!) Luger. Dual-wielding, Akimbo style. I blast two guards, firing maybe a total of three shots, and I’m a little disappointed because I feel the level coming to a close. I would’ve liked to dual-wield the Luger for longer but, alas

The player ends up traversing further down, entering another hidden door, this time behind a bookcase. It’s getting dark again and I’m beginning to feel a little annoyed. I feel like the game is relying too much on the lack of lighting, perhaps to help with optimization, but I press on. I eat all of these words and then some, however! Indeed, there was plenty of level to go, all of it fun, and the strung-up lights throughout these cramped tunnels really made the ending of this level feel memorable

I turn each corner and I’m met with guards taking cover and blasting at me. I unload magazine after magazine from my dual Lugers, and I really felt like this is exactly what the developers wanted me to experience at this point in the game

Final thoughts on Goldfinger 64

I’m instantly invested in completing this game. I finished the first two levels and realized I had so much to say about it already, so I hit “Play” on my tape deck to get some slushy ambiance, opened Vim in a full-screen terminal and typed :Goyo⁵ to remove any distractions and started crafting this post

The level design is damn-near AAA for the era; I’m pointing out areas for improvement but many N64-era games had some ambiguous “how do I progress? What do I do now?” moments. All of the pieces of the game, from the weapons to the story presented through the briefing and the dialogue in game, and the ear-catching “fits-the-game-perfectly” music are a very, very pleasant surprise. From the small amount I read about Goldfinger 64 before downloading it and subsequently giving it a shot, I had no idea how much of a treat I was in for. I had understood that this was the “goal” behind the game, to create a sort-of “alternate reality” sequel to GoldenEye, but I never would have guessed that the developers would have been so successful in this endeavor

c.zip