It’s been nearly 20 years since the release of GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64, but we’re still learning new tidbits about the game’s fascinating creation.
Game director Martin Hollis spoke about the game at the GameCity event in Nottingham, England over the weekend, and The Guardian took notes.
Hollis revealed some of the early feedback Miyamoto had about the game. Specifically, the violence upset him.
“One point was that there was too much close-up killing—he found it a bit too horrible,” said Hollis. “I don’t think I did anything with that input. The second point was, he felt the game was too tragic, with all the killing. He suggested that it might be nice if, at the end of the game, you got to shake hands with all your enemies in the hospital.”
A sign of the times, Miyamoto’s comments were delivered to Hollis via fax.
Hollis took second comment to heart, and it’s why the game’s credits include a nod to the “cast,” which Hollis said “told people that this was not real killing.”
These details and others—including how gory the game used to be—are part of The Guardian’s writeup from the event. Make sure to check it out, it’s good stuff.
You can reach the author of this post at patrick.klepek@kotaku.com or on Twitter at @patrickklepek.