The game features a single-player campaign in which players assume the role of secret agent James Bond as he fights to stop a terrorist from triggering a nuclear meltdown in the waters of Istanbul.

Although Eurocom used original production material to recreate the environments of the film, the company added elements to help the game design, including a mission that takes place in the London Underground.

The World Is Not Enough received generally positive reviews from critics and was frequently compared to Rare's Nintendo 64 first-person shooters GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark.

[4] In addition, the player always carries a wristwatch which may be used to stun enemies, fire tranquilizer darts, throw a grappling hook, or emit a laser beam to open locks.

MI6 agent James Bond is sent to Spain to meet a banker and retrieve money for Robert King, a friend of M who purchased a classified report from the Russian Atomic Energy Department.

A terrorist group launches an attack on the MI6 headquarters, prompting Bond to pursue the assassin through a London Underground station.

During a tour of the pipeline's proposed route in the mountains, Bond and Elektra are attacked by a hit squad in armed, paraglider-equipped snowmobiles.

Bond suspects the attack was caused by Elektra's head of security, Davidov, and decides to kill him before taking his place on a flight to a Russian ICBM base in Kazakhstan.

To get a lead on where Renard might be hiding, Bond visits a former Russian mafia adversary, Valentin Zukovsky, who reveals that Elektra was in exchange for the use of a submarine being captained by his nephew.

[9] At the time, Eurocom had started development on a "very scalable" first-person 3D engine intended for sixth generation platforms like the GameCube.

One exception was English actor John Cleese, who reprised his role as R.[13] Electronic Arts secured a "Teen" rating from the ESRB to avoid intense portrayals of violence because they felt that fast action and memorable spy moments were what the Bond legacy had always stood for.

[26] Matt Casamassina of IGN felt that Eurocom did "an amazing job recreating the cinema experience for the Nintendo 64 owner, perhaps more so than any other movie-to-game license to date.

"[1] In a less positive review, Shane Satterfield of GameSpot stated that The World Is Not Enough "belongs in the upper echelon of Nintendo 64 software", but it lacks the gameplay delicacy of GoldenEye 007 to reach classic status.

[22] Edge concluded that, while the game lacks innovative elements, it "still offers plenty of enjoyment for those who have exhausted Rare's masterpieces.

[1][20] Critics also noted the game's believable environments, texture quality, animations, and highly detailed explosions and particle effects.

[1][2] GameRevolution said that the background themes "make for excellent espionage", while Nintendo Power observed that the spoken dialogue "adds a cinematic touch" that GoldenEye 007 does not feature.

"[2] IGN praised the single-player missions for their variety and great enemy placement, noting that each scenario is different in both design and gameplay mechanics.

The reviewer especially highlighted the last mission due to its underwater sections, as it requires players to find hidden air pockets so that Bond can breathe and stay alive.

[19][1] Although GameZone highlighted the multiplayer mode for its replay value and teamplay options, critics agreed that the game felt short in comparison to Perfect Dark.

[22] The website would later nominate The World Is Not Enough for its annual Most Disappointing Game award, calling it "far from the GoldenEye 007/Perfect Dark killer that it was made out to be.