Tag: ‘goldeneye
Goldeneye on Xbox Game Pass is a bitter disappointment
^Check out our discussion of the Goldeneye remaster, with oodles of 4K footage!
There are, of course, plenty of grown-up reasons why Goldeneye 007’s ill-fated remaster – almost completed, but left abandoned some time in 2008 – will never officially see the light of day. At the time, it was the victim of a licensing stand-off that never got resolved, as it would have required the sign-off of both Microsoft and Nintendo (who were at least a decade away from forging the slightly awkward friendship they currently enjoy), but also MGM and, presumably, Electronic Arts, who had the Bond gaming licence at the time.
When word came that this ancient knot had finally been unpicked, some of us dared to dream that maybe, just maybe, this meant that the original Xbox 360 remaster project could form the basis of the new release, on Xbox at least. It stands to reason, right? Xbox still owns Rare, the source code must be filed away somewhere, and with most of the work having been done over a decade earlier (with intact multiplayer), it’s surely worth the effort to dust it off and give it the final polish it deserves.
GoldenEye 007 ‘Bunker 1’ mission walkthrough
Take out the cameras and copy the GoldenEye key
Game bits: GoldenEye 007 pause music, HBO renews The Last of Us, and 90s classic Terminal Velocity gets a remaster
Classic Videogame ‘Goldeneye 007’ Finally Comes to Nintendo Switch and Xbox
On Xbox, the remaster includes 4K resolution, smoother frame rates, and split-screen local multiplayer, similar to a 2008-era bound-for-Xbox 360 version that was canceled amid licensing and rights issues but leaked out in 2021.
Meanwhile CNET describes the Switch version:
You’ll need to be subscribed to Switch Online’s $50-a-year Expansion Pack tier to access GoldenEye and other N64 games. Online multiplayer is exclusive to the Switch release, the official 007 website noted, but this version is otherwise the same as the N64 original.
But “No high-def for them,” adds Esquire:
GoldenEye 007 marks a rare case in gaming history, where the title never left the gamer zeitgeist. It has been talked about, wished over, remade, and totally Frankensteined in the modding and emulation community….
Rare, a favorite game studio of mine — its crew is responsible for many of my childhood memories, making Banjo Kazzoie, Donkey Kong Country, Perfect Dark, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, and so many more — was always a Nintendo sweetheart. Until it was acquired back in 2002 by Microsoft. While Rare didn’t pump out as many massive hits after the acquisition, the studio is responsible for one of my favorite games, Sea of Thieves. But arguably no game from those folks made more of a splash than Goldeneye.
CNN reports:
Based on the 1995 film “GoldenEye,” the game follows a block-like version of Pierce Brosnan’s 007 as he shoots his way through various locales, all while a synthy version of the signature Bond theme plays….
The return of “GoldenEye 007,” often referred to as one of the greatest video games of all time, has been years in the making. The Verge reported last year that rights issues blocked developers from releasing it on newer consoles, including Xbox, since at least 2008. Undeterred N64 fans even attempted to remake the game themselves on several occasions, though the original rights holders usually shut them down.
Modern players “may not realise how many of the features we now take for granted in shooters were inspired by this one game,” writes the Guardian. “The game that would introduce a lot of players to the concept of using an analogue stick to look around in a 3D game — it’s difficult to overstate how important that was.”
But it was the multiplayer mode that really counted. Four players, one screen, an array of locations and weapons, and all the characters from the single-player campaign…. We would usually play in Normal mode, but as the hours dragged on and the sunlight began to creep in behind the blinds, we’d switch to Slaps Only, in which players could only get kills by slapping each other to death….
It is interesting how fables around the game and its development have survived — and still intrigue. The fact that it is officially cheating to play as Oddjob in multiplayer mode; the brilliance of the pause music, which has been heavily memed on TikTok, and how it was written in just 20 minutes by Rare newcomer Grant Kirkhope. The fact that Nintendo legend and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto was so concerned by the death in the game that he suggested a post-credit sequence where James Bond went to a hospital to meet all the enemy soldiers he “injured”. I think the sign of a truly great game — like any work of art — is how many legends become attached to its making.
It is lovely now, to see the game getting a release on Nintendo Switch and Xbox Game Pass.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
GoldenEye 007 Hits Nintendo Switch, Xbox: How to Play and Fix Switch Controls – CNET
Playing GoldenEye on my iPad is real, and it’s spectacular
GoldenEye 007 is now available on Nintendo Switch and Xbox
GoldenEye 007 has finally landed on Xbox and Nintendo Switch in a simultaneous dual-release of two titles with some important differences.
On Xbox, GoldenEye 007 is a remastered version of the legendary Nintendo 64 title that first launched in 1997. The remaster includes 4K resolution, smoother frame rates, and split-screen local multiplayer, similar to a 2008-era bound-for-Xbox 360 version that was canceled amid licensing and rights issues but leaked out in 2021.
Meanwhile, Nintendo has released GoldenEye 007 as part of its Nintendo Switch Online service. N64 games were added to the service in 2021, though you have to splurge on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack tier to get access.
GoldenEye 007 is also available to play…
Bond is Back! GoldenEye 007 Arrives on Xbox Game Pass
The new Nintendo Switch version of ‘Goldeneye 007’ has one major advantage over Xbox
One of the best video games ever made is making its triumphant return on Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles this week. However, Xbox owners got the short end of the stick in one major regard.
On Friday, Goldeneye 007 is finally getting an official re-release after 27 years of being stuck on the Nintendo 64. What’s even better is that it’s available via the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription ($50/year) and Xbox Game Pass ($10/mo), so you don’t even have to buy it if you already pay for one of those services.
However, it should be noted that these appear to be two different versions of the game with some major differences. Particularly of note is that online multiplayer is exclusive to the Switch version; if you want to recreate all those college dorm room deathmatches with your homies who all live in different cities now, you can’t do that on Xbox.
What you can do on Xbox is play the game in 4K and widescreen with new control options to make it feel more like a modern shooter. It’s also got achievements so you can boost your Gamerscore using all those tricks you used to beat the game a quarter of a century ago.
Of course, the Xbox version has split-screen multiplayer, so if your homies all live in the same city, you can make that dorm room magic happen again. Just remember: No screen-peeking, and no Oddjob.