If you were alive in the 90s, there is a pretty good chance you spent at least one weekend of your life huddled around a tube TV, maybe setting up elaborate dividers to block your friends and family from seeing a large section of the screen, stuffing your face with pizza and shooting or blowing up some of your most loved people on the planet. There is no denying that GoldenEye 007 on N64 was one of the most groundbreaking FPS games in history and paved the way for the likes of Halo, Call of Duty, and every other shooter that has been released since. Now, almost 25 years later, we’re able to experience what is arguably one of the best multiplayer games of all time on modern consoles. That is unless you’re a Playstation-only household.

The multiplayer is easily the biggest selling point of the title, but just as it was originally, you’re going to have to play the single-player campaign to unlock everything it has to offer. Even with a catalog of impressive multiplayer games available to me, I see this being a regular in my household, as I’ve already got my son addicted to the fast and simple gameplay that the original offered, which this port has emulated almost flawlessly. At least on the Xbox.

If you’ve never played the game, which I find hard to believe (depending on age) unless you live under the biggest rock on the planet, it mostly follows the story of the classic James Bond film Goldeneye. Essentially terrorists have gained control of a satellite that is capable of raining down lasers on any location they see fit, and only 007 can stop them. Everything remains intact as a straightforward port of the classic game such as the music, sound effects, and dated graphics in a state where every character either looks like an action figure that has been stuck in the microwave for a few minutes, or a mapped face that looks like it was captured while the person was constipated or right at the point of having an orgasm. With three difficulty options, a few unlockable stages from previous Bond films and timed goals that unlock cheats to be used in both multiplayer and single-player modes, it has a fair amount of content. Even in 2022, I can’t remember the last time I was this excited to replay a game from my childhood. Sadly, your mileage is going to vary depending on which platform you’re playing on and how much tolerance for bullshit you have.

The core game is essentially the same whether you are playing on Xbox One or Switch, with the major changes being that the Xbox version touts 4K visuals and an updated control scheme, whereas the Switch doesn’t and the second part of that is a major issue, but hey, it has online play and Xbox doesn’t for some reason. The updated controls actually make the Xbox version even more playable than busting out the original hardware, meaning placing this on a pedestal with the likes of the other excellent N64 ports that have found their way onto the Xbox such as Doom 64, Turok and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil. I really loved how I was able to hold down the aim button to keep the crosshair up while moving and dropping enemies with quickness while striving to unlock every cheat code in my first run.

When I loaded this up on the Switch, I was left with a completely different experience; even after remapping the controls it was like playing the game with a broken Wave controller with one hand tied behind my back. By default, shooting is mapped to the left trigger while looking and movement requires both sticks, but everything feels as counterintuitive as possible. Additionally, this becomes a time sink if you have to help everyone playing on the same screen adjust their controls each time you boot the software since you can’t save multiple presets on the system, at least as far as I can tell.

Out of all the things that could irk me with the Switch port, the biggest is by far the inability to actually just purchase the game. If you’re only playing on Nintendo’s most versatile system, you’re limited to playing this only if you throw them the exorbitant cash for the higher tier online service. I am still part of the community that would rather have the option to own my games as opposed to renting them, so this was a bit of a sore spot for me. The Xbox version fares slightly better in this area, as it’s included in Game Pass and is bundled with digital copies of Rare Replay which is an excellent value, but may not be for everyone and has skyrocketed up to $39.99 MSRP, and will likely never be discounted again.

Goldeneye remains one of the best FPS games I have ever played and has left me with many fond memories. With a coating of nostalgia so thick that you would need to use a remote mine to break through it, I cannot speak highly enough of this rerelease, at least on the Xbox. If you’re a Switch player, I would recommend investing in an Xbox One and getting it there for a much more fluid experience, which probably costs you less than getting the original hardware and software needed.

For Xbox One

9 out of 10

Pros

• A Faithful Port of the Original Game with All Content Intact
• Plenty of Replayability
• Some of the Best Multiplayer Gameplay of All Time
• Updated Controls

Cons

• No Online Play
• You Can’t Buy the Game à la Carte

 

For Nintendo Switch

3 out of 10

Pros

• A Faithful Port of the Original Game with All Content Intact
• Plenty of Replayability
• Online Play

Cons

• The Worst Controls I Have Ever Experienced
• You Can’t Buy the Title to Own

GoldenEye 007 was developed by Code Mystics and was published by Rare LTD. The game is available on NS and XSX. The game was not provided to us for review. If you’d like to see more of Goldeneye, check out the Xbox site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

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