Classic Videogame 'Goldeneye 007' Finally Comes to Nintendo Switch and Xbox (cnn.com) 54
The classic 1997 vidoegame GoldenEye 007 "has finally landed on Xbox and Nintendo Switch," writes the Verge:
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.
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.
Eh.... (Score:2, Insightful)
In 1997 we were playing Quake and Quake II. Goldeneye is typical console garbage compared to those. Ohhh, you can look around with an analog STICK... sure, that's good and doesn't suck donkey ass.
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Totally incorrect. There was nothing better than having a few buddies over and playing 4-way split-screen Goldeneye, spying on your buddy's screen so you could tell where he was and then chasing him down. It was pure, cheesy fun.
Re:Eh.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh yes there was: getting a bunch of people together after-hours in the CS lab or a LAN party in someone's dorm room for a night of multiplayer Quake 2. The level of gameplay in Quake was so far beyond 007, there was just no comparison. Though goldeneye WAS always good for a laugh when someone who thought they were hot shit because they could beat it on double-0 mode or whatever tried to step up against people who were even just merely competent by Quake standards.
Re: Agreed! (Score:1)
An no porn on those things either....
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In 1997 we were playing Quake and Quake II.
Or Duke Nukem 3D.
Re: Eh.... (Score:1)
While others were playing tekken, street fighter alpha, goldeneye, ....?
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While others were playing tekken, street fighter alpha, goldeneye, ....?
Did those games kick ass and chew bubblegum, but were all out of gum? I think not.
Re:Eh.... (Score:5, Funny)
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Tell me you had no friends without saying you had no friends.
When Quake came out, it was the dot com boom, and all my friends had jobs and PCs. Those of us who had friends had a thing called LAN parties which you would know about if you'd had friends then.
Re: Eh.... (Score:2)
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Goldeneye achieved the fame it did because it was a lot more accessible than PC equivalents.
Right, it's not because it's good. It's because it was the only thing available. I don't want to crap on anyone's nostalgia, everyone is free to like what they like, the place I get off the bus is all the oohing and aahing over stuff that Quake did better. Playing lmctf just once makes 007 positively boring.
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Right, it's not because it's good. It's because it was the only thing available. I don't want to crap on anyone's nostalgia, everyone is free to like what they like, the place I get off the bus is all the oohing and aahing over stuff that Quake did better. Playing lmctf just once makes 007 positively boring.
It wasn't the only thing available — PCs that played Quake were all over the place. It's just that even a very bad PC + monitor in 1997 was somewhere north of $1000, and you'd need one of those per Quake player. Plus you had to network the computers, and find places for all of them. So $4k+ and a bunch of work. Want to bring this over to a friend's house? LAN parties were absolutely a thing! And they were fun! They were also a pain in the butt.
007 needed a $200 console and a few extra controllers. Wan
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Maybe all the people who had (and have!) fun playing Bond are just dumb idiots who don't know from good shooters, or... maybe there's actually something there.
There's a difference between stupid and inexperienced.
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Exactly.
If you wanted to play multi-player console? Controllers, console and TV. The TV was there, so one person just needed to bring the console and controllers and games.
LAN parties required you to have a car, or access to a car, and several days. Laptops for gaming were relatively rare, and very expensive toys, so going to a LAN party often meant carting your tower PC, your CRT (heaven forbid you have a 20" CRT...),
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Back in 1997 you could get an N64 and a copy of GoldenEye for about $220. So figure about $400 inflation adjusted versus $2,000 inflation adjusted. About 1/5 the price.
As for the analog stick it was optical and in my opinion what's the closest you could ge
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That's great if you had a grand lying around for a decent Pentium maybe another $500 inflation adjusted for a 3D accelerator. I did and I played quake and quake ii back then, although in hindsight it was pretty crazy of me to spend that much money.
Back in 1997 you could get an N64 and a copy of GoldenEye for about $220. So figure about $400 inflation adjusted versus $2,000 inflation adjusted. About 1/5 the price.
As for the analog stick it was optical and in my opinion what's the closest you could get to keyboard and mouse at that price point. To this day I can't really play fpses with a gamepad but I can get along just fine with the n64s original stick if I can find one in good condition. I've been too lazy to rebuild my old n 64 pads though
you didn't need a 3d card.
I played and completed Quake on a Pentium 90 with 16 MB of RAM - all in software mode
Re: Eh.... (Score:1)
Online? On the LAN? Yes to either/both would impress me.
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It was still pretty common in those days to play games using software rendering, as 3D accelerators for the consumer market were a relatively new thing in 1997.
That being said, a PC which could run Quake well wasn't cheap back then. You really did need a fast socket 7 Pentium and those things would set ya back a few shiny pennies in those days.
Even though CRTs ruled the roost back then, it cannot be overstated how much better a SVGA monitor looked versus a standard NTSC television. Console gaming lagged w
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Considering Pentium 2 was released in 1997, by then Pentium was common. And Quake (not GL Quake, not Quake 2) was a DOS game with software rendering. Also, launched in 1996, Duke Nukem 3D was a DOS game with software rendering. And you didn't need a "decent" Pentium, any Pentium was enough. Some people were playing even on 486 (but you needed a powerful 486).
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That's great if you had a grand lying around for a decent Pentium maybe another $500 inflation adjusted for a 3D accelerator.
HA HA AHA
I did and I played quake and quake ii back then, although in hindsight it was pretty crazy of me to spend that much money.
BaAhAHAHA
Quake I would run just fine on a 486 with no 3d accelerator whatsoever. And the consumer level 3d accelerators of the Pentium era were $300 max, for a 12MB VooDoo 2.
Re: Eh.... (Score:1)
But thats still 800$ minimum just to play quake, oh "and browse the internet".
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But thats still 800$ minimum just to play quake, oh "and browse the internet".
I got the 486 I played Quake on for free, it was a corporate castoff Vectra. Total cost to me: $100 for a used XGA monitor, not that I could play Quake at that resolution... more like 512x384.
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A 486 wasn’t $800 in 1997. They were getting dumped onto the used market in bulk by that time so anywhere between free and $500.
Re: Eh.... (Score:1)
Memory and graphic card?
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You didn’t need a graphics card. As for memory you only needed 8mb which would probably involve getting another 4mb which was cheap. It was a very good time to be a cheap bastard if you got a free 486 from some business you could make it into a shitty pentium for $200.
You could get a 286 for free without even looking hard and load it with 16mb of ram and a 286-to-486 for even less than that. There was really little reason most people couldn’t afford a “modern” computer except just
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Quake was great. Quake II on the other hand... not quite my tempo.
GoldenEye was still a great game, regardless of Quake.
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GoldenEye has objective-based gameplay. Tons of secrets and unlockables (something almost entirely absent from games since). Enemies that take location-based damage. Tons and tons of weapons, far more than most FPS games before or since.
Quake never held a candle to it in terms of innovation. In fact, few if any, FPSs since GoldenEye have held a candle to it. Many of the innovative things GoldenEye did were not replicated in other games. I remember how disappointed I was playing Halo, the first "big" console
You'll own nothing & be happy (Score:2)
Perhaps I'm missing something from TFA, but is there no actual way to just purchase the damn game? It seems to be implied that the game is only offered as part of subscription services on either platform.
Personally, if I felt the nostalgic itch to play this game (I never owned a N64, I was team Sony back then), I'd just emulate it for the authentic chonky polygons experience. But I'm sure there are some folks who'd like to play the remastered version without committing to a subscription.
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I would only add that, I think this is becoming more popular. Since it's not just Golden Eye for the subscription, but rather a bunch of titles. As far as I know all major consoles offer this sort of thing, like Game Pass. And I guess to your point, you might rather purchase the title than rent it. It's like they want a sort of Netflix model, where you can watch whatever as long as you're subscribed, but don't really have the ability to buy a TV series outright. (at least I don't think they do, haven't
There's already a better way (Score:4)
The 1964GEPD emulator [github.com] lets you play GoldenEye and Perfect Dark with keyboard and mouse controls, PC style. It's a massive improvement over the clunkiness of using a controller.
(On a related note, Primehack [github.com] does the same for Metroid Prime.)
HD remake (Score:3)
There was already an HD remake of the game made for the XBOX 360. It was almost finished, and was eventually leaked. It was supposed to come out around 2008.
This new release is not that HD remake.
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This is not one release, but two: The ports to Nintendo Switch and XBox are different, made by different teams. And so, they have different features.
Modern Vintage Gamer [youtube.com] on Youtube has an interesting review, with the differences.
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The controls on the Switch version are basically unusable too. The emulation is okay, although issues from the original game like Z order problems and gaps between polygons are exaggerated due to the higher resolution here.
In many ways the game has not aged well. It's still a lot of fun if you were into it at the time, but it would really have benefitted from some quality of life improvements.
Console News On Slashdot! (Score:2, Funny)
Nerds use computers. Children with crappy parents play consoles.
Do better, Slashdot.
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I didn't have to pick a side. I was there when they both first hit the market and as a young lad the choice was left up to me. There was so much opportunity to learn with my Commodore that the Atari 2600 just seemed a toy for toddlers. Watching the computers vs. consoles over the decades just left me knowing I made the right choice with my limited funds.
Now looking back, it was one decision that was good, since computers gave me a way of making a living, whereas a console was just good for burning up time.
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"I didn't have to pick a side" says the guy that then goes on to describe how he picked a side and how happy he is with that choice.
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Just an FYI, the Commodore had a cartridge port so it was a console also.
Since this was all new tech in the 80's there weren't any 'sides' really. That would come later.
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You mean a C64? You're comparing a 1982 computer to a 1977 console, of course the console will look primitive in comparison. If you compared it to the ColecoVision, introduced that same year, we'd see a fairer fight.
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Some people with game developer friends pick the PC side because their friend mentioned having applied for a devkit with one of the major console makers and having been rejected. Or to put it another way: PC has more exclusives than any console.
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I've never understood why someone has to pick a side in the PC versus console debate. My son and I are both gamers.
Because PCs are better obviously ;-)
This is real life. Wherever there are 2 things, someone somewhere will pick a side about it. PC vs consoles, Xbox vs PS, Coal BBQ vs Gas, Pork vs Beef, anything which is within a shared category can be argued over.
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Psychologically - I suppose most people (especially kids) don't buy multiple systems. So if you can buy only one, it better count, it better be THE good one. You get defensive.
Objectively - PC is better. It can do tons of things beyond gaming, it can emulate dozens of classic systems, it allows a massive range of accessories. And now that GPU mining has collapsed, it's quite affordable again. "Oh, I prefer playing with a gamepad on the couch by the bigass TV" - you totally can. PC is what you make of it.
Re:Console News On Slashdot! (Score:4, Interesting)
These games were fun because it was quick and easy. 1 console, 1 game, 4 controllers, and 4 seats.
Some of us also played PC games (Carmaggedon, Quake 2, AoE) but networking protocols back in the day were not as easy to use as they are now. We'd occasionally get a few people together to LAN but there was always 1 computer that just didn't want to work correctly. We'd start at 8pm and it might take 3-4 hours before everyone was able to play the same game at the same time.
I still prefer PC gaming but playing on a console with a few close friends is a far superior social experience.
You DO know why it was such a hit, yes? (Score:3)
It wasn't because of the game or because it was any good, it was because it had a bug where you could load a manipulated safe game to jailbreak the console. Nobody I know played the game, but there were quite a few people who had it as the only game (they ever bought)...
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No way. Waaayyy too many people wax on about the actual game for what you say to be true.
Don't get me wrong, Golden Eye has nothing on the PC gaming happening at the time but low computer ownership and literacy rates meant many didn't know any better. Plus it offered cheap local co-op play that didn't involve one having to lug ones expensive tower and CRT monitor over to a friend's house.
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Unless you're thinking of Splinter Cell for the original Xbox.
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I still have the original!! (Score:2)
I still have my N64 and a handful of games for it. Goldeneye was fun because you could also sit around one tv together and it just worked. I remember we would setup complex traps and try to force each other into them. Proximity mines were great fun. Hide them under stairs, on walls and if you were not careful, you die.
Lan parties were also a blast but I keenly remember spending half the time getting things setup and working. For me, that was still a pretty good time but it definitely was not a walk in the p
PCMR! (Score:2)
Upscaled, hi-def looking versions have been on PC for years now.