It happened on Sept. 13: Microsoft and Nintendo announced that GoldenEye 007 would be coming out as a Remaster for both Xbox and Switch. I almost fell off my chair because …
… I can keep it short: GoldenEye 007 was quite simply THE game of my childhood. And it was also the very first first-person shooter I played, thanks to my Nintendo 64 (I got my first PC with Windows 95 a few years later.). I still remember the many excessive multiplayer battles I fought with my brother and friends. Now you may wonder how a little boy (I was about 10 years old) got hold of this game. A game that wasn’t even officially released in Germany and was still indexed ( the indexing wasn’t lifted until October 2021). Quite simply, my dear mother was gracious enough to lend us the game from a rental store – and not just once. Looking back, I can consider myself really lucky because I grew up with a game that set absolutely new standards at the time and is still highly acclaimed among first-person shooters today. Because, damn, it did so much right.
Update, January 26th, 2023
We have good news for you (and especially me)!
Whatever you’re up to this weekend, postpone it because Goldeneye 007 is set to release on Friday, January 27, for the Nintendo Switch. Me, at least, I will mark this day bold and red in my diary already now.
To play the relaunched retro shooter on the Switch, you’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online membership + Expansion Pack. In two days, you can enjoy Goldeneye 007 not only in widescreen mode but also throw your proximity mines at your friends in online split-screen mode.
For all Xbox users, the shooter will be released simultaneously for Game Pass for free as part of the Rare Replay Collection. While a native 4K resolution is available here, players will have to do without the online multiplayer though. If that’s not a reason to get the Nintendo Switch now at the latest *smile*.
Original Article September 16, 2022
What is so Fascinating About This Game
The game, which was originally intended as a marketing tool for the movie “James Bond 007 – Golden Eye”, was developed by just under 10 employees of the game developer Rare. Although there were repeated delays in development, the team, led by game director Martin Hollis, had great confidence in the game’s entertainment potential and was ultimately able to convince the management staff.
Particularly noteworthy at this point is that the team finished the multiplayer part, which is so popular today, rather late and also under high time pressure in the shortest possible time. This includes not only classic deathmatches but also novel game modes, such as “You Only Live Twice”, “The Man With the Golden Gun”, and not to forget “Licence to Kill”.
These modes brought significant depth to the game dynamics and invited cooperative gameplay and tactical operations. In addition to the multitude of game modes, Rare also gave us an incredible variety of weapons, which were impressively implemented both graphically and in terms of animation.
The graphics were extremely refined and immersive for the time being. For example, real photos of faces were also used for the character design, and the character animations were also absolutely novel. Here, real movements were incorporated into the game using motion tracking, making the animation look incredibly organic and realistic. In the Singleplayer mode, the AI behaves very smartly, goes into cover, performs a side roll, and then quickly fires back again from the hip. Especially then, all this created an unexpectedly deep immersion and endless gaming fun.
Then it was Quiet Around GoldenEye for a Long Time
After Goldeneye 007 on the N64, other Goldeneye titles followed. These were developed by other developer studios and (in my opinion) never reached the class of the one on N64. With GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo Wii, another worthy successor followed. However, the look and feel were different. For the Nintendo Switch, however, things changed because, so far, Nintendo has lacked the rights to the James Bond franchise. A successor for the Switch seemed hopeless, and it was quiet around the series for a long time. But then, at the beginning of 2022, the first rumors and speculations flared up that GoldenEye 007 might make it to the Nintendo Switch after all. Finally, the joyful resolution: Microsoft and Nintendo joined forces and now want to release the game for both the Xbox and the Nintendo Switch. Yay!
Hopefully Soon, We’ll be able to Enjoy GoldenEye 007 on Xbox & Switch Again
An exact date for the release is not yet known. What is certain, however, is that a remaster will be released for both Xbox and Nintendo Switch. It should be noted that there will only be a Remaster in 4K for the Xbox. However, the multiplayer mode is only local. The Switch will get exclusive online multiplayer as part of the online membership + expansion pack.
Some gaming inspiration
What you will do this weekend is now perhaps fixed. If you still need a little more inspiration for your next game, I can recommend you to check out Evil West. An excellent title for solo and co-op fun!
Are you old GoldenEye 007 veterans like me and can’t wait for the release? What’s your 007 story? Feel free to let me know in the comments.
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