It may have missed its 25th anniversary but GoldenEye 007 returning to console was still met with some excitement. The legendary licensed title made a name for itself on Nintendo 64 by laying the foundation for the modern console shooter. Another part of its legacy is in establishing FPS as a viable genre for controller play. Better still it remains relevant on the speedrunning scene.
Covertly Modern
Some of 1997 GoldenEye‘s enduring charm remains intact for its 2023 Xbox return, if dulled a little with age. Level design and the layout of objectives still work well. The pace of the game, with its short time-to-kill and deluge of enemies, is still perfect. The two work in tandem to make each level highly replayable.
This sense of replayability is only helped by a healthy selection of unlockable content. The iconic cheats, the special multiplayer characters and weapons are all here. The extra difficultly settings, including the added objectives, and two Bond fan-service extravaganza bonus levels are also unlockable.
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GoldenEye 007 was a remarkably complete game for 1997. With how games are carved up in the 21st century, the single-player campaign and the content it unlocks feels even more generous.
Common Language
Of course, all this content wouldn’t be of any value if the game wasn’t fun. GoldenEye 007‘s shooting mechanics have been superseded by more fluid titles. Even with the modern reworked controls, it feels a little dated.
However, the level design, how and when enemies are spawned or events are triggered, and the general flow of a stage all hold up. The sense of fun in making your way from room to room on the hunt for the next maguffin hasn’t been lost to time. Nor has the charm of its recreation of a James Bond film that has seen its esteem only grow in the decades since its release.
GoldenEye 007‘s flow has aged like fine wine thanks to its efficiency. A player simply doesn’t feel like they are backtracking when levels are so compact and organic.
The diegetic menu system is still a neat touch. Raking through enemies with the healthy selection of weapons, and the variety contained within the line-up, is still satisfying.
Offline Xbox
Should you have multiple controllers, and a friend or three, the selection of levels, weapons and characters are still hours of fun waiting to be had. Levels, characters and weapons can be unlocked as you play to pad out the couch multiplayer experience.
While the single-player experience still stands up to modern expectations, the multiplayer mode is quite barebones. Even with all the unlockable content on the go, there aren’t many modes to sink your teeth into.
Read More: The Enduring Legacy of Nintendo 64
Sadly, there is no online multiplayer functionality and this seems like a missed opportunity. People old enough to truly value the multiplayer modes aren’t likely to have three friends nearby to recreate the glory days.
Those who will have three mates next door are likely too young to remember the 90s and will probably find the multiplayer too thin to get into.
Lost in Translation
But the return of the seminal shooter comes with some complications. For one, mod cons have been split between the two console ports. Xbox consoles get the aforementioned modern controls that greatly enhance the experience while Switch players can play online with friends.
Both run at 30fps since the game was originally built with that speed in mind and these versions emulate the original game rather than porting it.
Read more: The Enduring Legacy of the Original Xbox
The upscaling on textures and game assets is a mixed bag. Many scenes in the game look nothing short of stunning but plenty look blurry, washed out or poorly defined. AI was used to cut corners when upscaling the art and it shows.
Geometry also seems to have been messed up during the translation. On certain levels, there are seams in the world with the background colour visible in these common tears in the level.
On larger levels, the boundaries and nearby skybox elements can clip into view ahead of foreground objects. Both Surface levels frequently showed Z-sorting issues.
The lack of polish is disappointing given the popularity of the source material, and the certainty that its massive fanbase would make this version a success if made somewhat competently.
Missed Opportunity
The lack of an online leaderboard for the single-player campaigns is another missed opportunity given the fertile speedrunning community. Seeing your Xbox friends’ times on the board, or with a ghost would have been a nice homage to the original game’s place in speedrunning history.
GoldenEye 007 also comes with a few of the original’s gripes. The intermittent slowdown definitely lends some authenticity. However, you could be forgiven for thinking the unholy power of Xbox Series X could handle emulating remote mines from 1997 at a canter.
A Classic Still Worth Experiencing
Ultimately, GoldenEye 007 is still a blast to return to in spite of its issues. The meat of the game that had fans 25 years in anticipation is still a wholly playable classic. The level design, mechanical balance and film fan service of that 1997 classic still carry the tune marvelously.
The move to modern resolutions with modern control schemes at close to 30fps does remove a few barriers to enjoyment for younger gamers, even if the modernisation package feels incomplete.
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It’s almost a testament to that 1997 GoldenEye 007 original that a version that did so little to improve the game should still be worth playing, if only to experience the glint of greatness that the 2023 release retains.
As a Game Pass entry or an addition to Rare Replay, it does the job – offering ageing gamers a chance for a quick nostalgic bite while letting a younger crowd taste a little of the game’s enduring legacy. But with a little more ambition and little more love, it could have been something special.
Fans can add GoldenEye 007 to their Rare Replay collection on Xbox or play it on Xbox Game Pass
