If you’re an elder millennial or even if you call yourself a fan of video games, you will undoubtedly regard Goldeneye as an essential game. The legendary FPS game paved the way for the popularity of the genre in today’s gaming world, and it did so back in 1997 before franchises like Call of Duty and Halo took over. A tie-in game to the 1995 James Bond film of the same name, its iconic status was unlikely, but the revolutionary graphics (at the time) and ability to play as characters in the Bond franchise with the same likeness was a huge selling point (Oddjob and Jaws, in particular, are my favorites). Add to that the amazing lo-fi soundtrack and multiplayer mode, where you could have split-screen shooting matches with your friends for hours, and it’s easy to see why this became one of the highest-selling Nintendo games of all time.
Personally, my entry into the James Bond gaming enterprise was 007 Nightfire, which took a lot of the same ingredients from Goldeneye 007 and brought them to the 21st century. I spent entire sleepovers competing against my friends/family until one of us inevitably accused the other of “screen-looking.” I only mention this to say that the spirit of Goldeneye 007 continues to live on and has made me a lifelong James Bond fan.
Having just bought a Nintendo Switch late last year, I thought that Goldeneye would be the perfect game to test out the system when I wasn’t playing Super Smash Bros. or Pokemon: Arceus. Boy, was I wrong…For starters, this is not a remake of the original game like the recent Resident Evil games or Dead Space but an emulation. What does this mean? Basically, the graphics are slightly upgraded (though not 60 fps), and you have the ability to make the gameplay widescreen so you can enjoy the game in all of its pixelated glory on your living room TV.
You can only play Goldeneye on the Switch if you are a member of their Nintendo + Online Expansion Pack plan, which is $49.99 a yea. This grants you access to Gameboy Advance and Nintendo 64 games, whereas the basic online plan ($19.99 a year) does not. Xbox users can also play Goldeneye if subscribed to the Game Pass. So right off the bat, you can’t own Goldeneye, only access it through subscription services.
The two consoles also carry unique differences that players should take into account when deciding where they should play. For instance, only the Nintendo Switch has online multiplayer, but only through the “Switch Online lobby interface,” where you would create a room and invite friends to join; this means you can’t play with random online players. And even when playing online, it will still show up as split-screen as well, so you might as well order pizza and invite some friends over to play, as it will essentially be the same with fewer connection issues. The Switch is also the only version where you can enter cheat codes like DK (Donkey Kong) mode or paintball mode, where Xbox users will have to earn them the old-fashioned way through gameplay achievements.
As for Xbox, they exclusively have modern dual-analog controls and the ability to play in 4K with a smoother framerate, even in local multiplayer matches. In other words, the Switch version is an emulated version of the original, while the Xbox version is “lightly remastered.” So basically, it boils down to what you prioritize: online with cheat codes or higher quality with modern controls? As someone who’s only played the Switch version, I can confidently say that the Xbox version can’t possibly be worse than the Switch.
While the nostalgia for the game and movie played a factor in my enjoyment, it was near impossible to boot it up and play at first. The archaic controls might go smoother if you were lucky enough to grab a Nintendo 64 controller before they went out of stock, but for the basic Switch controls, I could barely figure out how to move around and died almost immediately as the game was not built for dual analog and modern first-person shooter controls. Thankfully, there are several tutorials that have come out that walk you through how to remap the controls to the modern age. It was a frustrating start to a game that I was anticipating jumping back into again and one that deserves much better treatment.
Once I reconfigured the controls, I jumped into the main story missions, and things started to look up. The environments are easy to navigate, and the array of guns at your disposal still makes for a fun time. I was also reminded that older games were a lot more challenging, as there are no in-game hints to guide you through your mission objectives, and there are no auto-saves or checkpoints, so if you die, you have to start over from the beginning of the mission. Still, the espionage aspects of the game make it thoughtful in a way that you can’t just shoot your way out of every time. Whether you’re disabling brake systems on the train level or setting C4 to stop nuclear missiles, being in the shoes of the spy with a license to kill gets old.
The most fun I had with the game was playing multiplayer with my brother. Replaying the maps with the ability to sneak through vents and button mashing until the other player dies hasn’t aged a day. Because the aiming is so difficult, it forces you to run and gun and hope you hit something and give in to the time when shooters weren’t as hyperrealistic and advanced as they are now. Even without the nostalgia of playing this as a kid, that feeling of playing local multiplayer with friends and family is one that will never get old.
Overall, the “new” iteration of Goldeneye is a mixed bag. I certainly enjoyed playing it in parts, but I couldn’t help but get the feeling that fans deserve better. With all of the excellent remakes coming out, this port of Goldeneye feels like an afterthought where they couldn’t even bother to update the controls to the Switch. The restrictions for both the Xbox and the Switch also make each version worse as a result. For fans of Goldeneye and James Bond, like me, the thought of revisiting the game seemed like a no-brainer, but if you have an Xbox and a Switch, I would recommend the Xbox version for the upgraded quality and modern controls. The online is useless unless you have friends who also have the subscription, and the cheat codes are fun, but because the inputs were meant to be pressed on a 64 controller, even putting those in was a hassle!
If you only have a Switch and are dying to play Goldeneye, I would absolutely remap the controls to make it playable and temper your expectations. If you do that, all of the things that make Goldeneye a classic, from the music, missions, and wide variety of weapons, are still there as you remember them and in widescreen for the first time. I’m just holding out hope that one day we will get a definitive remake worthy of this game’s stellar reputation.
Final Rating:
‘Goldeneye 007’ is available now on Nintendo Switch and Xbox.
Rated T for Teen.
(Reviewed for the Switch)
