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After 25 long years, Goldeneye for the N64 is finally hitting modern platforms. For Switch players the game will be part of Nintendo Switch Online for Expansion Pak subscribers, having both widescreen and online play, and on Xbox it sounds like it'll be an update to Rare Replay for Game Pass subscribers, being able to run at 60 FPS (though surprisingly no online play). It doesn't currently sound like it'll be available to purchase outright, likely due to behind-the-scenes circumstances involving re-upping the Bond license with MGM and EON Productions, but fact it's finally happening at all is quite something (especially after the leaks of a planned Xbox 360 remaster by 4J Studios that got scrapped just before being finished, with some speculation based on Rare dev testimonies being that Satoru Iwata backed out of the deal last minute even though Nintendo of America and Microsoft had come to some kind of agreement in the late 00s).

Now I'm wondering when another Rare game will hit NSO in the future. The two I'm most expecting are Banjo-Tooie (we got the first on NSO last year so best to complete the N64 duology) and Donkey Kong 64 (we've got the Country trilogy on NSO, so lets go ahead and add Rare's final major entry into the DK franchise to the service hopefully sooner rather than later, and the issues involving Jetpac being in DK64 were resolved long ago given DK64 did come out on the Wii U virtual console in 2015).

Even to this day, house rules, no Oddjob!

From a licensing nightmare, an impossibility even, to a reality. And here I am thinking it'd be released much later.

Something good to do on the weekend

I’m ready

I played it on both platforms the other night and turns out one detail was incorrect, it's NOT 60 FPS on Xbox, it's 30 on both platforms which I find to be a bit odd (though interestingly I think on Switch the menus run at 60, probably because in the original ROM the framerate wasn't capped on menus). Also I noticed the Xbox version shockingly has some odd framerate hitching in the more open levels like the Dam, but I didn't notice that on the Switch. Also noticed that on both versions it looks like UI elements like the HUD weren't upscaled so they look a bit blurry on both platforms, which again is mainly odd on Xbox as on Switch we know it's a straight emulation of the N64 ROM, but on Xbox I was thinking it was a full remastering, but it looks like it's also just emulating the N64 ROM as well. Still hey nice to have a version of Goldeneye on both systems that doesn't have the same level of dips the N64 original did (the N64 original could go full slideshow mode in intense firefights).

Which version you play is going to depend on what control method you want. On Xbox they did update the controls to the Xbox button and stick layout so it controls more like a modern FPS, but on Switch again since it's an emulated version of the N64 ROM the game will play best with an N64 controller made to work with the Switch (like the one Nintendo themselves sell or third party bluetooth N64 controllers that are compatible with the Switch), as if you play with a Pro controller or joycons the best way to remap controls would be to remap them via the console's remapping menu since Goldeneye itself only has pre-made layouts and no options for in-game remapping.

After 25 long years I finally did it, I actually beat the entire single player of Goldeneye on 00 Agent. Probably never gonna do that again, because Secret Agent's more my speed in being a good balance between combat difficulty and having a decent amount of objectives per level, while avoiding some of the more annoying objectives (like the addition of a single extra objective made Train and Caverns even more stressful, especially that damn radio near exploding barrels and grenade throwing guards in Caverns). AND I did it on Switch using the N64 controller too, I basically played the game a bit harder on purpose just to satisfy my inner child that never saw the final two levels the "legit" way (as a kid I generally stuck to Agent difficulty and only unlocked the two bonus missions thanks to GameShark).

Next time I get the urge to replay the game I'll play the Xbox version to see just how much easier every mission past the first couple is when using a modern control scheme.