GoldenEye 007 Xbox Series X Review

GoldenEye 007 Xbox Series X Review – Finally, the classic James Bond FPS is back

Despite being a pioneering and much-loved game, for various reasons GoldenEye 007 hasn’t seen the light of day on any of the more modern consoles, until now. While this isn’t the leaked and impressive remaster that was put together years ago, it’s still a competent rerelease, albeit a disappointing and barebones one. 

First released in 1997 on the N64, GoldenEye 007 was an exclusive console FPS that turned things around and on their head for the genre. It wasn’t the first FPS on a console, but it was one that showed that the genre could work well on a console, and also sell a staggering number of copies in the process. Furthermore, the game pioneered being able to shoot enemies in particular body parts and having them react to where they’re hit, and also, along with MDK, helped usher in a working sniper rifle in a videogame. Not forgetting the classic split screen multiplayer mode, which helped change the genre for the better on consoles in terms of group gaming.

25 years later, the game can finally be played again on a console, with Xbox and Switch releases. As I said in the opening paragraph, this is a competent remaster, although those expecting majorly updated texture work and 60fps will surely be disappointed, being that this rerelease offers none of these things. At least the resolution of the game has been increased to 4K, and as dated and as boxy as the visuals look, everything still manages to look nice enough. Even if there’s a stutter here and there, the framerate is also more stable as well. It’s still so disappointing that they weren’t able to officially release the 2006 remaster; a lot of effort had been put into the visuals to upgrade both the detail as well as the framerate. So much so that this, in comparison, kind of looks like an embarrassment.

The sound has aged a lot better than the visuals in this remaster, particularly the outstanding music. At the time GoldenEye offered some of the best music ever heard in a game, and I definitely think it is still brilliant today. Many of the tracks take inspiration from Monty Norman’s famous Bond theme, and clever things are often done with it, making for a soundtrack that sounds just as amazing 25 years on.

“What’s shocking is that the game’s stance on difficulty levels has rarely been copied since the game’s 1997 release.”

Based on the Pierce Brosnan James Bond film of the same name, GoldenEye 007 pretty much covers the entirety of the film through its 18 levels. Iconic levels such as The Dam and Facility still hold up well enough today, although, until they are committed to memory, some of the maze-like levels can frustrate 

What’s shocking is that the game’s stance on difficulty levels has rarely been copied since the game’s 1997 release. There are three difficulty levels, and not only does this affect the amount of ammo available to you as well as the amount of damage that the enemy AI inflicts upon you, but higher difficulty levels present you with more objectives to accomplish. It’s a lovely piece of game design.

The shooting is still a lot of fun, with the enemy death animations still being satisfying, and the new control scheme makes it as enjoyable to control as it has ever been. What doesn’t hold up quite as well are the game’s famous stealth mechanics, which are really quite basic by today’s standards. Whether you are shooting or stealthing, the AI is also near none-existent, although this is essentially a remaster of a 25-year-old game at the end of the day, so some things just weren’t going to cut it in this day and age. 

This remaster also includes the much cherished and well remembered split screen multiplayer mode for up to four players, although those expecting online multiplayer may want to opt for the Switch version of the game instead, with the feature being exclusive to this version. Multiplayer includes a normal mode, which is basically a standard deathmatch mode, while You Only Live Twice is a deathmatch variant in which each player only gets two lives before being eliminated from the game. License to Kill, on the other hand, buffs up all weapons to make them kill in a single hit, The Man With The Golden Gun has players fighting to get possession of the titular Golden Gun, which kills in a single hit. Finally, The Living Daylights has you scoring points by carrying a flag around, although are unable to fire any weapons when doing so. Like the campaign, multiplayer is still all good fun, and there’s options for every man for himself or team-based play.

GoldenEye 007 Xbox Series X Review summary:

GoldenEye 007’s return is a welcome one, particularly if you are able to keep your expectations in check and remember that this is more of a port than anything else. The game holds up really well in a number of ways and, because of the modern controls and improved framerate, it does play better than it ever did. However, its basic stealth mechanics, AI and maze-like levels are as dated as the blurry and crude textures as well as the boxy character models. When compared to the likes of Perfect Dark and GoldenEye’s own unreleased remaster, this rerelease is also a disappointment, lacking the kind of effort that would have delivered us enhanced detail and 60fps. When all is said and done though, GoldenEye is back, and this is something that many are not going to be complaining about.