GoldenEye 007 is finally on Xbox & Switch, but it needs some work

After years of rumours, rumours, fan outcry and endless internet theories, Rare’s beloved Nintendo 64 first person shooter, Goldeye 007, is finally available on modern consoles. And while this is something to celebrate for many, these new ports aren’t quite as good as they could have been.

First the good news: after more than 20 years of waiting Gold eye is now fully playable on Xbox consoles and the Nintendo Switch. And regardless of anything else in this post, it’s still very nice to have easy access to this classic N64 game in 2023. Sure, emulation has always existed, but this is different. Now a random person with Game Pass and no knowledge of ROMs and such can just download and play Gold eye like any other modern video game. That’s cool. And it would be foolish to ignore that, especially since until now it just wasn’t possible due to different rights holders disagreeing to let this game exist on more platforms.

Okay, now for the bad news: this port is pretty barebones and basic. We already knew today that the Xbox port would lack online multiplayer – only Switch gets that – but since its release last night, fans have noticed other shortcomings as well. To put it bluntly: If you just want to experience Gold eye again for a few minutes – which I think applies to probably 70% of the people who are going to try this game this weekend – this Xbox port is fine. It also still supports classic split-screen multiplayer (Do you still have your cardboard screen divider??). However, if you’re looking to spend more time with it, or played the original game endlessly, maybe even via emulation, you’ll probably be disappointed with a few things.

For example, the game is locked to 30 frames per second. According to the developers behind the portthat’s because the Original ROM code is used to emulate the game on Xbox. Which makes sense, the original game was designed to run at 30fps. However, fans have found ways to break through that ceiling, and for years people have been playing Goldeye 007 on the PC with twice the frame rate. And watching footage of one of these fan-made mods points to another issue in the newly released Xbox and Switch port: low-resolution text. It’s hard to read how much ammo you have left because it’s so blurry. Strangely, the in-game assets look better and sharper. Again, this is an issue that fans fixed years ago.

Other issues include weird audio glitches, incorrect decals and textures, and noticeable cracks and seams in the geometry when progressing through levels. the Developers behind this port suggest this is just a result of Game move from SD to HD and that many of these issues are present in the original N64 version of but are harder to spot Gold eye. but Gold eye fan projects like 1964 GEPD have greatly reduced imperfections such as visible seams in the level, even when played at 4K.

Some particularly stubborn Goldeye 007 Fans are demanding an update to patch the game, improve it and fix some of these issues. But that’s unlikely as it seems outside the scope of this project, which seems more or less focused on just getting Gold eye runs on modern hardware using the same N64 emulation technology developed for the 2015 retro compilation Rare repeat.

Ultimately, I’d love to see this port get some more improvements, like 60fps support, but I also understand that given the legal baggage the game is saddled with, it’s kind of a mini-miracle Goldeye 007 is even playable on an Xbox console. If I want more bells and whistles, I know where to go and how to get it working on my PC. But if I just want to chill on the couch and play something Gold eye For a few minutes, this new port will suffice. And maybe one day that awesome looking remake leaked in 2021 will officially see the light of day…