Let's Discuss! - "GoldenEye 007 for XBLA" - A dream come true?!

 Let's Discuss!

"GoldenEye XBLA" - A dream come true?!

Hello World! Welcome back, my name is Benjamin! This post will be taking a look at GoldenEye 007...but not as we all know it! In January 2021, a youtuber by the name of Graslu00 unveiled footage of a remaster of the classic Nintendo 64 game, however, this time it was running on Xbox 360. This leak confirmed and quickly gave proof to the existence of a remastered version of the FPS classic. We'll take a look at why this is significant and I'll give you some background on what could have been had this been released back in the Xbox Live Arcade Era (2005 - 2013).  

On a side note, I'd like to take this opportunity to say sorry for my absence recently and I understand that this topic is a tiny bit old...but heyho! Without further adieu, Let's Discuss!  

- GoldenEye 007? Isn't that game ancient now? 

Yes, quite frankly you are right. The original Nintendo 64 port of GoldenEye 007 (GE007) released in PAL regions on the 25th of August 1997. However, lest we forget how important this game was to the modern first person shooter genre. It could be argued that Rare Ltd (the developers behind the game) created the foundations of modern FPS with the introduction of this game. 

I understand that other FPS games i.e. DOOM, Duke Nukem 3D and Alien Trilogy came before GE007, but they were somewhat basic in comparison. For instance, GE007 was the first FPS to incorporate AI that were smart enough to know your location based off your gunshots, allowing for complex stealth tactics to be incorporated by the player. Furthermore, the AI would react in different ways depending on where you shot them. For example, shooting an enemy in the arm would see the enemy flail their arms around in pain, but would not necessarily kill them, akin to real life. Also, who could forget the four player multiplayer option?! 

However, with that said, the game has not aged very well, and sadly it is difficult to pick up and play nowadays. However....this leads me into my next segment. 

Goldeneye 007 - Screenshot of the XBLA remaster

- Didn't you say something about "XBLA", what is that? 

XBLA stands for "Xbox Live Arcade", it was a digital video game download service network for the late Xbox 360. The focus of the service was on providing smaller, downloadable games from a range of publishers and independent game developers.

XBLA - the highly successful service for Xbox 360

- So what does that have to do with GE007?

Microsoft acquired Rare Ltd back in 2002 from Nintendo, and this would see the acquisition of key Rare IPs such as Banjo-Kazooie and Perfect Dark, and of course, GE007. It was highly speculated that classic Rare IP's would eventually make an appearance on the Xbox 360 platform, and in 2008 it was rumoured that GE007 would see the light of day once more. However, due to a host of complicated issues regarding the relationship between ex-Nintendo titles and Microsoft (long story), the game never got an official release. As such, GE007 never came out on the XBLA platform. That said, the game was indeed fully developed and pretty much ready to go! However, it took 13 years for the game to see the light of day through unofficial channels...but hey it's here now! 

- Well that sucks! But it's great to see it now! What could have been, if it were released in 2008? 

Great question! the answer is very simple.....online multiplayer with up to four players. Can you even imagine how amazing that would have been? A re-mastered version of arguably the best multiplayer FPS game, being played with the amazing Xbox 360 controller, over a stable broadband internet connection?! GE007 revolutionised the ability to play an FPS with up to four players on a home console back in 1997, all thanks to the Nintendo 64. However, if you attempt to play the original split-screen classic today, you will be disappointed with the results. It just simply does not hold up like it used to back in the late 90's / early 00's. 

GE007 (N64) - Classic four player split screen action

I believe we missed out big time! The remaster would have been on every single Xbox 360 across Europe and beyond! It would have been absolutely awesome to play this back in the heyday of Xbox 360 online multiplayer. However, now that the GE007 XBLA port exists and is out in the wild, who knows what might come next....perhaps the dream isn't over after all? Perhaps it is only just beginning.  

Well....that's a wrap! Let's see what the future holds for GE007. I look forward to playing all of you online in the future, wielding the Moonraker Laser or perhaps the Golden Gun! Let's wait and see. 

Thanks for reading as always! I hope you enjoyed this insight on what could have been, and perhaps on what the future holds. I'd like to give credit to Graslu00 for showcasing GE007 XBLA. See you next time! 

Benjamin Andrew 95!