It’s something we’ve been waiting for almost as long as this site has been running: the rerelease of GoldenEye 007. Today’s Nintendo Direct event confirmed that it is really happening, with simultaneous confirmation that not only would it be joining the other N64 games on the Switch, but also hitting Xbox Game Pass.
Hurrah!
It’s a release that has been hinted, denied, leaked, feature-leaked, achievement leaked, and even supposedly held up by everything from EON changing how it views Bond to the Invasion of Ukraine. Given Russia seems to be on the back foot this week, perhaps the timing was inevitable…
At this stage, not too much is known about what we can expect from either release, other than there being no date for release. What we do know about the Nintendo Switch release of GoldenEye 007:
Nintendo 64’s GoldenEye 007 is coming soon to Nintendo Switch for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members. It will support online play.
Official Bond website 007.com notes that the Switch will support online play, but there is no mention of this for the Xbox version.
However, other information has been revealed about the Xbox Game Pass version, which has a similar (but slightly longer) trailer.
25 years after its original release, experience GoldenEye 007 faithfully recreated for Xbox consoles. Includes achievements, 4K resolution and a smoother framerate – even in split-screen local multiplayer! Coming soon to Xbox Game Pass.
With the game finally getting its 21st century release months and months and months after it was expected, the best James Bond video game ever is about to build a whole new generation of fans. Sure, they could run GoldenEye on a PC with the Xenia emulator, but emulation isn’t for everyone.
Interestingly, if you own a copy of Rare Replay, the 2015 compilation of Ultimate Play the Game and Rare releases, you will get GoldenEye 007 free on Xbox Game Pass. This is due to the game being initially planned for inclusion in the compilation.
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.