Goldeneye 007 is coming to Nintendo Switch Online, and even though it isn’t a remaster of the James Bond game, it’s likely to get plenty of players anyway. As one of the bigger titles on the Nintendo 64, Goldeneye is sure to get plenty of attention. With how many people still talk about the game to this day, there is clearly a player base out there.
Goldeneye 007 was the best-selling non-Mario title for the Nintendo 64, as well as one of the codifiers of the first-person shooter genre. Contrary to the stereotype of licensed games, Goldeneye received high praise from both critics and players, becoming one of the classic titles of its console generation. Although several of the worst James Bond games have been quite bad, Goldeneye became one of the N64’s biggest successes. Many things about Goldeneye, from the uselessness of the Klobb to Oddjob’s unfair advantage in multiplayer, have been well-known topics of gaming discussion for years.
The most famous aspect of Goldeneye is its multiplayer mode, and deservedly so. Although the first-person shooter genre had been around for some time thanks to titles such as Doom and Quake, Goldeneye brought something new to the genre. In addition to proving that such games could perform well on console, it also brought multiplayer action. Using splitscreen multiplayer similar to Mario Kart 64, up to four players could play matches against each other as a wide variety of James Bond characters. It was a formula that proved successful even with Nintendo requiring Goldeneye to tone down its violence. With the announced addition of online multiplayer for the game’s NSO port, Goldeneye‘s classic multiplayer can come to a new generation of players across the world.
Goldeneye 007 Doesn’t Need A Remaster, And Nintendo Knows That
Even though Goldeneye is an old game, there is still a sizable amount of active players. Goldeneye has a very dedicated speedrunning scene of players who have been working hard to beat world records, both for single levels as well as the whole game. The existence of this group of players is proof that there are still Goldeneye fans out there. The NSO release could lead to a new speedrunning category, bringing forth more players seeking to be the best as Goldeneye speedrunners are breaking world records to this day. The game’s legacy is a strong one even outside of the speedrunning circuit, so taking such a devoted group of players into account practically guarantees a strong playerbase.
Goldeneye coming to Nintendo Switch Online would be a huge boost to the service, and Nintendo themselves obviously know that. The announcement itself makes this clear, as it received a grand reveal at the end of the segment explaining the upcoming N64 games that will be added to the service. The trailer didn’t show anything beyond the title, the intro sequence, and the reveal of online play. Because the game is so legendary, that is all that the trailer for Goldeneye‘s Nintendo Switch port needed to show. Super Mario 3D All-Stars shows that people will play older games even if they haven’t been remastered as long as they are good. Goldeneye is likely to be another example of this.
Goldeneye is the biggest Nintendo 64 title that has yet to come to NSO, and its arrival will be a major boost to the service. When a game is good, no matter the age, people will play it, and Goldeneye‘s quality is still fondly remembered. Goldeneye 007 on the Switch may not be a remastered port, but ultimately, it just doesn’t need to be.