As part of the recent Nintendo Direct, N64 classic shooter GoldenEye was announced for Nintendo Switch Online. As with other games in the Online collection, this is an emulated version of the N64 original, not a new version or remaster. However, it has a new feature: online multiplayer. Around the same time, Rare – the Microsoft studio that created the original version of GoldenEye – announced on Twitter that a re-release of GoldenEye will also be coming to Xbox via Game Pass and will be available for free to Rare owners. Repeat collection. However, the studio’s description of the game made it immediately clear that the Switch and Xbox versions are not the same. The Xbox version “includes achievements, 4K resolution and a smoother frame rate – even in local split-screen multiplayer.” There was absolutely no mention of online multiplayer.
Later, the official Bond website 007.com confirmed that the online multiplayer is exclusive to the Switch version. He also noted that the Xbox version is different from the Switch release, calling it a “4K remaster” rather than a re-release. 25 years after its original release, experience GoldenEye 007 faithfully recreated for Xbox consoles. Includes achievements, 4K resolution and smoother framerate – even in split-screen local multiplayer! Coming soon to @XboxGamePass. pic.twitter.com/kpBlJKqFR9 — Rare Ltd. (@RareLtd) September 13, 2022 However, this remaster of GoldenEye is not the remaster that has been pretty much an open secret in the gaming industry for years. During the Xbox 360 era, Rare created a full remaster of GoldenEye with updated graphics and a feature that allowed players to instantly switch between the original and updated visuals, much like the Halo 1 and 2 remasters. This version was finally leaked online in 2021. After the leak, members of the development team revealed that work on the remaster of GoldenEye was almost complete and the game was ready for release, but Nintendo stepped in and canceled it. Supposedly Nintendo didn’t like the idea of ​​an N64 game being released on a Microsoft console.
Over the past year, a number of leaks have revealed Xbox achievements for GoldenEye. This may have given some hope that Rare’s full remaster was finally on the way. The news that the game is at a standstill due to the war in Ukraine would only fuel that hope. Instead, the release version is just a high-definition version of the original Nintendo 64. You get the same 1990s graphics, just cleaned up. The updated graphics remaster appears to be (officially) for Rare’s eyes only. So it’s two versions of GoldenEye: one with online multiplayer on a console that’s often used on the go, and one without it on a platform known for its world-leading online infrastructure. And neither is Rare’s much-coveted Remaster from the Xbox 360 era. Given the long-running problem with re-releasing GoldenEye (due to licensing disputes on multiple fronts), perhaps we should be celebrating the fact that we’re getting them all – but that seems like an odd kind of celebration. Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK news and features editor.