Goldeneye on Xbox Game Pass is a bitter disappointment

Compared to the abandoned 360 remaster, this re-release is a painful reminder of what could have been.

^Check out our discussion of the Goldeneye remaster, with oodles of 4K footage!

There are, of course, plenty of grown-up reasons why Goldeneye 007 ’s ill-fated remaster – almost completed, but left abandoned some time in 2008 – will never officially see the light of day. At the time, it was the victim of a licensing stand-off that never got resolved, as it would have required the sign-off of both Microsoft and Nintendo (who were at least a decade away from forging the slightly awkward friendship they currently enjoy), but also MGM and, presumably, Electronic Arts, who had the Bond gaming licence at the time.

When word came that this ancient knot had finally been unpicked, some of us dared to dream that maybe, just maybe, this meant that the original Xbox 360 remaster project could form the basis of the new release, on Xbox at least. It stands to reason, right? Xbox still owns Rare, the source code must be filed away somewhere, and with most of the work having been done over a decade earlier (with intact multiplayer), it’s surely worth the effort to dust it off and give it the final polish it deserves.

Goldeneye on Xbox Game Pass is a bitter disappointment - 3

If you told someone that the one on the left was the Series X version, and the one on the right was the 360 version, they’d probably say “leave me alone, I’m busy”.

As with most things that Seem Reasonable, though, it wasn’t to be. Who knows why that is – it’s entirely possible that the new licensing agreement stipulates the N64 original must be released as-is. This would make sense, as it wouldn’t saddle Nintendo with an obviously inferior version. It could also be, as Alex speculates in the video above, that EON productions might not be interested in a remaster of something that isn’t necessarily on-message with the Bond franchise as it currently stands. Their endorsement of IO Interactive’s upcoming Project 007 , which presumably will result in a Bond game closer to Hitman than DOOM, would suggest that Alex might be on the money here.

Goldeneye on Xbox Game Pass is a bitter disappointment - 4

“Now give us ‘and with this sabotage, yer soft shandy-drinking southern basstid.”

But whatever the reason, it’s a crying shame, because let’s face it: uprezzed N64 roms look crap. The textures are a vaseline smear. The primitive geometry of the characters and environments literally comes apart at the seams. N64 games even looked a bit naff back in the day, to be honest, but when they were running at 240p on your wee brother’s 14 inch CRT, they got away with it.

Goldeneye on Xbox Game Pass is a bitter disappointment - 5

I mean come on, man.

Game preservation is a big topic right now. Countless games are rendered unplayable by the march of technology, as the hardware they’re designed for becomes rare and obsolete, their licensing deals expire unceremoniously, or they’re simply removed from digital storefronts and end up at the whim of the (frankly much abused) second hand games market. So it’s certainly not a bad thing that Goldeneye has finally been re-released in something resembling its original form, but with modern touches that make the experience palatable for today’s audience. It just could have been so much more.

Goldeneye on Xbox Game Pass is a bitter disappointment - 7

007 First Light

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC , Nintendo Switch 2

Goldeneye on Xbox Game Pass is a bitter disappointment - 8

GoldenEye 007

Nintendo Wii

Goldeneye on Xbox Game Pass is a bitter disappointment - 9

GoldenEye 007: Reloaded

PS3 , Xbox 360

Goldeneye on Xbox Game Pass is a bitter disappointment - 10

Perfect Dark

Xbox Series X/S , Xbox 360 , PC

Wishlisted - Our 10 Best Steam Next Fest Demos

Another Next Fest kicks off soon, but we’ve already done the digging for you.

Welcome to Wishlisted, a showcase of our favourite demos from Steam Next Fest: June 2024. Check the video above or watch on YouTube .

Finding the Best NextFest Demos is all about the joy of discovery, but with so many Steam Next Fest demos getting released in such a short amount of time, it can be bewildering. So we’ve decided to show you our ten Best Steam Next Fest games which we think deserve your attention. These are all upcoming Steam Next Fest games that we’re genuinely excited for, and that we think should play nicely on PC handhelds too!

This is just the start of our Next Fest coverage. This week we’ll be previewing loads of upcoming demos across the entire network - right here on VG247, of course, but also over on our sister sites Eurogamer and Rock Paper Shotgun. Bookmark our Wishlisted Steam Fest hub to stay in the loop. And this is well before Next Fest actually starts, so you, dear reader, get to bask for a solid fortnight celebrating all the wonderful new games that are just around the corner. Enjoy!