You have to wonder how many games were done a disservice by being released on the N64. I went into this confident that there's no way this game has held up. Maybe the problem wasn't the game, but the platform instead. Now it does have its problems. The AI is dumb, although the game seems designed around the idea of most enemies as mere fodder (until near the end of the game). Some of the objectives were frustratingly unclear to me. But I have a great respect for the attempt at deeper and more varied missions. I'd rather designers err on the side of frustratingly unclear than brain dead simple. Aiming is nearly useless (looking at you, floor panel on the train that I had to use the "stand just outside the room" trick to get through), though I've read this is made worse on the XBLA version. But on the whole I had a great time with this. I only completed it on Secret Agent difficulty, but the game adds more objectives on 00 Agent difficulty, which potentially adds a lot of replay value, especially given how hard this game gets near the end. In particular, the Aztec level was a beast even on Secret Agent. Much of the game was a breeze, with solid modern dual joystick controls, but a handful of levels stuck with me. The second bunker was fascinating. It was the only one that virtually required stealth. It made me wish there were more. At first I was angry that I couldn't simply blast everyone, but I calmed down and realized I actually had to think and strategize. Cradle was a very similar experience to me. I enjoyed some of the labyrinthine level designs. I felt a great balance of feeling nearly lost but generally with a feel for where to go. The graphics of the remaster are MASSIVELY better (oh god those character models). Staring down the prospect of going back through the game on 00 Agent looks like such a monumental accomplishment to ponder. I'm not sure I'll ever get there, but I know the game benefits greatly from the possibility.

In 2007, Rare were working on a remastered version of GoldenEye: it was going to be the same game, with new graphics, and updated control scheme and online multiplayer. There are lots of rumours about why this got cancelled, but nothing concrete. The game was almost finished when it was shut down and a version of release was leaked in 2021 – although based on screenshots form developers, this isn’t the latest build of the game. Some elements were unfinished – such as some missing skyboxes – but some of these issues have been patched by fans.

One feature of this remaster is the option to swap between old and new graphics – like the Secret of Monkey Island and Halo remasters. The “old” graphics aren’t quite finished so don’t look quite as good as they did on the N64 – things like reflections are missing. Still. it’s a nice feature to look back and forth. The opening dam level is specifically striking – it’s much more snowy, with extra mountains and trees in the background. The level geometry has no to been altered, so the levels are still familair.

The controls have also been properly updated for the Xbox 360, featuring dual analogue controls that feel great. Reload and changing weapons are now their own buttons, and crouching is much easier. Another addition is being able to swap between gadgets without going to the pause screen (which now features an Omega-style watch).

While some levels are essentially updated versions that look more detailed, other levels have more significant changes. Surface moves the wall of carboard trees backwards and replaces it with a fence, making it feel much more natural. There’s even a gap in the trees at the start so you can see the radar dish. With the draw distance, you can see across the whole map – although Surface 2 you can’t see as much as it’s much darker.

The Frigate levels also has some significant changes. Lots of the fake “doors” in the level have now been removed – so new players won’t be trying to open doors that don’t exist. You do occasionally come across some textures that haven’t been replaced, which stand out – it would be great to see a fully finished version of this game.

Statue changes the looks of quite a few objects, and is also much, much darker (too dark, in my opinion). This level does have added paths and string lights to help guide your path through the levels. The Streets level is also another let down, as it looks somehow flatter and greyer than the original level.

Jungle looks more open with the same tactic of moving the “wall of cardboard trees” backwards, however you just have an invisible wall instead. The roof of the trees is much busier and it gives the style of a jungle much better – expert for the bright purple untextured objects dotted about.

One of the biggest changes in style, however, is cradle. The original was a sea of fog with no backgrounds, whereas here you have the actual giant radar dish and surrounding mountains. Its’s still made in a way that keeps the N64 aesthetic to it, and really makes the level stand out.

Multiplayer has also had similar improvements, and even includes a couple of additional maps, such as Dam and Frigate. Some of the classic maps have had visual changes, with a few now featuring open roofs with foliage and sky visible.

This unfinished port is a great version of the classic GoldenEye, and it’s a massive shame that we never got a finished version.

I've had a handful of lost gaming Holy Grails over the years, games that once existed, but never saw the light of day. Cancelled projects that I desperately wanted to be revived. My top 3 all happened to be based on the work of David Doak and Steve Ellis, and all three of them recently had some glimmer of hope.

TimeSplitters 4 was cancelled, but Ellis has been brought back on to revive the franchise. Star Wars Battlefront III was cancelled, but the new Battlefront II ended up being pretty good after all the updates and changes. Both of those were enough for me to stop feeling that yearning for their respective disposed-of predecessors. But the XBLA HD port of GoldenEye? Barbara Broccoli wasn't gonna let that see the light of day. Knowing that it had been nearly finished only made it worse.

Imagine my surprise when in February of 2021, the game just... showed up. It's still not clear where it came from, but some unsung hero dropped the game in its entirety onto the internet. Unfortunately, I only had a 7-year-old MacBook (Xenia doesn't run on Mac) and no 360 to play it on. When I finally decided to buy a PC this year, the VERY first game I tried on it was the GoldenEye Remaster.

It was fantastic.

It's everything it needed to be! Smooth framerate, better textures and models, better controls. It even does that thing Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary did in 2011 where you can push a button to swap between the old and new visuals on the fly, and this was meant to come out in '07! The only thing that stings about this is thinking of how fantastic it would have been to have this when I was a freshman in college, when it was originally planned to launch. The online multiplayer would have been truly incredible, but honestly I'm just glad to have it now.

This game will very likely never see a formal release. (EDIT Sep. 13 2022: I can't believe Xbox is getting GoldenEye, and it's not even this version!) I don't think there are any moral implications about acquiring a game that never had a price tag. If you liked GoldenEye on N64 and have hardware to run this, get your hands on this game.