Although it's pretty obvious to all but the most blinkered Rare fans that the N64 game GoldenEye has about as much chance of hitting the Wii Virtual Console as Tiger Woods keeping his club to himself, there's always been a part of us that held out hope.
However, Microsoft's Ken Lobb (the Klobb!) has now all but confirmed that it will never happen by announcing that the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade version of its N64 shooter Perfect Dark will not only include the three multiplayer maps lifted directly from GoldenEye that made it into the original N64 release, but also all of the weapons that made the game so much fun to play (proximity mines, we're looking at you).
The maps confirmed so far are Complex, Felicity (GoldenEye's Facility) and Temple. The weapons themselves will be renamed to avoid any legal issues that might arise. The release date has now been confirmed as March 17th.
Essentially, this means that Xbox fans will be getting the two things that made GoldenEye so amazingly addictive - the brilliant 4 player multiplayer mode and the truly fantastic selection of guns, mines and rocket launchers.
Damn.
Damn, damn, damn, damn. Ahem.
[source vg247.com]
Comments 55
It doesn't pay to have just one console these days. Its better to have a Wii and either an XBOX 360 or PlayStation 3 to get the best of both worlds. I went with the XBOX 360 and have been pleased with my decision since I got it. I couldn't imagine only having a Wii (no SFIV! )
Fine by me! I'd rather see some current-gen gamers enjoy (aspects of) Goldeneye than none at all...
Well, if people needed any more reasons to finally get the concept that Perfect Dark was MUCH superior to GoldenEye in terms of content, this should be more than enough... except for impossible-to-please purists, of course.
@sabrewing
Well Purist are generally pedantic fustpots over nothing they would certianly dis this.
Anyway that screenshot above doesn't look quite like the N64 orignal.
and current-gen gamers can see how much Perfect Dark's weapons and multiplayer put to shame those of todays shooters.
As sad as it is to know it's not returning to the company that made it all possible, I'm looking forward to seeing my all-time favourite game in HD and with no slowdown.
Instant download! I really liked the remakes of Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie. I would like to see remakes of Jet Force Gemini, Blast Corps and the Battletoads games, too. And when will we finally get Donkey Kong 64 on Virtual Console?
But I'm very dissappointed that Nintendo and Microsoft couldn't agree on a release of GoldenEye007 for Virtual Console AND Xbox Live Arcade. I mean Reggie promised to do everything possible for a Virtual Console release of GoldenEye. When Microsoft/Rare offered a release on both consoles Nintendo denied though. Although Activision (owner of the licence for Bond videogames nowadays) was already onboard since they could have perfectly used GoldenEye to promote their mediocre new bond game "Quantum of Solace".
Cheeky gits...
"Felicity" - ? Wouldn't that be the Facility? O_o
Those maps were already in the original Perfect Dark (labeled "classic" maps), unlocked once you complete enough challenges, so how is this new exactly? Just some additional weapons?
meh let me know when theres news to care aboutm
@warioswoods
I'm sure someone said the weapons were in there as unlockables in the original too.
Either way it sounds like these extras may be available from the get-go this time around or something.
well, i may just play it on my N64, buy i know my brother will love to hear this, he loves his xbox and he loved to play golden eye, just imagine if it has online.
What a coincidence, my new XBOX is coming in the mail today.
I'll probably get Perfect Dark and Banjo-Kazooie.
Nice Tiger joke.
Ill be downloading and putting some play time to the 360 for sure now. Dang it prob needs the dust blown out of it anyways
That's too bad
"Another nail in the coffin of Virtual Console GoldenEye?"
That's, how many now, 27?
How is this news? Rare was bought before this site was made. It has been also 10 years now. The things you mentioned were in the original perfect dark.
Whatever. Goldeneye: Source will always satisfy my thirst for some 007 video game action.
I blame Activision
Does matter to me, I never really cared for Goldeneye.
ill be getting that. You cant survive on just a wii.
Clucking barstewards.
And it's dated, finally! I'll be getting it day one! See y'all online!
To those who say you can't survive on just a Wii... I stand before you as living proof. I say "meh" to this story... and laugh maniacally as my avitar as I have my N64 copy of Goldeneye in my N64 shelf with my other N64 games... except Mischief Makers, which currently occupies the N64 slot at the moment.
...
...I want Mischief Makers for Virtual Console... ;_;
Damnit. Now I may have to actually hook up the on-line for my stupid Xbox.
Sweet! I usually don't care if a title hits the VC or XBLA, but I'm certainly glad it's going where it is this time.
@Tony
You're kidding, right?
I prefer my shooters well-done.
. . . actually, I'm quite fond of Rare's early work, but my love of puns exceeds my integrity.
good thing I have both a 360 and a wii!!!!
@warioswoods
Felicity was the renamed Facility level in Perfect Dark. I didn't get it either. If it was an inside joke, it was lost on me.
@brandonbwii
I see, and I also see that the article has been silently amended to make that and a couple other things clearer.
sad but not suprising. I guess I'll just have to get an old n64 again, then. There are enough others that I love from rare that it looks like the only way, now. And yea, Perfect Dark was bettter in some ways, so i envy those with an Xbox. Guess we'll never play them with an ir pointer then.
Does everyone forget that the original perfect dark had these aspects from the start?
@36
I noted that in comment #10 above, and the article now alludes to it as well.
How does having some more of GoldenEye's maps in the XBLA version of Perfect Dark make GoldenEye less likely for Virtual Console?
@MasterGraveheart
technically, isn't owning an N64 and a Wii outside the category of surviving solely off of the Wii?
I can't wait to be able to play this online. I always dreamed of playing goldeneye or perfect dark online
When PD does get released finally, it will be so awesome
As soon as i read Ken Lobb, i though 'Klobb' Ha! Well, i'm definitely buying PD on XBLA now, these inclusions are great!
"How does having some more of GoldenEye's maps in the XBLA version of Perfect Dark make GoldenEye less likely for Virtual Console?"
Yeah, this. The game was near impossible anyway and I wouldn't be surprise if Nintendo was ignoring this and left this game alone. Heck, I wouldn't be surprise if Nintendo did allow Diddy Kong Racing and Donkey Kong 64 to be released on the Xbox Live Arcade without there permission. After, they were made by Rare, right?
@Tony: I wouldn't say Rare hates Nintendo and the Virtual Console. If they did, then they would be constantly ***** out at them and we wouldn't even have gotten the Donkey Kong Country trilogy. They probably just don't care about Nintendo now.
Also, regardless of comments, it is possible to go as a Wii-only owner this generation (Current-gen consoles). Take KnuckleSonic8, Mastergraveheart, Link-Hero, and many other.
I actually am holding out the tiniest portion of hope that Nintendo, realizing that chasing the casual audience was a bad idea to a degree, maybe starts catering a lot more to the hardcore fans like myself (and putting out games like Earthbound and Goldeneye on the VC, along with the DSi Virtual Console/Handheld), and I sincerely hope that is why Nintendo called a huge media summit next week: So as not to disappoint the hardcore Nintendo freakazoids like myself at the E3 conference later this year. However, I do happen to have more than just the Wii in terms of current-gen consoles, but that's because it's insufficient to do so otherwise because Nintendo really left us hardcores in the dust this generation.
But, that's just my opinion.
BJ
Playing through Facility single player with all different sets of weapons each time (after unlocking) was my personal favorite experience from GoldenEye. One of the best FPS stages in history.
Well, it's been said before, but these maps were already in Perfect Dark...how is that any different? Also, so were the "classic" weapons. They were also renamed in the original version of Perfect Dark. For instance, the Klobb was renamed the K1088. It sounds to me like this is just Perfect Dark -- nothing new here. Am I missing something? Oh, and there were proximity mines in Perfect Dark. They served the same purpose as those in Goldeneye...what's the difference there? This just sounds like someone is ignorant of what was in the original game in the first place.
@43. Super Smash Bros. Fan1999
Diddy Kong Racing and Donkey Kong 64 would never go on Xbox Live because Nintendo owns the rights to those characters.
I never liked the Temple. My friends and I always liked the Stack. And I never dust off my N64 because it gets frequent use!
Oh well, at least I don't have to worry about a huge chance of my Wii bricking like with the X-Box 360. The only Red Rings of Death I'll ever have to worry about are the ones fired by Tabuu in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
What would be really impressive, is if they re-incorporated the camera/face mapping feature that was removed from the original.
As much as I love my Wii and it's Virtual Console, as a Wii60 owner and previous N64 owner, I am very happy that Perfect Dark will appear on XBLA. Online play is a bonus and the new smother character and gun models are welcome additions along with HD, but the best news is the 60fps frame rate. PD pushed the 64 so much and lead the way for many of today's console FPS. With no online then - the inclusion of 'bots' for multiplayer was a great idea, and being able to play the entire campaign in co-op was so far advanced that only in recent years have more companies included this option. (they even had counter-op too) If it's true that the complete Goldeneye weapon set is present in this version and not just a handful as in the original PD, then this version of PD could be the ultimate and definitive multiplayer FPS combining the best from both classic games and making the most of the new technology. For only 800 MSP = £6.80 this may just become my most played 360 game!
Dang. I like Bond games. I was hoping to play the best one. Sigh... Oh well! On a side note, why do people act like Earthbound is as unlikely as Goldeneye? Doesn't Nintendo own that franchise?
I wonder how Activision will feel about this
@WAM2: Earthbound has been available on Japanese VC for some time. It has not been released in N.A. or PAL regions because Nintendo's I.P. lawyers are a bunch of anal-retentive, whining babies.
Well, good thing I'm a Wii60 owner, then. March 17th will be awesome.
By the way, the original GoldenEye weapons were not available in multiplayer in the original. They are now.
@ StarDust
No. Mother 2 is NOT on the Japanese Virtual Console.
Curses
What a thread thats dead
Tap here to load 55 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...