Earlier this month genuine leaked footage of the cancelled GoldenEye 007 remaster appeared online, and now, the game is actually playable.
We got to see (almost) the whole remastered campaign from start to finish. The footage even included some of the iconic multiplayer! When the GoldenEye 007 remaster was first discovered in 2008 it got fans fantasising over what could have been.
The GoldenEye 007 remaster was supposed to release for the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade platform. However thanks to a number of licensing issues, this remaster never officially released (despite being almost fully developed).
According to VGC, the composer of the GoldenEye 007 remaster Grant Kirkhope confirmed that too many fingers in the licensing pie was the reason this game never released:
“The main reason it didn’t happen was because there were too many stakeholders. Microsoft, Nintendo and EON [owners of the Bond license] could never agree on terms, and that’s before you even start to consider getting all the original movie actors to agree to have their likenesses used again.
“It would’ve cost a lot of money to get it done and because of that the project probably wouldn’t have been financially viable.”
Fans of the original GoldenEye 007 were in awe of the remaster which, despite being around 13 years old, still looked great. However we had to make do with uploaded gameplay footage of the entire campaign and multiplayer. Check it out below.
Sure the leaked gameplay footage was great but it would be even better if we could experience this cancelled remaster for ourselves, right? Well now you can, as long as you know where to look.
With a number of media outlets including VGC confirming its existence, a ROM has been discovered which allows you to play the GoldenEye 007 remaster via an emulator.
The ROM in question includes the full remastered single player campaign and the multiplayer, which even includes System Link functions.
The ROM will give you access to the two-hour game that leaked at the start of this month, allowing you to experience a taste of gaming history.
While we don’t recommend you download the ROM for yourself, it is out there if you so choose to find it.
The remaster will also allow you to switch between the original Nintendo 64 visuals and the converted HD graphics (though the multiplayer doesn’t give you that option to switch).
This remaster was also supposed to have online leaderboards which included stats such as mission and campaign completion times to encourage speedrunners.
However, seeing as the only way to access the game is by unofficial means, the leaderboards are not active via the ROM.
In an ideal world this GoldenEye 007 remaster will release officially and with it gaining so much traction and hype online, it’s more likely to happen now than it ever was, as long as agreements can finally be made in regards to the complicated licensing deals.
Surely someone can come to an agreement to release the GoldenEye 007 remaster on Xbox and Nintendo Switch as a compromise?
So please gaming gods, if you’re listening, release the GoldenEye 007 remaster officially so that we can all enjoy this legendary piece of gaming history.
Have you managed to get the GoldenEye 007 remaster ROM up and running? If so, let us know across our social media channels and remember, no Oddjob!
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Featured Image Credit: Rare