GoldenEye 007, one of the most iconic home video games ever released, has been given a makeover by a group of fans nearly 20 years after the first-person shooter debuted on the Nintendo 64 console.
Although Nintendo ceased production of the N64 in 2003, developers have worked for the last decade toward breathing new life into the game — the third best-selling product in the console’s history.
The result, dubbed GoldenEye: Source, is a fan-made recreation of the original 1997 game based off the James Bond film of the same name put out two years earlier. Its developers released its first update to the project in over three years on Friday, and the game has been downloaded for free more than 28,00 times within a day.
Powered by Source, the same 3D video game engine behind more modern classic like Counter Strike and Half-Life, the latest release is said to bring updated graphics and high-speed game play to the original GoldenEye of yore. The modified version contains recreated maps for all of the original game’s 25 levels, as well as reimagined takes on the 28 weapons available in the original, ranging from the AR-33 assault rifle to Tasers and tanks.
The managing director and lead programmer behind the new version, E.S., said that the project originally took shape because they were trying to fix long-standing issues affecting the original GoldenEye that they hoped would generate new interest in the game. Developers have since spent a decade and “tens of thousands of man hours and many unforeseen hurdles,” the likes of which resulted in the GoldenEye Source 5.0 version released this week.
“This is a project made by fans, for fans. Whether you want to reminisce in some of your fondest console memories, or team up against your best friends all over again, we hope that GoldenEye: Source provides you the means to do so,” E.S. wrote in a statement accompanying the game’s release.
“There is more work to be done, and will no doubt be more unseen hurdles, but with GE:S 5.0 I am confident we’re starting things on the right foot. We look forward to finally playing with the community and getting their thoughts on all of our hard work.”
The original GoldenEye 007 has been a staple among video game top-ten lists since shortly after its release, and GamePro magazine previously awarded it ninth place on its list of the most important titles of all time.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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