N64's 'GoldenEye 007' (Photo : YouTube)
Nintendo released the first-person shooter "GoldenEye 007" for the Nintendo 64 (N64) console almost two decades ago. A newly-updated fan remake of the 1997 game is a high-definition (HD) version with multiplayer modes, improved maps, and redesigned weapons. This new version based on the James Bond movie is free to download and has been a work in progress of Nintendo fans during the past decade.
"GoldenEye: Source" is the mod's name. It was made using Valve's Source engine and this week the fan remake got its first update in three years. The game developers' tools have also been used to make "Counter Strike" and "Half-Life".
This is not the first remake of the N64 classic. However, the past ones were all tech demos instead of entirely new versions. There was also a 2010 version for Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 that featured a Secret Service agent that looked more like Daniel Craig than Pierce Brosnan.
The game's details and HD graphics make "GoldenEye: Source" one of the best remakes of the classic Nintendo game. System requirements now include Windows 7 and 4GB of RAM.
The mod has 10 multi-player modes but no single-player mode. Its trailer shows scenes from the original game including the British spy's battle with arch nemesis Jaws in the Aztec level, but the developers' website stated that the current version of the "GoldenEye 007" remake is multiplayer-only, according to The Verge
They explained that they have no plans to add a single-player mode. That is due to a lack the funds and developers to create a one-player video game, which makes sense since the fans were unpaid for their work.
The game developers also shared some interesting facts in the FAQs section. They explain the game has no crosshairs because old-school shooters had auto-aim, so gamers fired their weapons towards the space they were facing.
In related news, "Another Metroid 2 Remake" ("AM2R") has been shut down after Nintendo claimed it broke copyright laws, but sent no cease-and-desist order. The classic game "Metroid 2: Return of Samus" was released for Game Boy in 1991.
Developer DoctorM64 plans to keep working on the project for a long time. The free Windows PC game is no longer available for download but DoctorM64 will keep fixing bugs and making upgrades, according to Polygon.
Here's the trailer for "GoldenEye 007: Source":
