GoldenEye 007 returns today for the first time since 1997. The classic Nintendo 64 first-person shooter broke new ground in the ’90s, helping the genre move beyond simply blasting baddies and toward realistic environments and complex mission objectives. For decades a complex rights situation has meant the game remained a Nintendo 64 exclusive, due to Nintendo, Rare, MGM, and Eon Productions’ joint involvement in the game’s development.
But Microsoft has managed to slice through this knot and now GoldenEye 007 is back on Xbox Game Pass and Switch. This also means that the game’s legendary multiplayer mode is making a comeback, with split-screen gaming on both consoles and online play for Switch.
GoldenEye 007 multiplayer consumed much of my time in the late ’90s and I can’t wait to dust off those old skills and get back into it. So, as a seasoned veteran and sometime winner of a ’90s mall tournament (they can never take my poorly spray painted golden gun trophy away) here are my top tips to cockily stroll away with a “Most Deadly” rating rather than sulking off with the shame of an embarrassing “Mostly Harmless.”
Prioritize body armor
Health in GoldenEye doesn’t regenerate and there are no pickups to restore it, making body armor the only way to maintain a kill streak without dying. These are stashed away in each multiplayer map and picking it up doubles your health bar, giving you a considerable advantage over every player without it. The armor will respawn after a short period of time, meaning a smart player can get it, engage an enemy, take some hits, and return to it to top their health up.
This also means that any areas with body armor will inevitably see players heading that way, giving you the opportunity to predict their next movement or even booby-trap it with a proximity mine.
If you’re feeling particularly sneaky pick the armor up, wait for it to re-spawn, and then damage it slightly without destroying it. This makes it both unable to be collected and prevents it from re-spawning, though if you’re being that diabolical expect to have a controller thrown at you.
Watch your opponents’ screens
This is likely a controversial pick, but we feel it’s all part of the game. Even in the new online multiplayer mode GoldenEye lets you see what other players are doing and it’s very possible to observe all four corners of the screen at once while playing effectively on yours. Monitor where other players are, what weapons they have and how much health they have remaining — and then swoop in and pick them off.
This is arguably dishonorable, though as every player can do it at least there’s a level playing field. Plus, even if they deny it, your opponents are definitely doing it too.
Memorize spawn points
Now we’re in the realm of the truly diabolical. Spawn points in GoldenEye aren’t randomized, meaning it’s possible to kill a player, know where they’ll next spawn and rush there to instantly take them out with your high-powered weaponry. This will let you score a victory, but will see you lose friends fast. Only pull this trick if you absolutely, positively have to win at all costs.
Even if you’re not dishonorably blowing them away before they have a chance to fight back, simply knowing where your opponent is going to be once they re-spawn can let you predict where they’ll go next and how to cut them off from that precious body armor.
Understanding auto-aim
The Nintendo 64 controller only had a single analog stick, so GoldenEye came with a relatively strong auto-aim feature built into its multiplayer. This works at a surprisingly long distance, so if you’re in a large open room (like the first floor of ‘Temple’) and have a pistol equipped, keep an eye on the model. If you see it twitch slightly that means it’s locked onto another opponent and you can score a hit from a surprisingly long range.
Another wrinkle is that the auto-aim function cannot be used against unarmed players. It’s possible to exploit this to your advantage if you’re fleeing rather than fighting — simply switch to your karate chop and your pursuer will have a much more difficult time targeting you.
It should also be noted that in team multiplayer auto-aim will also target your teammates, so watch out for friendly fire.
Offensive use of remote mines
Remote mines are generally used for creating ambushes and traps, though an undocumented feature can make them a surprisingly effective weapon. Rather than cycling to your watch to detonate, simply press A and X on an Xbox controller or Y and B on Switch to blow them up in midair. You can do this immediately after throwing them, so toss one towards an enemy and detonate it in mid-air.
Just don’t press it too soon or you’ll blow yourself up too.
Weapons to prioritize and avoid
For the time, GoldenEye had an impressive selection of weapons, but not all are created equal. You select your basic load out for the level on the setup menu, but regardless of what you choose there are some weapons that stand out. If you’re playing with pistols hunt down the DD44 Dostovei, which combines firing speed with a decent stopping power (as well as sounding very cool), for rifles we’d score a Phantom, and in ‘Power Weapons’ there’s no substitute for the bullet-spewing RCP-90 with its gigantic magazine and fearsome damage.
The flipside is the junk weapons, which should only be used as a last resort. Most famously the Klobb is about as useful as just throwing the bullets at your enemy — you’ll struggle to hit the side of a barn with it. We’re also not a fan of the Cougar Magnum, whose power doesn’t compensate for its painfully slow firing rate. The famed Golden Gun suffers from a similar issue. Sure it’s a one-hit kill, but it fires so slowly you’ll be dead by the time you’re lining up your second or third shot.
The best maps
Though GoldenEye multiplayer is incredible, not all the levels are great. The single best map in the game is ‘Facility’, with its corridors, various types of door, and looping design letting you get the drop on unwary opponents. ‘Temple’ isn’t too far behind as its large open spaces let you get into circle-strafing duels and attack from long-range. I’m also a fan of ‘Bunker’, ‘Library’ and ‘Archives’.
But I absolutely despise playing in ‘Caves’, as (at least on original hardware) seeing what’s going on in that muddy low-res textured mess just isn’t fun. ‘Stack’, which combines the ‘Library’ and ‘Basement’ maps into one, is also just a bit too big for four-player combat. Encounters can be few and far between, and the split nature of the level often means you get two players camping body armors and refusing to budge.
Modes
GoldenEye multiplayer isn’t just a death match to a timer or set amount of kills, with the game offering six distinct twists on the formula. The best has to be ‘License to Kill,’ where every hit is fatal. Combine that with a ‘pistols only’ match and a confined level and you have a recipe for fast-paced and brutal action that rewards reflexes, timing, and knowledge of the maps.
Also fun is ‘You Only Live Twice’, where each player has just two lives before they’re eliminated from the game and the Team Death match. If you’re feeling particularly confident in your skills setting up a three vs one match and effortlessly eliminating an entire squad is quite the ego boost.
All that said, I’ve never had much fun with ‘The Living Daylights’ flag tag mode, or ‘The Man With the Golden Gun’ — primarily because said Golden Gun is a pain to use.
Disable the radar
By default, GoldenEye multiplayer comes with a radar for each player in the top corner showing players near you. While a nice crutch for beginners, I advise turning this off. To do that you’ll need to beat the ‘Frigate’ single-player level on Secret Agent difficulty in under 4 minutes and 30 seconds, which isn’t very difficult at all (there is also a button code, though we don’t know it for the re-release).
It’s easy enough to track players by looking at their screens, so the radar isn’t particularly useful and takes up valuable screen real-estate. Get rid of it.
Shooting through doors and how explosions work
In a pistols only match the Cougar Magnum and the Silver PP7 can both shoot through doors, making it possible for you to score a kill on an opponent without ever being in danger of being hit by them. This is tricky to pull off but a great strategy in ‘License to Kill’ mode (especially on ‘Facility’). If you’ve got the weapon, and you know there’s someone on the other side of the door, then fire off a few shots and maybe you’ll get lucky.
Similarly, explosions don’t particularly care about the environment around them. You can damage an opponent with an explosion through a wall or door. If they’re turtled up in a small room, just toss a mine on the outside of the door and wait for your kill when they emerge.
Don’t play as Oddjob
What are you, some kind of scrub?
Oddjob is universally considered a cheater’s character, as his small stature makes him more difficult to hit. If you pick him expect every other player to mercilessly hunt down your bowler-hatted ass. On the flip-side, if you’re feeling confident pick Jaws, whose large height makes him easier to hit — despite the character boasting slightly faster movement than other characters.
That’s about it for this tips session. Whether you’re tackling the game online on the Switch or getting four friends around for some split-screen multiplayer, we think you’re going to have a great time — especially if you take our advice on how to play. Maybe players born after 2000 might find this game archaic, ugly, and overly simple compared to titans like Call of Duty and Fortnite, but GoldenEye has got it where it counts.
GoldenEye is available on Nintendo Switch Online and as part of Xbox Game Pass.