One of the most critically-acclaimed first-person shooters ever made is GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64. But despite the game's immense popularity, it has never had a proper rerelease, mainly thanks to a mountain of licensing issues and other problems. However, that doesn't mean that attempts haven't been made over the years, and in fact, footage of a canceled GoldenEye 007 Xbox Live Arcade remaster has appeared online.

The GoldenEye 007 XBLA remake footage shows a playthrough of the game's story campaign, as well as some multiplayer footage. Popular GoldenEye multiplayer maps like Facility are on full display, with the remaster performing at a blistering 60 frames per second and at 4K resolution (thanks to an emulator - it's unlikely that the actual game would have supported 4K resolution as it was in development in 2007).

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This canceled GoldenEye 007 game would have featured revamped character models and other upgrades, while still maintaining the general feel of the original. What's a shame is that the footage seems to show a content-complete game, and so really licensing issues were likely the only thing keeping it from being released to the public.

While GoldenEye 007 never got its XBLA remaster, its spiritual successor did. The classic Nintendo 64 FPS Perfect Dark was remastered for XBLA a few years after this GoldenEye remaster was canned, with the game adding new bells and whistles like online multiplayer support and achievements. It was then re-released again as part of the Rare Replay collection, making it playable on Xbox 360, Xbox One, and even the newly released Xbox Series X.

If the GoldenEye 007 licensing issues can ever be figured out, it would be great to see the game get a proper release. As it stands, a variety of competing corporations would have to agree on the release terms, including Nintendo and Microsoft. Nintendo and Microsoft have collaborated in the past, with characters like Banjo and Kazooie showing up in Super Smash Bros. and Xbox-owned games like Ori and the Will of the Wisps releasing for the Switch, so it doesn't seem completely impossible.

In the meantime, the James Bond video game legacy will continue with IO Interactive. IO Interactive is developing a game currently known by the working title Project 007, which will be a brand new take on the iconic character. IO just recently shipped Hitman 3, so more information on Project 007 likely won't come anytime soon, but fans should keep an eye out for more information on that front in the months and years ahead.

GoldenEye 007 is out now, exclusively for the Nintendo 64.

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Source: VGC